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  “But—” I began but a low curse from Kristoff cut me off.

  “It’s blocked,” he growled. “Someone has blocked the entrance to the Council Chamber.”

  “What does that mean? Do we have to go all the way back?” I hoped not. I’d never been claustrophobic before but here in this tight, narrow, lightless space, my heart was pounding and my palms were sweating.

  “No. Just back to the exit beside the official Council Chamber entrance,” he said. “I don’t like this.”

  “You think it was blocked on purpose?” I asked anxiously as he turned us around and led me down a twisting side corridor I hadn’t noticed before because I can’t see in the freaking dark.

  “Possibly. Or maybe someone on the housework staff who didn’t know any better put something across the entrance. Impossible to know—we’ll have to be even more cautious.”

  He kept a tight grip on my hand and soon we were standing in front of another wall—or I assumed we were since Kristoff stopped and started tapping and knocking again.

  This time, a doorway swung open, letting in some much needed light and fresh air. I wanted to get out of the corridor in the worst way—I felt grimy from being in the cramped, dusty space and my heart was pounding like crazy—but Kristoff made me wait until he looked.

  “All right,” he said at last in a low voice. “I don’t see anyone coming in either direction. We just have to go down the hall and turn right—the entrance to the Council Chamber will be right there. The guards will know me and let us enter. Come on.”

  He pulled me out into a large, golden hallway with colorful jewel-toned frescos on the walls and ceilings. There were fancy statues carved from some pure white stone with silver and gold streaks running through it and the floors were made of something black and shiny that might or might not have been marble.

  It was extremely intimidating, especially considering I was wearing scrubs that had been fresh two days ago and I was dusty and dirty from our trip through the secret passage. I doubted that anyone would think I looked like the new Empress. They were more likely to think I was a scullery maid escaped from the kitchen. Wait—did they have scullery maids here?

  My random thoughts were interrupted as we ran down the corridor and turned the corner. Ahead of us I could see two vast doors made of carved, dark wood, accented with gold handles.

  But standing between us and the doors was something that made my blood run cold.

  It was a Majoran male, probably an inch or two shorter than Kristoff and he was holding a knife in one hand—a bloody knife.

  Behind him were two crumpled figures in armor a little like Kristoff’s—they must have been the door guards but now they were obviously dead.

  “Hello, Captain Verrai.” The Majoran blocking us from the Council Chamber doors had a mad glint in his eyes, which were bright red. “What have you got there?” he asked, nodding at me. “Would that be the new Empress? She who is to carry on the male oppression in the Majoran system?”

  “Get away from the doors.” Kristoff pushed me behind him and reached for his sword, all in one swift movement.

  “Ah-ah-ah. I don’t think you should try anything, Captain.”

  I’d been so focused on the long, bloody knife in his right hand, I hadn’t noticed his left. Now he drew it out from behind his back and I saw he was holding a small, black sphere with two lights blinking on it—both of them green. As I watched, he lifted it over his head and pressed something on it. There was a click and one of the green lights turned red.

  Kristoff’s eyes widened.

  “No,” he said hoarsely. “You can’t!”

  “Oppressor! Oppressor of the males!” the bloody-handed Majoran shrieked at me. He pressed the sphere again and the second light turned red. Then he wound up like a baseball pitcher about to throw a curve ball.

  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

  Kristoff dropped his sword and drew a dagger instead. With a flick of his wrist he cast it, almost casually, towards the would-be assassin. I saw it bury itself to the hilt in the other man’s throat. A gout of bright red, arterial blood spurted out, leaving a trail than ended just a few inches from my feet.

  Then I couldn’t see any more because Kristoff dropped to the floor, dragging me with him, and pinned me beneath his big body.

  Being pinned beneath him wasn’t cozy or comforting this time, as it had been during my bout with the Burning Blood. This time his molded breastplate dug into my back and I could hardly breathe with his huge, muscular weight on top of me, pressing me down against the hard, cold marble floor.

  I didn’t have time to protest though—there was a deafening roar and a blinding flash that seemed to fill the whole world. I shrieked in fear but the explosion was so loud, I couldn’t even hear myself. I felt Kristoff stiffen on top of me, trying to cover me more, to protect me completely.

  Then my breath ran out and everything went fuzzy around the edges—I think I might have grayed out for a little while because I don’t remember what happened next.

  All I know is that I woke up to a very anxious Kristoff kneeling beside me and patting my cheeks.

  “My lady? Charlotte?” he was asking in a hoarse, worried voice. “Are you all right?”

  “Are you?” I asked, and coughed. “You were on top of me when…when it went off.”

  “Charlotte!” He pulled me to him, enveloping me in a hug so tight it was hard to breathe. “I thought I’d lost you,” he muttered, his deep voice thick with relief. “Oh, Goddess…”

  Then the double doors of the Council Chamber were thrown open with a bang and at the same time, the sound of booted feet running along the corridor came from the other direction.

  “Captain Verrai?” An anxious voice asked.

  Kristoff released me, making sure I could sit up on my own before he turned to the guard who was speaking.

  “T’zorin? What are you doing here?” he demanded.

  “The sentries at the Council Room door didn’t answer voice checks. I started this way and then I heard what sounded like a shock grenade by the Council door. You all right?” the guard asked, wide-eyed.

  “Fine.” Kristoff picked himself up and held out a hand to me.

  As he pulled me up, I saw that the backs of his arms were speckled with tiny drops of blood. “No, you’re not fine—you’re hurt!” I exclaimed, reaching for him.

  “Just a few contact wounds. They’ll heal,” he said, pushing my hands away when I would have examined him.

  “Kristoff—” I began.

  “What is the meaning of all this?” a voice roared.

  Looking up, I saw a very old man with a long blue beard streaked with white standing in the center of the opened Council Room doors. He was wearing a black robe and a heavy gold chain encircled his neck. He was completely bald but his incredibly bushy blue eyebrows almost made up for his lack of hair.

  “What’s happening out here? Who dares disturb the Investiture of the True Incarnation?” he demanded in that same, loud and angry voice.

  “I do, Head Councilor Tannus .” Kristoff threw back his shoulders and took me by the hand. “Because you’re Investing the wrong female. This is the True Incarnation of the Goddess-Empress. This is Sundalla the 1000th!”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Charlotte

  Have you ever had that dream? You know the one—where you’re at a job interview or a really important meeting at work where you want really badly to impress everyone. And then you look down and realize you’re completely naked?

  That was what I found myself going through when Kristoff dragged me into the extremely fancy Council Room to stand in front of a bunch of enormously important-looking people—only it wasn’t a dream.

  No, I wasn’t completely naked, but I wasn’t exactly dressed appropriately either. My scrubs were tattered and dirty—streaked with dust and grime from our run through the secret passage. My hands were bloody and when I walked, I felt a squishing in my right sneaker.