Chapter 210

Zarek's POV

Her voice cuts into me before I can find the words.

Elara stands there, her golden eyes—Tempestshroud-born, blood of the Valkars—fixed not on the documents strewn across the floor, but on me. My face, my faltering breath, the blood draining from my skin.

"What's wrong with you?" she asks, stepping closer, concern outweighing suspicion. "You look pale. Are you unwell?"

The irony sears m