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~~CALIX MALZARETH~~
***
I wasn’t sure what my father’s plan entailed, but it definitely didn't involve keeping me away from Lyric.
From the moment I stepped into the palace, the guards had been oddly compliant—open with their words, clear in their directions. They told me exactly where she was. No stalling. No resistance. Just a quick escort to the room right beside the king’s.
That alone made me suspicious.
My father never gave anything away so easily.
And when things were too easy, it usually meant something was deeply, violently wrong.
I had braced myself for a fight. Had imagined breaking down doors, threatening whoever I had to in order to get her back. Lyta, Snaky, and Tundra had flown into my quarters breathless and wild-eyed, yelling about how the guards had taken Lyri
