Smiling, he took Lucia’s hands in his. “Sorry, Luce,” he said, kissing her, “but I already got the best present in the entire world…you.”
Catfish calls were heard from the male courtiers. Lucia flapped a hand at them and pulled Mahdi farther away. “Hold out your hand and close your eyes,” she commanded.
Mahdi did so, and Lucia placed a small object on his palm.
“Now open them!” she said.
The color drained from Mahdi’s face when he saw what he was holding. He could barely breathe. It was a delicate ring made of shell—the ring he’d carved for Serafina.
“Where did you get this?” he asked in a strangled voice.
“I took it off her hand. Right before I had her killed!” Lucia said happily. Her blue eyes were so dark now, they looked almost black.
“Lucia,” Mahdi whispered, “what have you done?”
She leaned in close to him. “I just told you, Mahdi. I killed Sera. She’s gone. And you’re free. You were under a terrible enchantment, and you didn’t even know it. Serafina cast a songspell over you to make you think you were in love with her. To make you spy for her. But now I’ve broken the spell and saved you.”
“You…you murdered Sera?” Mahdi said. He felt as if she had just crushed his heart with her bare hands.
Lucia’s eyes narrowed. “You lied to me, Mahdi. And to my parents,” she said. “All this time, you’ve been helping the Black Fins. Feeding them information. Spying for them. I understand. Because I know what Sera did. But I’m not sure my father would…if he were ever to find out.”
Mahdi nodded woodenly. He understood the implied threat.
Lucia’s expression hardened. “You’re not upset, are you?”
Summoning all the strength he had left, Mahdi pulled himself together. He had to play along. Lucia was pure evil. If she’d known about Sera, what else did she know? That Yaz was alive? Neela, too? He didn’t care about his life anymore; it was over. But others might live or die depending on what he did next.
“Yes, I am upset, Luce. Upset that you’ve given me a better wedding present than I could ever give you!” he said, smiling.
Lucia, seeing that he’d been teasing her, swatted him.
Mahdi pulled her close. “Thank you,” he said. “I mean it, Lucia. You not only freed me, you did what your father and Traho and all the death riders together couldn’t: you eliminated a serious threat to our power. With Sera gone, no one can question your claim to the Miromaran throne, or your right to be my empress.” He kissed her lips. “Five whole days. How am I going to make it?”
Lucia’s lips curved up, and she melted into him. “I’m so happy that you’re happy, Mahdi. I was so worried that you had feelings for her. Before I realized that she’d enchanted you, I mean.”
“Don’t be silly,” Mahdi said tenderly, stroking her face. “You’re the only one I care about, Luce.”
“I care about you, too, Mahdi. So much,” Lucia said passionately. “Sera didn’t. She didn’t care if her enchantment got you killed.”
As she spoke, she pulled something out of her pocket. It was a chain made of dark metal, small but heavy. Before Mahdi even knew what she was doing, she’d looped it around his neck, slipped the hasp of a tiny padlock through both ends, and clicked it shut.
“What is this?” he asked. He hooked a finger in the chain, pulled it taut, and tried to look at it, but he couldn’t. It was too short.
“It’s a protective iron necklace, Mahdi. Uncuttable. It’ll keep you from contacting the Black Fins with a convoca, or casting a transparensea pearl to escape.”
Mahdi stiffened. He was furious, and humiliated, but more than that, he was panic-stricken. Iron repelled magic. As long as it was on him, he wouldn’t be able to songcast. Magic helped him get messages to the Black Fins. How would he tell them what Lucia had done to Sera?
“Unlock it, Lucia,” he said angrily. “Now.”
Lucia shook her head. “It’s for your own good. The effects of a strong enchantment can linger. The Black Fins might still be controlling you.”
“Get it off me. It’s a collar. I’m not a dogfish.”
“Of course you’re not,” Lucia soothed, smiling. “And I will take it off. On our wedding day so you can sing your vows. By then, the spell will have worn off completely. You’ll be safe, Mahdi. You’ll be mine.”
“Lucia—” He was about to keep arguing with her, but he suddenly stopped. Because an idea had come to him, inspired by her words….You can sing your vows….
I can now, he realized. Sera, his beloved, was dead, and her death released him from the vows they’d made. That changed everything. The collar didn’t matter anymore. Nothing did. He wouldn’t escape from this place, and from Lucia, even if he could. A plan had begun to take shape in his mind. He saw that the best way to help the Black Fins now, and to avenge Sera’s death, was to stay right here.
And go through with his wedding.