“Get up. The Queen Mother is here to see you.”

Zaki looked through the bars of his cell at the guard. His hair hung limply over his forehead, the greasy strands clumping together. Dirty bandages wrapped around the right side of his face. He stayed quiet.

The guard leaned in closer to him, “Look at how far you’ve fallen.”

He let his head drop. How far he’d fallen indeed. From a prospective royal magician to a prisoner, there was no further to fall. Killing Kihn had sent him to rock bottom, and he struggled to find the light at the end of the tunnel. There was no way he was leaving this cell alive.

“It’s pathetic. After all Royal Magician Kihn had done for you, you repay her like this.”

It baffled him that only ten years had passed since he left his home in Bolodalo. He wondered if his parents ever thought about him, or if they were happy to be free of their reclusive son. What would his life have been like if he hadn’t sought out Veloda? He certainly wouldn’t be imprisoned, waiting for his sentencing.

“Honestly, I feel sorry for you.”

The one saving grace was the absence of Veloda. He brought an absentminded hand to stroke the side of his face covered with bandages. Veloda might not have been there, but he had forever left a mark on Zaki. Whether that be his spiraling mind or the claw marks that blinded his right eye. An amused huff left him as he remembered the expression on Veloda’s face after the demigod had struck him. Righteous anger and smugness exuded from the being. Veloda would never regret what he had done, but at least he had enough kindness to let Zaki die alone.

However, as evidenced by his new home in the dungeons, he was not granted the mercy of a quiet death. Guards had heard his and Veloda’s screams and had run to the scene. Seeing Kihn’s dead body, the murder weapon, and his disfigured face, they had come to an understandable conclusion. He was shackled and thrown into a cell. Though they had yet to formally state his punishment, he was sure that he would be executed, a public display to condemn his actions.

The sound of heels clicking on stone reached him and the guard, who straightened and rushed to the door. The guard announced, “Queen Mother here to see High Magician Zaki.”

The Queen Mother glided through the door, her opulence out of place in the dungeons. Her skirts dragged across the dirty floor, but none of the filth stuck to the fabric. Radiant in her maturity, she walked to his cell, surveying every detail in front of her. It felt like she saw right through him, and he shivered at the thought of her looking at his very soul.

When she spoke, her voice carried throughout the room. “Guard, leave me and the prisoner alone.”

“But, your highness, he’s dangerous! Who knows what he might do if I leave,” the guard argued.

“I won’t ask you again.”

Despite another argument on the tip of his tongue, the guard nodded his understanding. Turning on his heels, he left Zaki alone with the Queen Mother. The woman had not taken her eyes off Zaki once, her face impassive. The silence that settled over them was tense, and he waited for the Queen Mother to say anything.

But as they continued to say at each other without a sound, he felt compelled to break the quiet. He said, “My apologies.”

“Whatever for?”

“Killing Kihn. I knew she was close to you and your husband.”

“Yes, her loss was sudden and unexpected. Certainly not something I wished to happen so close to my husband’s death.”

He winced; King’s Malek death was fresh in his mind. The man had died barely a week ago, and now one of his dearest friends followed in his footsteps. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t need you to express your remorse, Zaki. I know you’re not entirely at fault. Being played for a fool by Veloda deserves my sympathies.”

His head snapped up. “You know of Veloda?” His hands started to tremble, and he shoved them between his legs to hide it.

“Do I know of him?” she smiled, “I am very familiar with the demigod.”

Kihn had mentioned how King Malek had warned her of the demigod. He saw no reason for the man not to warn his wife as well. Or the Queen Mother was the one to detail the demigod’s wretchedness to her husband, and he passed the information along. “How familiar?”

“You could say Severin and I had worked together before his death. I knew how important he was to Veloda.”

His mouth dropped open in disbelief, “You knew Severin.”

“Malek knew Severin as well. We both grew concerned when we heard word that he had come back from the dead,” her eyes wandered his form, “But, it seems that we were concerned over nothing. You and Severin, aside from a striking physical resemblance, are nothing alike.”

Zaki surprised himself with the tears that rolled down his cheek. However, hearing the Queen Mother claim that he and Severin were different was a welcome relief, like the weight of a world had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn’t until he was crying like a child the he recognized how important it was for him to be seen as wholly Zaki. Even if the shadow of Severin followed him to his grave, he would cherish this moment for the rest of his life.

He cried, “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words.”

“I imagine your time with Veloda has not been pleasant.”

“I never want to see that monster again.”

“I’m sure, but what if I told you that you could have revenge.”

His eyes sharpened on the Queen Mother, and his breath caught in his throat. He would have never described himself as vengeful, yet there was no denying the offer was tempting. “I would ask how.”

The Queen Mother smiled, a dangerous and monstrous thing that reminded him of Veloda.