Page 118 of Split or Swallow

Gabriel followed her gaze. “Did the prince just wink at you?”

Tem shoved him. “He did not.”

“You should wink back.”

“I’d rather die.”

Gabriel squinted. “He’s got quite the jawline, hasn’t he?”

“No,” Tem hissed through gritted teeth. “He doesn’t.”

“Oh, please, Tem. I know jawlines, and that’s a jawline.”

Gabriel waggled his fingers coquettishly at Leo, who raised a bewildered eyebrow.

Tem smacked his hand down. “Fine, he has a nice jawline.”

“Probably has other nice bits too.”

Tem had nothing to say to that. The king was still speaking:

“It is with great honor and privilege that we welcome our guests here tonight. My son and I are most grateful for their services.”

Maximus’s wording wasn’t accidental. Tem suddenly remembered their conversation in the parlor:

They provide a service. Their place is beneath us.

The king was minimizing the basilisks—reducing them to their roles as teachers. His speech was a warning: a way to remind them that the royals held the pow⁠er. But did they? The mirrored wall was useless. The villagers lived once more in fear of the monsters beneath the mountain. If there was peace to be had, it was no longer guaranteed. If it ever was.

Tem watched a muscle in Caspen’s jaw twitch as Maximus continued:

“The elimination process is a time-honored tradition. It ensures that my son⁠—” the king’s eyes flicked briefly over to Leo, “—makes the right choice. And perhaps more importantly, it ensures that the balance of our kingdom remains intact.”

Should the snakes ever question their place, the balance may falter.

“If you would raise your glasses,” Maximus raised his, along with everyone else in the room. “I’d like to make a toast.”

Gabriel took Tem’s hand and raised it ironically, as if it were a glass. Maximus paused before speaking, and his eyes ultimately settled on Tem’s as he said:

“To making the right choice.”

Everyone but Leo downed their drink.

Gabriel pressed his lips to Tem’s fingers before dropping her hand.

“Well, I’m off. See you in a bit?”

“Sure,” Tem said. “See you.”

Gabriel disappeared.

Before she was ready for him, Caspen was in front of her.

“Tem,” he said, his voice an eager murmur.

It had only been a day since they’d parted, but it felt like a lifetime to Tem. She wondered whether it felt the same for him, or if she’d slipped from his mind as easily as a snuffed-out candle.

“Caspen,” she said back, his name barely making it past the lump in her throat. “How are you?”