Chapter 51: A Mother’s Love

The dungeon was silent now, save for the breathing of the woman chained to the floor.

Karina stood over Renira, her expression unreadable.

She had watched every single lash fall. She had not flinched. She had not looked away. She had forced herself to witness the punishment she had ordered, because if she was going to be the kind of woman who could order this, she needed to be the kind of woman who could stomach the sight of it.

But now, as Renira’s sobs faded into whimpers, Karina felt the cold rage in her chest begin to crack.

A panther.

Renira had finally confessed. Between the screams and the pleas and the desperate, pathetic begging, the truth had spilled out like pus from a wound.

A panther had come to her. A massive, shadowy beast that smelled of rot and decay. It had spoken to her, promised her power, whispered poison into her ear and handed her the means to destroy Karina’s child.

And the worst part? Renira had believed it. She had been so consumed by her own delusions, so blind to her own insignificance, that she had accepted help from a literal monster without question.

Karina closed her eyes, her jaw tightening.

A panther. A feral, intelligent panther that can speak and plan. That means the plague isn’t just a mindless sickness. There’s something behind it. Someone—or something—pulling the strings.

The implications made her blood run cold.

Someone wanted Valen dead. Someone wanted to break me. And they used Renira to do it.

Karina opened her eyes, her gaze settling on the trembling, broken woman at her feet.

Renira’s body was wracked with violent shivers. The fight had completely drained out of her. There was no more defiance, no more sneering, no more delusional proclamations of love for Leonidas.

The beastmen stood silently behind Karina, their whips coiled at their sides. They had done their job efficiently and without hesitation, the way good soldiers did. Now they waited, their eyes fixed on the Empress, ready to follow whatever command she gave next.

Karina exhaled slowly, forcing the remaining tension from her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said. "For your information. And your... assistance."

Renira’s head snapped up, her tear-streaked, bloodied face contorting with confusion. Her cracked lips parted, and a hoarse, disbelieving sound escaped her throat.

"What?" she rasped. "What did you say?"

Karina tilted her head, a smile curving her lips. "I said thank you. For the information. That is all."

Renira’s eyes widened, the confusion in them slowly curdling into a dawning, horrified realization. "But... but I helped you! I told you about the panther! I told you everything! You can’t—"

"Can’t what?" Karina interrupted. "Can’t continue your punishment because you decided to be useful at the last possible moment? Is that what you think?"

Renira’s chains rattled as she tried to lurch forward, but her battered body refused to obey. She collapsed back onto the stone floor, fresh pain ripping a strangled scream from her throat.

"I helped you!" Renira shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation. "I told you what you wanted to know! You have to let me go! You promised!"

Karina laughed.

"I promised nothing, Renira," Karina said. "I didn’t say anything about letting you go."

Renira’s face went pale, the last vestiges of color draining from her already ashen cheeks. "No... no, you can’t... you can’t do this... I helped you... I helped you..."

"You helped yourself," Karina corrected, her eyes narrowing. "You thought you could save yourself by throwing a scrap of information at me. You thought that would be enough to erase the fact that you tried to poison a six-year-old boy." She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a hiss. "You attacked my son. My child. Do you honestly believe a few words about a mysterious panther is enough to earn you mercy?"

Renira’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Her eyes were wide, glassy with terror, darting around the dungeon as if searching for an escape that didn’t exist.

"I’m going to have you tried," Karina continued, straightening up. "By the laws of Shadow’s Edge, and by the laws of the empire. You will be held accountable for your crimes in front of the entire court. And when you’re found guilty—which you will be, because there’s enough evidence to hang you a dozen times over—you will face the consequences."

"No!" Renira screamed, her voice cracking with animalistic fear. "NO! You can’t! I’m a noble! I have rights!"

Karina watched her thrash against her chains, a faint flicker of pity stirring in her chest before she ruthlessly crushed it.

This woman tried to kill my child. She doesn’t get my pity. She doesn’t get anything.

"Fifty lashes," Karina said calmly, turning toward the dungeon doors. "We’ve barely started. Make sure she doesn’t die. I want her alive for the trial."

She didn’t look back as she walked away.

~

The corridor outside the dungeon was quiet, the torches casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. Karina walked slowly, her heels clicking against the floor, her mind churning with everything Renira had confessed.

A panther. A speaking, planning panther. Working behind the scenes. Using desperate, delusional people as pawns.

She didn’t know who, or what, was behind the plague. But she knew one thing with absolute certainty.

My son is not safe here.

Valen had almost died. If he had drunk that poison, he would have turned into a monster. He would have been locked in a cage or put down by his own father’s guards. He would have suffered a fate worse than death, and she would have been powerless to stop it.

The thought made her stomach churn with nausea.

I can’t stay here. I can’t keep him in this castle where anyone could be working for the enemy. Where a mysterious panther can whisper poison into the ears of desperate women and turn them into murderers.

She had to leave. Tomorrow. First thing in the morning.

But first....

She pushed open the door to Valen’s chambers, her heart clenching painfully in her chest.

Valen was sitting on the edge of his bed, his small legs dangling over the side.

The moment he saw her, his entire face lit up.

"Mama!"

Karina’s breath caught in her throat.

Mama.

He had called her Mama. Not "Empress." Not "Her Imperial Majesty." Not even just "Mother." He had called her Mama.

Her eyes burned with sudden, overwhelming tears.

She crossed the room in three quick strides, dropping to her knees in front of him and pulling him into her arms. She held him tightly, burying her face in his soft dark hair, breathing in the sweet, innocent scent of him.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Did you—"

"I’m fine," Valen said, his small arms wrapping around her neck. "I’m well. I’m alright."

But Karina couldn’t stop. The tears she had been holding back, the terror she had been suppressing since the moment she saw the smoking crater in the floor, all of it came crashing down on her at once.

She held him tighter, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"I’m sorry," she choked out. "I’m so sorry, Valen. I should have been there. I should have—"

"You were there," Valen interrupted, his voice fierce despite its childish pitch. "You came. You found me. You protected me."

"But I almost didn’t," Karina whispered, pulling back just enough to cup his face in her hands. Her thumbs traced the soft skin of his cheeks, wiping away tears she hadn’t even realized she was crying. "If you had drunk that poison... if you had..."

She couldn’t finish the sentence. The thought was too unbearable.

Valen’s expression softened. He reached up, his small hand patting her cheek with clumsy, innocent tenderness.

"Are you crying?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"No," Karina lied, even as a fresh tear slipped down her cheek. "No, I’m not. I’m just..."

She couldn’t finish the lie. She was crying. Of course she was crying. Her son had almost been murdered, and she had spent the last hour watching the woman responsible being whipped into a bloody pulp.

But Valen didn’t seem to mind. He just patted her cheek again, his small face completely serious.

"It’s okay to cry," he said. "I think it’s fine as long as you’re not crying over the king."

Karina let out a choked laugh, pulling him into another hug. "When did you get so wise?"

"I have always been wise," Valen said, his voice muffled against her shoulder. "You just weren’t paying attention before."

Ouch.

You just weren’t paying attention before.

"No more," Karina whispered fiercely, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "I’ll never stop paying attention again. I promise."

Valen pulled back, his purple eyes searching her face. "Is that why we’re leaving tomorrow?"

Karina blinked. "How did you know?"

"I guessed. After all that happened." Valen shrugged.

Karina sighed, smoothing down his rumpled hair. "Yes. We’re leaving tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

"Where are we going?"

"Back to the capital," Karina said. "It’s not safe here, Valen. Someone tried to hurt you, and I can’t—" Her voice cracked, and she had to pause to take a shaky breath. "I can’t let that happen again. I can’t risk you."

Valen was quiet for a long moment. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I trust you."

I trust you.

Karina let herself cry even more.