Chapter57: A Future King

*River* I can’t take the silence anymore. Grief fills every hallway, every breath, every conversation that ends before it begins. Akin’s death has carved a hollow space inside each of us, and even though no one says his name out loud, it echoes through the palace like a ghost. It’s been two days since his death, and the silence threatens to crush me. It presses too close, sits too heavy on my shoulders. I need to move. I need to do something, anything, other than sit in that war room listening to generals argue over plans they can’t agree on. Outside of the room is no better, though. Maerilee has completely shut down, unable to function since she erected the barrier around the castle. Grief has stolen more from her than anyone. Permiton is likewise pretending he isn’t unraveling, but something is wrong with him. He’s barely spoken since Akin’s death, but unlike Maerilee, he seems more agitated than anything. Brook is still recovering, barely able to stay upright, despite the Bright Wat