(Alnitak)

She is not eating. She is merely functioning on adrenaline and cortisol and I wonder how long that will keep her going.

We need to feed her something or she will deplete all her energy.

Carefully, I approach her, placing my hand on her stiff shoulder.

"Amaia, eating will help you focus better. It will restore your energy. How long will you go on an empty stomach?" Amaia halts her actions at my words and turns her head. Shadows of grief are long on her face and it makes Zevran painfully howl in my head.

"As long as I can." She returns to focusing her energy on Saiph.

"Alnitak has a point," Rigel comments. He turns his gaze towards me. "Ask the maids to bring food, I will feed her."

I nod and retreat to give the order for the food to be brought.

Outside when we fed the crystals. I had spoken to one of the Farians. She had said, messing with the dead is never an advisable move. It comes under black magic and it always leaves consequences.

Those who dabble in it end up hurting themselves or someone else. As much as I want my brother back, I don’t want that for Amaia.

After losing my mother and brother, I can’t lose her too. But, right now Amaia is blinded by this obsession and nothing we say to her is going to matter.

Two maids bring us food and lay it out on the table. Rigel gets up and fixes a plate. He takes it to Amaia and settles in front of her.

"We will eat a bit and then both of us will figure out how to bring him back." He picks up a small piece of chicken and offers it to her.

Mintaka and I silently watch with heavy hearts.

Her sorrow-ridden eyes fixate on Rigel. "I have no appetite. I feel like throwing up every time you people mention food," she protests, her voice is so painful that it rattles our very bones.

"None of us wants to. Your refusal to eat will not bring him back. You need your strength to do it and food will help in maintaining the strength." He places his free hand on her injured cheek. "Don’t think that I don’t understand what you are going through. I do, we all do. For us, please eat." He pushes the piece forward right closer to her lips.

With tears sparkling on her eyelids she takes a bite from Rigel and I sigh in relief.

The mindlink opens and Alnilam’s voice comes. "I need you and Min in the throne room."

"We are coming," I answer him. With one final look at Amaia and Rigel, I turn towards my twin. He nods at me. Opening the door, we leave and make our way towards the throne room.

My heart is so heavy that it still appears like a nightmare. That woman is gone, leaving so much mess behind her. We are merely gathering the torn pieces of ourselves and our kingdom. Everywhere we turn, there is someone she has wronged.

Father is constantly working with Beta Diez and General Bakshi to sort the messes she has left behind. Now that all the illusions have been shattered there is so much which has unfolded.

Sentinels bow and open the throne room’s door for us. We enter and find our father, Alnilam, the top brass of the State of Orion, including Headmaster Fallon and one of the head Farians.

"How are Amaia and Rigel?" Our father asks with deep concern.

"Same." None of us says it but we all know that both Amaia and Rigel are most vulnerable at this moment. While, our father is the one who has lost the most, he is keeping his strength up for the sake of us and his kingdom.

"Any chance we could get to speak to Amaia and she can shed more light on what happened?" General Bakshi asks and I shake my head.

"No, she is in no position to talk. Give her space."

General Bakshi makes a single nod and continues, "Alnilam has filled us in and we have gone through the evidence in that room in the tower and also your mother’s room. We found a lot. It’s clear now what she has done to all of us. The manipulation and the control she has exercised. How she used children against their parents to make them do her dirty work."

His eyes waver towards Headmaster Fallon who appears guilty of a thousand crimes. The latter lowers his head as if hiding away not only his pain but his shame too.

"If you may." General Bakshi invites him forward with the action of his hand.

Headmaster Fallon takes a deep painful breath before starting his tale. My body goes stiff, knowing nothing good is going to be revealed.

"It’s with the utmost apology that I say, I knew about Rigel."

A wave of anger courses through me.

Guiltily he continues.

"I was asked to keep hush if I didn’t want to lose Kacir. I stepped out of line once, threatened to tell the truth and she took away my daughter, my Kayla." He sniffles while others silently but attentively listen.

Mintaka’s hands fist by my side. His rage feeds the bond.

"What are you saying?" Mintaka blasts at him.

Headmaster Fallon raises his head. Tears were shining in his eyes. "She was the one who got Kayla killed and made me keep Rigel in that dungeon, threatening to kill Kacir too if I wouldn’t oblige."

That explains why that dungeon was cordoned off by Headmaster Fallon when Amaia found Rigel there. He was the one who brought him, introducing him as the son of his acquaintance. He had always known about Rigel but never revealed it.

I grab Min’s arm, holding him back. That blind fury will engulf him. We are already on our wits but learning that his mate was killed by his own mother is going to take a heavy toll on my brother.

While everyone in the room is left stunned. My father is devastated. He drops on his throne, holding his head with both of his hands.

Alnilam steps forward and embraces Min. "I know it’s difficult but remember Kayla is at peace."

Min openly sobs in Alnilam’s chest. The old wounds have opened, the ones he had closed and buried.

"I apologise, I know my crimes are not to be forgiven but everything I did was to keep my son safe. I couldn’t lose all my children." Regrets cling to Headmaster Fallon’s voice while tears leak out.

"And I am ready to accept any punishment. Please, don’t tell my son. He will never forgive me." Headmaster Fallon clasps his hands together in front of my father.

My father lifts his head. Grieved, broken and frustrated.

"Take him away. I will decide his fate later," the father announces to Beta Diez.

He is led away. With heavy hearts, we focus our attention on our father to hear what’s next. Every moment something gut-wrenching is revealed regarding her. I want to face, at least and demand to know how she could be so vile, so monstrous.

A sentinel enters the room, bows and says,

"King Hathial Kane of Fudaria seeks an audience. May I bring him?"