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JAREN
Originally published in The Prison Healer by Penguin,
an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, in 2023
TORELL
Originally published in The Gilded Cage by Penguin,
The following chapter contains
SPOILERS
CALDON
for The Prison Healer series

Originally published in The Blood Traitor by Penguin,
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companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
Copyright © Lynette Noni, 2021, 2022, 2023
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, published,

performed in public or communicated to the public in any form or by any means
without prior written permission from Penguin Random House Australia Pty
Ltd or its authorised licensees.
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COPYRIGHT © LYNETTE NONI
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JAREN
Jaren couldn’t remember the last time he felt clean—or the last time he
wasn’t in pain.
He might have been the crown prince of the richest king-
dom in Wenderall, but for over three weeks now he’d been an
inmate at Zalindov prison, long enough that the only royal luxuries he
experienced these days were in his dreams. That was if he dreamed
at all. More often, he would pass out on his pallet every night in the
dormitory he shared with hundreds of other prisoners, exhaustion
sending him into a sleep so deep he might as well have been comatose.
Even now, as he gripped his pickaxe tighter and chipped away at the
thick limestone walls in the tunnels beneath the prison, fatigue tugged
at him, accompanied by the relentless aching of his shoulders, arms,
neck, and back. Then there were the calluses on his palms that seemed
to be perpetually cracked and bloody. If not for the prison healer, Kiva
Meridan, he knew they would have become infected long before now.
A smile touched his lips as he thought of Kiva, with her pitch-black
hair and eyes as bright as emeralds. He could still remember the day
he’d awoken at Zalindov, how he’d been disoriented upon finding himself
in the infirmary with her leaning over him holding a bloodied needle.
He’d reacted instinctively by leaping away from her, freezing only when
he’d caught sight of Naari and recognized the warning in her eyes, the
reminder of where he was—and why.

NOT FOR SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION 407

LY N E T T E N O N I
So far, he hadn’t had any luck befriending the prison rebels.

And Tilda Corentine’s arrival hadn’t yielded the results he’d hoped for, to
either, with her being on death’s doorstep. Jaren wondered how long
she would last, but then frowned to himself as he remembered that she h
wouldn’t see that very day out. There was no way she would survive what a
was coming. b
The Trial by Air. p
he first of her four elemental rdeals was due to begin imminently, im
though Jaren knew she wouldn’t make it to the remaining three in her B
condition. As it was, the self-proclaimed Rebel Queen had been given an re
extra week to heal in order to allow the royal family—Jaren’s family—to to
have enough time to travel from the winter palace and bear witness to
the first rial. ut ilda hadn’t improved, and her reprieve was now b
over, since his family would be arriving at the prison any minute. o
aren had nearly had a heart atta k when he’d first heard they were m
coming to Zalindov. It had taken some careful sneaking around for h
him to get a note to Naari and for her to then slip away to Vaskin one h
night, where she gave a messenger strict instructions to deliver the letter a
straight to his cousin, Caldon. The contents inside begged Cal to imper- w
sonate Jaren by playing the role of “Prince Deverick” for the day, so as o
to not arouse suspicion. Jaren could only hope Cal was willing to do so, h
and that his own sister, Mirryn, would go along with the ruse. They both r
knew as much as Jaren had dared tell them about his mission—a mission
he’d taken on when his friend and loyal guard, Eidran, had broken his th
leg, leaving Jaren to become a prisoner in his stead—and while he might re
not have made much progress yet, his reasons for being in Zalindov were sm
still valid. e needed to find out what was happening with the rebel
movement. He couldn’t fail now. He wouldn’t. There was still more for
him to uncover, so it was imperative that no one learned he was there,
lest he lose his one chance to discover something that might help bring to
peace to his kingdom. w

408 NOT FOR SHARING OR DISTRIBUTION
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THE PRISON HEALER
s. . . . And there was a certain green-eyed healer who he wasn’t willing

r, to part ways with yet, either.
g Jaren wiped sweat from his face, smearing yet more tunnel dust over
e his skin, and renewed his digging, all the while wondering what it was
at about Kiva Meridan that called so strongly to him. It wasn’t that she was
beautiful—though, she was. Even malnourished and wearing ratty gray
prison clothes, there was a light that shone from within her, making it
y, impossible for him to pay attention to anyone else when she was nearby.
er But it was more than that. It was her heart that he was in awe of; her un-
n reserved compassion for everyone, from the most hardened of criminals
o to the sweetest of children.
o Another smile graced Jaren’s lips as he thought of Tipp, the young
w boy who was unswervingly protective of Kiva, and, whether she liked it
or not, loved her like a sister. Jaren knew Kiva struggled with that—she’d
e made no e ort to hide how mu h she wished to keep distan e between
or herself and every single other person at the prison, and he understood
e her reasoning. He couldn’t imagine the nightmares of her past, the
er amount of people she must have carved with a Z scar only to see them
r- waste away from the hard labor and fall into the everworld. For ten years
as of her life, all she’d known was death. It was only natural that she kept
o, her walls up, even among those like Tipp who were determined to smash
h right through them.
n Jaren wouldn’t smash through them. He feared the kind of damage
is that might cause; that she might push him so far away that he’d never
ht reach her. But that didn’t mean he was going to give up. He might not
e smash, but he would knock, and keep knocking, until she allowed him in.
el She would be worth the wait.
or He knew that like he knew his own name.
e, nd somehow, when he finally gleaned the information he’d ome
g to Zalindov for, he would leave again and he’d find a way to take iva
with him. Tipp, too.


Jaren grimaced, already knowing how that conversation would go.

Kiva had a forgiving nature, but she wouldn’t appreciate that he’d been w
lying to her from the moment they’d met. He wasn’t looking forward to
the truth coming out, but if it meant he could free her from a place she sa
most definitely didn’t deserve to be in, then he would su er the onse- e
quences of his deceit. And then he would do whatever it took to regain
her trust. th
Hopefully more than her trust. n
Three weeks wasn’t long enough to know for sure, but what he knew st
so far, he liked. k
More than liked. n
Jaren gave a wry shake of his head, knowing that if Caldon were h
there, he’d roll his eyes and order him to stop acting so ridiculous about o
a girl he barely even knew. ut aren was also onfident that aldon w
would need less than five minutes with iva to feel the same way. here g
was ust something about her, something aren ouldn’t put his finger on. th
But something that made him want to know her—outside of their current
nightmarish circumstances. h
That day would come, he would make sure of it. o
“Tools down! Step away from the wall!” e
Jaren jerked out of his wandering thoughts as the shouted commands
were repeated by guards spaced along the tunnels, prompting the clang-
ing of steel on rock to ease and then quiet completely. There remained a a
ringing in Jaren’s ears, something he’d become used to in the last three h
weeks, and he knew it would take a few minutes before his hearing re- h
turned to normal. He focused on the coughing of his fellow tunnelers su
and the shu ing of their feet as he ame ba k to himself, dropping his c
axe to the side and stretching his sore muscles with a muted groan. o
“Single line back to the ladders! Hurry up!” called the guard closest A
to him, echoing the others.
o


THE PRISON HEALER
o. Jaren frowned, certain it was nowhere near time for them to be done
n with their labor for the day. That could only mean—
o ll prisoners are to bear witness to the first rial, pro laimed the
e same guard. “Get your asses topside.” He held a baton in his hands, his
e- expression hard with warning.
n Jaren never gave the guards a reason to strike him—but sometimes
they didn’t need a reason. Today, however, he made it through the tun-
nels and up to the surface without incurring anyone’s wrath, his steps
w steady but his mind distracted by what he was about to see. He hadn’t
known prisoners would be observing the Ordeals. It was true that he held
no love for Tilda Corentine, her very existence bringing his family and
e his kingdom nothing but trouble. But she was still a woman, and a sick
ut one at that. He wouldn’t celebrate her death—and he certainly didn’t
n want to watch it happen. Nor was he eager to be so close to his family,
e given the risk of Caldon or Mirryn accidentally giving away something
n. that might bring suspicion upon him.
nt But as with most things at Zalindov, Jaren didn’t have a choice, so
he followed the other tunnelers over the wintry, dead grass and then
onto the path that led past the refectory, heading in the direction of the
eastern quad.
ds And the gallows.
g- Jaren’s stomach dipped as he saw the raised platform come into view
a and realized that this was where Tilda would meet her fate. Without
e having any elemental magic—and as a Corentine, she wouldn’t—she’d
e- have no means to survive whatever the Ordeal required of her. He wasn’t
rs sure what her task was, how her death would come, but he searched for a
is clue as he moved closer to the platform. He could see nothing out of the
ordinary, though. Tilda hadn’t even arrived yet, nor had the Warden.
st And there was no sign of his family.
Loosing a relieved breath, Jaren fought against the crowd of pris-
oners arriving from various work allocations and jostling him from


all sides. The tunnels were close enough to the eastern quad that he and si
his fellow laborers were pushed to the front as more inmates appeared, p
a dangerous position for him to be in. He wanted to be as far from view it
as possible, but the more he struggled against the masses, the more they
closed in on him. h
And then he saw them. th
wo figures wearing masks and heavy winter loaks, surrounded Ja
by silver-armored Royal Guards, all being led by the black-uniformed ta
Warden Rooke. to
Prison guards parted the crowd, kicking and shoving inmates away p
to clear a path for the small group. Jaren froze at the sight, still too close
to the front of the crowd for his liking, but unwilling to try and move d
again lest he draw attention to himself. h
e ause upon seeing the approa hing figures, he reali ed there was p
something he’d forgotten, something that could ruin everything. a
Someone. re
Captain Veris. d
He was meant to be in Vallenia, not here. Jaren hadn’t factored the w
Captain of the Royal Guard into his risk assessment, having not once
considered that Veris might be with Caldon and Mirryn. He must have h
already been on his way to the winter palace for him to have arrived in th
time to accompany them to Zalindov. And now…
Jaren hunched his shoulders, using the crowd to hide as best as he
could, grateful that he was covered in enough tunnel grime to hopefully ro
make him unrecognizable should Veris scan the masses. The inmates a
were excited now, beginning to shout and jeer and catcall so loudly that sp
his ears were ringing again, the anticipatory feeling in the air almost
nauseating. b
Only when the royal entourage stepped up onto the gallows platform
and halted in the middle did Jaren settle his gaze on Caldon. His cousin
had smartly chosen a mask that covered most of his face, and given how to


THE PRISON HEALER
d similar their two physiques were, Cal should easily get away with the im-
d, personation act. They’d done it before, after all. But it only worked when
w it involved people who didn’t already know them both.
y Veris did know them, and had done so since their births, so Jaren
had no earthly clue how Cal had convinced the captain to go along with
the subterfuge. Mask or no, Veris would be all too aware that it wasn’t
d Jaren standing beside him. That meant Caldon must have fed the cap-
d tain some excuse about Jaren’s absence, something believable enough
to keep him from un overing the truth that aren was already at the
y prison. As an inmate.
e Gods, if Veris even suspected that the crown prince was in such a
e dangerous position, he’d haul Jaren straight out the iron gates and march
him all the way back to Vallenia. And if Naari appeared—when she ap-
as peared, Jaren mentally corrected, because he knew she would arrive
any moment—they would need a miracle to keep Veris’s eagle eyes from
recognizing her amongst the regular Zalindov guards. She might be
dressed as one of them, but Veris wouldn’t be fooled, and her presence
e would be a dead giveaway that Jaren was nearby.
e Nervous sweat dotted Jaren’s forehead as he calculated all the ways
e his plan could fail before he’d even given it a real chance. But he couldn’t
n think about that now. He couldn’t—
“Jaren!”
e His eyes widened at the sound of his name, barely audible over the
y roaring of the crowd. He wondered if he’d imagined it, but then it came
es again, more insistent this time—“Jaren!”—and at the familiar voice, he
at spun his neck so fast that it cricked painfully.
st He spotted Naari instantly, pushing her way through the crowd—
but it wasn’t she who had called to him.
m It was Kiva.
n Puzzled, he glanced quickly up at the platform, whispering thanks
w to the long-forgotten gods that Veris and his guards were watching the


teeming crowd closely, but none were focused in the direction of where
Kiva was moving forward, bearing Tilda’s weight. Naari, too, was out m
of their immediate eyeline, and Jaren prayed she would be careful to
remain that way, before realizing he needn’t worry. His Golden Shield in
knew what she was doing. e
Jaren, however . . . a
He knew better than to draw attention to himself by moving, but he a
was powerless to ignore Kiva’s summons. After another quick check to K
make sure Veris was still looking elsewhere, Jaren made his way toward
her, struggling through the screaming crowd until he was close enough h
to see Tipp on Tilda’s other side, both the boy and Kiva keeping the
sick woman aloft. The added weight slowed them down, causing Naari th
and the three prison guards escorting them to pull ahead, but they were p
still only mere paces away from the gallows steps when he reached their p
sides—much too close for Jaren’s comfort. a
He opened his mouth to ask why Kiva had called him, but she got th
in first. a
“Stay here,” she ordered both him and Tipp, before unwrapping sw
Tilda’s arm from around her own neck and unceremoniously shov-
ing her at Jaren, leaving him with no choice but to support the barely- n
conscious woman. th
Before he could protest, before he could do anything, Kiva forced her
way through the su o ating hoard, shoved her way past aari and the st
three guards— c
And bounded straight up the steps onto the platform. h
“What is she d-d-doing?” Tipp asked, concern threading his voice. th
Jaren didn’t know the answer, but his breath hitched when the Royal
Guards reacted to Kiva’s unannounced arrival as they were trained to sa
do by pointing their swords straight at her.
The audience hushed in an instant. e


THE PRISON HEALER
e Jaren watched in growing horror as the guard nearest to Kiva de-

ut manded, “Who are you, girl? Where’s the Rebel Queen?”
o It was in the split second before Kiva spoke that Jaren realized her
d intent, and by then it was too late for him to do anything as she straight-
ened her shoulders and looked past Warden Rooke, past Captain Veris,
and directly toward Caldon and Mirryn. Addressing them alone, she
e answered the guard’s uestion in a loud, arrying voi e y name is
o Kiva Meridan, and I claim her sentence as my own.”
d Jaren closed his eyes slowly, a thousand curse words blaring across
h his mind. He knew why she was doing this, knew her compassion for
e ilda’s si kness was what drove her to make su h a sa rifi e. laiming
ri the Rebel Queen’s sentence meant Kiva would become Tilda’s Cham-
e pion and face the Trials in her place, binding their fates together. Kiva
r probably thought she stood a chance at surviving for both of them, or
at least had better odds than the si kly ueen. ut aren knew the truth
ot the Ordeals were designed to test elemental magic users—and execute
anyone else. By claiming Tilda’s sentence, all Kiva would earn was a
g swift death. For both of them.
v- The audience began screaming again in the wake of Kiva’s an-
y- nouncement, but a moment later Captain Veris roared for silence and
they hushed once more.
er Fear began to take root in Jaren; even with the quieted crowd, he was
e still barely aware of the conversations happening on the platform. He
could see Kiva’s pale face, the way her body trembled as Veris questioned
her, but she kept her head high and uoted onfidently from the ook of
the Law, boldly repeating her claim to become Tilda’s Champion.
al Her assertive response made Caldon release a bark of laughter and
o say, “I like her. She’s got spirit.”
“She’s got a death wish,” Mirryn returned, though she also seemed
entertained.


Jaren felt queasy watching them, knowing what they were talking e
about. Knowing what was coming. Knowing they weren’t wrong. w
don’t think you understand the ramifi ations of your laim, girl,
Veris tried to warn Kiva. Jaren knew the captain well enough to see the
on ern i kering in his brown eyes. espite the in e ible re uirements
of his vocation, Veris had a kind heart. But even so, Jaren was surprised r
to see the captain appealing to Kiva’s better senses, especially since she to
was someone he didn’t know, nor did he have a reason to care about what c
happened to her. “If you fail to pass all four Trials, both of you will die.” so
At Veris’s damning declaration, a murmur rippled over the listening M
crowd. p
And then came Tipp’s cry. b
“NO, KIVA! D-DON’T!”
Jaren had to maneuver quickly to keep Tilda from falling when the sp
young boy lunged forward, but he needn’t have worried about stopping o
Tipp from landing in trouble himself, because suddenly Naari was there, h
her arms like steel bands around Tipp’s waist. She whispered something c
in his ear too low for Jaren to hear, but whatever she said, it was enough a
for Tipp to stop struggling against her grip, even if every part of his small
body was lined with tension. a
If not for the crowd pressing in on them, and the conversation that m
was continuing atop the gallows, Jaren knew Veris would have spotted p
him and Naari by now. It was pure luck that the masses were so suf- su
fo ating, pure lu k that the aptain was so distra ted by iva’s o er to
volunteer that he missed Tipp’s shout in favor of keeping his focus on her. fo
More words were being shared between them now, with Mirryn ask- c
ing Kiva why she was willing to risk her life for the Rebel Queen, and o
Kiva—
Jaren groaned inwardly when Kiva didn’t answer his sister’s ques- g
tion, and instead told Mirryn to just sit back and enjoy the entertain- fi
ment. He knew how his sister would respond to that kind of goading,


THE PRISON HEALER
g even before he saw the smirk stretch across the side of her mouth that
was visible beneath her mask.
efinitely a death wish, irryn said.
e And then from one blink to the next, Kiva was soaring into the air.
ts The crowd gasped, but no sound escaped Jaren as he watched Mir-
d ryn use her wind magic to raise Kiva up onto the freestanding watch-
e tower overlooking the eastern quad. She landed high enough that he
at could barely see her beyond the safety railing, but her body was shaking
” so violently that it was impossible to miss how afraid she was. Even after
g Mirryn lifted Veris up to join her, Kiva’s fear was still visible as she spoke
privately with the captain. The Trial hadn’t even begun yet and she was
barely keeping it together. There was no way she would—
iva eridan, ame aldon’s amplified voi e, utting into aren’s
e spiraling thoughts. The eyes of the audience swiveled from the royals
g on the gallows to Kiva and Veris atop the tower as Cal continued, “You
e, have volunteered to undertake the Trial by Ordeal in place of the ac-
g cused Rebel Queen. Today you shall face the Trial by Air. Do you have
h any last words?”
ll Jaren wanted to wring his cousin’s neck for the heartless way he
asked the question, as if her death were guaranteed. But then Jaren re-
at membered that it was. Because unless Kiva had been hiding a magical
d power, unless she was an elemental anomaly, then the chances of her
f- surviving the Ordeal—whatever it was—were nearly impossible.
o A long silence rang out while the audience waited with baited breath
r. for Kiva’s response, but she said nothing. Jaren wondered if it was be-
k- cause she didn’t want to risk vomiting, her face now a worrying shade
d of green.
“Very well,” Caldon said when it became clear that Kiva wasn’t
s- going to speak. “Captain Veris, would you be so kind as to explain the
n- first rdeal to the hampion
g, Jaren couldn’t hear what was said next, the captain and Kiva


too high above them for their voices to carry. But the look on Kiva’s h
face—the way her head whipped from Veris to the outer wall of the u
prison—the way she blanched and stepped back as if to get away from se
whatever the captain was telling her . . . th
The pit of Jaren’s stomach was cramping with nerves, as if it were h
him up on the tower. His heart began to pound in his ears as he watched k
Kiva continue to look across at the eastern wall, the terror stark in her a
expression, before it shifted into something new. in
Determination.
She was going to do it, Jaren realized. Kiva was going to go through
with the Ordeal—or die trying. e
“We don’t have all day,” came Caldon’s dry voice, and once more, th
Jaren had to grit his teeth to keep from leaving Tilda with the crowd w
and leaping up the gallows’ steps to lay into his cousin. “You have thirty b
seconds, Champion, or we’ll consider you to have surrendered.” ti
Caldon began a countdown then, with the audience joining in and
taking over from him. But Jaren was barely paying attention to them, his st
entire focus on Kiva as she pointed to the railing and said something to
Veris that had him opening it.
The way she kept looking at the outer wall . . . the now-open
railing . . . c
Jaren suddenly understood what the Ordeal was. g
She would have to jump from the tower to the top of the wall. w
The leap—gods, it had to be at least thirty feet. An impossible dis- b
tance, even with a running start. Kiva had to know that. Kiva did know
that; Jaren could see it all over her face.
And yet . . .
“Twenty seconds, Champion,” called Caldon, sounding bored, as a
if watching a girl about to leap to her death meant nothing to him. But fr
Jaren knew he was faking it, merely playing the part of the apathetic
crown prince. Because despite Cal’s careless tone and the mask hiding


THE PRISON HEALER
’s his expression, there was a storm brewing in his cobalt eyes as he looked
e up at Kiva. Caldon might have been known widely for his arrogance and
m seemingly avalier attitude, but that was largely an a t for the benefit of
those who didn’t bother to dig deeper. He was a menace, for sure, but
e he was also one of the most protective and loyal people Jaren had ever
d known. Cal had no attachment to Kiva, but the way his hands clenched
er at his sides made it clear that he was warring with his own honorable
instincts.
Just as Jaren was.
h arely five se onds had passed, with iva having stepped up to the
edge of the railing to look down at the ground, as if to steel herself fur-
e, ther. She didn’t peer in Jaren’s direction, even though she knew exactly
d where she’d left him with Tilda and Tipp and Naari, as if she couldn’t
y bear to lay eyes on any of them; as if she knew it would likely be the last
time and couldn’t bring herself to do so. To say goodbye.
d Jaren was going to be sick. He couldn’t watch this. He couldn’t just
is stand there and do nothing.
o But he had to.
He didn’t have a choice.
n This was the Trial by Ordeal, a sentence given to Tilda and now
claimed by Kiva. He couldn’t stop it. Even if he barged up onto the
gallows platform and revealed himself, he didn’t have the power to stop
what was about to happen. Tilda’s sentence had been ordered—it had to
s- be completed, by her . . . or her Champion.
w The wheels were in motion. There was no turning back.
“Ten seconds, and you’ll have failed,” Caldon declared.
It had been a long time since Jaren had felt so helpless, but that was
as all he knew as he watched Kiva close her eyes and begin backing up
ut from the railing.
c The crowd began to scream the countdown as she stepped—
g “Nine!”


—and stepped— N
“Eight!” fa
—and stepped—
“Seven!” la
She continued backing up—“Six! Five! Four! Three!” until finally she sh
was as far as she could go, the furthest distance from the open railing. sh
“Two seconds, Champion!” warned Caldon, an anxious edge deep- in
ening his tone. m
But that edge was nothing compared to what Jaren felt simmering li
within him, a dangerous cocktail of terror and dread, all of which hol-
lowed into numbness as he watched Kiva shoot forward, racing across a
the tower as fast as her legs would carry her, before she bolted through e
the open railing—
And launched herself into the air. K
“KIVA! N-NO!” to
Jaren heard Tipp’s cry as if it were his own, but it was too late to d
warn her, too late to stop her. in
or one impossible moment, it looked as if she were ying. ope su
blossomed within Jaren, along with a wave of incredulity as he wondered e
if maybe she was an anomaly who would manage to shock them all by
surviving the unsurvivable. With every inch she speared through the in
air, the eastern wall grew closer and closer, and for one blissful second, a
Jaren thought she was going to make it. He almost wept with relief as she c
continued to defy gravity, barely hearing Tipp’s excited whoops over the lo
uproar of the crowd. She was doing it. She was actually doing it. a
But then she was falling.
Down, down, down she plummeted, the crowd crying out in dismay, w
ipp’s horror filled s reams the loudest of them all. o
Jaren’s heart was in his throat as he watched Kiva fall in slow a
motion. This was it—as soon as she hit the ground, she would die.


THE PRISON HEALER
No one could survive a fall from that height. She was mere seconds from
fading into the everworld, there was no doubt in Jaren’s mind.
Images assailed his thoughts, memories of their encounters over the
last three weeks how she’d stit hed him up and soothed his hurts, how
e she called to him like a siren while keeping him at arm’s length, how
she’d shown nothing but kindness and compassion to every single person
p- in her orbit, even those who cursed her and spat at her. Jaren had never
met anyone who shone so brightly from within—and the thought of that
g light going out, of it never appearing again, of her dying . . .
l- Jaren couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d wanted to—and despite
ss all the reasons that should have prevented him from acting, he didn’t
h even try.
Instead, he summoned his power, thrusting his wind magic toward
Kiva. But he knew instantly that he’d waited too long—she was too close
to the ground for him to slow her descent gradually. The best he could
o do was erect a solid blanket of air beneath her just before she smacked
into the hard earth, praying it would cushion her enough that she would
e survive the fall, fully aware that his delay could result in her breaking
d every bone in her body.
y It had been weeks since Jaren had used his magic, something so
e intrinsic to who he was, something as natural to him as breathing. It
d, almost seemed to sigh with relief as he urged it to wrap around Kiva,
e catching her midair and stopping her freefall with a sickening jolt, before
e lowering her the remaining distance to the ground. There she lay, as still
as death.
But she wasn’t dead. Jaren could feel it in the magic he still had
y, wrapped around her, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and
out. She was alive—gods, gods she was alive—even if the force of her
w abrupt landing had rendered her unconscious.
e. Guilt and shame warred within Jaren, mixing with his


knee-weakening relief. He should have caught her sooner. He shouldn’t so

have waited. He should have— w
he shouting of the rowd was so loud he ouldn’t finish his train b
of thought, chaos descending as the guards cleared a path to Kiva and o
the closest prisoners began screaming that she had survived the Ordeal. to
The Warden yelled for order and the guards tried to settle the in- w
mates, but it was pandemonium, prompting them to start using their
batons to shove at the prisoners, pushing them back and commanding
them to return to their work allocations. The Trial was over—whatever in
happened next, they didn’t need to be around to witness it. c
Jaren was desperate to get to Kiva’s side, to see with his own eyes K
that she was safe and well—or at least, not permanently damaged—and to
he knew he wasn’t alone in that desire. Tipp was straining against Naari p
as she dragged him away, with her blending them seamlessly into the b
crowd while throwing a warning look back at Jaren for him to follow. He
knew what she was doing, knew that Veris was on his way down from w
the wat htower, knew that if they went against the ow of prisoners then
they would risk the captain’s notice. Jaren couldn’t go to Kiva right now. w
ut that didn’t mean he ouldn’t find another way to see her soon and
that way was slumped against his side, barely conscious. th
ilda needed to get ba k to the infirmary. t was the perfe t e use B
for Jaren to avoid returning to the tunnels with the rest of the laborers. fi
If needed, Naari would vouch for him with the other guards, but they b
were all so distracted by keeping the grumbling prisoners in check that K
they didn’t noti e when he shu ed along with his fellow workers only to
ontinue on past the tunnel entran e, merging with a di erent group of th
inmates headed toward the western wall.
t was a simple matter for him to veer o the path on e the infirmary
came into view, grunting slightly as he dragged Tilda’s limp weight and a
tried not to jostle the ill woman too badly. He knew he only had seconds in
to get the ebel ueen into her bed and then find a pla e to hide before


THE PRISON HEALER
’t someone delivered iva ba k to her infirmary or he assumed that was

where they would take her—so he didn’t dally, even when he discovered
n both Naari and Tipp already waiting beside Tilda’s bed. The guard was
d on edge, looking at the door as if calculating the best course of action
l. to keep Jaren from discovery, while Tipp was also looking at the door,
n- wringing his hands.
r “Is she c-c-coming?” Tipp asked Jaren. “Is she a-all right?”
g ’m sure she’s fine, bud, aren lied, his own un ertainty still hurn-
er ing within him. He lowered Tilda onto her pallet, after which Naari
clasped the restraints around the woman’s wrists. Knowing how much
es Kiva had come to care for the sickly queen—enough that she had tried
d to save the queen’s life by volunteering her own—Jaren took a moment to
ri pull the blanket up over Tilda, giving her arm a compassionate squeeze
e before stepping away again.
e To Tipp, Jaren continued, “And I’m guessing she’s on her way. But
m we shouldn’t be here when she arrives.”
n “Because the r-royals will be with h-her?” Tipp asked, his eyes wide
w. with wonder.
d Jaren nodded, though he wasn’t sure about that. It was more likely
that the Warden would whisk them away to discuss what had transpired.
e But if there was even a chance of them accompanying Kiva to the in-
s. firmary, and of eris oming with them . . . an you go visit ot for a
y bit?” Jaren asked the boy. “Maybe see if he has something that will help
at Kiva feel better once she wakes up?”
o Tipp bounced on his feet, a light entering his bright blue eyes at the
of thought of having a task that would aid Kiva.
“I’m o-on it!” he said, running from the room.
y “Make sure everyone’s gone before you come back,” Jaren called
d after him, and Tipp waved a hand in acknowledgment before disappear-
ds ing through the door.
e Jaren blew out a breath and then turned to Naari. She was already


watching him, her eyes impossible to read. But even so, he knew exactly st
what she was thinking. g
“I had to do it,” he said quietly, rubbing his face and grimacing at b
the thick layer of dirt he felt on his skin. “You know I had to.” sa
“What I know is that we’re seconds away from discovery,” Naari h
said, “and you haven’t told me what you want me to do.” k
Jaren raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to yell at me for being w
reckless? For using my magic? For interfering with the Ordeal—and
therefore breaking the law?” in
Naari pinned him with her amber eyes. “I can yell at you later. Right N
now, I need to know what your plan is.” u
For the millionth time since he’d known her, Jaren was grateful the h
guard was not just his Golden Shield, but also his friend. He sent her a
small smile, but then considered her words and answered, “I really need p
to speak to Cal and Mirry before they leave.” h
Naari snorted. “Sure. I’ll just ask Veris if I can have a moment of fr
their time. He won’t recognize me at all.” y
Jaren pressed his lips together. “I didn’t say it would be easy.” th
sound beyond the infirmary rea hed his ears, ausing both him
and Naari to glance at the door, urgency hitting them anew. to
“Please, Naari,” Jaren begged. “If it’s not possible, then it’s not pos-
sible. But—” h
The guard sighed loudly. “I’ll see what I can do.” She pointed to the w
door on the far side of the infirmary, the one leading out to the medi inal lo
garden. “Hide in there.” She gave him a not-so-gentle push in that direc-
tion, before warning, “I can’t make any promises. If there’s a chance of
Veris seeing me—” R
“I trust your judgment,” Jaren interrupted. “If it’s too risky, then e
don’t go near them.” h
e didn’t wait for her to push him again before he took o toward
the garden, hearing her leave through the main door just as he too B


THE PRISON HEALER
y stepped out of the infirmary building. e didn’t know the layout of the
garden well, but it wasn’t hard to follow the path past the towering gab-
at bergrass and around the bend until he was far enough out of sight to feel
safe from discovery. He wanted to remain closer to the door, if only so
ri he could watch for Kiva’s arrival and eavesdrop on her condition, but he
knew it was too dangerous. If anyone found him lurking there when he
g was meant to be in the tunnels . . .
d Jaren ran a hand through his hair as he paced up and down, wait-
ing what felt like hours for any sign of Caldon or Mirryn. Even just for
ht Naari’s return, if she was unsuccessful. But no one came, and the min-
utes kept ticking by, his agitation and concern growing with every step
e he took. ntil finally
a e leave you alone for a few weeks, and look at you a hardened
d prisoner,” came the familiar and way-too-cheerful voice of Caldon as
he stepped into view from around the gabbergrass. He pulled the mask
of from his face, a wicked grin stretching across his lips as he asked, “Do
you sharpen your teeth before bed? Open your mouth and let me look at
those chompers.”
m He reached a hand forward but Jaren shoved it away, causing Cal
to snicker.
s- “Gods, this place is revolting,” Mirryn said, coming into view be-
hind their cousin. She wrinkled her nose as she looked all around her,
e wiping invisible dirt o her thi k red loak. ow you’ve lasted here for
al longer than a minute is beyond me.”
c- “Never mind that,” Jaren said quickly. “Is Veris—”
of “Distracted,” Caldon said, waving a hand. “He thinks we’re with
Rooke, Rooke thinks we’re with Veris—we have a few minutes before
n either reali es. on’t ask how aari pulled that o . ’ll never understand
her ways.”
d Coming from Caldon with his strategic mind, that was saying a lot.
o But Jaren already knew Naari was a wonder, so instead he asked, “What


happened after I saved Kiva? Please tell me you acted like it was your H
magic that caught her?” p
irryn swatted at a bug ying near her fa e. f ourse we did.
She then focused on him properly, her sapphire eyes narrowing as she w
said, “What in the everworld were you thinking?” She pointed back d
toward the infirmary beyond their sight. ho the hell is that girl
Jaren didn’t know how to give an answer that his sister would accept. fi
All he could say was, “She’s important to me.” a
Mirryn’s gaze slitted further as she repeated with a hiss, “Important
to you?” he tossed her golden hair and then rattled o a string of urse si
words so creative that Caldon began shaking with silent laughter, before p
she finished by spitting, ou’re a fool. nd an idiot. ou’re an idiotic p
fool.”
Jaren didn’t disagree. He only asked, “Is she badly hurt?”
ith a hu , irryn said, he’s fine. ruised all over, but nothing h
she won’t heal from in a few days.” B
Relief had Jaren’s shoulders slumping. Caldon noticed and arched
a questioning eyebrow, but Jaren didn’t respond. He knew his behavior m
was uncharacteristic, that the risk he’d taken in saving Kiva could have fr
had disastrous consequences for his mission. It still might, if Veris came
looking for Cal and Mirryn. They couldn’t linger. But there was some- li
thing Jaren needed to do before he sent them on their way, the reason fa
he’d asked Naari to bring them to him, a quick, desperate idea he’d had
upon returning to the infirmary.
Looking directly at his sister, he asked, “Are you wearing the
Vallentis crest?”
Mirryn’s brow furrowed, but she dug the golden amulet out from a
beneath her cloak. “Of course,” she said. “I hate this gaudy thing, but
other insists one of us wears it at o ial events. ou know that. e
A new relief swept over Jaren as he held out a hand for the amulet. th


THE PRISON HEALER
ur He had no idea what he would have done if she’d left it back at the winter
palace.
aldon o ked his head to the side. hat are you e broke o
e with an incredulous snort when he realized what Jaren was intending to
k do.
Mirryn, however . . . her eyes widened as she watched Jaren send his
t. fire magi into the amulet, the ruby glowing a bright red before fading
again. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered angrily.
nt “You have to give this to her,” Jaren said, holding the crest out to his
e sister. don’t know what the fire rdeal will be, but the amulet should
e protect her from whatever it is, and it’ll mean I won’t have to intervene
ic personally again.”
“You shouldn’t have intervened today, irryn said firmly.
Jaren looked her straight in the eyes, begging, “Please, Mirry. I don’t
g have time to explain—you have to go before someone catches you here.
But I need you to do this for me.”
d “And how in the everworld will I explain it to her?” Mirryn de-
or manded. “For that matter, how will I explain her miraculous survival
e from the Trial by Air?”
e “That’s easy,” Caldon answered for Jaren. There was a smirk on his
e- lips when he said, “Tell her Prince Deverick was enamored by her pretty
n face and couldn’t bear to see her fall to her death. It’s not even a lie.”
d Jaren shot his cousin a look, causing Caldon’s smirk to grow.
“What?” Cal said innocently. “Am I wrong?”
e “There’s more to it than that,” Jaren gritted out.
“Whatever you say, mate,” Caldon said, straightening his dark cloak
m and not even trying to hide his amusement.
ut Jaren ignored Caldon to turn to his sister again, pleading with his
eyes, until she relented. “You owe me for this,” she grumbled, accepting
t. the amulet. “Big time.”
And then she spun on her heel and began stalking back down the


path, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll make a list of all the things I want m
you to buy me after you leave this horrid place. They’re going to be out- o
rageously expensive, and you won’t say a single word.” w
She didn’t wait for his agreement before disappearing beyond the “
gabbergrass. is
Alone with Caldon, Jaren said, “You should go, too.”
“In a minute,” Cal said, stepping closer. His face was serious now, se
all tra es of humor gone. aari filled us in brie y on as mu h as she a
ould, but tell me the truth is it worth it eing here re you learning te
what you came for?”
Given the secrecy of his mission, and his last-minute swap with p
Eidran, Jaren hadn’t had a chance to tell Caldon the full extent of his
plans before leaving the winter palace. He knew his cousin was smart, th
though—too smart, sometimes, and reckless enough that he would have
taken Jaren’s place if he’d had any notice, which was the main rea- o
son why Jaren had kept him out of the loop. Even so, Jaren wouldn’t
have been surprised if al had figured out everything else on his own.
Because of that, and because of how much he respected his cousin, Jaren a
answered with omplete honestly ot yet, but ust need a little more th
time.”
Caldon tilted his head thoughtfully. “Time to integrate with the
rebels . . . or time to cozy up to a certain spirited healer?” C
Jaren opened his mouth and then closed it again, before sheepishly C
admitting, “Both.” He cleared his throat and hurried on, “I’m here for r
the rebel information. But Kiva . . .” He shook his head. “She’s special, g
Cal. I can’t explain it.” y
Caldon was silent for a moment, considering Jaren’s words, but then
he asked, hy fire only t aren’s pu led look, al e plained, he la
amulet. hy did you only send your fire magi into it he’ll still have o
water and earth to survive after that.” C
Understanding, Jaren replied, “Mirryn doesn’t have water or earth


THE PRISON HEALER
nt magic, and ‘Prince Deverick’ doesn’t either—supposedly. We’re both

t- only known publi ly as having air and fire powers, so there would be no
way to justify the two other elements to Kiva.” He paused, then added,
e “Plus the risk of the amulet being taken from her after the second Trial
is too high. Rooke or another guard will discover it, surely. And even if
aari manages to retrieve it again, figured it was more important to
w, send my power into the element Kiva needs next, rather than spread the
e amulet’s magic too thin.” This way she would have a higher level of pro-
g tection as well, something Jaren instinctively felt she was going to need.
“That still leaves you two more Ordeals to help her with,” Caldon
h pointed out.
is “Those are problems for a later day,” Jaren returned, painfully aware
t, that his cousin was right. “One Trial at a time.”
e Caldon’s lips twitched. “This healer girl has really done a number
a- on you, hasn’t she?”
’t Jaren didn’t deny it. “You should go,” he said again.
n. Caldon nodded, aware that their time was up. But he didn’t turn
n and follow in Mirryn’s footsteps yet. Instead, he said, “There’s one more
e thing.”
Jaren braced himself at the look on his cousin’s face.
e “I don’t want to alarm you, but you need to hear this before I leave,”
Caldon said, the words causing fear to rise within Jaren, especially when
y Cal leaned in close, as if to share some dire news. Only when he was
or right in aren’s fa e did he whisper, ou’re absolutely filthy, mate. ike,
l, gods-awful disgusting. I’m telling you this because I love you, but truly,
you’re beyond vile right now.”
n Jaren glared at his cousin and shoved him away, but seeing the
e laughter in aldon’s obalt eyes had him rolling his own and hu ng
e out, “They’re hardly generous when it comes to soap allocations here,
Cal. Personal hygiene isn’t at the top of the survival list.”
h Caldon chuckled. “I’ll make sure there’s a hot bath waiting for you


once you stage your prison break.” He eyed Jaren from head to toe and
scrunched his nose before murmuring, “For all our sakes.”
Despite his words, Caldon ignored his own revulsion and pulled Jaren
in for a back-slapping hug, heedless of the grime that was likely being w
smeared onto his own pristine clothes. “Be careful in here, cousin,” Cal
said into his ear. “Get the information, and then get out. Understood?”
Jaren nodded and returned Caldon’s tight embrace. “You be careful,
too. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Caldon grinned as he pulled away. “I’m not sure that’s the warning
you think it is, given your questionable actions of late.”
Jaren had no rebuttal for that, so he just watched as Caldon turned
and headed toward the infirmary. ike irryn, al sent his final words
back over his shoulder, his tone laced with humor as he called, “I’m look-
ing forward to chatting with your pretty healer once she awakens. If she’s
anywhere near as special as you claim, I’m sure she and I will become
the best of friends. I’ll be the gift she never knew she needed.”
efore aren ould utter a di erent kind of warning the threaten-
ing kind—Caldon disappeared from sight.
Groaning at the thought of Kiva waking up and having to face not
just his haughty sister, but also his rakish cousin, Jaren wondered if he
should throw caution to the wind and chase after them. But he also knew
it wasn’t needed—Mirryn would behave, and Caldon was only goading
him. They would do what was needed to protect his cover, and then they
would leave.
And soon, once he had everything he’d come for, Jaren would follow
them.
With Naari. And Tipp.
And Kiva.
The day was coming when they would be free of Zalindov prison—
all of them.
They just had to survive long enough to see it.


THE PRISON HEALER
d And they would.

Because Jaren was determined to make it so, no matter what it cost.
n Their freedom would come, and the future would be theirs to do
g whatever they wanted.
al To live.
” To hope.
l, And most of all—
To dream.
g
d
ds
k-
’s
e
n-
ot
e
w
g
y



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So far, he hadn’t had any luck befriending the prison rebels.

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s. . . . And there was a certain green-eyed healer who he wasn’t willing

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Jaren grimaced, already knowing how that conversation would go.

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e Jaren watched in growing horror as the guard nearest to Kiva de-

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knee-weakening relief. He should have caught her sooner. He shouldn’t so

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’t someone delivered iva ba k to her infirmary or he assumed that was

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nt magic, and ‘Prince Deverick’ doesn’t either—supposedly. We’re both

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d And they would.