<blockquote>Daraya kept his breathing easy, measuring every inhale and exhale until they were evenly weighted so they would not betray the way his heart was pounding in his chest. Why had no one ever warned him that the king was as bound by the laws he made as everyone else was?
But someone had warned him. Athiel had warned him. And Daraya had not listened, which meant Athiel would now pay the price.</blockquote>
