“The only throne that makes sense is Metilai. But the blond man isn’t Solon. The emperor has dark hair.” Terena looked down, thinking. “And the amulet. Do you know where it is?”
Cassandra lifted her chin. “I do not, but I last saw it in Ravos. At Sydney Hall. And it was in my vision of?—”
“We have a problem.”
Terena turned as Rydon strode toward them, a deep scowl on his face.
“What now?”
“When I let the cypher go, he told me General Peleon was sending an army north to Ravos. The cypher said that’s where he and the others were headed when they ran into us.”
“Why?”
Rydon wiped a hand down his beard. “Duke Ravos claims to have Sonah Yahn.”
“Impossible. And isn’t he dead?”
Rydon shook his head. “The new Duke Ravos.”
The blood drained from Terena’s face. Her eye twitched, and she squeezed them shut, pressing her fingers into her eyeballs. “Galen,” Terena muttered. “Why the fuck did we not hear of this sooner?”
Rydon shook his head. Turning, he bellowed for Captain Soros.
Terena’s attention drifted to Soros as he and two of his men brought a bound and gagged Lerek toward them. Lerek’s eyes spit fire as he struggled against his captors.
“Where do you want him?” Soros asked as the men shoved Lerek forward. The prince stumbled, and it took every ounce of Terena’s willpower to stay mounted as he fell to his knees.
Once upon a time, she would’ve skinned the men for their treatment of him.
Lerek glared at their group, sneering as best he could around the cloth in his mouth.
“I questioned the cypher,” Rydon said, hands on his hips. “He said Duke Ravos claims to have the Royal Taster.”
Soros shrugged, looking between Terena and Rydon.
“Sonah,” Terena snapped. “The Royal Taster is my sister, Sonah.”
“Fuck,” Soros said, his head falling back.
“Aye. And General Peleon marches north with an army to claim her.”
As Soros processed this information, Terena looked away, her face neutral.
“Croak!”
“What?” Croak called out. He walked Cerberus closer to her.
Terena sighed. “Lerek rides with you.”
“What? No!”
One of Soros’s men grabbed Lerek under one arm and lifted him as if he weighed no more than a child. As they strode toward Cerberus, Croak dismounted, stalking toward Terena with a disgruntled look.
“He’s not riding with me, Ren! I have no desire to be a target for a random Heylisian squad should they happen by! No offense, Lerek.”
Terena ignored him as she mounted Nyx.
“Mount up. I’ll have them bind you two together.”
