He shook his head, smiling faintly. “You’re right, of course. I was a fool.”
“You were,” I snapped. “A very stupid one.”
He nodded solemnly, but his eyes were dancing.
“Don’t patronize me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He shifted in the chair, wincing. “Did you find anything while I was gone?”
I crossed my arms, still irritated. “Maybe.”
“Tell me.”
Sighing, I pulled the crumpled note from my satchel. “I found a tavern song. It’s probably nothing, but some of the verses mention the dragons by name.”
His expression sharpened. “Show me.”
I handed him the note.
His brow furrowed. “‘Where men once ruled in stone and snow.’”
I shrugged. “It’s the closest thing to a real clue. Everything else is nonsense that pretends the sealing was a noble victory instead of a massacre.”
He studied the parchment. “That could be a dozen places.”
“It’s Skalgard.”
He looked up sharply. “What makes you think that?”
“Rheya.” My heart pounded as the pieces clicked together. “White walls and pear trees—that’s what she said through the scrying pool. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what she meant. But what if she wasn’t being cryptic?”
Kairos frowned. “Go on.”
“We’ve lived in Skalgard our whole lives. It’s all we know.” I started pacing. “There’s a courtyard in the merchant quarter with limestone walls and pear trees along the eastern edge. It’s the only place that fits.”
“Why wouldn’t she just say Skalgard?”
“Vaeris must have silenced her somehow. But she found a way around it.”
“If she’s there, so is he.”
“He can’t risk letting her out of his sight. Not with the terms of our deal.” I stopped moving, facing him. “Every time she’s hurt, the rune punisheshim.”
“If anyone discovered that Vaeris’s life was tethered to your sister’s, they’d take her in a heartbeat.”
I swallowed hard, nausea swarming my throat.
“So he hides her,” Kairos finished. “And keeps her close.”
My breath stuttered. “Then why attack villages? Why kill peasants instead of lying low and waiting for me to come to him? Why make it harder for me?—”
I faltered, the air snatched from my lungs.
“Aelie?” Kairos reached for me. “What is it?”
My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh gods. He doesn’t need me. At least not right away.”
Kairos stiffened. “Explain.”
