“No,” he says softly. “In our custom, the crown passes first to the females. After my mother, the next in line was my sister.”
My back stiffens. “Surath?”
“Tysanthia,” he says with deep sadness in his voice. “Surath was in line after her.”
“Oh.” I try to mask my sharp intake of air, as I absorb this information. This does explain a few things about the dynamics between Zogar and Surath. But if Surath was ahead of Zogar in the line of succession, why is he on the throne and not her? I decide to leave that obvious question on the table for the moment.
“So, Surath is older than you?” I take a less direct route to the question.
“No, Surath is younger.Muchyounger. As was Tysanthia.”
“I see.” But I don’t see at all. I want to hear more about how he stepped ahead of Surath to take the crown, but I’m still processing all this new information. And that task is made even more difficult because there are so manyotherthings I don’t know.
“Can you tell me more about your parents? If it’s not too painful? And about Tysanthia? Was she also killed during the wyvern attack?”
His leg slides against mine. “No. Mother hid the girls well. The wyvern never found them.”
“That’s a relief.” Taking a chance, I twist in his hold, leaning back against one of his strong arms and draping my legs over his thigh to sit across him. This way I can see his face.
But his gaze remains averted, his eyes partially closed. “How is that a relief?” he asks, his voice tight.
“I don’t mean to be insensitive. I only meant that it’s a relief that your sisters were hidden, and that you didn’t drown.” I slide my hand around his neck. “What happened that day?”
He still doesn’t open his eyes, but his face fills with anger. “The wyvern bastards pushed me into the pond. They held me down, but not for long. They assumed I’d sink, and I did. Straight to the pond’s muddy bottom in seconds.”
“You must have been terrified.”
He nods. “But I saw some long reeds, and somehow, I crawled through the muck, until I reached those reeds. They kept bending, but I gathered enough together to use the long plants to pull my head back up to the surface.”
“How resourceful, especially at such a young age.” I touch his cheek. “And how very brave.”
He shakes his head. “I wasn’t brave. I was a coward and hid in those reeds forhours. When I finally climbed out, both my parents were slain.”
“You couldn’t have saved them.”
His jaw shifts and his eyes remain closed. “When I found my sisters, Surath was crying in Tysanthia’s arms.” His voice turns quiet. “They were so tiny. Tysanthia four and Surath only two.”
“Oh, Zogar. How terrible for you, and for them.”
A tremor shudders through Zogar, as if he’s reliving the moment.
“Who took care of the three of you, after that?”
His eyes open, and his expression steels. “I took care of my sisters.” His gaze stays ahead. “I protected them until they were fully grown.”
“Why didn’t…” I’m not sure how to ask this. “Didn’t you say that the queen was your grandmother?”
“No, the queen was my aunt.” His eyes narrow. “She never had children and deeply resented my mother’s happiness. They never got along, and the queen had other plans for succession. My sisters were a threat to her plans, and she didn’t raise a finger to protect or help raise her rightful heirs.” His jaw shifts. “I could never prove it, but I believe it was she who sent the wyvern to assassinate our family.”
“That’s horrible.” My heart feels like it’s been ripped open, and I can only imagine how much worse Zogar’s heart feels. I press myself against his chest, hoping to share some of his pain.
“I took my baby sisters far away from my aunt’s seat of power,” he continues. “I hid them. Taught them myself. Protected them so that one day Tysanthia could return to claim her throne.”
“That was brave, and so noble.” And it explains why he feels such a deep sense of responsibility for others, as if the weight of the entire world sits on his shoulders.
“It was neither brave nor noble.” His body shifts under mine. “Protecting my sisters was myduty. I did only what was required. And I failed.”
I cup his jaw. “You didn’t fail. You did so much for your sisters, and at such a young age.” He said he only had four and ten years when their parents died.
