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Roark’s eyes shadowed. He stood and tucked me behind him, using one hand to address the prince. I tried to despise you when I first came to Stonegate.

“After I saved your ass.”

You were an enemy and I should’ve hated you. I didn’t. You became my brother.

“Then we see brotherhood differently. You had a fealty bone.” Thane glanced at the missing tip of Roark’s finger. “A bone I never used, never wishing to take your freedom from you. All the while you kept such secrets from me.” The prince ground his teeth together, fists clenched. “You said there are explanations.”

Roark dipped his chin.

“Well.” Thane took a step closer and held out one hand, a show of a truce. “I’d like to hear them.”

Roark hesitated, then, slowly, he clasped Thane’s forearm.

Thane wasted no time before slamming his fist into Roark’s jaw.

“You are a damn prince! And you never said a word!” Thane raged. “Gods. The things we could have done with that twisted soul of yours. The torment we might have leveled against the sods who traipsed those halls. It would’ve been glorious.”

He struck at Roark’s shoulder again, but one of the Stav pulled the prince back before Kyrre’s teeth could sink into the prince’s arm.

“Kyrre, no! Down,” I shouted at the pup. The wolf pulled back, ears flat, teeth bared.

By the gods. Thane was furious that he didn’t know Roark was a prince? That they couldn’t play tricks on noble folk at Stonegate with Skul Drek? I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course those would be the direst offenses to Thane’s nature.

Gunter’s arrow was lowered, but he seemed confused about which prince to focus on. No doubt he’d want to retaliate against Thane, but Roark was spitting blood.

Brynn and Auki spoke with Emi, and none of the three seemed disturbed. Almost like they agreed Thane had earned his strike.

“Dammit.” The Jorvan prince pulled back, shaking out his hand. “Does that creature in your soul make you made of stone?”

Roark leaned over his knees, one hand on his jaw. I pressed a palm to his back and glared at Thane.

“What?” The prince arched his brows. “The bastard deserved it. Now we can sit peacefully and tell our tales.”

Roark straightened, a trickle of blood dripped from his lip, and he glared at Thane. Feel better?

Thane lifted his chin. “I do, actually. Thank you for asking. Although I’d feel even better if I could have a go at the other side.”

“No.” I stepped between them. “We can’t waste time. Yrsa, Thane, you both deserve answers, and I hope by the end of them, we don’t bid farewell again. I hope you will stand with us.”

—

The fire crackled between us. Logs were placed in a circle, and what an odd gathering it was. Brynn stroked her wolf’s head, her glare pinned on one of the Stav Guards. The kohl on Auki’s cheeks had smeared into his beard, adding a feral look to his features. It did not help that he kept shaving a branch into a sharp point with his knife.

Gunter had his Dark Watch hood pulled over his head, black streaked through his lips, and he’d eaten something that had stained his teeth to look like blood.

I knew it was a ploy from the Draven folk to frighten their enemies. And it worked. Gunter pestered one of the stiff Stav who sat three paces away, constantly reaching for the guard’s knives, asking about the quality compared to Draven blades.

“Ever torn out a man’s throat with your teeth, Stav?” Gunter flashed his bloody grin.

Emi’s smile was hesitant as she listened to Thane’s boisterous tale of his and Yrsa’s escape from Stonegate without alerting the whole of the royal house.

Something about Yrsa feigning womanly pains in such a way that her attendants rushed to seek bone tonics, but Thane was there at the window to smuggle her free. They slipped through the tunnel Emi was brought through as a girl, took a few of the more loyal, adventure-starved Stav Guard, and faded into the night.

“Figured it wouldn’t be wise to come with a full unit of Stav when we needed to actually cross Dravenmoor’s borders, which explains our meager rescue party,” Thane said. “We didn’t want to alert any Dark Watch scouts, yet here we are all the same.”

Emi’s smile grew more sincere until she looked at Yrsa and the princess promptly looked away and settled at the side of Prince Thane.

Dejected, Emi took the opposite side of the flames beside Roark.