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“Sounds like you better start at the beginning, son. From the day you left here,” he said firmly.

Everything in me resisted that idea, but Kham sent a wave of love and reassurance through the bond. And it occurred to me, very suddenly, that I had no reason to fear my past any longer.

Mother was gone. She had done her worst. And we’d not only defeated her, we’d delivered a blow to the entire network behind her.

I took a deep breath and nodded. “The thing you must understand first is that I am… that is, I was born to a very different life than we live here. It’s haunted me since the day Kham chose me. And just as Grace’s past came back to haunt us, so did mine.” I raised my chin and looked the queen in the eye. I didn’t believe she was within the Cruor network, but I couldn’t be certain. So I held her gaze as I spoke the words.

“I’m the son of the House of Ashford, in the remote reaches of—”

The queen’s eyes flew wide. She gathered herself quickly, but gripped her skirts. “No wonder you knew the correct forms. I’m aware of your parents. Your father passed some years ago?”

I nodded once tightly. “And my mother left this world a few days ago. At… at Grace’s hand. Well, at both of ours, I suppose.”

Donavyn jerked, but the queen tilted her head.

“What a story you must have to tell,” she said quietly.

“It isn’t a pleasant one,” I warned her. But she merely gestured for me to continue, and as I launched into everything that had happened since the day Breckon arrived here at the keep, Donavyn pulled chairs over for the queen and himself, and both of them sat, listening avidly to every hushed syllable.

Neither of them interrupted me. The queen seemed almost thrilled by the tale. But Donavyn’s expression grew more and more concerned as I continued.

When I reached the climax of the grim story, describing how the power crackled back through the web, killing many of the most powerful Cruors, and harming others, both of them sat back in their chairs.

“Hanson approached me as I was scrambling, trying to figure out how I could extricate myself before they learned that I didn’t hold the Dominus mark any longer, how I could use the perceived authority against those who were left. He offered to… handle them. And because Grace was so gravely injured, and I had no desire to dive back into that darkness… I let him.”

Donavyn rubbed his chin, his jaw rolling.

But the queen had gone very still. “Burk and Breckon both? At your mother’s behest?”

I nodded. “I don’t know how, but Mother had learned the power of Grace’s bloodline. She’d seduced them both with promises of powerful offspring. It’s why Breckon didn’t let her go when she fled. We had no idea, of course. But now… well, that particular problem is solved. And the network is damaged. But we still have an organized scheme to steal the minds of dragons and use them as weapons against the world. And while Hanson seems very reluctant to tangle with dark magik, he has already proven willing to use the dragons as a commodity. He claims he had no understanding of their natural state, and didn’t know they were being harmed to achieve control until after the General thwarted Ruin and Carnage. But who knows? I had no time to learn if he spoke the truth, though my dragon believes he did. And he continued to speak highly of Bren, and the General.”

Donavyn’s eyes glittered. The queen looked at him for affirmation. He nodded, but never stopped staring at me.

“He’s going to install a new king?” Donavyn asked in a tone that would have chilled my blood if I hadn’t spent the preceding weeks with the Cruors.

“That was his plan. To remove any and all Cruors from political power in Fyrehold, and to use his ample resources to support a new man for the throne. He used words like integrity and spoke of improving the lot of all classes in Fyrehold. But even if he was honest, that kind of power can corrupt even the best intentions.”

Donavyn nodded, but turned to the queen without responding. “Are you satisfied of my judgment yet?”

I wasn’t sure what he referenced, and frowned, looking between them. But the queen sighed and nodded, then gave me a wry smile.

“Donavyn insisted that you could be trusted to uncover what was occurring in the Court of Fyrehold, even without our authority behind you. I’ll admit, I was skeptical. But you have exceeded even his predictions.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t solve anything. I helped remove the people who were wrong. But that kingdom remains in hands that could turn in any direction—”

“And that is where your responsibility ends, young man,” the queen said, her lips thin and tight. “You have done precisely as you were ordered to do. You have returned our trainee to us. Identified the enemy and removed them. And brought crucial information home by which we may now address any further schemes. I would say that is quite enough for a soldier.” Then, before I could reply, she turned to Donavyn. “You were right. And as promised, I will support whatever decision you make on his future. With one caveat. If you don’t use him, I will.”

Donavyn gave an odd, half-smile. “Oh, we’ll use him. Both of us, I’m sure.”

“I’m certain as well,” she said briskly, then pushed to her feet. Donavyn and I both rose from our seats as well.

“All that remains is—”

A sharp knock sounded on the thick door to my right and I startled. Grace.

‘Kham, has anything—’

“Enter!” the queen called, and the door opened immediately. Another man in the royal tabard stepped inside. A footman, I thought. He was tall, but lacked the bulk and severity of the guards.