The boy was maybe thirteen or fourteen, dirty, with clear signs of frostbite on his hands. He hadn’t done well for himself since leaving the palace, and had probably been living on the streets.

Zandrue motioned to the guard to bring him forward.

The boy looked side to side as he came towards her. His eyes avoided Ardon, who was standing by the stairs to the study cabinet.

Zandrue sat back in her chair and took a sip of wine.

The guard stopped the boy a few feet in front of her, and kept his hand gripped on the boy’s shoulder.

Zandrue waved the guard away. “Leave us. He won’t try anything. Will you, Gillert?”

The boy cast his eyes to the floor. “No, my Lady.”

The guard released the boy’s shoulder, bowed, and backed away.

Once the guard had left, Zandrue motioned to one of the chairs facing her. “Have a seat.”

The boy looked up with his eyes, but not his head. “My Lady?”

Zandrue motioned to the chair again. “Have a seat.”

The boy looked about, wrung his hands together, glanced at Ardon. He shuffled towards the chair, but didn’t sit down, instead staring down at its plush seat and its expensive embroidery.

“It’s okay,” Zandrue said.

The boy sat on the edge of the chair, as far forward as he could, practically falling off it. His eyes continued to dart about.

Zandrue motioned to Ebry, who was waiting off to the side with a tray of wine and pastries. She came forward and held it out to the boy. “Refreshments?” Zandrue said.

Gillert looked at the tray with wide eyes. He glanced at Zandrue, who nodded. Then he snatched several pastries, stuffing one in his mouth right away. He also grabbed a cup of wine just before Ebry moved aside.

“Now then, Gillert,” Zandrue started. “Can I call you Gill? I’ve heard that’s what you went by when you worked here.”

He nodded and mumbled something through his full mouth.

“Great. So Gill, I don’t want to ask you about your time working here, or what led to your dismissal. I want to talk to you about a time you were in the Palace after you’d been dismissed.”

The boy stopped chewing and looked up at her, bits of food and drool dribbling down his cheek. He groaned.

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

He swallowed his food, and wiped his chin with his sleeve. “I already talked about that.” He nodded towards Ardon. “With him.”

“With his Grace, you mean. You do know who he is, yes?”

Gill nodded.

“Then you should feel honoured the Patriarch of the Universal Church talked to you directly.”

Gill frowned. “I suppose so.” He drank from his cup, spilling some of the wine down his chin and onto his tunic.

Zandrue shrugged. “I’m aware of your answers to his Grace’s questions. I just want to ask you some follow-up questions. Is that okay?”

He paused, about to stuff his last pastry into his mouth. “Can I say no?”

Zandrue smiled. “You can, but I’m going to ask the questions anyway.”

“What if I refuse to answer?”

Zandrue sighed. “I hope you won’t. I’d much prefer to do this in a friendly way. I openly admit the wine and sweets are a bit of a bribe to get you talking willingly. But mark my words, you will talk whether you want to or not. So why not do it the easy way and we can all be friends?”

The boy looked towards Ardon, then back at Zandrue. “Sure. What do you want to know?” He took a bite of his pastry.

“I’m glad you see it my way. First off, when did they bring you into the Servants of Sunset?”

“The what?”

Zandrue frowned. “Come now, Gill. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Gill looked towards Ardon again. “He...I mean, his Grace never asked me anything about that. I thought you were just going to follow up on his questions.”

“Fair. I did say that. However, the City Guard thoroughly examined you before they handed you over to his Grace. You have a tattoo in the shape of a goat skull on your inside left thigh. I’m following up on that, and I find it hard to believe you got a tattoo like that without knowing what it meant. So come on, tell me about it.” She motioned Ebry back over. “Have some more sweets or wine.”

He stared at the pastries. “I never wanted to be one of them.”

“I believe you.”

“You do?”

Zandrue nodded. “You were taken really young, weren’t you? Darkers do that. They grab children at a very young age and initiate them. Often, they’re the children of other Darkers; sometimes, they’re taken off the street. Which were you?”

“The streets. I’m an orphan. They...they held me down. They forced me to get the tattoo. They...I…” He closed his eyes and lowered his head, grimacing, tears forming.

“It’s all right,” Zandrue said. “You don’t have to give me all the sordid details if you don’t want to. I just wanted to confirm. Few people become Darkers because they actually want to, especially not in childhood.” A part of her wanted to tell him she understood because she had been through it too, but that was a secret she wasn’t admitting in front of Ardon. “Let’s move on. You started working here in the Palace as a messenger boy about two years ago, correct?”

Gill nodded and took a couple more pastries from the tray. Ebry moved away again.

“You told his Grace all about how you were hired here, who you spoke to at the time, most of whom you don’t really remember. And you told him about your duties. Tell me a bit about them.”

“I was a messenger boy. There wasn’t much more to it than that. Sometimes, I delivered letters. Sometimes, it was just to tell people that someone had arrived, or someone wanted to see them. That sort of thing.”

“Did the Darkers have you report to anyone? I mean, they put you in here, right?”

“Yeah, they said they pulled some strings to get me in here. They told me to keep my eyes and ears open, but they never asked me anything about what I saw, not even when I had to leave to go into the city. I pretty much never saw any of them after I started here.”

“What about other Darkers in the Palace? Did you ever interact with them?”

He shrugged as he finished chewing and swallowing a pastry. “I knew there were others here, but I didn’t know who. I probably delivered messages between them, but that was my job. I delivered messages between everyone.”

“What about Barnol Friaz? Did you ever deliver any messages to or from him?”

“Yeah, all the time. No more often than anyone else, though, I think.”

“Did he ever say anything to you?”

The boy thought for a moment. “Maybe once in a while, but not usually.”

“Do you remember anything specific he said?”

“He asked me how I was doing a couple times. Sometimes, he gave me a chocolate. He was friendlier than a lot of the other nobles, but he never talked with me for more than a minute or so.”

“Was there anyone else you took messages to or from more often than others?”

“Maybe Princess Annai? I’m not sure. She was always the most demanding, but I took messages between everyone.”

“Well, I think I can safely exclude Princess Annai as a potential Darker.” Zandrue chuckled. “Okay, after you were dismissed—thanks to her Highness, I believe—what happened then?”

“I went back to Arnor City and the Servants—Darkers—there to tell them what happened. They said they already knew.”

“And then they asked you to go back in?”

He shook his head. “Not right away, and it wasn’t them. It was another man I’d seen at the Palace before, but didn’t know was a Servant of Sunset. He seemed to be really important though because they were all doing everything he said.”

“Dyle Aderman?”

“He never told me his name.”

“Short? Scar on his cheek?”

Gill nodded. “Yeah, that’s him. He wanted me to deliver one more message, but he didn’t want anyone to be able to trace it back to him. He said he could get me in and out again.”

Zandrue took a sip of her wine and leaned forward. “Okay, I can see how he could get you through the gates, as you probably didn’t go through them very often while you were here, so the guards there wouldn’t recognise you. But how did you get through the Palace here without being seen?” He had already told Ardon the answer to this, but she wanted to hear it from him.

“We didn’t go through the gates.” Gill hesitated, and took a bite of his pastry. “He used magic to get us in. He had a pearl or bead or something. It just...transported us in. One moment we were in Arnor City; the next, we were in the Palace near Prince Garet’s apartments, where his fiancée was staying. I delivered the letter, then he took us back to Arnor City. That was the last I saw him. I...I don’t ever want to do something like that again. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t natural.”

“Did Dyle say anything else while you were with him? At any point?”

Gill shook his head.

“You’re sure? It doesn’t matter how minor it seemed.”

Gill still shook his head. “Not that I remember.”

Zandrue sighed and took a couple more drinks of wine while she thought. “You mentioned you’d seen Dyle at the Palace before. In what sort of situation? What was he doing?”

“I always assumed he was one of Barnol Friaz’s menservants. I only ever saw him at Lord Friaz’s apartments.”

“And he never said anything? To you or Friaz or anyone?”

“Not that I saw, but I was never there long.” He leaned forward, almost falling off the chair. He repositioned himself on it, now clearly looking more comfortable. “There were a couple times there were other people there, too. It was like they were having a meeting or something. I figured Lord Friaz was just addressing his menservants as a group. Now I think of it, though, they weren’t dressed in Friaz livery. Or Palace livery.”

“Friends of his, perhaps?” Zandrue said. “Visiting relatives?”

“They weren’t Foliths,” Gill said. “They were Eloorin.”

“Was Dyle in Palace livery?”

Gill shook his head. “I don’t think I ever saw him in Palace livery, though I didn’t pay a lot of attention. I just did the job and left. It was okay work while it lasted, but I’m kind of clumsy, and…”

Zandrue nodded. “I know. You have to be a little more careful in a place like this.”

“I guess so.” He looked back down at the floor.

Zandrue downed the rest of her wine, placed the cup on the table, and stood up. She clapped her hands together. “Right, thank you very much, Gill. I need to talk to his Grace for a bit. Help yourself to more refreshments.” She motioned Ebry back over again.

“They’ll know I talked to you,” he said.

Zandrue nodded slowly. “I know. His Grace will look after your protection. We’ll get you away from them, okay?”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

She smiled at him. “Think nothing of it.” She turned towards Ardon, who was already heading up the stairs. She hurried to join him.

At the top, Ardon handed her another cup of wine. “From my personal supply. From the Vermese vineyards in southern Orwin by the Bay of Ras. Prime grape-growing land.”

Zandrue took a sip. “That’s nice.” It was surprisingly sweet, so she took another sip. “Very nice.”

He smiled and took a seat at the desk. “It’s not to my usual taste, personally, though it can make a nice dessert wine on occasion. However, I’ve noticed you have an appreciation for the sweeter wines and this is the sweetest I know.”

Zandrue sat down and took another sip. “Well, if you ever need to get rid of it, you know where to turn.” She grinned.

“Indeed.”

She gulped down the rest and reached for the bottle, raising a questioning eyebrow at him. He nodded and she poured herself another cup. “So, what do you think?”

“I think we have enough to approach the Queen,” Ardon said. “Though we should be cautious. Barnol Friaz is her most trusted confidante. She will resist accepting that he’s betrayed her.”

“I suppose we could wait a little longer if we have to,” Zandrue said. “Wait to see if Tianna notices anything. I asked her to keep an eye on her father for me. She wasn’t too believing either, but she agreed. I think it might have been more to prove me wrong, but either way…”

Ardon shook his head. “I’m not sure we can rely on that. If Barnol Friaz was going to do anything for Tianna to notice, she would have noticed years ago.”

“She hasn’t had reason to look before, though.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think we can afford the time. We need to act on what we have. The Queen will be resistant, as I said, but she will accept the facts in the end. After all, she did offer her apologies to me for the other day.”

Zandrue chuckled. “Good point.”

Ardon raised his glass. “And with a little luck, Friaz can lead us straight to Mister Aderman.”

Zandrue clinked her glass against his. “It’s nice to have things go our way for a change.”

“I wouldn’t celebrate too early. We don’t have Mister Aderman yet.”

Zandrue shrugged. “True, but it’s a start, and after everything else, I’ll take it.”

“My Lady?” Ebry called from below. “Rudiger is here. He says he has news.”

“I’ll be right down.” She looked at Ardon with a raised eyebrow. “Good news, I hope.”

Ardon shrugged. “Let’s find out.” He motioned to the stairs. “After you.”

Zandrue drank some more wine, topped her cup, then hurried down the stairs.

Rudiger was standing beside Ebry, just a few feet from the stairs. Behind them, Gill was picking more pastries off the tray, which was now sitting on the table in front of him.

Rudiger’s eyes were sunken. He titled his head a little and gave a forced smile when he saw her.

Zandrue halted at the bottom of the stairs. “What’s wrong?”

He looked away from her and twitched a bit before speaking. “There’s been an incident. A bunch of horses are missing from the stables.”

“Missing? Did they escape?”

“Uh...no. I went to see Borisin. He saw part of what happened. He also saw Quilla. She had a lot to tell him.”

Zandrue’s eyes widened. “That’s great news! I’ve been worried sick about her and how to contact her. Gods, you had me worried there for a moment. Why the long face?”

“It wasn’t all good news.”

A hand touched her shoulder. It was Ardon, reaching the bottom of the stairs. She stepped aside to let him past.

“There was some sort of ceremony last night,” Rudiger said. “They...uh...that is, the Darkers took the horses for it. They…”

“Is Quilla all right?” Zandrue asked.

“Yeah, she’s fine. It’s just…”

“Come on, Rudiger. Out with it. What’s the problem?”

“It’s about Tianna. They took her too.”

Zandrue dropped her cup. Its contents splattered across the floor, and the cup shattered.

That first cup was just an accident. The others were very much intentional.

* * * * *

Zandrue’s screams of rage still echoed down from the room upstairs, along with shattering sounds. Somehow, she was still finding more things to smash. Occasionally, the broken remains of a bottle or cup would topple down the stairs. Rudiger grimaced at every crash and thud.

“I had quite a collection of wine up there,” Ardon said. He was seated in the only chair in the salon still upright and in one piece. “I hadn’t foreseen this use for it. I had intended it more for celebration. But I suppose this is a...creative use for it.”

Rudiger forced a chuckle. He’d known Zandrue wouldn’t take the news of Tianna’s death well, but even he hadn’t expected this. She’d always had a temper. He’d had it play out on him a few times, but not like this. He wondered if she’d have the same response if she ever got news that he had died. He couldn’t even being to imagine how she might take news of Felitïa’s death.

The worst part was Zandrue didn’t even know all the news yet, including the worst part of it. She knew Tianna was dead, but she didn’t know how—though that actually depended on point of view, he supposed. He had told Patriarch Ardon while she had raged around them. Zandrue might have heard some of it. His Grace had not seemed at all surprised or disbelieving that the news came from a horse.

“Their Majesties know, I take it?” Ardon asked.

Rudiger nodded. “They certainly already know about the stolen horses. As soon as I heard from Borisin, I went straight to Captain DeSeloön and told him. I assume he went straight to the King and Queen. Can’t imagine he’d do anything else.”

They were quiet after that, the only sounds coming from Zandrue upstairs. Two of Zandrue’s handmaids moved about, one sweeping up glass on the floor, the other dragging remnants of chairs, the couch, and the chaise longue into a single pile. The boy who had been eating here was helping.

“She seems to be slowing down,” Ardon said eventually. “Perhaps you should try to comfort her.”

Rudiger had tried that once already—she had screamed at him to fuck off—but Ardon was right. He should try again.

He walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked up. “Zandrue? I’m coming up.” He grabbed the rail and started up.

He had not been in the room at the top of the stairs. Had never seen the need for anything other than a quick peek in. A study cabinet Zandrue referred to it as, but it was much larger than a cabinet, even if it was the smallest room in these apartments. It had become Zandrue and Patriarch Ardon’s meeting space, and Rudiger had no reason to use it for anything else. Plus, the spiral stairs going up to it always looked so fragile. They had definitely been designed for someone with smaller feet than his.

It was a mess now. Pieces of splintered wood that looked as if they might have once been a desk littered the floor along with broken bottles, glass, and a few torn paintings.

Zandrue sat slumped against the far wall beneath the window. She was covered in sweat and was panting. There was something else off about her though, and it took him a moment to realise what. Her face was...stretched? Her chin and cheeks were elongated just a bit, like a muzzle. Like a Volg. Two small horns poked out just above her hair. She snarled at him.

Rudiger raised his hands. “It’s just me.” He edged forward, stepping carefully over the debris.

She looked up at him and smiled, but also closed her eyes and sniffled.

He sat beside her. “So this is what you look like when...whatever it’s called happens.” He looked at her and smiled again.

She still looked like Zandrue. The changes were small. She sniffled again. “It’s called a galdraif.”

“Don’t you usually get warning of that?” he asked. That was why she’d taken off in Ninifin, and apparently numerous times in the past when she’d left Felitïa behind, too.

“Yeah, usually, but looks like I accidentally induced it. Never done it before, but Mother always said it could happen if I let my anger get the better of me.” She chuckled. “Never actually believed her. I thought it was one of those things you tell children to scare them into good behaviour.”

Rudiger reached out and touched her face, just with the tips of his fingers. Her skin was tougher than usual. Because it was stretched? “What will you do?”

She leaned into his touch. “Sit here until it goes away. It’s supposed to go away as soon as you calm down.” She slid closer to him and laid her head on his chest. He put his arm around her. “Oh gods, Rudiger. It’s all my fault. I killed her.”

He pulled her in tighter, lowered his head so his chin touched the top of her head. Her horns felt strange against his neck, but they weren’t sharp, just hard, round bumps. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t kill her.”

“I asked her to spy on her father. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I thought you just asked her to watch him and report anything unusual to you. You didn’t tell her to follow him when he takes off in the middle of the night.”

“I know, but she didn’t know what she was doing. She had no experience in this sort of thing, and I knew that. She might not have thought there was much suspicious about her father going out at night, so she followed him to find out for sure. She probably wanted to impress me. She was in love with me, you know?”

Rudiger gulped. He’d known Zandrue had gotten close to Tianna and Annai, but…

Zandrue chuckled. “Don’t worry. I never reciprocated. I did care for her though. And that was my biggest mistake. I had an infiltration mission and I let myself get close to the people involved. That’s the worst thing you can do in espionage. Gods, I was never really cut out for this kind of life. I’m too emotional.”

“I kind of like that you’re emotional.” Rudiger kissed her head. It tasted of blood. He hadn’t noticed before, but there was a bit of blood in her hair, near her horns. The horns were smaller now, receding back into her head, and the blood was more noticeable.

She shifted positions and raised herself up so they were face to face. Her face was almost back to normal now. “I love you so much. Please don’t die.”

He smiled at her. “I promise not to die.”

She kissed him, and shifted around more so that she was straddling his lap. As they kissed, she worked at the ties on his tunic. He put his arms around her, began pulling up the skirts of her gown.

Someone cleared their throat.

They let go of each other, and Zandrue rolled off him.

Ebry was standing at the top of the stairs. “Pardon the interruption, my Lady, my Lord, but I’ve been told to inform you Barnol Friaz has been arrested, and their Majesties request your presence in the throne room.”

Zandrue patted down her skirts. “Thank you, Ebry. We’ll be along in a moment.”

Ebry curtsied and headed back down the stairs.

Zandrue looked at Rudiger. “Barnol’s been arrested? Already?”

Rudiger started to tie his tunic. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you everything else that’s happened. It’s pretty bad.”

Zandrue stood up and patted down her skirts more. “It can’t be much worse than the news about Tianna, but I guess you better tell me on the way.”

Rudiger nodded. He sat there a moment longer, getting his emotions and hormones under control. Then he stood up and followed Zandrue down the stairs.

* * * * *

Gabby sidled up beside Rudiger as he and Zandrue entered the throne room. “Is it true about Tianna?”

“That’s what Quilla told Borisin,” Rudiger said.

“Gods.” Gabby lowered her head, then shot it back up. “Wait, Borisin? She told your horse? You really can talk to it, can’t you?”

Rudiger nodded. “Yeah, I don’t lie about that.”

The throne room was a cavernous space when it was mostly empty. It took a couple minutes just to walk from the doors to the dais the throne was on. There were only a few others there. The King slumped in the Bear Throne, his crown sitting too far forward on his head. Ardon stood just behind and to the side of the King. Pastrin and Ned stood in front of the dais. They were holding hands, which was surprising given the proximity of the Queen—though the Queen wasn’t looking in their direction. She stood over Annai some distance away. The princess was seated on the steps of the dais, sobbing into her hands. A few Kingsguard, including Hang, were spaced out across the hall. There was no sign of Malef.

Zandrue hurried ahead of Rudiger. “Annai?”

Princess Annai looked up. “Zandrue!” She stood up and ran to Zandrue, throwing her arms around her. “Oh gods, Zandrue.” The two of them sobbed into each other’s shoulder.

The Queen walked slowly down the steps towards them. Rudiger bowed to her as she got close to them, but she paid him no attention. She spread her arms wide and put them around both Annai and Zandrue. She whispered something to the two of them, and they all three stood there awhile longer, crying softly.

Rudiger and Gabby joined Ned and Pastrin. “Where’s Malef?” Rudiger whispered.

“Where do you think?” Pastrin said.

Ned elbowed him. “Be nice, Pastrin.” He leaned towards Rudiger. “Malef is with Lady Plavin. Word is a warrant is being written up for her arrest, too. Malef’s...well, let’s just say he’s reluctant to believe the allegations.”

That made a certain sense. As much as Rudiger despised Lidda Plavin, he could imagine his own reaction if someone accused Zandrue of being a Darker and summoning a dragon. That said, he would probably believe the dragon part.

The next few minutes passed like an eternity. Zandrue, Annai, and the Queen continued to sob in each other’s arms. The King straightened his crown, only for it to slide down once more when he slumped again. Ned and Pastrin shuffled about on their feet. Only Gabby stood without any clear expression of emotion.

At last, the doors opened. Prince Thilin and Captain DeSeloön marched into the room, followed by several Palace guards, then two Kingsguard who had Barnol Friaz by each shoulder. They were practically dragging him behind them. At the rear came another group of Palace guards.

Zandrue, Annai, and the Queen separated, the Queen ascending back up the steps of the dais. She turned to face the group that had entered. Zandrue and Annai moved to the side.

Thilin stepped forward. He was the one Royal Rudiger had seen very little of during his time here—not counting Sinitïa and Cerus who weren’t here. Thilin was a big man—bigger than anyone else in his family, except maybe Garet. He was dressed in a military uniform. As Rudiger understood it, Thilin had been spending most of his time working with military generals to plan for the upcoming war with the Volgs, though Zandrue had spent a brief bit of time with him in Arnor City a couple weeks back.

Thilin bowed. “Father, Mother, I present you the traitor, Barnol Friaz.” He turned around, and the Palace guards moved aside to allow the two Kingsguard to come forward with Friaz. Thilin and Captain DeSeloön moved aside as well.

The Kingsguard took Friaz to the bottom of the dais, then shoved him forward so that he fell face first onto the steps. The Kingsguard backed away as Barnol crawled forward and up the stairs.

“Your Majesties, have mercy! Please!” He reached the top of the steps and clutched at the Queen’s forward foot, kissing it repeatedly. “Please, Annai. My daughter, Tianna. She’s...she’s gone. Have pity on me!”

The Queen stared down at him, a snarl on her face. “Mercy?” Her words were soft and barely discernible. “Pity?” She pulled her foot away from him.

He reached for the other one, but she kicked him in the face. He fell backwards with a cry, tumbling to the bottom of the steps.

“How dare you!” the Queen hissed, her voice rising. “You think you are deserving of any pity or mercy? You snivelling worm!”

Barnol scrambled onto his hands and knees, shaking. “But Tianna, Annai. She’s dead. Please let me mourn her.”

The Queen walked down the steps and kicked him in the face again.

Barnol Friaz wailed and fell over onto his back, his hands clutching his face.

“As far as I’m concerned, Tianna’s death is your fault, Barnol. You do not deserve to mourn the death of such an enchanted child.”

Barnol removed his hands from his face, his nose and lips bloody. “I tried to stop them. I tried to save her! You must believe me. She was my only child. I loved her. I would never harm her. I tried to offer myself in her place, but they wouldn’t let me.”

The Queen sneered at him. “If you loved her as you claim, you would never have been a part of that disgusting cult. A Darker! In my own court!” She turned around and began back up the steps.

Barnol got back onto his hands and feet. “Annai, please.”

The Queen rounded on him. “The correct form of address is your Majesty! You do not get to address me so informally!” She moved towards him as if to kick him again. He curled into a ball, and she held back from following through, instead bending down over him. “I trusted you. More than anyone. I valued your counsel more highly than even that of my husband and children. I stuck my neck out for you on multiple occasions, and this is how you repay me? You were my favourite cousin, and I can barely look at you now without being filled with shame at how you used me for such a fool.” She straightened up again, and ascended the dais steps.

“Your Majesty, I had no choice. They forced me to join. As a boy. I went out of my way to make sure they didn’t do that to Tianna.”

“Enough!”

Barnol went quiet. He prostrated himself on the floor, shaking.

The Queen didn’t turn around. “So there it is.” She was no longer shouting, but there was a quaver in her voice. “The confession we need. Until this moment, a part of me still foolishly hoped this would turn out to be some elaborate falsehood. That part of me would have believed Felitïa’s friends had somehow framed you. But for years and years, you have turned me against her. Even during the many years she was gone, when most thought she would never be seen again, you would occasionally bring her up, speaking words of poison against her, made me despise her. I never saw it until now, the fool that I am. Yet in the last couple months, I have seen nobility from her friends while you continued to counsel distrust. Now I learn the truth of you, I must question whether I have had my daughter wrong all these years. I don’t even know her. You will explain this to me.”

“Your Majesty, I...I had no choice. Believe me.”

“I have given you a command. Explain yourself!”

Barnol looked up from the floor. “Your Majesty, she is the Will-Breaker. They knew from the moment she was born. When the assassination attempt at her naming ceremony failed, they decided instead to poison your mind against her. They made me do it. You must believe me.”

The Queen turned around. “Assassination attempt? What assassination attempt?”

“It was defeated by forces unknown. No one ever knew it happened.”

The Queen snarled. “Except you, apparently. And you kept it from me like so much else. I have heard enough. Execute him.”

“No, your Majesty, please! Have mercy on me!”

Captain DeSeloön’s hand went to his sword, but he looked to Thilin and then the King first.

Thilin stepped forward. “Your Majesty, Mother, we need him to give us the rest of them.”

The Queen turned away, shaking. She continued to stand there.

“Annai, my dear?” the King said.

The Queen turned around again, her shaking under control. “Yes, Wavon, I’m fine. You’re right, Thilin. We can’t kill him yet.” She walked slowly down the steps to Barnol again, and spat on him.

Barnol trembled, but did nothing to wipe the spittle away.

The Queen straightened and peered down at him without lowering her head. “I offer you a simple choice, my Lord. You can give us your associates. All of them, including anything you have on Lady Plavin. Do that, and I will grant you the dignity of a beheading. Refuse and you will hang like a commoner.” She turned around, and ascended the steps once more. This time, she went over to her throne and sat beside the King.

Barnol Friaz began to whimper and sob. “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll tell you everything, and I thank you for your...your just and...and...merciful decision.”

The Queen ignored him and his continuing sobs. “Thilin, Captain DeSeloön, I leave further questioning to the two of you.” She turned her head to the King and took his hand. “Unless, of course, you wish to join in as well, my dear.”

The King shook his head. “No, I trust Thilin and the Captain to do a much better job than I ever could.”

“Very good, my dear.” She turned to Thilin and the Captain again. “I want a full list of names and activities. I want arrests to begin by the end of the day. If possible, also find out how we can gain control of this dragon, if it really exists. I don’t want it rampaging uncontrolled once its current controllers have been arrested.”

DeSeloön bowed. “One thing, your Majesty.”

“Go ahead.”

“Assuming he confirms the allegations against Lady Plavin, arresting a noble of her stature needs to be delicately handled. Without the proper paperwork…”

The Queen nodded. “I understand. See to it the arrest warrant is prepared as soon as possible. Bring it to the King to sign immediately it is ready, no matter the time of day or night. Until then, Lady Plavin is confined to her apartments. She is not to leave them for any reason. I want Palace guards, or Kingsguard if possible, outside her apartments at all times. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly, your Majesty.” DeSeloön bowed again, then motioned to the two Kingsguard who had dragged Barnol Friaz in.

They came forward and took Barnol’s arms. They lifted him up, still blubbering thanks to the Queen, and dragged him away. Thilin, DeSeloön, and several other guards followed them out.

As the doors closed behind them, Gabby nudged Rudiger. “This is going to be an interesting place the next couple days. Poor Malef. I hope he recovers from this.”

“Zandrue, Rudiger,” the Queen said. “Please approach.”

Rudiger glanced questioningly at Gabby, who just shrugged. He walked forward and met Zandrue at the foot of the dais, where he bowed and Zandrue curtsied.

The Queen waved them closer, so they started up the steps. As they reached the top, the Queen rose and approached them. She looked at each of them in turn. “Arnor owes you both a great deal for your role in bringing to light this conspiracy against the crown. If it weren’t for the two of you, there would be every chance we would fall to this dragon attack. We may yet, but that is neither here nor there. We are better prepared than we would have been, and that is the important thing. Also…” She shifted on her feet. “I...I, personally, owe you both an apology. I refused to trust you initially for no other reason than you were friends of Felitïa and Quilla. That was wrong of me.”

Zandrue curtsied. “I accept your apology, your Majesty, but may I say one thing?”

The Queen nodded ascent.

“I think you owe Quilla an apology, too. She was involved just as much as we were, more so even. If she hadn’t infiltrated the Darkers, we would never have known about last night.”

The Queen frowned and looked away for a moment. “You’re right, of course. Once she’s been rescued from their clutches, I will...apologise to her as well. And reverse her banishment, of course.”

“Thank you, your Majesty,” Zandrue said. She curtsied again.

Rudiger bowed. “I accept your apology, as well, your Majesty.”

The Queen smiled. “Excellent. Then we can move on to other business. Of course, there is the matter of Tianna’s funeral. The King and I have agreed she will be rewarded posthumously for her valiant effort to uncover her father’s treachery. We are still determining the nature of that reward, but we will announce it soon. We would also like to reward the two of you...and...Quilla as well, of course. A few things. First, you may each choose a boon, and if it is in our power to grant, you will have it. However, before you make any request, you should also learn your other rewards. We wouldn’t want you looking foolish by asking for a boon you are already going to receive.” She turned away and returned to her throne. “Please kneel, both of you.”

Rudiger and Zandrue looked at each other, then knelt. Rudiger took Zandrue’s hand and squeezed it.

The King stood up, and held out his hand. “A sword, please.”

The nearest Kingsguard came forward, drew his sword, and held it out to the King.

Rudiger leaned closer to Zandrue, and whispered, “Any idea what’s going on?”

Zandrue leaned her head against his. “I have a pretty good idea. Can’t wait for them to do this to Quilla, and you better believe I will hold the Queen to her word.”

The King stood in front of Rudiger, and raised the sword. He brought the flat of it down gently on Rudiger’s shoulder, raised it again, and brought it down on his other shoulder. “Rudiger Fonivan, I grant you the title of noble of Arnor. You and your descendents shall forever more be afforded all the benefits, rights, and responsibilities of the nobility throughout all of Arnor.” He lowered the sword to his side. “Rise, my Lord.”

Rudiger took a deep breath and rose.

The King craned his neck. “Ah,” he whispered. “Maybe bend over a little.”

Rudiger smiled and bent over.

The King kissed him on each cheek. “I am proud to call you my friend.” He moved to Zandrue and repeated the same process. “Zandromeda Armida, I grant you the title of noble of Arnor. You and your descendents shall forever more be afforded all the benefits, rights, and responsibilities of the nobility throughout all of Arnor. Rise, my Lady.”

Zandrue rose and the King kissed her cheeks.

The King then motioned for them to turn around. “My son and daughters.” He looked to Ned. “My Lord. I present to you all the newest nobles of our land.”

Ned and Pastrin clapped, and Gabby whooped.

Annai rushed over to Zandrue and hugged her. “Oh, I’m so happy for you, Zandrue.” She wiped her nose with a handkerchief. “I just wish Tianna was here to see this.”

The King returned to his throne, and the Queen rose again. “There is still one more thing before you may choose your boon.”

“I know what it is,” Annai said quietly. “I hope you accept.” She moved aside as her mother approached.

“This is entirely voluntary,” the Queen said, “but we hope you will agree. The King and I believe the two of you deserve the finest wedding possible.”

Zandrue’s eyes widened. “Wedding?”

The Queen nodded. “Indeed. That’s why we propose to fund your wedding for next month at the Cathedral of the Gods.” She looked to Patriarch Ardon. “Your Grace, you’ve been surprisingly quiet.”

Ardon stepped forward. “I admit I often interject on these occasions, but I have seen no need to today.” He smiled.

“You will, of course, preside over the wedding?” the Queen said.

Ardon bowed. “I would be honoured.”

The Queen looked back at Rudiger and Zandrue. “You will have the finest wedding and finest reception possible. Assuming you desire it, of course.”

“Well, we…” Zandrue began. “That is, I’m not sure...I mean, we’ve never even talked about it.”

Rudiger looked back and forth between her and the Queen.

“Your thoughts, Rudiger?” the Queen asked.

Rudiger had no idea what to say. He’d never even thought about this. Well, he’d had the odd stray thought, but given the life they led, it had never seemed something they could consider.

Zandrue took his hand. “Rudiger?”

He gulped. “Sorry. I’m just… Do you want to?”

Zandrue shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems...sudden. And it seems wrong to plan something so happy in the light of Tianna’s death.”

“Tianna would be very happy for you,” the Queen said.

“Or supremely jealous,” Zandrue said.

“She’d be jealous and happy,” Annai said. “Trust me, she’d want you to do it if that’s what you want.”

Zandrue raised Rudiger’s hand to her face and kissed it. “This is all so sudden. I never imagined myself ever doing something like this, but you know what? Let’s.”

Rudiger swallowed. “You really want to?”

Zandrue nodded. “I think so. Rudiger, will you marry me?”

The Queen cleared her throat. “Let’s do this properly, shall we? You can have complete say in the wedding itself, but grant me this one thing.”

Zandrue shrugged. “If we must.”

Rudiger took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. He lowered himself to his knees, and raised her hand. He put his other hand on it, so he was holding it with both his hands. “Zandrue, I love you more than anything. Will you marry me?”

Zandrue smiled. “Fuck yes.”

The Queen groaned and rolled her eyes.

Rudiger rose to his feet and pulled Zandrue in close to him.

“I had to inject a bit of me into the proceedings,” she whispered.

“I gathered.”

She threw her arms around his neck as he lifted her up. They kissed amidst cheers and claps.