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Zaira nodded.

“And Viktor Drakharrow has two dragons,” Lysander Orphos said quietly.

Rodriguez looked green. “Nyxaris—”

“Shut up, Rodriguez,” I said before I could help myself. “Not another word.”

Zaira slammed her palms against the table. “Where is Nyxaris? Do you not see how vital he is now? Will you not allow us to speak with him?”

I lifted my chin. “You can’t speak with him. He’s not here.”

“Where exactly have he and his rider gone?” Zaira demanded, her voice dangerously edged. “Have they gone to seek out Viktor Drakharrow? Have they gone toward the Veil? Are you saying that Viktor Drakharrow may soon have three of the four dragons he needs within his control?”

I met Zaira’s eyes. “Of course not. I didn’t say anything of the sort. I said Nyxaris is not here right now.” I pushed back my chair. “I’m exhausted. I think we should adjourn for now.”

“What!” Zaira exclaimed.

But it was too late. I was already striding out of the room, with Blake right behind me.

Chapter 33

KAGE

A few hours earlier

The dwarves were leaving. I watched them go, crossing back over the bridge and heading toward Bloodwing. They’d declined my grandmother’s kind offer to put them up in the Black Keep. I wondered if they knew the Keep had been Viktor’s preferred residence until recently. If that were the case, then they obviously had more discerning tastes.

Where the hell had the dwarves come from, anyhow? As far as I knew, there were no passages near Veilmar leading to any of the dwarven holds.

“Grandson.”

I turned. My grandmother stood a few paces away. Her expression was smooth as marble, but I could tell that beneath the facade she was angry. I’d been expecting this. I’d let the others go on without me.

“Walk with me, Grandson.”

I knew it wasn’t a request. I could put up a fuss, but there was no point. I’d been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I fell into step beside her as she walked toward the outer edge of the temple where a wall of tall hedges led into a gated garden normally reserved only for those who served in the temple. As we passed by one of the temple colonnades, I caught sight of Theo Drakharrow and his boyfriend, Vaughn Sabino, standing in the shadows, heads leaned toward each other, still hand in hand. Theo caught my eye and gave me a brief nod. I’d never been close with Blake’s cousin. I’d been told what he’d done to Nyxaris, some of the details of why had conveniently been excluded, but I knew the basics. He’d wanted to protect the man he loved. As far as I was concerned, that made shooting a dragon make a lot of sense.

Elaria steered me into the garden, never doubting her right to be there. Inside, small white stone sculptures of the Bloodmaiden in a variety of poses lined the paths. Some were old, the stone worn smooth. Others seemed like newer additions. Elaria stopped on a cobblestone path and turned to face me. “You humiliated me today. You humiliated House Avari.”

I didn’t flinch. “That wasn’t my intention. And,” I couldn’t help but add, “I don’t think I did. You’ve been doing a good job of that all on your own since my mother died.”

She looked shocked. Part of me understood. We’d always gotten along until fairly recently. I’d always respected her wishes, done as she’d asked. But lately our purposes hadn’t been aligned. Now my grandmother was walking a new path. And she would walk it alone.

“How dare you,” she fumed. “You undermined me in front of the very Sanctum. In front of our new allies. You challenged my authority openly.” Her lips curled. “You defended Lysander Orphos.”

“You were threatening him with chains, as I recall,” I said evenly. “You know we have always been friends.”

Her face fell, and I saw the confusion behind the mask. “You have always stood at my side. From the moment you could walk and talk, you understood what it meant to be Avari. What it meant to be the heir of this house. Yet now you suddenly hesitate. Now you soften.” She stepped closer, searching my face. “Why? What has changed? Why are you becoming weak?”

I met her gaze and held it. “Softness has nothing to do with it, and you know it. I’m not the one who’s changed. In what world does House Avari ally with House Mortis?”

She bristled. “They were our allies once, why not again? Especially now when highblood power threatens to crumble.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening. Just because we loosen our grip on blightborn throats doesn’t mean they suddenly gain all the power.”

“Of course it does,” she shot back. “Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile. By nature, the blightborn are grasping, servile, greedy people. They cling to us like parasites, desperate for our protection.”

I stared at her. “Our protection? That’s a little rich. The only thing they need protection from is us.”