“Indeed, she did, Highness,” said Thero. “But as an Orëska wizard, I have a duty to the Crown. I felt it was imperative to look after the safety of the royal family in any way I could.”

“The same for us,” said Seregil, giving Korathan a wink. “And since we’ve rendered good service to your family before, I didn’t think you’d mind us sticking our noses in again.”

“So, you’re just acting as loyal subjects? I suppose Phoria can’t dismiss you for that. What information do you have?”

“We’ve sort of stumbled across information that we think points to two cabals—” Seregil began.

“Two? I thought this was about Klia.”

“That one is led, we think, by Marquis Kyrin, who supports Elani for the throne.”

“Aside from plotting against my youngest sister, not a bad thing.”

“But we don’t know what that support means, or how far they’ll go. Alec overheard something that might have been a threat against the queen herself.”

“Bilairy’s Balls! I’ll have word sent to her at once to strengthen her bodyguard. Who else do you think is involved with him?”

“Tolin, Stenmir, and—” Seregil hesitated, knowing Korathan was not going to be pleased. “And Duke Reltheus.”

“Reltheus? Is that why he’s thrown his son in Elani’s way every chance he gets?”

“No, I think he just desperately wants his line joined to the royal house,” Seregil replied. “And I believe he feels genuine affection for your niece. Kyrin has found a way to use that. He’s blackmailing Reltheus; it seems the duke was already passing out royal favors.”

“That makes him no less a traitor to the royal family, if he’s conspiring against Klia! How far has this gone?”

“All that we’ve learned makes me wonder if that attempt on Klia’s life was actually made by assassins disguised as Plenimaran soldiers,” replied Thero.

“Attempt on Klia’s life!” Seregil exclaimed. “Why weren’t we told of this?”

“Perhaps I should have—” Korathan looked sharply at Alec. “But you two already knew, didn’t you?”

Alec colored hotly. “Well, that is …”

“Only recently, Highness,” Thero told him. “And only because they uncovered evidence of their own as to the perpetrators. Seregil, tell the prince what you heard on the island.”

“Reltheus, Tolin, and Stenmir went off into the woods on their own and I followed to see what they were up to. I overheard Stenmir ask Reltheus if he’d had any more news from ‘the north,’ which I assumed were the messages from Danos. Then Reltheus said that if someone he referred to only as ‘she’ had been killed, they’d have heard by now.”

“And you assume that this ‘she’ was Klia.”

“Yes.”

“And still you kept this knowledge to yourselves?”