I nodded. “Almost the way Hurog recognizes me when I come home.”

He was quiet for a while and then said soberly, “Farson was the grandson of my half brother, did you know?”

It’s one thing to know that Oreg is ancient. It’s another to understand what that means. But with a little effort I managed to keep my jaw from dropping.

“He was stupid, unthinking, and angry at being part-blood dragon with nothing but a bit of magic to show for it,” said Oreg. “He was the first born of Hurog who could not take on dragon form, and was obsessed with dragons because of it. Farson killed three dragons to make his toy, and bound their spirits to the blood gem for all eternity—I’ve always thought it was a variant of the spell that bound me to Hurog, but Farson wasn’t as good a wizard as my father was. If I held that stone, I’d be worried about how tightly the spirits of the dragons were still bound into obedience.” Oreg grinned nastily. “Maybe we won’t have to worry about Jakoven long.”

“Can you get Kellen out of the Asylum?” I asked.

Oreg nodded. “If he’s not in the same section you were in, I’ll be able to do it somehow. I told his man to meet us on the road near Menogue after he’d heard Kellen was out.” He paused. “You know, he’s going to have the same problems proving himself that you have had.”

I laughed. “No. No one has ever accused Kellen of being stupid—just insane. It’s not at all the same thing. A stupid ruler is much more of a problem than an insane one.”

“We’ll have to wait until you’re fit to travel before we get him out,” Oreg said. “That will give Beckram a chance to get Ciarra out of Iftahar.”

“He’ll have to get out more than Ciarra, Oreg,” I said. “You’ll have to tell Duraugh and Beckram about Kellen. Hurog is under snow by now, and it’ll be a difficult place to besiege until spring. Iftahar, though, will fall to Jakoven as soon as he thinks to take it—which won’t be long after he finds out Kellen has flown.”

I thought a minute. “Tell them there’s grain to feed a thousand people for six months at Hurog. If Duraugh thinks we need more, Beckram will have to bring it with him.”

“I’ll tell them,” Oreg promised. “Since we’re stuck here until you can travel, they’ll probably beat us to Hurog. We’ll have to send a messenger to Hurog and warn Stala to expect company.”

“Right,” I agreed. The thought of staying longer in Estian made my knees turn to water. I tried to hide my fear and come up with an alternative, but I had no greater trust in my abilities than Oreg did.