“It was a horn, but not the Horn of Gylindora. Nyphron didn’t accidentally become the first emperor, you know. He was no fool. He took precautions against just such a thing and hid the real horn in a very safe place. You see, when Nyphron was killed, we faced a terrible problem. Nyphron was not only the ruler of humanity but also the fane of the Fhrey. According to Fhrey law, when a fane dies, the horn must be presented to the Aquila, the Fhrey high council, to allow for a challenger to blow it. That would mean Nolyn would need to fight a Fhrey challenger, possibly a Miralyith—a Fhrey who practiced the Art. If he failed, there was an extremely good chance that the Fhrey might then resume the war—except that by then Suri was long dead, and there were no new human Artists. The Fhrey would have replenished much of their population by then; they would have many Miralyith, and they would also have gilarabrywns—invincible dragons that can lay waste to whole territories. If we neglected to present the horn, and so long as no one with Fhrey blood blew it, and no one from Erivan crossed the Nidwalden River to learn that Nyphron had died, they would never know. We considered it irresponsible, even reckless, to let Nolyn blow it.”

“And he agreed?”

“We never told him.”

“Who is this we?”

“My father, Sikar, and I. You see, what I’ve just told you, my husband never knew. He died without realizing he was ruler of mankind but not entitled to the crown of emperor. The day after my wedding and Nolyn’s coronation, my father and Sikar set out after Mawyndulë. They spent years hunting him.”

“They never found him?”

“They must have,” Sephryn said. “Mawyndulë killed them both.”

She stood up and once more crossed to the mantel. “A Teshlor arrived with the news, and it was then that my son—Nurgya, who was emperor by then—and I realized that the horn was in danger again. He secretly sent me back here to Merredydd. Less than a month later, my son, an avid swimmer, drowned in the imperial baths. The palace showed signs of having been ransacked. Luckily Nurgya’s son, Estermon, was miles away and safe in the company of Teshlor Knights.”

“And the real horn?” Sheldon asked. “Is it still safe?”

Sephryn looked at Kile.

The scribe nodded.