Bryony pretended to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand, but in reality she was delaying her response for dramatic effect. “His name is…Cainan. But most know him as the Fire Eater.” She allowed several dark locks of hair to fall over her eyes, while she surreptitiously watched for the king’s reaction.

She’d expected surprise at her grand reveal. Raised eyebrows perhaps. Maybe even a chuckle at having dredged up a name that had been left so far in the past it felt faded and frayed.

If anything, summoning the name had the opposite effect. The prince took a step forward, eyes as sharp as lances as they stabbed into her. The king leaned forward in his throne, knuckles whitening as they gripped the armrests tighter. “Who told you to come here? Who are you working for?”

The response was so far off the various scripts she’d rehearsed in front of the mirror that for a moment she was rendered speechless. Fortunately, such a response, or lack thereof, was fitting for the circumstances, a lowly peasant rendered dumbstruck by her monarch’s ire. Finally, she managed to stutter, “I apologize, Your Majesty, but I don’t understand the question. I am but a humble servant still searching for answers in her grief.”

The king’s eyes bore into her for a few moments longer, but then he slumped back once more, looking exhausted, like he’d aged an additional ten years in just the blink of an eye. “A coincidence, nothing more,” he muttered, though his words seemed more for himself than for her or his son.

Still, his son saw fit to answer. “We must be certain, Father. The timing is too…unexpected.”

“Timing?” Bryony said, so genuinely baffled as to what they could be going on about that she forgot how to properly address the king.

“There’s been an unfortunate event,” the king said.

“Father, no,” Tomas said.

“The news will spread soon enough. Our hunters will be asking questions during their search. My men are a lot of things, but subtle is not one of them.” He offered a wry smile. “I’m afraid I must reject your petition, miss.”

“May I ask why?” Bryony said, trying to hold back her frustration even as the gears in her head were already turning, planning her next move. She wasn’t willing to concede defeat just yet. Not after she’d worked so hard to get to this point.

“I’m afraid a prisoner has escaped Comman Dur for the first time in its history. The Fire Eater has disappeared. We will do everything in our power to find him, of course. My hunters will be granted every resource they need. Whether dead or alive, Cainan will be caught.”

Bryony’s heart skipped several beats, and it took all her training and willpower to keep her voice even as she said, “I hope so, Your Majesty. Thank you for telling me.”