“Has Tealiff said anything more?” Giddon asked.

“He’s said they blindfolded him,” Po said, “and drugged him. He’s said he was on a boat for a long time, and their land travel was shorter in comparison, which suggests his captors took him east by boat from Lienid, possibly to one of the southern Sunderan ports. And then up through the forests to Murgon City. He’s said that when he heard them speak, he believed their accents to be southern.”

“It does suggest Sunder, and Murgon,” Giddon said.

But it didn’t make sense. None of the kings had reason, but Murgon even less. Murgon worked for others, and his sole motivation was money. Everyone at the table, everyone in the Council, knew that.

“Po,” Katsa said. “Your grandfather had no argument with your father, or any of your brothers? Your mother?”

“None,” Po said. “I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t see how you can be so sure,” Giddon said.

Po’s eyes flashed to him. “You’ll have to take my word, Lord Giddon. Neither my father nor my brothers nor my mother nor anyone else at the Lienid court was involved in the kidnapping.”

“Po’s word is good enough for the Council,” Raffin said. “And if it wasn’t Birn, Drowden, Thigpen, Randa, or Ror, that leaves Murgon.”

Po raised his eyebrows. “Have none of you considered the King of Monsea?”

“A king with a reputation for kindness to injured animals and lost children,” Giddon said, “come out of his isolation to kidnap his wife’s aging father? A bit unlikely, don’t you think?”

“We’ve made inquiries and uncovered nothing,” Oll said. “King Leck is a peace-loving man. Either it’s Murgon, or one of the kings is keeping a secret even from his own spies.”

“It may have been Murgon,” Katsa said, “or it may not. Either way, Murgon knows who’s responsible. If Murgon knows, then the people closest to him know. Couldn’t we find one of Murgon’s people? I could make him talk.”

“Not without revealing your identity, My Lady,” Oll said.

“But she could kill him,” Giddon said, “after she questioned him.”

“Now, hold on.” Katsa held up her hand. “I said nothing of killing.”

“But it’s not worth the information, Katsa,” Raffin said, “for you to interrogate someone who’ll recognize you and speak of it to Murgon afterward.”

“Greening should be the one to do it, anyway,” Giddon said, and Po’s cool eyes flicked to him again. “Murgon wouldn’t question the motivation of a Lienid prince. Murgon would expect it of him. In fact, I don’t see why you haven’t done it already,” Giddon said to Po, “if you wish so much to know who’s responsible.”

Katsa was too irritated to care about her strategic seating plan. She leaned around Raffin and Bann to address Giddon. “It’s because Murgon can’t know that Po knows Murgon is involved,” she said. “How would Po explain that knowledge, without incriminating us?”

“But that’s just why you can’t question Murgon’s people, Katsa, unless you’re willing to kill afterwards.” Giddon thumped his hand on the table and glared at her.