‘‘Sweetie, I’m a little confused. Did you see the whole thing with Kostya and Baltic yourself, or just hear about it?’’ Aisling asked Drake.

Drake shot a look toward his brother. ‘‘I didn’t actually see Kostya kill him, no.’’

‘‘But the body—there must have been a body?’’

Kostya turned his back on everyone and resumed his post at the window, as if dismissing us from his thoughts.

‘‘When Baltic realized Kostya’s intent, he used the castle bolt-hole to try to escape. The silver dragons had sieged Baltic’s stronghold and were about to break down the last of the keep’s defenses. Kostya caught Baltic in the caverns below and slew him. But in the turmoil of the onslaught from the silver dragons, his body was not recovered immediately thereafter. Rather than risk Baltic’s body and stronghold becoming a martyr’s shrine, Constantine Norka had it destroyed altogether,’’ Drake said.

‘‘So no one but Kostya saw what happened in those final moments,’’ I said, thoughtful as I watched Kostya.

‘‘I returned with his sword,’’ Kostya said roughly, his shoulders twitching with irritation. ‘‘I cleaved him in two with it. He did not survive.’’

I put my hand on Gabriel’s chest, where his heart was. ‘‘Did you help sack Baltic’s castle?’’

‘‘Me?’’ Gabriel looked surprised for a moment before his dimples made a brief showing. ‘‘How old do you think I am?’’

‘‘Well . . . I don’t know. Five hundred years?’’ His dimples deepened.

‘‘Six?’’

‘‘I was born in 1702,’’ he answered. ‘‘My father was with Constantine when he made the final blow against Baltic, though. It was a victory, but one which was met with saddened and grieving hearts. The dragons who died were our family once.’’

‘‘Which brings us back to the point of who it is who’s doing all this,’’ Aisling said quickly, interrupting Kostya’s obvious rebuttal. ‘‘If it’s not Baltic, then who is it?’’

‘‘I don’t see why it matters who’s doing it so long as the phylactery has been returned,’’ Cyrene interjected.

We all looked at her.

‘‘Well, honestly, does it matter if it was this Baltic person, or another dragon, or a benevolent fairy who’s pulling the strings? All that matters is getting back Gabriel’s guards, not who took them.’’

‘‘The question of Baltic’s possible survival is of the greatest importance to the silver dragons, I assure you,’’ Gabriel told her.

‘‘Why?’’ she asked, her nose scrunched in confusion.

‘‘Why?’’ Gabriel asked, aghast.

‘‘I think I know what she means,’’ I said. ‘‘Assuming Baltic is alive, he is no longer the wyvern of the black dragons. You said the sept was destroyed, yes?’’ I asked Drake.

He nodded, his gaze flickering to his brother. ‘‘It was, although Kostya intends to gather what members remain and apply for recognition of the weyr.’’

‘‘Even if he did get that, though, it wouldn’t mean Baltic would immediately step into wyvernhood, would it?’’