“If Avry’s right, this new plague is more accurate,” Ryne said. “Instead of wiping out thousands of people, it’ll just kill those infected. Looking at it from a military perspective, it’s better because it won’t kill your own soldiers as long as you’re careful.”

His comment reminded me of Tohon’s claim of using biological warfare during one of my nightmares. Not that I could rely on a dream, but it triggered another revelation.

“Ryne survived the original plague,” I blurted.

“Old news, Avry,” Quain teased.

“And so did Kerrick, Belen, Cellina, Stanslov, and Jael. Don’t you think it’s a heck of a coincidence that they all survived?”

Kerrick leaned forward. “And I’ve met a few others from our class who lived through it while searching for Avry.”

“Tohon never stopped wanting to be king,” I said. “But it would be a hollow victory if his old classmates weren’t alive to pledge loyalty to him.” And it explained his rage over Jael’s escape.

“Are you saying he protected us somehow?” Ryne asked.

“Perhaps.”

“But that means he had to know about the plague before...” Ryne gasped. “He caused the plague.”

“Not without help,” I added. “The Healer’s Guild was experimenting with dangerous material and are also to blame. He could have predicted the inevitable and done nothing to stop it.”

“Just as bad,” Quain muttered.

“Or, knowing Tohon, he helped it along.” Kerrick jabbed the fire with a stick. “How did he protect us? After school, we all went our separate ways.”

That I couldn’t answer.

“The reunion,” Ryne said. “Remember a year after we graduated, we all returned for the crowning of the next year’s king. Tohon was there.”

“But why kill Stanslov after he protected him?” I asked, poking holes into my own theory.

“Putting a knife through someone’s heart is more personal than them dying far away unseen,” Ryne said. “He hated Stanslov.”

“And infecting you later?”

“I turned into a real threat once I crossed the Nine Mountains with my elite squads.”

“Even if you’re right, how does this help us now?” Quain asked.

Ryne answered. “We know Cellina has tapped into Tohon’s research and isn’t afraid to use it.”

“Still not helping.”

“It aids me in understanding her, but how about the fact our enemy now has another weapon at their disposal? This new plague. Don’t get cut during battle and you should be fine. How’s that? Better.”

Quain flopped back onto the ground. “No.”

I agreed.

“What about the Skeleton King’s poison?” Loren asked. “Is that another weapon?”

“Of course. And we know he won’t hesitate to use torture.”

The rest of us stared at the fire. All probably contemplating a grim future.

“Do you have any good news?” Flea asked, speaking up for the first time. He sat on the opposite side of the fire.