Amusement radiated from both King Valyn and his son. A familiar half-grin appeared on the King’s face, and damn if there wasn’t a hint of dimples. “I am fine,” he said, handing the mask to the female guard. He sheathed his sword. “This is Hisa Fa’Mar. She is one of my most trusted. Commander of the Crown Guard.”

The woman drifted forward, and I knew the moment I saw her that she was an Atlantian, possibly even an elemental. She bowed slightly at the waist, first at the Prince and then to me.

“I do not believe we have met before,” Casteel said.

“No. We have not.” Her smile was quick as golden eyes shifted to me. “You are quite skilled at combat. I saw you briefly,” she added. “You have been trained?”

“I have. I wasn’t supposed to be, but I didn’t want to be helpless like I was the night a group of Craven attacked an inn my parents and I were at,” I explained, when the crisp, fresh taste of curiosity reached me, conscious that King Valyn was listening intently. “One of my personal guards trained me so I could defend myself. He did it in secret at great risk to his career and possibly even his life, but Vikter was brave like that.”

“Was?” King Valyn asked quietly.

The knot of heartache lodged in my throat like it always did when I thought of Vikter. “He was killed by the Descenters in the Rite attack. A lot of people died that night—innocent people.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Empathy flowed from him. “And to know that those who support Atlantia were the cause.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He stared at me for a long moment and then said, “The Unseen were an ancient brotherhood that originated at least a thousand years ago or so, after several generations of Atlantians were born, and other bloodlines took root. Roughly around the time the…” He drew in a deep breath. “Around the time the deities began to interact more with the mortals who lived in lands far from Atlantia’s original borders. The ancients began fearing that the Atlantians and the other bloodlines were not entirely supportive of their decisions regarding mortals.”

“And what kind of decisions were they making?” I asked, half-afraid of the answer based on what I’d already been told.

“The deities wanted to bring all the lands, the seas, and the islands together under one kingdom,” King Valyn said. That didn’t sound all that bad—for a brief moment. “It didn’t matter that some of those lands already had rulers. They believed they could improve the lives of others as they did with the lands just beyond the Skotos Mountains that had already been occupied by mortals. Many Atlantians and other bloodlines didn’t agree with them, believing it was best to keep focus and energy on Atlantian lives. The deities feared there would be an uprising, so they created the Unseen to serve as a…network of spies and soldiers, designed to crush any type of rebellion before it started. That was done by keeping the Unseen members’ identities hidden. That way, they could move undetected among the people of Atlantia like spies. And when it came time for them to be seen and heard, they wore masks carved to resemble the wolven.”