The dragon smashed a tower of the duke’s palace. Pieces of stone flew, some hurtling straight at the open portal. Thurvishar waved a hand to close the gate, but several chunks of stone made it through. Janel and Kihrin both ducked to the side as one of the missiles slammed into the bar where they’d been standing, smashing paneling to kindling.

Relos Var turned to Kihrin. “Now can we talk?”

Kihrin’s sword wavered in his hands.

He lowered Urthaenriel.

“Everyone stand down,” Ninavis called out.

Kihrin turned to Relos Var. “Explain how this is supposed to happen, us working together here. Explain it to me like I’m hearing it for the first time.”

Kihrin knew cons. He knew scams. His adoptive mother, Ola, had been fond of them. So he wanted to see if Relos Var’s story would change from what he’d told the others; he also wanted to see how the story didn’t change.

Relos Var pressed his lips together. “The only way you can permanently destroy a dragon—much as the only way you can permanently destroy their corresponding Cornerstone—is to annihilate both simultaneously. Every dragon has a matching Cornerstone. Unfortunately, while dragons can be slain in a variety of ways, the only method I know to destroy a Cornerstone is Urthaenriel. You can understand why I never bothered telling Duke Kaen where Morios laired; until we had Urthaenriel in our possession, fighting the dragon would have been futile.”

“You still don’t have Urthaenriel in your possession,” Kihrin pointed out.

Relos Var ignored the correction. “We also required the location of Morios’s Cornerstone, but since Senera has the Name of All Things, we had simply to ask. We destroy both Morios and his Cornerstone together, they both die forever.”

Kihrin felt a chill wash over his skin. “Go back to the part about destroying Cornerstones permanently—are you saying I didn’t shatter the Stone of Shackles?”

“Oh, you did,” Relos Var replied, “but it won’t stay broken. The Stone of Shackles will reform, and eventually, people will realize gaeshing is once again possible. Too late to put the demons back in their cages, unfortunately.”

Kihrin ground his teeth. “And the Stone of Shackles is the heart of which dragon?”

“This is an unimportant tangent.”

“Tell me, anyway.”

“Rol’amar.” Var growled the name like it was a personal insult. A fleeting expression of loathing crossed the wizard’s face.

Kihrin carefully filed away the name Rol’amar for future use.

“Much as I respect your desire to continue your staring contest,” Janel said, “perhaps we can indulge later? After evacuating Atrine?”

Both men looked over at her in surprise.

“I never said I’d go along with this,” Kihrin said.

Janel cocked her head and stared at him in turn.

Kihrin coughed. “All right, yes. I’m helping.”