Janel felt dizzy … it had never occurred to her … “I have a brother?”

“Not anymore.” Milligreest’s voice caught.

Her throat tightened at the grief in his voice. She didn’t ask what had happened. This wasn’t the time.

But then she frowned.

Brothers. Morios is looking for his brother, Janel thought. Morios thought his brother would be here too. Why?

Kihrin had speculated the dragons might all be children of the Eight, but what if it wasn’t so specific? Relos Var himself didn’t qualify, for example. He was Kihrin’s brother. So they weren’t children necessarily, but relatives of some sort. Children, parents, sisters … brothers. What if, on some level, dragons still remembered that familial connection?

Kihrin had said that the dragon Sharanakal was Thaena’s son and that he had laired near her island sanctuary. Aeyan’arric had stayed near her uncle Rev’arric, better known as Relos Var. Janel wasn’t sure which came first: Had Thaena chosen to stay near her son to keep an eye on him, or had her son chosen to stay near his mother? Had Relos Var stayed near Aeyan’arric, or the reverse? But if the pattern stayed consistent … there had been one of the Eight living in Atrine, hadn’t there?

“Khored,” she breathed.

Her father paid no attention. He probably thought she was cursing.

Janel bowed her head and prayed.

“Khored, please hear my prayer, for your brother Morios is here. Morios, who lays waste to Atrine, a city you love. Please help us, or he’ll scour this place to the ground—”

Khored said, “I can’t stay for long.”

Her father gasped and fell to one knee.

Janel looked up. Khored floated above her, red armor dark as blood, raven-feather cloak blown back by the wind. Everyone around them seemed to realize a god had appeared among them at the same time. She heard people dropping to the ground all around.

“We can’t stop him,” Janel told Khored. “Nothing’s working.”

Behind Khored, Janel could see explosions over Atrine. She had to assume Tyentso still fought to keep the dragon from smashing Atrine, and Morios still played.

The God of Destruction said, “Of course nothing is working. My brother is the personification of war, battle’s avatar. Combat makes him stronger. Relos Var should have told you.”

“Brother!”

“That’s my cue,” Khored said, looking over his shoulder. “I’ll distract him for as long as I can. We can’t kill each other. Believe me, we’ve both tried. Evacuate everyone from Atrine and find safe ground.” He waved a hand at Janel.

And the world shifted. She now stood inside Atrine. It was a horror of fallen buildings and crumbling masonry. Far too many bodies were visible in the streets.