Their mother’s face tightened. Her words ground out through clenched teeth. “My mother knows nothing of family. I only learned what it meant when Connall was born—and your father taught me the rest when he embraced Connall as his own. I fled to the forest instead of staying to fight because I wouldn’t let my true family be twisted as my first family had been. As so many families have been twisted by that blood-soaked throne over the years! Everything that I’ve done since then has been designed to keep all four of my children safe. That’s why I never told any of you the truth. How could I bear to hurt any of you like that?”

So many families … Cordelia thought of Alys and the bear-duke brother who had cast her off so completely. “I have no sister …”

As long as the Raven Crown stayed broken, more and more families would break themselves apart through their terrible battles for the throne … and the land would break more and more grievously every time.

“No one is going to hurt any more of my children,” said their mother fiercely. “I’d happily give up anything to keep you all safe. I’d do anything to free Connall. I’d be a prisoner for all of my life if it would help!

“Just stay together now, please. Protect each other! And run as far as possible from that terrible throne. Even if you can never forgive me, at least promise me you’ll do that.”

“I … oh, you know we love you, too, Mother.” Giles’s voice was muffled with tears. He sniffed hard, forcing them back. “You should have told us everything. You should have trusted us to understand! I’m going to be angry at you for a really long time about that. But … we do love you, too. Of course we do.”

Rosalind gave a choked snort of agreement.

Cordelia said firmly, “We all love you. But we still won’t make that promise.”

“What?” Their mother stared wildly around the air, following the sound of Cordelia’s voice and grabbing out, uselessly, with one hand. “Cordelia, don’t you dare consider even for a single instant—”

The vision vanished with a snap as Cordelia let it go.

“Real families don’t abandon one another,” she told her stunned-looking, tear-streaked triplets on the shadowy slope of Mount Corve, where the deepest and most dangerous secrets had finally come out into the light, “and our family hasn’t broken after all.” She squeezed their hands tightly in hers. “So it’s time to save the others and make things right. Together.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two