“Because they blamed her, love,” he told her. “They couldn’t assume the blame they’d earned, so they blamed her. They lost their magic, all of them, two of them because of pride and arrogance, and one, sadly, because of fairness and the desire to seek the truth. The Fire King went back to his land, demanded the greatest beauty of Firenze be brought to him, and he forced her to marry him. They eventually fell in love. The Sky King went back to his land and demanded all the greatest beauties of the realm be brought to him. He selected ten, married the lot, attempting to force them to mend his broken heart. None of them succeeded. Thus, he garroted them all, eventually, doing this personally. He had more brought forth, and died having had thirty-three wives, twenty-nine of them dead at his hand. But none of them were her.”

He turned his head to look at Elena.

Farah clenched True’s thigh.

“And that is my blood, darling,” he finished.

“Well, it’s good that your mother’s blood is good and kind and won out in you, isn’t it?” Elena retorted without a second’s delay.

“Gods, nothing shakes it, does it?” Cassius muttered.

“No,” Elena responded easily on a large smile.

It took a moment, but Cassius’s lips quirked.

“You’re the Sky King,” Farah blurted.

True turned to her to see her gaze on Cass.

And thus, he only heard Cassius’s reply, “In name only.”

Farah looked to True. “And you’re the Green King.”

“Also, in name only, darling,” he murmured.

She turned to Mars. “And you’re the Fire King and you,” she looked to Aramus, “are the Sea King.”

“And you will note, my people didn’t get caught up in that messy bloody business,” Aramus stated.

True felt his own lips twitch.

“This is…we are…” she stammered but said no more.

“Farah?” Ha-Lah called.

“We are their power,” Farah stated.

The room went silent again.

Someone cleared their throat, and all looked to the door.

A servant was there, his eyes on Elena.

“Your Grace, dinner is ready,” he announced.

Before Elena could say anything, Bram appeared in the door, rounding the servant, and his eyes were locked on True.

“True, a word?” he asked.

At the look on his brother’s face, True did not delay in murmuring his apologies, straightening from his seat, and following Bram out of the room.

Bram headed down the hall the opposite direction of the dining room.

He stopped nearly to the entry of the Citadel.

“I don’t like the look on your face,” True noted after he stopped with him.

“We’ve had ravens from Alfie. He says he’s sending a messenger with the fullness of his report, including the evidence he has that supports what the ravens bear. That being, he believes it was The Rising who conspired to surface the Beast. And True…fuck.”