“Which are…?” It seemed that every day Han became more aware of how little he knew, and how much he needed to know.

“The Bayars, the Mathises, the Abelards, the Gryphons,” Rebecca said vaguely. “Some others.”

“What keeps the High Wizard from overpowering the queen?” Han said. “Magically, I mean?”

Rebecca’s head jerked up and she stared at him. “Why do you ask that?”

Han shrugged. “Well, it stands to reason that it could be a problem. Wasn’t that what happened after the invasion?”

She licked her lips. “The Binding is supposed to prevent that.”

“What do you mean, is supposed to?” Han said, catching an odd inflection.

Rebecca shifted her gaze away. “The Binding does control the High Wizard,” she said, nodding as if to reassure herself. “The speakers conduct a ceremony that binds the High Wizard both to the queen’s will and to the good of the queendom.”

Han tapped the cover of his book. “It says in here the High Wizard serves as a counselor to the queen on magical matters, represents her to the Wizard Council, and uses magic to support and protect the army, the realm, and the throne.”

Rebecca nodded, her shoulders slumping a little, the curtain of her hair obscuring her face. “That’s right.”

“But he’s not in charge,” Han said. “The queen’s in charge, right?”

She nodded. “The queen rules alone. Queens of the Fells are forbidden to marry wizards, and even the man she marries takes the title of consort only.”

“But there used to be wizard kings,” Han persisted. “Right?”

“Right,” she said. “But not since the Breaking. After the kings nearly destroyed the world, they decided it was a bad idea.” She reached for Han’s book, seeming eager to change the subject. “I had no idea you were so interested in politics. Now, let’s review the rules surrounding royal succession and accomplishments of some specific queens.”

“How can you remember all those names?” Han said.

“My family’s been at court for generations, you know,” Rebecca said. “Some of it had to soak in. You’ve heard those songs, haven’t you, that name off the Gray Wolf queens in order?”

Actually, he knew some drinking songs that named off the queens, but they didn’t bear repeating to a blueblood. “I don’t have to memorize them, do I?” he asked. “I’d just as soon skip over that. To tell the truth, I don’t give a rat’s arse about the queens.”

She flinched, as if he’d slapped her. “All right, but I just thought—”

“The queens, the nobility, that whole lot—they’re just bloodsuckers feeding off the people. They don’t care at all what happens in the streets.”

“You don’t know that,” Rebecca said, color staining her pale cheeks. “You don’t know anything about Queen Marianna and what she—”

“You’re the one that doesn’t know anything,” Han said. “Forgive me for being a cynic, but I know how people are treated outside of the castle close.”