“She’s in my mind,” the troll screamed, but I tuned him out and focused. Roland.

The troll prince appeared, himself, but twisted, as though the troll’s mind saw him for the monster he was. “I will rule,” he screamed. “I will rule.”

Other trolls were on their knees in front of him, and one of them said, “Death to Thibault! Death to Tristan!”

Roland leapt to his feet, spittle flying from his mouth. “You do not touch my brother!”

The offending troll exploded into bloody mist, and I recoiled, unable to separate the remembered screams from the screams happening outside my shuttered eyes. Angoulême.

The Duke appeared, cane balanced between both hands. “Those who serve our cause will be rewarded. Lands, titles, power – it will all be yours. Will you swear?”

“Yes.”

I pulled away from the thought, afraid of triggering one of the Duke’s oaths. Where is he?

Anaïs. Lessa appeared, dressed in her armor, arms crossed. “All contact with my father will happen through me, do you understand?”

I pressed harder. Where is he?

Mountains flashed across my vision, their white peaks glittering in the sun.

“Cécile, stop!” Someone was shaking me, but I ignored them. I had to find where the Duke was hiding. Lives depended on it.

What are his plans?

The light of the mountainscape turned to darkness. But I could hear the Duke’s voice, “Thibault dies first, then…”

Pain lanced through my skull and I severed the connection, falling back into Victoria’s arms. “What happened?”

“He’s dead.”

“How?” I struggled forward, taking in the dead troll and Vincent sitting on the ground next to him, hair drenched with sweat and face drawn.

“Burned out his light trying to get free,” he responded. “Stones and sky, what did you do?”

“I dug through his thoughts to find Angoulême,” I said. “He’s in the mountains.” I rubbed my temples, the pain in my head fierce. “Lessa knows where he is. I think she might be the only one who does.”

No one responded, and when I lifted my face, everyone had drawn away, leaving me alone in a circle of space. “What?”

Chris twisted his horse’s reins, jaw working back and forth. “Did you learn anything else?”

“That Roland doesn’t want anyone to harm Tristan – he must want to do the deed himself,” I said, the boy’s rage briefly filling my vision. “And that Angoulême intends to go after Thibault first.”