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“What is the cost of the glamour to change your appearance?”

“My Fae senses are muted here,” Sorin answered. “They are still better than humans, but not nearly as strong as they are when I am in my full Fae form.”

Scarlett had seen plenty of ‘full Fae forms’ and, even though she had spent her time cutting up those Fae forms, she couldn’t deny that Fae forms were also…riveting. What would Sorin’s full Fae form look like?

Pulling her wandering mind from that ridiculous train of thought, she cleared her throat. “That leaves Shifters or Witches. For Cassius’s heritage.”

A slightly amused smile curled on the corner of Sorin’s lips as he turned his own attention back to the map in front of her. “Indeed, but I believe his bloodline lies in the Witch Kingdoms.”

“Why not the Shifters?”

“Shifters can shift form and matter. Witches possess raw magic and work in spells and potions. My best guess is that his mother was a Witch. His father, I am not sure. I cannot truly speculate on that without seeing the extent of his powers.” Sorin proceeded to tell Scarlett of the violence in the Witch Realm, particularly regarding males.

“Why is it so difficult for Witches to conceive children?” Scarlett asked when he had finished.

“Because, as I said, magic always has a cost. Witches, Fae, and Shifters were gifted with the strongest magic. As such, we have a difficult time passing on our gifts in our bloodline. It is balance. It is why a Royal in my realm, for example, generally only has one child.”

“Like the queen?”

“Yes.”

“And you cannot say her name?”

“I cannot speak it here, no.”

“Can you sing it?”

“What?”

Scarlett could hear the incredulity in his voice. “Sing it? Can you sing her name in a song?”

“Why would I sing her name in a song?” That amused little tilt of lips turned into a full grin now.

“If you were singing a song and her name happened to be in the song, would you be able to sing it?”

“No.”

“Can you write it?”

“No.”

“Can you write one letter on that wall over there?” Scarlett asked, pointing to the wall near the kitchen. “And another there.” She pointed across the room. “And spread them out, so it didn’t look like a word?”

“Why does it matter what her name is?” Sorin asked, fake exasperation filling his tone.

“It’s just silly to me. I mean, what if you meet someone who bears the same name? You can never call her by her name? That could be incredibly awkward. What if she was about to walk off a cliff? You couldn’t call out her name to warn her,” Scarlett said. She was facing Sorin again, leaning against the table.

Sorin barked a laugh. “I suppose that would be unfortunate for her, but if she is walking off a cliff, perhaps she is not all that bright to begin with.”

Scarlett feigned shock, resting a hand over her heart. “You laugh about a woman falling to her death because a powerful queen doesn’t want her name spoken here? What a selfish queen.”

“Oh, she is most definitely that,” Sorin said, a bit of bitterness clouding his tone.

Scarlett was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t meant to upset him. “You do not get along with your queen?” she asked cautiously.

“The queen and I do not often see eye-to-eye on things,” Sorin answered, turning back to the map on the table.

“But you were speaking with her here. In the woods that day,” Scarlett ventured.