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Little puffs of air left Kiva’s lips as she realized how many lives might be saved if the laws were amended, but she couldn’t dwell on what Jaren had instigated — and how it made her feel — because the council meeting was far from over.

“What’s happening with the rebels?” Queen Ariana asked, moving the conversation along. “They’ve been quieter since Tilda’s death, but last night they abducted Kiva — presumably to bait Jaren. Are they rallying again?”

“Our newest intelligence is frustratingly limited,” Zerra said, her earlier smile gone, her freckled features now serious. “Ever since Rhune and Whitlock turned up dead, we’ve struggled to get our spies anywhere close to the inner circle, and not even they were able to infiltrate the main camp. It’s like the Viper and the Jackal have a sixth sense when it comes to loyalty.”

The Viper and the Jackal — Kiva didn’t need to guess whotheywere, but she was curious how her siblings had come to be known by such names. She was also disturbed by the reference to the two dead men, her stomach turning over at the thought of Torell or Zuleeka being responsible.

“It’s more likely that they have their own spies among us,” Jaren said with a sigh. “They don’t need a sixth sense if someone is telling them everything they need to know.” He scrubbed a weary hand down his face. “Gods, I wish Eidran were here. He’d know exactly what we should do, and who we could trust.”

“He trained Rhune and Whitlock, didn’t he?” Feldor asked.

Jaren nodded. “Their deaths hit him really hard. That’s why Naari and I made him come with us to the winter palace — to get him out of the city and keep him from doing anything rash. But even while we were gone, he was still brainstorming new ways to infiltrate the rebels.” Jaren paused, as if suddenly remembering something. “Just before we left, he was certain he’d found a secret meeting place here in Vallenia. He’d planned to go in undercover once we got back.”

Yisari’s dark eyes were eager as she asked, “Did he tell you the location?”

A snort of amusement left Jaren. “In the last half hour alone, I’ve been called both reckless and foolish. Do you really think Eidran would have given me that information, knowing what I’d do with it?”

No one responded.

Queen Ariana turned to Zerra and said, “Send someone you trust to Albree. I want to know everything Eidran knows. Then prepare one of our newer spies to go in.”

“He won’t tell you,” Jaren said. “After what happened with Rhune and Whitlock, he knows we have a leak somewhere, and he’ll assume all our people have been compromised.”

“He won’t have a choice,” Horeth stated. “Not if he wants to reclaim his esteemed position in the guard upon his return to full health.”

Jaren had nothing to say to that, so the four councillors began suggesting names of who to send to Albree and who to sneak into an underground meeting. They then segued into a debate about how to weed out any rebel spies, with Ariana jumping in to offer her own opinions.

None of them were paying attention to Jaren, so they all missed the calculating look on his face. Similarly, no one had realized that he’d never answered Yisari’s question, instead replying with his own.

Do you really think Eidran would have given me that information, knowing what I’d do with it?

Kiva was certain Jaren knew more than he was letting on. If Eidranhadshared what he knew about a rebel meeting place, then it was almost a guarantee that Jaren would act on that information. Kiva would have to keep a closer eye on him, watching for him to make a move.

“— so we’ll keep monitoring the rebel situation as best as we can, like we always have,” Zerra was saying, prompting Kiva to tune back in. “But ultimately, we all know that while they’re pests, they don’t pose a real threat to Evalon.”

Kiva’s lips parted in indignation before she quickly snapped her mouth shut again.

“Try saying that to the people who have lost loved ones because of them,” Jaren said, his face tight. “Or the ones who have lost their homes, sometimes their entire villages. I doubtthey’dconsider the rebels mere pests.”

“None of us like the civil unrest they’re causing, and especially not the resulting damages,” Grand Master Horeth said, his tone placating for once. “But Zerra’s right. As hard as they try, they’ll never muster a force great enough to defeat our armies. And without the Royal Ternary, there’s no other way for them to claim the throne.”

Kiva’s ears perked up at the strange words. The Royal Ternary — what was that? And what did it have to do with the throne? She made a mental note to ask her siblings the next time she saw them — just as she would be asking about the destruction caused by their uprising, praying they had a valid justification.

“For now, there’s nothing more we can do about the rebels,” Horeth continued. “Or rather, there’s nothing more weneedto do about them. We’ve already seen that they’re growing quieter. With their queen gone, they’ll eventually give up — we just have to wait them out.”

“The Viper and the Jackal won’t give up so easily,” Jaren said, echoing Kiva’s thoughts. “Eidran thinks one of them, perhaps both, could be directly related to Tilda. Her siblings, her cousins, her children — no one outside of their inner circle has seen their faces, so we can’t guess their ages. But if Eidran’s right, and if they’ve taken over leadership as we assume, then that means —”

“They could have Corentine blood,” Ariana said, her sapphire eyes narrowing.

Kiva found herself grateful that Eidran was halfway up the coast, since his knowledge of the rebels seemed to be all that was keeping the Royal Council afloat.

“That’s troubling, I’ll admit,” Horeth acknowledged, “but it still doesn’t change anything. Corentine blood or not, they won’t succeed. We’ll continue sending guards to protect our citizens in places of high rebel activity, but otherwise all we can do is wait for them to realize that their movement is doomed to fail.”

Jaren frowned down at the table, clearly unhappy with the lack of initiative.

“In the meantime,” Horeth went on, “we have a more pressing concern.”

Jaren’s gaze returned to the Grand Master, who pushed back from the table and stood, his robes cascading down his wiry body like a wave of blood.