Page 165 of The Throne's Undoing

Beside Rian, Laurince cleared his throat and continued for him.

"I had searched the temple for the king, but I couldn't find him in the chaos of the fire and the panic. Rumors quickly spread around the castle that my king had suffered a grave injury. Some had seen him brought in by a couple of guards, unconscious and half-dead. I scoured the castle, searching for him despite his brother's assurances that he was being cared for.

"Something had felt off, though. I didn't know what at the time, of course. All I knew was that I needed to find Rian. A couple of days later, an unmarked carriage was leaving the castle, and before the curtain fell, I spotted Sebastian. Without thinking, I followed after him--all the way to Ardentol."

Kallie shifted on her feet, nausea filling her stomach at the mention of her former home.

"I impersonated one of the Ardentolian guards and found my way into the castle. That's when I discovered the truth." Laurince paused, his gaze dropping to the floor, unfocused and haunted.

"Which is?" Cetia prompted after a moment passed.

"Beneath the king's nose, Sebastian has been leading an experiment."

Medenia stepped forward, her hand on her stomach. "Do you speak of the creatures in the tunnels beneath the temple?" she pressed.

Laurince nodded.

"And you had no idea this was happening in your own kingdom?" Medenia asked, her gaze falling upon Rian next.

Rian's features contorted in shame, but he quickly steeled his expression. "Do you know everything that happens inyourkingdom?" he shot back.

Medenia's lips parted, but then she snapped her mouth shut. Everyone knew it was nearly impossible to know all the happenings in one's kingdom, despite how much one paid attention.

Rian shifted and continued, "I wish I could say I was completely ignorant of the experiments, but that would be a lie."

Medenia scoffed in disgust, her lip curling.

"Yet you come here seeking refuge despite knowing these atrocities?" Cetia asked.

"It is not that simple, Your Majesty," Rian said with a shake of his head. "Ever since I was little, I have been fascinated with dragons." He paused and glanced at Kallie; pain soaked his expression. After a second, he looked away and pressed forward. "A week or so before my wedding, my brother said he had a wedding gift for me near the Borganian border. I thought nothing of it at the time and rode out with him and a group of guards. When we arrived, he revealed he was leading a project to recreate the legendary beasts.

"At first, I laughed at him, for how could one create a dragon? But then he showed me his gift: their first semi-successful prototype, a drakonis. A creature created from wolves bearing some of the characteristics of a dragon. But as he was showing the drakonis to me, we were attacked. My brother and I ran as the guards held the invaders off."

Rian's gaze grew distant as he stared at a spot on the ground.

He shook his head. "I do not know what happened to the monster."

"Themonsteris doing quite well, actually," Medenia said, tipping her chin up.

"You--you've seen it?" Rian sputtered.

"We freed her," Graeson said, his cold voice ripping through the throne room.

The two men glared at each other, and a ripe tension riffled through the room. Only when the queen spoke did Graeson and Rian finally release each other.

"So, you discovered this was happening, and you did what? Nothing?" Cetia asked.

Rian blanched at the queen's straightforwardness. "There--there wasn't time. I promised to deal with it after the wedding, but..." He lifted his bound hands.

"What brings you here, then? Why were you in Ardentol?" Medenia asked.

"We came here in search of asylum. My kingdom has been overtaken by my brother, and the experiments he and Domitius have been working on have evolved," Rian said, grimacing.

"Domitius has been working on his own project for decades, and now the two have teamed up," Laurince added.

"Elaborate," Cetia said, her tone more clipped.

Laurince peered at Myra from the corner of his eye, and she shifted beside the king. She took a deep breath, her chest rising. Then she straightened and tipped up her chin.

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