Page 79 of Glow of the Everflame

“It gets worse.” She sighed sadly. “An elder from that House decided she had nothing left to lose, so she infected Rapheol with a rare poison and demanded Ulther reinstate her House in exchange for an antidote. She even insisted on a bonded bargain that he wouldn’t punish her or her House for it later.”

“And Ulther wouldn’t do it?”

“Oh, he did—but she gave himanantidote, nottheantidote. She worded the bargain cleverly, and there was nothing he could do. Rapheol died, and Ulther couldn’t seek revenge without losing his magic.”

“That’s terrible,” I gasped. “I can’t believe she got away with it.”

“She didn’t. That’s where it gets worse. Her bargain was clever, but not clever enough, because it only bound Ulther and not the rest of House Corbois. The King couldn’t take revenge—but his brothers could.”

My eyebrows flew up. “What did they do?”

She chewed on her lip and glanced nervously at her uncles. “They took out the entire House.”

I spun around to face her. “Took out? As in...?”

“As in dead. Every last one. The whole family was wiped out overnight.”

“Even... even the children? The innocents?”

Her only answer was a sad, pained grimace.

I sank back into my seat, staring at Remis and Garath as my pulse pounded in my ears.

“Ulther never got over it,” she went on. “He only appointed his brothers and their children as his advisors, and he banned anyone who wasn’t a Corbois from living or working in the palace. He refused to trust anyone from the other Houses ever again.”

My heart twisted and tore. “Was Luther part of it—the killing?” I swallowed, not really wanting to know the answer, but needing to.

“Oh no,” she said quickly. “Luther wasn’t even born.”

My shoulders sagged with relief.

Taran frowned at me. “You really believe Luther would take part in something like that?” His expression looked hurt, almost betrayed, as if I had accusedhim.

“I barely know him,” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks flush. “I don’t know what he’s capable of.”

Taran shook his head and looked away.

Guilt started to gnaw away at me. “The King never remarried?” I asked.

“He was mated,” Eleanor said matter-of-factly.

“But he never fell in love with anyone else?”

“He wasmated,” she said again, giving me a strange look.

“Mortals don’t have mates,” Taran said to Eleanor. “She doesn’t know what that means.”

Her eyes widened, her expression bemused. “You really don’t know our culture, do you?”

I shrugged. “Only what I learned in the mortal schools.”

“Which was what?” Taran asked. “That Descended are all evil monsters who are out to get them?”

“Quite the opposite,” I sniped. “We’re taught you’re all perfect, and death to anyone who says otherwise.” I could handle Taran’s ribbing, but the haughty way the Descended spoke about mortals never failed to set my temper alight. “The Crown decides what information mortals areallowedto know. And if we try to learn more than we’re supposed to, we wind up on the end of a Descended blade.” I gestured to Remis and Garath. “So you can take up your thoughts on my inadequate education with those two and their Keeper of the Laws.”

All traces of Taran’s judgment disappeared. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “I didn’t realize.”

I flexed my jaw and looked back at Eleanor. “Mates—could you explain it to me?”

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