Page 167 of Grave Situation

“He wasn’t teasing. I assume you were advised that the stone forged a temporary communication ability between me and Leicht, so he could continue to travel with us?”

“Yes,” Kathion says. “I have many questions. A mage has never been able to speak directly with a dragon.”

I snort. “I don’t know about other dragons, but if they’re like Leicht, you’re really not missing much. He’s grumpy and doesn’t like me.”

“You have grown on me somewhat,”he says, surprising me. I didn’t think he was listening.“Do not give away secrets that could endanger you. It would be a breach of treaty if I tore apart the palace to save you.”

“God magic, remember? I’m not in danger.”I don’t want to test that, though, so I choose my next words carefully. “Leicht was deeply angered by what Father did. When he heard me say several days ago that I wanted to see what the stone could make of Father’s story, he offered to fly me here as a one-off, times-of-crisis solution.” I grimace. “Learning to fly on a dragon is not fun. There’s a lot of falling, and dragons aren’t gentle when they catch you.”

Mother pulls a face. “You never did like physical exertion.”

The cellmy father is being held in is one designed for nobles who’ve done bad things. From what the queen said before I left Mother’s apartment, she feels that treason and zombies warrantone of the nastier cells where hardened criminals are sent, and I have to agree with her. Kathion, however, was the voice of reason who pointed out that we can’t afford for the other nobles to begin wondering what, exactly, my father did to warrant such harsh treatment—not until the zombies are vanquished. So Father gets a cushy cell that resembles a guest room more than anything else.

“I’ll wait out here,” Kathion says quietly as we approach. “I doubt he’ll speak as freely if I’m with you. The guards will come if you shout, but I presume you can handle a single unTalented man?”

My derisive glance is just this side of disrespectful. “Yes. He won’t get near enough to me to be a threat, and even if he does, I can manage.”

A smile tugs at the right side of his lips. “They told me you had a smart mouth.”

Turds. “I?—”

He waves me off. “I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve earned the right to some sarcasm. Find the champion and save the world, and you’ll earn the right to a whole lot more.”

I said something similar to Jaimin not that long ago, but for some reason, hearing it from someone else rubs me the wrong way. “I’m not doing this for what I can get out of it.”

He studies me for a moment, then shakes his head. “No. I don’t think you are. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t demand your due once it’s done. For your mother’s sake, if nothing else. When the truth about what your father’s done comes out, she’s going to face a great deal of backlash, and not even Queen Nyana will be able to fully protect her, no matter what she believes. You being the one to clean up your father’s mess will defuse the situation.”

I hold in my groan. I love my mother, and I don’t want her to pay for crimes she didn’t commit, but it seems as though thelist of things I need to do and people I need to look after is getting longer and longer. All I want is to hide in Jaimin’s rooms with him, a giant bed, and a mammoth bathtub. Is that truly too much to ask?

Out loud, I say, “I’m glad she has people looking out for her.”

Kathion recognizes that for the conversation-ender I intended it to be and nods. “Don’t be delicate if you need to ask me a question while you’re in there. I’ll be ready for telepathic contact.”

“Thank you.” We part, him stopping to lean against the wall, me continuing toward the guarded door. The guards look at me, glance over my shoulder at Kathion, and then step forward.

“Are you armed, sir? We can’t permit weapons in with the prisoner.”

“I have no weapons.” Not any my father would be able to use, anyway. Talent skipped him entirely.

One of the guards unlocks the door while the other reminds me that I can call for them if I need assistance.

And then the door is closing behind me and I’m staring at my father’s surprised face.

He’s propped against plush pillows in bed, reading, and I take vicious satisfaction from the facts that the bed is on the smaller side and he’s never liked reading all that much. Otherwise, the luxury in the room infuriates me.

“Talon,” he says slowly, and just the sound of his voice raises the familiar urge to leave. Talking to him has never been something I enjoyed. “My son! I should have known you’d come to my aid.”

I blink stupidly at him.

“What did he say? Did he…”Leicht sounds just as befuddled as I am, and that gets my brain functioning again.

“I have no idea why you’d think that,” I say coolly, and his face crumples artfully.

Suspicion burns in my belly.

“Please don’t turn against me, Talon,” he implores. “I made a stupid, stupid mistake, and I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting it.”

“That last part is true,” I agree, strolling over to a cushy armchair and seating myself. I hook my ankle over my knee and lean back, hoping I look powerful and in control. It helps a little that he’s in his nightclothes. “Though I wouldn’t plan on having all that much time for the aforementioned regret.” I meet his tragic expression with a bland one.

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