Page 195 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Amolie and Aelia exchanged glances before saying in unison, “Alaric Rathmusson.”

“Thank you.” Tharan scrolled the names onto the paper.

Very good, fair king. You are smarter than they say.

Tharan rolled his eyes and tried to calm his nerves.

Question two: Where did the War of Three Faces begin?

Tharan chuckled to himself. Everyone on the continent knew where the War of Three Faces began, it was drilled into them from birth. He went to scribble the Winter Kingdom but stopped himself. It was called something else long ago. What was the name?

He thought back to his history lessons. His teacher, Lady Olinna, stood in front of him and Briar. Her silver hair tied into a knot on the top of her head. She wore a black dress buttoned to the chin, and the creases on the side of her eyes marked her as the oldest person Tharan knew at such a young age. Now if he could just remember what the name of the region was called before it was the Winter Kingdom.

“Think, Tharan. Remember your lessons.” He shut his eyes, envisioning his lessons room. A map with the old boundaries of Moriana hung on the wall. He racked his memory trying to bring the map into focus, but where a name should have been there was only a blank space.

Again, he turned to his friends, ashamed he did not know the answer.

“Does anyone know what the Winter Kingdom used to be called?” he asked sheepishly.

Aelia cocked her head.

“You’re the oldest one here. You should know.”

“It’s been a long time since I was in lessons,” he said, trying to focus.

“Hylinia,” Caiden said, matter-of-factly.

Tharan’s chest tightened.

“Are you sure?”

Caiden nodded.

Tharan scrawled the words across the page, and they disappeared almost instantly.

Very good.

Tharan let out a sigh of relief.

Question Three: What was the name of the last dragon to fall from the sky?

Tharan gave a little chuckle at how easy the question was.

“You can’t be serious.”

I am.

Tharan scribbled the nameBorwin the Black.

The words disappeared into the page and Tharan waited.

Correct, fair king, you may pass.

Tharan let out a sigh of relief, twisting one of his earrings nervously. His ears and cheeks felt hot. He’d only gotten one of the questions correct on his own. Some king he was.

The bars on the door sank into the ground. Aelia looped her hand through his.

“Good thing we were here, my Lord.” She gave him a coy wink.

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