Page 102 of Death of the Glass Angel
No, he hadn’t. His gaze lingered on his brother.
Khan echoed the sentiment. “Who precisely are you blaming?”
“No one. But imagine how it must seem to everyone else.”
Brand sat forward. “That traitors hide amongst us? That the feuding of the clans has finally come to a head?”
Though reluctant, Kahn nodded in agreement after much tugging at his mustache. “We should call off the ball and send Lady Janus home to safety.”
“Call it off?” Avalon interjected, fork piercing her roast and clinking against the plate. “Call off the celebration of our alliance while it looks like we’re trying to kill one another?”
Janus listened to them argue, her mind drifting to her father. They had never been particularly close, but he would be overcome with fury to learn of what had happened to his daughter. He would be impossible to assuage, as would Evander.
Pushing her food around, Janus glanced at Heras. She needed to press the royal chief on her relationship with the copper-skinned evoker. The sole survivor from the ruins.
“Foreigners?” Dinu scoffed, though Janus had missed some of the conversation. “And are you suggesting the assassins worked for them, too?”
“Conceivably,” Heras said, politely taking a bite of her dinner. She appeared relaxed, guiltless.
“I doubt it.” Avalon shook her head. “One struck to kill, the other did not. They were separate groups.”
“They were not.” Heras corrected, eyes flashing to Janus. “The princess said their leader confessed to being the same.”
“He did,” Janus confirmed softly.
“What changed their damn minds, then?” Kahn leaned forward. “Perhaps someone keeping secrets might know.”
Heras stared icily at him.
“You failed to attend the last council meeting.” Kahn continued. “You’ve made several decisions without seeking our consent—including dismissing the first missing persons report without informing me.”
“Kahn,” Felsin articulated, voice lined with an edge. “The Gaevral clan knows her mind. If she was hiding something of significance, we would know, and someone would have shared.”
“So you say. But I’ve heard her memories seem. . .” Khan wavered. “Incomplete.”
Had Talon told him that? Or had rumors spread on their own?
Heras glared at Kahn. “You—you think I sent assassins to kill my own son? You think I managed it without my people knowing? I may not be the warmest person in this frigid country, but I’m insulted to know you think so lowly of me.”
“I never said he wasn’t working with you.” Khan spat.
“And what is it you think I hope to achieve?”
“What else than make official what you’re already doing?” Khan accused. “To become Altanbern’s sole queen.”
“And what of you?” Heras accused. “The assassins were dressed in your colors. They even attacked on your land. Why is that, I wonder?”
“What cause would I have to hurt the lass?”
Chief Esseg raised his hands, calling for silence. “Peace, kin. If you intend to accuse the Royal Chief, Khan, there is a very simple way to go about it.”
“Aye.” Khan sat back, satisfied. “May the ancestors reveal the harpy’s unspoken truth.”
Heras’s jaw set rigidly before her face softened. “Very well. I agree.”
“Agree to what?” Dinu asked, confused.
“Ah.” Paulus leaned forward, hands folded on the table. “A trial by the ancestor’s? How much weight should that hold for the rest of us?”
