Petras frowned. “I don’t want that Brody staying here for long. He’s a spy for King Leofric.”
Silas didn’t want to admit that Brody already knew their biggest secret, that some of the men from the Three Cursed Clans were dragons. “No one knows what the Chameleon actually looks like. Brody is our best bet at finding him.”
“All right.” Petras paced nervously about his sitting room. “Do you think Romak was working for the Chameleon?”
“Possibly, since the Chameleon killed him to keep him from talking. But there may be more people involved in this. The priest who paid Romak is currently headed south. Aleksi is following him to see who he reports to.”
Petras slowed to a stop. “I was afraid something like this would happen. There could be a group of people trying to take over our country.”
“That’s certainly possible, but don’t worry. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“I have to worry! It’s my crown!” Petras slapped his chest, then fisted his hand. “The nobles are restless. I can hear them whispering about me. And my wife. They think I’m too distracted to rule. They think Freya’s going to die.”
Silas groaned inwardly, recalling Gwen’s warning that the queen would not last much longer. “I hate to tell you this, Petras, but the queen—”
“She’ll get better!” Petras shouted. “We just have to get rid of the curse. And then she’ll be healthy again, and we’ll have children. All the families will be able to have children.”
“We’re working on it.”
“You have to succeed!” Petras resumed his pacing. “The curse has made our entire country sick. It’s causing the madness, causing the plague, and it won’t stop until we’re all mad or dead!”
Silas winced at the frantic gleam in his brother’s eyes. “Petras—”
“Summer is coming soon.” Petras paced even faster. “That means the plague will come back. More people will die. And they’ll blame me for it. They’ll want my head!”
“Petras!” Silas grabbed him by the shoulders. “It will be all right.”
Petras’s eyes glimmered with tears as he clutched Silas’s shirt. “You’re the only heir I have. Don’t let them assassinate you.”
Silas squeezed his brother’s shoulders. “I won’t.”
“You should get married. Right away. Have some children. That will stop the nobles from conspiring behind our backs.”
Marriage? An instant picture of Gwen popped into Silas’s mind and he stepped back, releasing his brother. Marry Gwennore?
Why not? He didn’t want to let her go. Wasn’t marriage the best way to keep her by his side? Forever.
He stood still, waiting for some sort of uneasy feeling to swamp him. After all, this would be a commitment for life.
Gwen forever. Yes. A calmness spread through him, a peaceful feeling that he’d found his home, his strength, his refuge from any storm. Gwennore. Who could heal his heart and soothe his soul like her?
“You’re smiling.” Petras studied him closely. “You must have someone in mind.”
“Yes. Lady Gwennore.”
Petras stiffened with a jerk. “No! Anyone but her.”
Silas gritted his teeth. “There is nothing wrong with her.”
“The nobles will never accept an elf for their queen. You’ll cause a rebellion!”
“On the contrary, I believe she could bring peace between our country and Woodwyn. The Norveshki people will appreciate not losing their loved ones to war.”
“The elves will never want peace!” Petras hissed. “Look what they did to our last envoy. They killed him!”
Silas shook his head. “We don’t know that for a fact. Lord Tolenko might be living quite happily in Woodwyn. I have reason to believe that he and an elfin princess are Gwennore’s parents.”
“What?”
“Lady Gwennore is only half elf. I believe the other half is Norveshki. She belongs here just as much as—”
“That’s all speculation.” Petras waved a dismissive hand. “What proof do you have?”
“She can hear the dragons. No elf can do that. She must have inherited the gift from Lord Tolenko. That makes her the daughter of a dragon shifter.”
Petras frowned. “Then she’s too closely related to us.”
Silas snorted. “It would mean that Gwen and I have ancestors who were brothers five hundred years ago. None of your objections will deter me, Petras. She’s the one I want. I love her.”
“No one will accept her!”
“They will.” Silas gave his brother a pleading look. “You married for love. Allow me to do the same.”
Petras glanced at the door that led to his wife’s room. “What will you do when you see the woman you love succumbing to madness just like our mother did?”
Silas swallowed hard. He and Gwennore had to succeed. The Light help him, if he had to watch Gwen grow sick and lose their children, he would go mad with despair.
Was that why Petras had become so paranoid?
Petras shook his head. “You can’t marry her. It will cause trouble.”
“Give me some time. When Gwennore and I get rid of the curse, you’ll think differently.”
Petras started pacing again. “That’s the problem. This damned curse. All our troubles go back to the curse.” He halted, giving Silas a pointed look. “If you fail, I’m going to do what Fafnir tells me to do.”
“I know.” Go to war on multiple fronts and destroy the country. Silas sighed. “I’d like to find a special ring for Lady Gwennore. She was admiring the emerald ring you gave Freya last summer. Can you tell me where you got it?”
Petras waved a hand. “You won’t find another one like it. He had it made especially for the queen.”
“Who?” Silas asked softly.
“Fafnir.”
Silas’s breath caught. The dragon had given the king a poisoned ring?
“In the last year, he’s had a few pieces of jewelry made for Freya,” Petras continued. “He wanted to prove that he’s on our side.”
“Since he’s on our side, I’d like to meet him.”
Petras shook his head. “He talks only to me.” He headed for the door. “Keep me informed. The Summoning is in a week, next Diamonday. I need some answers by then.”
“I went to the Sacred Well.”
Petras spun around. “What?”
“Fafnir wasn’t there.”
Petras’s gaze darted frantically around the room. “O-of course he wasn’t there. He
