Everyone turned to look at me. Vadoma’s expression was troubled.
“What about him?” Mom asked.
I looked down at the table at the map of the home that had been taken from us. “That day…. Shit.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “That day. In the house in Lockes. With Caleb. And Ruv. And Myrin.” I glanced at Lady Tina, whose eyes were wide and fearful. “I never said anything because there were other things more important going on.” Like the death of my mentor, but I didn’t say that aloud. “But that’s how I was trapped. Why I couldn’t fight back. Ruv had stolen dragon’s blood from Zero. There were… symbols. In a circle, written in Zero’s blood. The moment I stepped inside, I was stuck. Ruv had taken something from Zero and used it as a weapon against me. I couldn’t stop Ruv from… when he—and Myrin—”
Ryan’s hand was on my shoulder, squeezing tightly, grounding me in a way that I’d missed. It felt different than it had before, but that made sense. I wasn’t the same person.
“And I know you’re asking me to trust you all, and I do, but what happened that day, what was taken from me, that’s…. I won’t trust her. She might stand at your side, but I’ll never let her have my back in case that’s where she decides to stick the knife.”
Lady Tina’s face hardened. “I don’t know how else I can—”
Justin held up his hand, and she fell silent. She looked frustrated and a little scared, but she appeared to listen to the Prince. “I get what you’re saying, Sam,” he said. “I really do. And I promise you that I’ll listen to your concerns. Always. But I need everyone here for what’s ahead. Okay? I asked you to trust me, and I meant that. I would never do anything to put those you love in harm’s way.”
I almost believed him. It must have shown on my face, because he sighed and shook his head. “We’ll come back to that. But first, Gary. Who was it that stole your horn?”
Gary looked a little startled. “Oh. Keith.”
“Keith,” Justin repeated.
“Keith.”
“And this… Keith. Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
Justin squinted at him. “Accidental?”
Gary smiled. “Yes. He was accidentally trampled to death. Quite tragic.”
“Trampled.”
“Oh yes. That… team… of horses just came out of nowhere.”
“And you just happened to know that how?”
Gary shrugged. “You know? I can’t quite remember.”
“So bloodthirsty,” I whispered.
“Right,” Justin said slowly. “And your horn?”
“Gone. Either stolen or he sold it, or—”
“So then what was the point of that entire production you just put on?” Vadoma asked.
“Bitch, I did it because I wanted to,” Gary snapped at her. “Gods.”
“Yeah, bitch,” Tiggy said. “You be trippin’.”
Vadoma wasn’t pleased at that.
“And that’s the only lead you had?” Justin asked, sounding aggrieved.
“We’ve been looking for years,” I told him. “Every bit of information we had was checked and double-checked, but every time we thought we were close, it turned out to be just another dead end. And unless anything happened while I was gone, that’s still the case.”
Gary shook his head. “Nothing. There hasn’t been time to look anywhere else.” He sniffled. “And we asked my parents, but they were too busy getting laid with strangers to give a damn about me—”
“That’s not true,” Terry said. “Gary, they—” He sighed. “Why do you think they joined the swingers tour right after you told them?”
“Because they didn’t want to think about my pain and instead wanted to focus on object insertion?”
“No, you idiot. They joined because they figured it was the best way to travel and search for your horn.”
Gary gaped at him. “Mom and Dad went searching for my horn under the guise of having partner-swapping sex?”
Terry nodded. “They used the tour to track down leads. Especially since they would be dealing with… less reputable creatures.”
“But—but they never told me.”
“They didn’t want to get your hopes up in case nothing came of it.”
“That’s true love,” Dad said. “I don’t know that we’d do the same for Sam if he lost his horn.”
I glared at him. “I’m your son—oh. Right. I don’t have a horn. Still. Rude.”
Gary sighed. “For all we know, it’s not even in Verania anymore—”
“It is,” Terry said quietly.
We all turned slowly to look at him.
“What was that?” Kevin asked.
Terry shuffled his front legs nervously. “It’s still in Verania. Or at least it was.”
“And you know that how?” Gary asked, taking a step toward his brother. His tail was twitching in that way it did when skanks were about to get shanked.
“Because six months ago, it was given to me.”
“Twist,” Tiggy said. “Oooh.”
“What?” Gary shrieked. “And you didn’t think to tell me? Terry, I swear to the gods, if you don’t fucking give me my horn right this godsdamn second, I am going to end you here and now.”
Terry took a step back, snorting anxiously, nostrils flaring. The sparks that came out were goldenrod and olive. “I don’t have it anymore. And I couldn’t just give it to you. I was told not to. I kept it safe until he returned for it a month ago to take it back. I told him it wasn’t fair that you didn’t have it, because regardless of what you think of me, I’m not that big of a jerk. I mean, jeez, Gary. You’re my brother. We might not always get along, but I don’t ever want to see you hurt. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to not have your horn.”
“I’m going to hurt you, you fucking pile of dicks!” Gary bellowed. “Tiggy, hold me back!”
Tiggy grabbed his shoulders. Gary immediately started struggling, snapping and snarling at his brother, glitter sloughing off him as thick as I’d ever seen it. I hoped Tiggy wouldn’t actually let him go, because Gary had his murder-eyes going on, and that never ended well.
And while I thought he had a fair point and deserved to kick his brother’s ass, I was stuck on the one little detail that didn’t make sense. “Who?” I asked Terry, and the room immediately fell silent.
“What?” Terry asked, watching Gary warily.
“You said he gave it to you. He told you to keep it safe. He told you that you couldn’t give it back to Gary. He took it back from you. Who is he?”
“Oh, right. Well. I’d never met him before, mind you, but I’d heard of him. I mean, who hadn’t? You live in Verania, you know who he is. His name is just one of those things that all people know. I’ll admit I expected him to be… I don’t know. Taller? Certainly less eyebrows. I offered him a place to spend the night because he looked like he was ready to drop, but he declined. He looked even worse when he came back last month, but he was gone before I could even ask anything about him.” Terry frowned. “Not that I would question him. I’m not an idiot, after all.”
“Godsdammit,” I snapped at him. “Stop being vague and just tell us who it—eyebrows. You said eyebrows.” I clenched my hands into fists at my sides as I took in a shuddering breath. “Terry, was it Randall?”
That got everyone’s attention.
“Yes,” Terry said, looking a little put out. “The Head Wizard Randall came to me with my brother’s horn and asked me to keep it safe. And then he came and took it away again. He’s the one that told me to keep quiet about it. If you’re going to be mad at someone, be mad at him.”
“Thank the gods,” Justin breathed. He placed his hands on the table, palms down, and hung his head.