‘They tried to kill Tintaglia,’ Paragon reminded them all severely.

‘The orders to attack her and IceFyre originated in Chalced,’ Alise pointed out gently. ‘And Sa knows they’ve paid for it a hundred times over.’

Paragon made a sceptical sound, but all the humans fell silent for a time. The reports of the fall of Chalced had been dire. The Duke’s palace had fallen to IceFyre’s orchestrated attack. The old black dragon had been both ruthless and relentless. He had not been content with killing the occupants. By the time the dragons had finished, nothing but crumbled ruins remained. There had been a disorderly military response that Spit had enthusiastically defeated. The populace had quickly learned that not even buildings offered any real protection against dragons newly infused with Silver. By evening, a cowed group of nobles offered a surrender, only to discover that the dragons had ‘captured’ the Duchess of Chalced and already arranged terms with her.

‘Rapskal and Heeby remained in Chalced. Nortel, Kase and Boxter and their dragons stayed as well. Strange to think that four dragons are deemed an ample force to back the new duchess as she establishes her authority over Chalced.’

‘So Kelsingra favours her rise to power?’ Althea asked.

Alise lifted one shoulder. ‘The dragons favour her rise to power. She set very favourable terms for an alliance. Chalced had always had harsher laws than Bingtown. She has imposed a death sentence on anyone who lifts a hand against a dragon. Shepherds and herdsmen are to pay a dragon tax that sets aside a certain number of beasts each year as prey for dragons. She had some opposition from some of the nobles at first, but she was ruthless with them. That the nobles must recognize her authority had been a key term of their negotiations and the end of hostilities. Only one defied her. She sent the dragons. That was the end of it.’

‘Harsh,’ Brashen said quietly.

‘Chalcedean,’ Leftrin replied. He shrugged. ‘I don’t think she could establish order there any other way. There is still restlessness in Chalced, especially in the outlying provinces, but I don’t think it will reach civil war, as some said. Duchess Chassim seems to be trying for other alliances as well.’

Alise broke in with, ‘We heard an extraordinary rumour that the new duchess was actually negotiating a truce between the Chalced States and the Six Duchies region of Shoaks.’

‘Preposterous,’ Althea said. ‘No one remembers a time when those two countries weren’t warring.’

‘So preposterous, it’s probably true,’ Brashen offered. All of them fell silent for a moment, considering the changes.

‘Selden,’ Althea abruptly said. She looked directly at Alise. ‘How is he? Really?’

Alise looked for a long moment at Leftrin, decided that they were owed honesty, and met Althea’s gaze. ‘You are his family. You need to know. He is scarred, and not just physically. The Duke was literally devouring him. Sucking the blood right out of his veins. The marks on his arms were still visible weeks after Tintaglia brought him back to Kelsingra. When first I saw him, I could not believe he was standing upright by himself; he was so thin and his face so drawn.’

Althea went pale. ‘We’d heard rumours. Sweet Sa. Little Selden. I think of him, and I see him always as a noisy little fellow of seven or eight. But we heard other rumours, ones that link him with the Duchess of Chalced? They made no sense to us!’

‘They were prisoners together,’ Alise confirmed. ‘And they seem to have formed an attachment. More than that, I don’t know, so I won’t gossip. Except to say that I know some have been critical that the dragons and Kelsingra have backed the young Duchess of Chalced in taking over rule of her country. They say we should have made Chalced completely subservient. But if not for the efforts of the Duchess Chassim, Selden would have died there. From what he tells us, her imprisonment was worse than his and for years longer. Given all she did for him, as an Elderling and as Tintaglia’s Singer, those who negotiated the terms felt that putting her in power would be the swiftest path to peace in the region.’

Brashen scratched his chin and then smiled at Althea. ‘Changing history seems to run in your family. First Wintrow and Malta, now Selden.’ He took a sip of his tea.

Paragon spoke up, his voice wry. ‘So fortunate for you that you married the sane, responsible female in the family.’

Brashen choked. Althea slapped him on the back, perhaps a trifle harder than she needed to. She spoke through his choking laughter. ‘But Selden is recovering?’