"Innocent?" Jorghan's laugh was bitter, broken. "Where were the innocent when our clan was slaughtered? Where were the innocent when children were cut down in their beds? Where were the innocent when our elders were burned alive?" His crimson eyes fixed on Hawkin with laser intensity. "And where were you, Uncle? Why do you still breathe when they do not?"
The question hung in the air like a blade.
Hawkin's face twisted with pain that had nothing to do with his physical injuries. "I wasn't there," he said quietly. "I was on a diplomatic mission to the Eastern Kingdoms. By the time I received word and returned... there was nothing left. Just ashes and bodies. I searched, Jorghan. For months I searched through the ruins, hoping to find survivors. But there was no one. No one."
