Then Fiona's voice cut through the tension. "You don't understand… we were ordered not to interfere."
Kael's eyes darkened. "Ordered? By whom?"
Fiona hesitated. Kael caught the quick shake of Theron's head, silently warning Fiona.
"We were ordered by the Queen," she said anyway.
The words shocked Kael. For a second, he stood completely still. Then his face grew hard, full of anger and disbelief.
"The Queen?" he said quietly. "My mother ordered you not to interfere in what exactly."
Fiona's jaw tightened. "She said we were to assist the demon woman. But I swear to you, we did nothing. All we did was allow them passage through the pack lands."
"You really expect me to believe that?" Kael said.
No one answered.
Kael's patience snapped. He seized Fiona by the throat.
"My mother may be many things," he hissed, "but she would never side with the sorcerer against her own kingdom!"
Fiona choked, trying to speak. "Believe what you want, Kael… but it's the truth."
