Lyraen stood in the center of their quarters, arms crossed with a hardened expression. She looked at each of them in turn measuring, judging, deciding.
"You knew," Owen said.
"I suspected." Her voice was flat. "For twenty years, I suspected. Maybe longer. But suspicion isn't proof. And proof against someone who's been your closest ally for decades..." She trailed off.
"What changed?" Leah asked.
"Tonight. Watching you watch him in the council chamber. Seeing how he moved, how he disappeared." Lyraen's hands tightened. "I've seen him do that before. A hundred times. A thousand. Always thought it was coincidence. Always explained it away."
Yuki stepped forward. "Why come to us now?"
