Malrik POV

"I don’t trust Tavian either," I said evenly, my tone leaving no room for misunderstanding. "But he can serve a purpose intel on Quillan, and Quillan alone. None of the other nine. He’s not to be given the full picture. Am I clear?"

Vladan gave a curt nod, grasping the boundaries I’d set.

I exhaled, thoughts already moving two steps ahead. "More importantly, we need the truth about what happened in that village. Zebulon’s account doesn’t sit right with me. The silence ...