Page 352 of Elemental Becoming

“What concerns me isn’t Kieran,” Thane says.

I frown.

“What does?”

“If his family protected the ledger, they may have had reasons for doing so.” Flames from the fire reflect in his eyes. “Reasons that survived longer than the people who made the decision.”

The thought sends a chill through me.

“You think they know?”

“I think we don’t know enough yet to make assumptions.” His expression hardens slightly. “Kieran deserves the truth. But before we start handing it out, I want to understand what we’re dealing with.”

Thane leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “The question is how much we tell him. And when.”

I exhale, my fingertips tracing the rim of my glass. “He trusts us. But trust doesn’t mean he’s ready for this.”

Thane’s eyes narrow as he considers it. “If his family still has the ledger, even unknowingly, we’ll need him. But if we tell him everything too soon . . . ”

“He’ll start asking questions of his family.”

“Exactly.” Thane nods. “Questions we aren’t ready to answer. Questions that could reach the wrong people before we understand what we’re dealing with.”

Silence settles between us, the firelight casting a warm glow across Thane’s sharp features. Through the bond, I feel hisawareness of me—steady, certain, waiting.

“So what do we do?” I ask.

Thane takes a sip of his wine, then sets the glass down.

“We do what Valen suggested. We start with what we know. The history. The name Vhael.” His fingers drum against the armrest. “Right now we have a theory, not proof. We don’t burden Kieran with a theory until we know whether there’s truth behind it.”

I turn that over in my mind.

“And if we’re right?”

“Then we tell him everything. But we also need to be prepared for the possibility that his family knows more than they’ve ever shared.”

I nod, because he’s right. This is delicate and potentially dangerous, but it’s necessary. I swirl the wine in my glass, watching the firelight catch along the rim.

“Like Valen said, we can frame it as research. History.” I glance up at him. “But if he presses? If he asks why we care so much about this specific ledger?”

Thane doesn’t say anything for a moment.

“Then we tell him the truth that’s already in front of us.”

I lift a brow in question.

“The ledger was referenced in Veyne’s records. It may contain information about the Shadow Wars. We’re trying to verify whether the accounts are accurate.” He shrugs. “None of that is a lie.”

“But not the rest.”

“No.” His gaze hardens. “Not until we know our theory is more than a theory.”

A flicker of unease coils in my stomach. “Which is also true.”

“Exactly.” Thane taps a finger against the armrest. “We don’t tell him yet that his family may be connected to the one piece of evidence capable of changing everything we think we knowabout the Shadow Wars.”

I turn my glass in my hands, watching the wine swirl. “But his ancestors knew, didn’t they?”