Page 353 of Elemental Becoming

“Most likely. If they protected the ledger, they almost certainly knew the truth.”

I exhale, considering that. “Then why hide it? Why not stand with the Shadow Clan?”

Thane’s gaze remains fixed on the fire.

“Because it may not have looked that simple at the time.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“The clans weren’t united the way they are now.” His gaze settles on the fire. “Back then, most leaders were concerned with protecting their own people first.”

The flames crackle between us.

“If the Fire Clan truly convinced the realm that the Shadow Clan had been corrupted by the Unmaking, many would have seen it as a Shadow Clan problem. Not theirs.”

The thought settles heavily in my chest.

“You think they believed it?”

“I think some probably did.” His fingers tighten slightly around his glass. “The Shadow Clan sealed away the Unmaking. They carried power nobody else understood. Fear doesn’t need much encouragement to become certainty.”

I stare into the fire.

“And the others?”

“Some may have doubted. Some may have known the truth. Some may have decided it wasn’t worth risking their own people to challenge the narrative.” His jaw tightens. “History rarely gives us one reason for anything.”

I look down at the wine in my glass.

“And Kieran’s family?”

His gaze meets mine. “If they preserved the ledger, then at least a few members of Air Clan understood that the truthmattered enough to protect.”

A tightness forms in my chest.

“Which means if the ledger was protected by them, it wasn’t just because they wanted to preserve history. It was because they knew the real story had been buried.”

Thane leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

“And now, generations later, Kieran has no idea. He believes what everyone else does.”

I shake my head.

“How do you carry a history like that and not know?”

Thane looks at me thoughtfully.

“Maybe they didn’t.”

I frown.

“What?”

“Families lose things.” His gaze settles on the fire. “Stories change. Details disappear. One generation tells the next only what they think matters.”

The thought settles heavily between us.

“You think the ledger survived, but the reason for protecting it didn’t?”