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"Three regents have made the trip to Isel, the seaport town from which Prince Jaron’s ship launched They seek any proof of his death Or his life"

"His life?" Roden sat forward in his chair "Is it possible Jaron’s alive?"

"A body has never been found, Roden But if Prince Jaron were alive, then he would be next in line for the throne Not Veldergrath or any other noble could claim it, and Carthya would be saved from civil war Then Avenia would not attack"

"But it’s irrelevant," Tobias said "Eckbert and Erin rule now Eventually, Crown Prince Darius will take the throne"

Conner leaned in closer to us "And this is the greatest secret of your lives thus far They are dead, all three of the royal family The few of us who know the truth have said the royal family is on a diplomatic mission to Gelyn Meanwhile, their bodies secretly lie far beneath the castle"

We sat there, beyond shock and too horrified to breathe The news that not just one but all three royals were dead was iht of it, but I pushed those feelings down

"How did they die?" I whispered

"Murder We believe they were administered some sort of poison at supper They never awoke"

"Any suspects?" Roden asked

Conner dismissed his question with the wave of his hand "Don’t be naïve Eckbert had many enemies, and frankly I wouldn’t trust most of his friends I believe all three fa the path for a noble to becorath?" I asked

"A lot of regents suspect him, but there’s no evidence of it," Conner said "We shall see who puts thee"

"And you hope to find Prince Jaron and stop the nobles fro over the throne," Tobias said

"Not exactly," Conner said "Prince Jaron is long dead and I can prove it"

"How?" I asked

Conner smiled "I’m afraid for now I must ask you to trust me on that It’s ents are unaware of my proof, their trip to Isel is only to end any official doubt before another king is chosen That is where you come in Because you see, many Carthyans have small hopes that Jaron is alive Nobody has seen him for nearly four years He would be fourteen today, about the sae as you boys Surely the three of you have noticed certain physical similarities between one another" He paused a moment and his smile widened "You also have siht look today My plan is simple, really I intend to convince the court that Prince Jaron is one of you"

A long silence followed Conner’s announcement This orse than ht have taken us, and I was at a complete loss for what to do next At best, the plan was lunacy, and at least, it was treason, no matter how forcibly Conner denied it No sane person could hope to turn an orphan into a prince in teeks And a person would have to be even crazier to think that this orphan could then convince an entire court he was a long-lost prince

Tobias politely voiced these same concerns, but aved off by Conner, who asked, "Do you always think small, boy?"

Tobias sed "No, sir"