Surna sighed, her gaze heavy with the kind of exhaustion that came from too much truth. "It wasn't Durmak himself," she said. "It was his twin. One he didn't even know existed."
"Twin?"
The revelation hit both young women like a blow.
Surna continued, her tone low. "It turns out that Durmak's family had been intent on keeping him as the King's aide, even when he had wanted to retire and live as a warrior, all because they had raised a twin away from everyone's eyes. At the time, we all thought it was because of pride. But it was not. His blood and position gave him access—access his identical twin, Harkuun, could exploit."
"Harkuun," Kira repeated slowly. "So he's the leader of the rebel forces?"
"Yes," Surna confirmed. "The same Harkuun who just attempted to seize control of the Pyros Galaxy. He used Durmak's access, his bloodline privileges, to stage his ambush for the throne."
Ada's eyes darkened. "But… how could Lord Durmak not know?"
