Vaelric stared at the witch, the meaning of her words settling over him like a crushing weight.
A Flameborne....His mother was a Flameborne.
For years, he had forced himself to believe that his mother had probably been nothing more than a servant or some forgotten commoner. It had been the only explanation that made sense to him. Why else would the royal family refuse to speak her name? Why else would everyone fall silent whenever he asked who she was?
But a Flameborne...That was impossible.
The Flamebornes were not ordinary nobles. They were one of the Five Great Bloodlines that ruled the realms alongside the Stormbornes, Winterbournes, Skybornes, and Stonebornes.
Their blood was ancient. Their family was powerful. Their name carried enough influence to shake kingdoms.
If that was true...then nothing he had believed about his own birth made any sense anymore.
His lips parted, but no words came. Questions stormed through his mind so violently that he could scarcely think.
