"So you don't know what Handy's relationship to the Mistress is?" Dead silence. Thunder's eyes went wide, looking past the head of the Royal Guard sergeant, straight into the green eyes of the mare who had spoken up. Stellar held his gaze for a long, tense moment, his deafening silence causing unease in the gathered soldiery. Cloud ruffled the feathers of his wings, glancing back at Stellar for speaking up and then staring straight ahead. Thunder was as still as a statue. His silence was his condemnation. They knew. That was why they were here. Somehow they knew. They all knew about the Mistress. They were not supposed to know. They had come to get him, to interrogate him, to find out what he knew, to force him to fail the Mistress once more by stealing what he knew of her.