Dragonstone 2

"Flames are full of traps. You cannot be certain what is present, what is future, and what is merely possible."

"What belongs to the future, what belongs to the present, and what belongs to the past—all are within the Lord of Light's will. Everything mortals do upon this earth is guided by the Lord of Light."

Stannis and Melisandre entered together. Davos paced forward, placed a hand over his chest, and said, "Your Grace, as Lady Melisandre foresaw, your nephew Joffrey is dead. The three onions are complete."

Flames seemed to flicker within Melisandre's eyes. Her red gaze swept lightly over the Onion Knight as she said, "Your Grace, Joffrey was the third."

Stannis stared for a moment at his respectful Hand of the King. "Davos, he was not my nephew. Though I believed he was for many years."

Then he glanced at Melisandre. "I can count, woman."

Stannis paced around the map table, passing Oldtown and Arbor as he moved toward the Shield Islands and the mouth of the Mander River.

"Joffrey... There was a cat in the castle kitchens, I recall. The cooks often fed it scraps and fish heads. One of them told the boy it was about to have kittens, thinking he might want one. Instead, Joffrey slit the poor creature open with a dagger. He wanted to see if it was true. After finding the kittens, he brought them to Robert, who beat him savagely—nearly to death."

Lord Davos raised his eyes to glance at the red priestess, stepped forward, and said, "King Stannis, there is a fourth onion. Tywin Lannister is dead as well. They died on the same night."

King Stannis stopped. After a pause, his fingers traced across the tabletop. "The lion is dead... Is the news reliable?"

Lord Davos gave a