And Vale helped!
Magnus’s jaw tightened. His son may be further gone than he thought.
“Where are they being kept?” the king asked.
“Kept, Majesty?”
“I will see to her execution now.”
As for Vale and Luccan, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. It was unwise to execute a son of a Sacred Eight. Particularly as Lord Riis protected Saga at this moment. And thoughMagnus was fuming at Vale, he was still the Blood of House Aaberg, and Magnus was no kinslayer.
“My king, they ran to the sanctuary at Lord Luccan’s home on Lording Lane. We’ve been unable to breach the wards since.”
“They escaped!”
“Yes.” The High Councilor bowed, and his curtain of black hair fell to cover his face.
“And was their heist successful?”
“An inventory is being performed now. It’s been difficult as the Falks had a draugr guarding their treasures. The undead creature is being troublesome.”
Yes, Magnus had met the creature.
“Do we knowanythingabout what they took?”
“A crown, sire. And three swords. The leprechauns are uncertain about the gold or jewels. There are so many within that vault that gold and jewels will take some time to account for.”
A pit opened in his stomach.A crown.Could it be that hallowed crown he’d once searched for too?
“Continue breaking down Luccan Riis’s wards.”
“And if we cannot?”
A valid concern. The Riis family were wealthy and able to hire the best warders. They would have the strongest of wards around their properties.
Magnus considered the facts and possible scenarios before deciding on a course of action. “If our ward breakers haven’t succeeded in a days’ time, then call the fire fae at the Tower. They have stashes of riotfire. Use it.”
“But he lives in the middle of Lordling Lane! And your son is in there!”
The king had little doubt that when faced with riot fire, those holed up inside Luccan’s home would flee. Anyone who valued life would do so.
“Take precautions to protect others and the surrounding buildings, but if need be, burn Lord Riis’s home to the ground.”
Chapter 36
NEVE
The rebels had transformed the dining hall into a place of pure joy and dancing.
Getting the Frør Crown had gone a long way in helping our reputation at Valrun Castle. But it had been saving Tanziel’s face from the venom eating through her skin that had made the others want to include us. Tonight they even spoke with the vampire sisters, laughed with them.
The gryphons and pegasi helped a bit too, I suppose.
I chuckled at the memory of Thyra and Thantrel returning to Vitvik on pegasi,each with smug smiles on their faces. The others in their cohort had followed them on gryphonback.
The eight beasts had quickly crowded most of my team out of Lord Riis’s office. Caelo and another faerie named Halladora had stayed behind and performed a vast amount of glamouring on the creatures to make them look like horses.
They’d then ridden the glamoured mounts through thecrowded hallways of a brothel and tavern below. Surely those in Vitvik would talk of that night for many turns to come.
