“I . . . wasn’t sure.” She shrugged. “But thank you. I’m not any closer to understanding its power.” I braced myself for her to ask if I had any idea what the magic of the Crown could be. However, Thyra surprised me again when she extended her arm.
I gripped her forearm, and she gripped mine in return.It was the most touch we’d shared since finding one another again.
A lump rose in my throat. “When I was at Frostveil, I snuck into the hidden part of the castle. The part that does not abide by Aabergs or their supporters.”
Thyra stared at me, probably wondering where I was going with this.
“One time, I stumbled into our mother’s old rooms. It’s where I got the jewels I told you about.”
“The ones you were going to sell. Fates, alive.”
“I won’t do it. Promise.” I laughed. “But did you know that our mother painted?”
“I didn’t.”
“I saw them. She painted portraits of her family, including one of us as younglings. Our backs were to the viewer, but we held hands, much like this.”
Thyra’s grip on my forearm tightened.
“The moment I realized it was me in that portrait and that I had a twin, I so wished to find you. To hold hands with you again.” I stared down at the connection between us, tears pricking my eyes, halting me.
Thyra sniffled, though when I looked up to see if she was crying, she was not. There was, however, an openness to her I’d not seen before. “I would like to get to know you better, Neve. If you’ll allow it. If you can see past how I’ve acted.”
My jaw dropped. “I’d like that, but I have to ask, are you only saying that because I’m being sappy?”
“Not at all. I’ve been thinking about it for days.” One corner of her lips tugged up. “Anyone with half a brainwould understand that if you were working against me, you would have kept the Frør Crown for yourself. And you wouldn’t have helped Tanziel as you did with that venom, nor acted so bravely on your mission. I’ve watched Tanziel’s recording many times. Your heist was far more dangerous than mine.” She shook her head. “All that said though, I have to admit I’m split minded about siding with your mate. Having Vale and his friends could be a boon, but is your matetrulysettled with the idea of bringing down his father?”
Despite her doubts,warmth rushed through me. I’d been waiting for Thyra to take a step closer to me, to accept me, and it was finally happening.
“He says we’re mates, and mates always choose each other.” The moment the words were out of my mouth, I wished I’d thought them through more. After all, Thyra was rejecting her mate.
She didn’t seem to care though. “What if imprisoning him isn’t enough? What if we have to kill King Magnus? We’d be kinslayers, and while others would look down upon us for that, I can live with that label. Can you, though? Can your mate?” She paused. “And what of the queen, the prince and princess?”
That gave me pause. In no way would I condone harming Saga. The queen either, for though I did not trust her, there was also something about Inga that made me think I did not know her whole story.
Rhistel could be tossed in the Shivering Sea and eaten by kraken for all I cared, but it was more complicated for Vale. He might not like his brother, but they were twins, andI was just beginning to understand how deep that relationship could delve into one’s heart. We might be able to spare Rhistel if he went into exile. I simply never wanted to see him again.
And then there was the king.
Thyra had no idea that Vale shared Lord Riis’s blood, and truly, it didn’t matter. For most of his life, he’d considered Magnus Aaberg his father. I had no doubt that while he disliked his father and much of what he’d done, there was a sliver of love for the fae somewhere in Vale’s big heart.
Her mention of kinslaying made my skin crawl. In the hearts of most fae, none were as cursed as the kinslayer. King Magnus was our cousin. No one could deny that.
I can live with killing him, though. I’ve survived far worse than gossip about what other people think of me.
“I don’t want to harm Saga or the queen, and as for Rhistel, well . . .”
“They’re twins,” Thyra said. “I expect emotional conflict there. The rebels can easily bend on the princess and queen as they exhibit far less power. We can probably negotiate on Rhistel too,ifhe is stripped of power, but Magnus has done too much, Neve. He’s responsible for so much pain. No one can defend him.”
When you sat at the top, you were responsible for it all. Good or bad. And King Magnus wallowed in the bad.
“You’re right. I’ll make sure Vale understands the worst might come to pass.”
“Good. The White Bear won’t go down easily,” Thyra said. “Which brings me to my second reason for pulling youaside—I want to search for the Ice Scepter now. Have your scholarly friends found any information on it?”
“Arie and Duran,” I reminded her of their names. They’d gone with her to Bitra. She should remember their names by now, but then again, Thantrel might have been monopolizing all her brain power. He did have a knack for attention-stealing. “No clues have cropped up.”
“Well, your scholars have been resigned to your annex but starting tomorrow, they can have free rein in the library. And your weapons will be returned to you tomorrow morning.”
