VALE
My breath came out white as I helped the rebels usher the horses, gryphons, and pegasi from the stables into Valrun’s great hall.
Wood chips covered the stone floor, places for the creatures to sleep. Fire fae worked at creating safe pits so the beasts might stay warm.
Putting aside all the work that came with making the great hall safe for animals and fae, our days had been fruitful on many fronts. For the most part, the rebels had accepted us. Neve and her sister had finally openly spoken of the Frør Crown and Sassa’s Blade. They’d also recruited Valkyrja, the first group of their kind in centuries.
My heart swelled for my mate, for how happy she seemed to spend time with her sister. For the fact that they were finally of a similar mind and could, hopefully, continue to grow a relationship from a mere sharing of goals into something real. Something familial.
But not all had been good.
Today was the coldest day in memory. So frigid that my ears ached. And with cold came death, for even in Winter’s Realm, where the fae were stouthearted and hearty, we had limits. If the cold continued, death would rake its frost-coated fingers across the land and scoop up souls by the handful.
Like Neve and Thyra and many of the rebels, I feared for the commonfae of the kingdom. And while I could not help them all, I would help the fae and animals around Valrun.
Our friends proved eager to assist too. Anna and Clemencia had spent the early hours walking the town around the castle, knocking on doors and inviting rebels into the castle. Most of the rebels who lived outside the castle were families requiring more space, but even in Valrun’s rundown state, they’d be safer behind stone with every hearth burning.
The Riis brothers were gathering wood and attempting last minute patches to windows.
Caelo assisted me with the animals, particularly the gryphons, a testy bunch.
Rynni, as ever, worked in the infirmary, both with the injured and ill and with the lindwyrm venom Luccan took from the coinary. So far, she had not been able to replicate the venom.
And my mate was with her sister, looking for information on the hallowed Crown and the Ice Scepter. I hoped tonight they’d find a clue leading to the Hallow.
“Prince Vale!” One rebel arrived; his hands filled with the reins of one rambunctious stallion.
“Caelo!” I shouted, knowing that while I might be able to control the horse better than the young rebel, Caelo would be an ideal choice. His elven blood gave him the power of communicating with animals, which often calmed them.
Almost effortlessly, Caelo took the lead and showed the creature to where the other horses were being kept. All the while, he murmured to the stallion, assuring him of safety and warmth and community to come.
“How many more are there?” I asked the young rebel.
“That one was the last, thank the stars. I’m done going outside for the night!”
I chuckled. “You’ve earned a nice meal and fire.”
“And you.” He smiled shyly at me before leaving.
The difference a successful heist made in the rebels’ acceptance of us was day and night. I would not take it for granted. I was about to see if Caelo required help when Luccan entered the great hall.
“Wood is stocked?” I asked, noting his empty hands.
“Not quite,” he replied. “I have something you should see.”
He handed me the map he’d used to find Neve and me. The very map that Lord Riis had devised and used to learn where his progeny was. I took in the map of Winter’s Realm, searching for what had sent Luccan to my side.
“The King’s Road. Near here,” he said.
Valrun wasn’t on the map. Most fae in the kingdom called it a haunted ruin and thought it unwise to speak of the place. Putting the decrepit castle on a map would be worse. Alas, I’d seen where it was located in history books,and remembered the general location. With those two clues, I found what Luccan was referring to quickly.
“Your father is moving south,” I said.
“Our father,” Luccan corrected softy. “And yes, but that makes no sense.”
“He could have many reasons. One of them being that his son was involved in a heist.” I arched my eyebrows at Luccan.
“He’s too far south to have left a couple of days ago. He’s been traveling for longer. Plus, that he’s traveling on a roadat allmakes me think something is up. I can still feel the gateway at the Warmsnap.” He tapped his heart, where apparently he felt the connections to the gateways he created. “If he needed to get somewhere, he’d usually use that.”
