“For what?” Thyra’s lips flattened. “Eygin is in the westernlands. If anyone should be informed, it’s Lord Lisika—and that willnotbe happening.”
“We’re rebels, Prince Vale,” Brynhild added softly. “We have done many things that the wealthiest fae in this land take offense to. Hence, we cannot simply call upon a great house for aid.”
“You can’t, butI can.” Vale did not back down. “I have strong ties with House Balik, and I believe they’re not pleased with the current reign, either.” He swallowed. “Most importantly, they will not allow fae of Winter’s Realm to suffer if they can bring aid.”
“The dead need no aid,” Aleksander spoke, now returned from his hawk’s eyes. “I still haven't found a single living soul.”
My stomach heaved. Every time he mentioned Eygin, I wanted to vomit. I only kept it in by sheer force of will.
Was anyone alive? The hawk could not get into every single building, and some establishments like the coinary had deep tunnels beneath. Perhaps fae huddled down there for warmth? We would not know unless we ventured west.
Thinking about the dead in Eygin was bad enough, but it had not taken me long to spiral into other worries. Dergia had entered my thoughts.
The dwarves in the lost kingdom were my allies. Mostsurprisingly of all, I felt I’d become true friends with Princess Bavirra and Prince Thordur.
Dergia was a fair ride away from Eygin, but cold knew no bounds and something told me that this spread was not natural. Magic was behind this. Were my allies and friends at risk too?
My hands itched to seek the mirror the king had given me, but I’d come straight from the library and the mirror was in our annex.
“No great houses, Prince Vale,” Thyra said with finality. “We will go there alone, and we will help those of Eygin. If there are any living left to help.”
“What if it’s not enough?” Vale challenged. “We have six gryphons and two pegasi, both carrying two fae a piece. That’s too few rescuers, Thyra.”
My sister’s face whitened, and I sensed the war going on inside her. She didn’t want to risk more rebels. Nor did she wish to leave any fae of Winter to a premature death.
“We can send riders out too,” Thyra said.
“They won’t arrive until it’s far too late,” Vale shot back. “According to Aleksander, it might already be so. I?—”
“You need me,” a voice called from the doorway.
I twisted to find Rynni standing there. Since our arrival at Valrun, I’d barely seen her at all. The rebels had been in desperate need of another healer, and she’d taken to that cause. The dragon-fae had gone as far as to sleep in the infirmary for a few nights. “I have very weak dragon magic, only one or two bursts of flame within me for any given day, but Icanshift into a small dragon and make the flight west. I can bear around ten fae of my current size.”
Rebels exchanged excited glances.
“Keep in mind, my dragon form would attract a lot of attention,” Rynni said. “So I’ll need an illusionist to mask my flight. Or I’ll need to keep above the clouds, which I don’t think any of the riders will want.”
Yes, a dragon flying over the land would garner lots of attention. To be fair, two pegasi and a drift of gryphons might too, but they were not completely unseen within the realm like dragons were.
“We have light fae at Valrun who specialize in illusions. They’ll make sure you’re shielded from sight from below.” Thyra nodded. “Your healing abilities might be of use too.”
If people were alive to heal.
Thyra handpicked ten more rebels to fly on Rynni’s back, including Tonna, Halladora, and Sigri, part of our Valkyrja. Once done, she returned to the crowd. “That’s it then. We meet back here in ten minutes to fly through the night! Those who are coming, grab your thickest cloaks, and we’ll be off.”
With Vale, I left the room. We were among those heading west. Others in our group joining us were Caelo and Thantrel—both to keep the gryphons in line—and Luccan. Anna was the least likely to survive temperatures that killed off Winter fae. Clemencia and Duran were remaining with her to continue searching for clues regarding the Ice Scepter.
That is, if we weren’t heading right for it.
Briefly, Thyra and I had tossed about the idea that the cold spike in the west might be due to the Hallow we sought. That could also explain why it was always colder there ingeneral. It lined up with the events I’d read in Brogan Lisika’s note to Roar. The family had traveled south along the mountains and died there. Maybe the Scepter had not moved far in the two decades since. We intended to search for clues there while we helped the fae of Eygin.
When we reached the annex, everyone who was going on the mission disappeared into their rooms. The moment the door shut behind us, I sought the small bag in which I’d stashed the mirror.
Vale’s eyebrows arched. “What’re you doing?”
“Making sure Dergia is safe. And telling them that we’ll be nearby.”
His lips parted. “Good idea, they’re relatively close to Eygin.”
