However, there weremanyfae better suited to the role of leading such a large army: at least a dozen knights, and the same number of captains who had fought under me. Even King Magnus himself would prove more effective at leading a large force, and the king hadn’t been in the field for many, many turns. So why would the king leave his forces in the hands of Roar, a fae who he did not like much at all and trusted less? Or at least, that had been the case before I left Avaldenn.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Does he say anything about the Shadow King?” Thyra leaned forward. “Has King Magnus introduced his ally to the rest of the kingdom?”
“No mention of a Shadow Fae.”
“Is it timewereleased that information to the wider kingdom?” Lord Balik asked.
I wasn’t sure that was wise. There had been instances we’d been able to hush up and nothing dire had occurred. Still, the moment we introduced Shadow Fae to the public, the existence of Isolde’s and Thyra’s shadow magic would be made public. In retaliation, the whisperers in my family would be revealed. It would be a vicious cycle, and I didn’t think we were ready for the onslaught of public opinion amidst a war.
“We’ll talk about it,” my mate said. “For now?—”
“Let me in!” a voice I recognized roared outside the door. “I don’t need to be announced!”
Lord Riis burst through the doors. His eyes, usually placid and excellent at hiding secrets, bulged. He looked so wild I barely noticed the figure entering behind him until she spoke.
“Apologies for interrupting your meal,” Yrsa said. “We have terrible news, and it can not wait.”
“We should already be there,” Lord Riis growled. “I should have gone ahead.”
“That would have been foolish, and you know it!” Yrsa tossed up her hands. “You wouldn’t make it into the castle without help, and here is the help!”
I stood again. “Calm down, Father.”
My proclamation seemed to center him somewhat, but the wild anger on my father’s face remained, like an unquenchable fire threatening to burn all those around him.
“What news, Yrsa?” Luccan asked, also standing, also with trepidation lining his face.
But instead of Yrsa answering, Lord Riis did.
“Inga is being held in a dungeon in Grindavik. She has been there for three days. We mustget her out!”
My entire body went stiff, and I couldn’t find any words. Had my proclamation instigated this? Or Rhistel breaking free and then delivering the news?
Either way, it’s likely he’s free now.
“Leyv, let us catch up,” Lord Balik’s voice rang out loud and clear in the otherwise silent room. “Perhaps your daughter should tell us?”
“I’d be happy to, my lord.” Yrsa stepped in front of her father. “The king’s ship arrived days ago. King Magnus, Prince Rhistel, the queen, and others disembarked right away and went up to the castle. Some of the crew stayed on board, but most went into the city. In the taverns, my sisters and I learned they planned to head to the mage court to recruit allies.”
My stomach dropped. The mages and fae had a tenuous relationship at best, but the High King of the Mages Tyra Odarinhadhated King Harald with a passion. He’d been pleased when the Falk line died. Would the mages ally with Magnus to spite Isolde and Thyra?
I feared the answer was a resounding yes.
“It was late last night when rumors swirled in the city that the queen sat in a cell in the Ithamai’s castle. I presume because of her affair with my father, which the masses of Grindavik only recently learned about.” Yrsa swallowed. “That gossip aside, are you familiar with their cells?”
“Oh yes,” Lord Balik said softly. “Lady Ithamai is strict about the law and likes to see punishment done properly. Her dungeons are warded well.”
A strange sound came from Lord Riis. One I’d never heard before but conveyed distress.
Yrsa cleared her throat. “True, and hearing that the queen is in a cell is big news. It took a while to track down a source that my sisters and I trust, but they confirmed it.”
“I’ll kill them,” my father growled.
I turned to my mate and Thyra, the fae with the most power in the room. “I know you do not trust her, but I beg you, allow me to save my mother.”
What Mother had done was horrible. And yet, she was still my blood, the one mother I had and a female who had loved me unconditionally. If Isolde and Thyra spearheaded this mission, I wouldn’t save my mother from their fury, but at least she wouldn’t rot in the Ithamai’s dungeon—a pawn of King Magnus and my brother.
