“What is it?” Thyra asked.
“Did you find them?” I added.
“No, but sailors on the dock were talking about how the royal ship left over an hour ago. Bound for the mage court. Vale and Thantrel boarded along with the king and Prince Rhistel. The news was notable because Vale and Thantrel didn’t arrive in Grindavik with them. Everyone was confused about when the Warrior Bear showed up. The last they heard he was a traitor and with Isolde.”
“The Shadow King?” Thyra asked.
“No one saw him,” Aleksander replied.
“That doesn’t mean he’s not there,” Yrsa countered. “He could have easily boarded in disguise.”
My shadows stirred. Whether excited to see the one that had released them or to battle Érebo, I couldn’t tell. Nor did I care. Only getting Vale and Thantrel back mattered.
I stood. “So we go find a ship and follow.”
Everyone in the office stared at me as though I’d grown another head.
“What?”
“Sorry, but that’s an insane plan. Particularly after what just happened.” Yrsa held up her hands. “And I don’t blame you for losing your head, but you can’t waltz into Grindavik and steal a boat large enough to cross the sea to the Mage Kingdom. And you cannot stroll intothatcourt and expect to get Vale and Thantrel back.”
“We can take more people,” I retorted. “It worked to get Inga.”
Astril cleared her throat. “That, my princess, was a trap. They let us take her to seize a larger prize. Two, actually.”
“The queen is dead,” Freyia added. “What makes you think they won’t use the same poison and antidote on your mates? Repeatedly hurt them only to bring them back to life when all hope is nearly lost?”
My throat tightened. After Inga died, the vampires had examined her more closely. Both had received extensive poisoning training in their guild, but Freyia had been the one to catch the telltale notes of a poison on her breath. The assassin then needed to ingest only a droplet of the queen’s blood to identify exactly what sort of contaminant they had given the queen. She’d claimed there was a trace of the antidote too, which hinted at repeated poisonings. The idea of Vale and Thantrel having to endure the same made me clench my fists.
“We can’t charge into this,” Thyra said. “I want to as well, sister, but we can’t. We have to plan better. Be smarter.”
“If we take too long?” I countered.
Another question arose. One I asked whenever something horrible happened, which was often as of late. Was this the price I’d pay for saving Anna’s life? My mate’s life for hers?
Thyra shook her head. “Vale is too valuable to kill. Thantrel too—especially if they learned that we’re mates. They will keep them alive as lures. And of course we’re going to get them, but we have to plan and anticipate any and every trap this time.”
I gripped the closest chair, needing to steady myself.
“When we go for them, we have to be ready because that could be our best shot to end all of this.” Thyra lifted her chin. “Can you wait? Are you with me?”
Though it shattered my heart to think of Vale at the mercy of those who would harm him, my sister was right. This could be our only chance to save our matesandwin the throne in one blow. To minimize the death war would bring. We could not barrel forth recklessly yet again.
I took a centering inhale and nodded. “I’m with you.”
Chapter 40
VALE
The shackles fell from my ankles, allowing me my first free breath in two days. Through the material of my pants, I’d endured the iron’s insistent burn during the journey to Kuro. And although the burn was dimming now, and would soon be completely gone, I still felt trapped.
Rhistel continued to bear down on my mind, seeking to keep me harmless and weak and demoralized. As if losing my soulmate mark hadn’t already done that. For many turns, I’d longed to see a mark on my skin that bound me to another.
Now that reminder of my love for Isolde and our connection was gone, just when I feared I would need it most.
Rhistel dragged an ungloved finger over my bare forearm, reinforcing his magic which was wholly unnecessary. He was in control, and because we were blood and I’d been his test subject many times, once his connection took root he did not need to touch me to give commands. Perhaps that was the case with everyone he used his whispering powers on now. I only knew for certain that he’d grown stronger since the last time I’d been a practice subject.
And yet, I did my best to resist my twin.
