“Isolde,” I said, in case he didn’t know which of us was which, which seemed all too likely considering few had seen us and known us by our birth names since we were toddlers.
“And so you’re Princess Thyra,” Hátlu said. “It’s my pleasure to meet you both.”
“Can you show us where the command is?” Thyra asked. “And send others to move the soldiers, gryphons, and horses into quarters where they may wait and rest until we’re ready to move on?”
It was dawn, but about a third of the force had been up for hours already. They needed to get sleep when possible.
“Servants are already in the grand hall waiting. Food and drink are prepared, as are cots and bedrolls. As for command, I’ll take you there.”
After instructing Livia to take our pegasi to the stables, we followed Hátlu with our Valkyrja in our wake. I could not help but notice that the rest of the household did not all seem as happy to see us. Most watched us with interest—though some showed blatant distrust in their eyes. Did they see us and think we were more like our father than our mother? Mad and cruel?
I wasn’t sure, but as we continued through the castle, the variety of looks we received were impossible to ignore. So much so that I felt great relief when we entered the study where Lord Riis waited. That was until I saw the expression of distress on his face.
“What happened?” I asked as Hátlu shut us inside the room of gleaming wood and shelves of books lining the wall. Bottles of liquor littered the small table behind the lord’s desk. One I recognized as Dragon Fire.
Lord Riis held up a piece of paper, his hand trembling.
I still could not help but feel revulsion towards him, though it had lessened somewhat since Inga’s death.
“News came,” Lord Riis said. “All the way from Avaldenn, and I fear it’s spreading quite fast. By design, of course.”
“What is it?” Thyra cut across the room in five long steps. She took the page from Lord Riis and sucked in a breath. “So, it has begun.”
I joined my sister, and when I peered down at the page, my heart dropped. A royal decree. One claiming Thyra and I as dangerous shadow wielders. Of course, there was no mention at all of the Shadow King. I had no idea how Magnus and Rhistel were going to present that tidbit to the kingdom, but the tone would be different from the article in front of me.
“There’s no reason to wait any longer,” Thyra said. “We have to release what we know of Rhistel. It will only help our cause. Might even make it easier to get into the city and take control.”
Now that Inga was dead, there was no reason to withhold that information because it would not harm her. Some might even question if Vale was being controlled and try to help him.
“We’ll do that now.” I turned to go to the door. To send someone to find a scribe who could draft an official notice. Many notices. And then send those off from the aviary.
Before I took two steps, Lord Riis spoke again. “There’s more. Something worse.”
My spine straightened at his tone, solemn. Fearful.
I twisted, arched an eyebrow. “Worse?”
The high lord let out a long breath. “My sources in Avaldenn sent word. And if what they tell me is true, we may well lose much of the Virtoris Armada by tomorrow.”
Chapter 46
ISOLDE
Istared at the map stretched across the circular table, so new the vellum still smelled strongly of the tanning solution.
“The Royal Nava is sailing along the coast.” Bac’s finger trailed along the northern coast of the kingdom. “And you think they’ll hide within these islands?”
“It seems the perfect location to sit and wait.” Qildor examined the map with an eye for combat strategy. “To hatch a trap.”
“The Shivering Sea is not so big in this area.” Lord Riis drew a line from Virtoris Island to the coast.
“King Magnus’s ship is making excellent time,” Aleksander added on the back of a yawn. At my insistence, the skin-changer had slept through the previous night, but he still looked exhausted. Even for a fylgjarn it wasn’t natural to be in another creature’s head so persistently. “It’s been a couple of hours since I slipped behind Arla’s eyes, but they could be north of us as early as tomorrow night.”
“How?!” Thyra asked. “The journey from the mage court to Avaldenn should take four or five days.”
“Mages travel with him,” Aleksander replied. “Arla can’t get too close, but I’d bet anything that they’re using enchantments to move the boats faster.”
Lord Riis nodded. “Mage merchant sailors are renowned for working such enchantments.”
