“Where are we going?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
She glanced back. “The warcamps.”
“To prove you exist,” Uther added. “Before the clans decide you’re a myth.”
Elwen didn’t walk like courtiers in Skalgard. She moved with purposeful strides, straight-backed, and wore a simple gown. So she was a royal who didn’t need jewels or elaborate embroidery. Interesting.
This fae had held a kingdom together while her brother rotted in chains. Had likely made life-or-death decisionsdaily. Had commanded armies, negotiated treaties, executed traitors.
I counted guards as we descended, mapping possible routes. The trees parted. A clearing opened up—pavilions dotted the ground like a patchwork quilt, smoke from campfires curling upward in lazy spirals.
A group of warriors looked up, their conversations dying.
“They’re staring,” I muttered.
“Mountain Clan’s lost the most people to Skaldir raids,” Elwen said quietly. “They see you as their chance for vengeance.”
“They want war?”
“They’ve been sharpening their blades for a century. Now that the peace treaty’s broken, they finally get to use them.”
We crossed into the camp. Smithies hammered, sparks flying. Younger fae drilled in pits.
I licked my lips. “This could escalate quickly, all these warriors ready to fight.”
“It already has,” Elwen murmured. “Vaeris has been sending envoys. He’s building alliances, painting my brother as the aggressor.”
“Is it working?”
“Partially. Thalir’s king is cautious. Lunir’s staying neutral. But Caelir.” She shook her head. “They’ve always hated Sanguir. They’ll side with Vaeris just to see us bleed.”
I moved past two females sparring. “So it’s going to be war.”
“Unless Kairos finds another way. Which he won’t.”
“Why not?”
She shot me a knowing look. “Because he’s spent the last hundred years fantasizing about revenge.”
“Couldn’t he marry into another realm? Make an alliance?”
Uther laughed. “The last thing he wants is another binding contract.”
Elwen’s smile tightened. “If my brother married, he’d need a girl who understands what ruling this realm actually costs. A leader who won’t flinch when hard choices have to be made.”
“So what does your court want in a queen?”
“Strength. If he marries, it’ll be to a woman with a heart of iron, not silk.”
We roamed the camp. The deeper we walked, the more exposed I felt. The warriors wore pieces of scavenged steel strapped over leather and fur. Tanned skin with tattooed runes covered their forearms.
We passed a row of tents where soldiers played a game of dice. A male glanced up, his eyes brightening as they locked on mine. He nudged the fae beside him.
“This is all one clan?” I muttered.
“Two.” She nodded at a dark green banner flapping above us. “Mountain and Forest.”
Rain misted a field where warriors sparred. Kairos fought in the middle, sleeves rolled to his elbows. Muscles flexed beneath pale, sweat-slicked skin. His broadsword cut through fog, blocking and parrying the blows of the three circling him. I shouldn't have tracked the way his body moved—fluid, brutal, beautiful.
