At a leisurely pace, it only took three days to reach the capital. Vhalla hoped she’d missed all the festivities of the Festival of the Sun. They paused at the intersection of the Great Imperial Way and the Capital Road. High above them, the palace glittered despite the perpetually graying sky as winter drew nearer.
“You’re sure about this?” Tim asked once more.
Vhalla adjusted her cloak, making sure it was splayed just so over the horse’s haunches. “Very.”
As they ascended the mountain, it didn’t take long for Vhalla to be noticed. Citizens stared in slack-jawed awe at the woman wearing the black cloak. Vhalla held her head high, prepared for their judgment.
After the first series of houses, people began running alongside and ahead of her. More citizens lined the street, but none stopped her.
Word spread far enough ahead that a man had time to prepare to address her. “Is it true?” he called from a second-floor window of a tavern. Vhalla pulled on the reins, slowing her mount, prompting him to continue. “Are you her? Are you the Windwalker?”
“I am,” Vhalla announced.
Murmurs rippled through the people lining the road. Vhalla nudged her horse, pushing it forward again. They didn’t spout words of hate. Instead, Vhalla’s ears picked up words likeheroandchampion.
How fickle people were,she smirked to herself. Sorcerers were scary; she still had no doubt that such was the reigning perception in the South. There was too much history surrounding the Crystal Caverns that she was beginning to understand better for that hate to root into. But she had become something more than a sorcerer. She’d become the Windwalker. Which was something different than all who had ever come before her and had a reputation to match.
By the time she was crossing the gate of the capital city of the Solaris Empire, horns were heralding her arrival. Vhalla was certain it was in warning, she knew guards were being called for her arrest. This only forced her to ride faster into the city.
Men and women blurred together, but no one stopped her. Vhalla saw bold black pennons bearing the silver wing displayed, like she had seen in the Crossroads. She wondered if the soldiers who had returned home from the war had kept the mantra that the winds of the Windwalker were lucky.
Vhalla was nearly standing in her saddle now. Her heart racing as she sped through the streets. She was over halfway to her chosen destination when a guard made a dash to try to stop her.
Tim sped up and stopped, blocking the man’s progress to Vhalla. “Go on!” she called.
Wind picked up the mountainside behind her as Vhalla crossed under an archway to her final destination. Her gamble had paid off, and she pulled hard on her reins, stopping the horse with a whinny and a loud clamor of hooves before the sunlit stage. A long row of guards were positioned before the stage, blocking the path between her and the Imperial family.
Emperor Solaris stood center. Baldair and his mother stood back and to his left, a Northern girl hovering half a step away. Guilt surged through Vhalla at the sight of Baldair. She wondered if Jax’s body was ever found or if the Knights of Jadar had hidden it. She’d have to tell the prince the fate of his loyal guard herself, but now was not that time. Vhalla’s eyes swept to the Emperor’s right.
There he was.
He looked nothing like the haggard man she’d dreamt about. His hair was not only styled, but it had been cut as well to taper neatly at the nape of his neck. His face seemed less gaunt, though there were still dark circles beneath his eyes. Vhalla suppressed insane laughter. He wore the same coat as when they had first met.
“Emperor Solaris!” Vhalla shouted, using her magic to amplify her voice so the mass of commoners could hear her. “I have come for my justice.”
The Emperor’s eye twitched slightly at her getting in the first word. “For your justice?”
“The Knights of Jadar have laid false accusations against my name.” Vhalla sat tall in her saddle. “As a Lady of the Court, I demand a fair trial before the Mother to prove my innocence.”
Just as the Emperor was about to speak, a man entered the stage, followed by several others. Vhalla’s eyes narrowed slightly as the Head of Senate stepped into the sun. He regarded her with equal disdain, and Vhalla seriously weighed the options of freedom and justice versus the satisfaction of killing him on the spot.
“Senators,” she addressed those who had just arrived. “I have come to prove my innocence.”
“Guards, arrest this woman!” A Western man stepped forward, casting his finger toward her. “She is a slayer of lords and ladies! A windwitch!”
The guards glanced between the Emperor and the senator, seeking confirmation of orders.
“Arrest her!” the man raged.
“If she has accusations of murder against her, then she is to be taken into custody,” Egmun finally spoke. “Fetch irons.”
Vhalla shook her head, laughing softly to herself. A hush fell over the people as they strained to hear the reason for her strange reaction. Vhalla reached into her saddle bag.
“If it is irons you desire to put on me,” she said as she straightened, “then make sure they are stronger than the ones the Knights of Jadar shackled me in!” Vhalla threw the crystal cuffs, propelling them with the wind to the feet of the Senators.
Chaos erupted.
“Lies!” the Western senator raged.
