But an old breeze is stirring and tugging her east,
Where a mate there cries out to the soul of her beast.’
When the lullaby changed, turning low and sad, he thought of his brother and his father, lost to this world. He welcomed the ache in his heart, the nearness of his grief reminding him that he was more than a brutal king of beasts. He was a brother and a son. A man, who could see beyond the bloodshed of war. A king who could fight for his people and take care of them, too.
Let that be his life’s work.
Let that be his legacy.
Alarik stood in the blistering cold until he lost feeling in his fingers. When his face went numb and his teeth were chattering violently, he tore himself away from the wrangler’s song. Not wanting to disturb her or let her know he had been listening, he laid his frock coat at the entrance to the pen for her to find and turned for the palace.
The night’s chaos had passed. The displaced beasts were slumbering in the arena under the watchful eyes of his soldiers,while the others had returned to their pens for the night. The fires were out and the smoke was gone, the sky pinpricked with thousands of glittering stars.
Alarik was stalking through the grand atrium when Elias found him. He came up from the west wing, his rolled shirtsleeves revealing the blood spattered along his forearms. When he spotted the king, the worry on his face turned to relief.
‘Where have you been?’ he called out. ‘Your beloved bride-to-be has been looking for you. She’s drunk in the cedar lounge with the noblewomen of Halgard. They’re playing pass the hat with your father’s crown.’
‘Good for her.’ At least Elva had found her own diversion from the horrors of the night. ‘I’ll speak to her in the morning.’
‘Where have you been?’ Elias repeated.
‘I got held up.’ It was no business of his cousin’s where he’d been. ‘How was your session with Regna’s glider?’
‘He sang like a nightingale.’
Alarik smiled, thinking of his wrangler. ‘Anything to report?’
‘More rumblings of Regna’s invasion plans. We’re still pinning down timing and positions. Vesper’s examining the fire lances. They were a lot more powerful than we expected.’
‘And what of the mountains?’ said Alarik.
Elias canted his head. ‘What about the mountains?’
‘Never mind,’ said Alarik, quickly waving his question away. So, there had been no talk of the beast or its ancient prison, then. Perhaps he was being paranoid.
Elias frowned, looking him over. ‘Where is your frock coat?’
Alarik glanced down at himself. ‘It must have fallen off.’
‘You’re acting very strangely.’
‘Smoke inhalation,’ he said, mildly. ‘Tell me, cousin, how many scouts do we have?’
‘A hundred or so. Most are up in the Blackspires, but a handful have pushed north into Vask.’
‘Assemble another team. I have a new task for you.’
Elias’s brows rose. ‘Please don’t tell me it’s another war.’
‘Not quite,’ he said, with a snort. ‘I want you to send scouts across Gevra, to glean the conditions of every single town. Their grain and meat stores, their livestock, and the fishing hauls in the villages along the coast. I want to know what food there is to eat, how much of it is in reserve, and how many people are going hungry.’
There was a long beat of silence.
Elias narrowed his gaze. ‘Why?’
‘Do I pay you to ask questions?’
‘I’m trying to work out the angle …’
