She gasps. “Tavo said you were on our side!”
“I’m a terribly good thespian.”
“What thespian mean?” Aoife murmurs.
“Actor,” I whisper back.
She side-eyes Justus, then nods. “Tà. He really good. I thought he was bad guy.”
“Thank you, Aoife.”
“I don’t think she meant it as a compliment, Nonno,” I murmur.
“I’ll take it as one anyway.”
And yes, I’m aware that our aside is completely at odds with the moment, but it does wonders for my spasming nerves.
“Yesterday night,” my father suddenly murmurs. “If she gave the runestone to Diotto yesterday, then his ship—”
“Hasn’t yet reached Luce,” I finish, my pitch as lofty as my pulse.
“Yes.” His black hair flies around his face at his brutal nod.
“Lorcan!” My father scans the sky until his eyes latch on to the shadows that blunt the golden-blue hue of the polar evening.
“So your kingishere,” Vlad mutters. “You said he stayed behind in Luce.”
“He did, Vizosh.” Smoke begins to waft off Cian’s pauldrons. “Two of his crows stayed; the othertwocame.”
My father’s eyes gloss with renewed hope. “We leave now!”
“What about my treaty, Ríhbiadh?” Vladimir thunders. And then his body jerks, and his eyes glaze with what I assume is a Lore-made vision. When he comes to, his jaw is tight. “All right,” he mutters.
He said all right to what?
To the terms of my alliance.
What did you show him?
The fate of his kingdom should his son agree to swear an oath to us.I feel the scrape of my mate’s silk on my cheek.I may also have shown him the fate of his kingdom should Konstantindisagree. I made sure to make it tremendously unappealing.
My snort barely has time to congeal in the chilled air before Vladimir barks, “Konstantin, swear an oath to Lorcan’s mate.”
Tome?
Yes, mo khrà. To you. I want my future queen to have influential ties to tug upon in times of trouble.
I have magical blood, Lore. And I have you.
And now you have the future King of Glace.
I thought you disliked the man.
I disliked his desire to put his cloak around your shoulders, but other than that, I like the boy just fine.
To think that boy is at least a century older than me.
Said boy’s head rears back. “Atsa, no!”
