Rakel turned to Oskar but was distracted when she realized that Kai’s mother stood in the doorway—her face wan and tense.
“Kai,” Rakel gestured to the door.
“Mother!” Kai threw himself at her. She took a step back, and at first Rakel thought it was due to the force with which Kai hit her, but it was almost a flinch.
“Thank you, Princess, for saving Kai.” Gerta brushed crumbs from her face and offered Rakel a big, sweet smile.
Rakel smoothed the little girl’s braids. “You did well to come find me.”
“Iknewit,” Gerta said, satisfaction crusting her words. She thumped across the study—stopping to grab her abandoned coat.
Kai’s mother placed a shaking hand on his head. “Thank you,” she whispered to everyone in the room, then fled like a nervous doe. Kai, clinging to her hands, was dragged in her wake, and Gerta shuffled after them.
“Playing is gonna be a lot more fun now!” Gerta said as she skipped out of the room.
Knut—Kai’s mother’s escort to the study—saluted Rakel. “Do you need anything more, Princess?”
Rakel rubbed her forehead. “Yes. If you would tell General Halvor I wish to speak to him about what happened, I would appreciate it.”
“Of course, Princess. You did well.” He offered her a gap-toothed smile and ducked back into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
“You all are going through a pretty bit of trouble over one little boy.” Crow eyed some of the leftover toast and goat milk.
“He’s not just a little boy,” Rakel said. She was reluctant to put into words what Kai and Gerta had done for her.They offered love when everyone else feared my touch.
“Even still, one child with magic don’t make much of a difference to the country,” Crow supposed.
Oskar rubbed his head. “Perhaps not now, but he could potentially become powerful. Not on your level, Princess, but he could be similar to Farrin—very troubling to go against. His limit, of course, is that he must build things to use his magic.”
“He’ll need help.” Phile tossed Foedus in the air and caught it by its hilt. “He’s been thrown into a new world, and there are no books or teachers that can help him make sense of it.”
“I will help him,” Rakel said.
“Your time is already in high demand, Princess,” Oskar said.
“Who else is there?” she asked. “I have knowledge of architecture and experience in sculpting.”
Crow drew closer to the fire. “I still think you all are worrying over nothing.”
“Why are you still here?” Oskar asked.
“Nobody put me under arrest again when we got back,” Crow said.
Snorri said something.
“What was that, Mumbler?” Oskar asked.
“General Halvor was distracted,” Snorri attested.
“Indeed,” Oskar agreed.
“He wanted to start making up plans for attacking Chosen forces,” Phile said.
“Oskar, will you explain to him about Kai?” Rakel asked.
“Of course—do you not wish to do it yourself?” Oskar asked.
“I do, but I was speaking with Steinar when Gerta searched me out. I would like to see if I can salvage the conversation.”
