“A scout was spotted on the mountain,” Rakel said.
Captain Halvor gave Knut a disapproving glare. “Yes.”
“They will try to take the mountain again?”
“Most likely.”
Rakel nodded and watched the children play in the courtyard. Her vow to refrain from saving another village had weighed on her mind since her meeting with Farrin. The children playing in her castle didn’t deserve enslavement…but neither did those who grew up in other parts of Verglas. In a way, she was thankful Farrin sent his snooping scout. Now she had an excuse.
But, if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t going to throw herself against the Chosen just because they were carrying out evil acts. It was also because she fostered a deep-seated hope thatmaybe, if she was heroic enough, the citizens of Verglas would see beyond her powers and welcome her.
“Captain, if I were to use my…talents, do we have a hope of casting them out of Verglas?” Rakel abruptly asked.
“Yes,” he said without a moment of hesitation.
“Very well. If that is so, I wish to go to war. What do you advise?”
A smile—the first smile Rakel ever saw him wear—spread across the captain’s face. “I prayed for this day, Princess.”
“Thank you. I hope I am not too late.”
“Never, Princess,” Oskar said, shaking his head in mock disapproval.
“Knut, get Aleifr and the Fyran elders,” Captain Halvor said.
“The captain has been planning this for days,” Oskar said, winking at Rakel as he escorted her inside. “Is the library a suitable place to meet, Halvor?”
“Yes. Snorri, go to my quarters and retrieve my map?—”
“I already have many maps—of the continent and Verglas,” Rakel said.
Oskar sighed wistfully. “Yes, I envy your collection.”
“The first step will be to build a war council. Our supplies and numbers are limited. After we are organized, we need to concentrate on freeing additional troops,” Captain Halvor said. (He was not about to be distracted now that his hopes were coming together.)
“They didn’t slaughter our soldiers?” Rakel asked.
Captain Halvor shook his head. “They killed many, but they took great pains to capture troops.”
“They probably want fighting slaves,” Oskar said grimly.
Captain Halvor bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“Very well. Where is the nearest place in which our soldiers are being kept?” Rakel asked as they entered her library.
“There is a garrison not far from the foot of the mountain. Here.” He pointed to a map she brought to him and then paged through others, searching for a different one.
Oskar, meanwhile, strolled past the shelves. “Did you enjoy all the books, Princess?”
“Yes.”
“Even though it seems like most of your collection is nonfiction?”
“There are a few collections of fairy tales, but in truth I enjoy informational books the most. I employed many of the methods outlined in the architecture books when building this castle, and I was grateful for the knowledge the history books imparted.”
“I’m glad.”
“Here. Namsen, another village, is between Vefsna and the enemy garrison. You will probably wish to clear it first, but I doubt you’ll encounter much opposition. The real difficulty will be the garrison. My soldiers and I can?—”
