Currently, I’m giving it seventy-thirty odds in favor of ending in blood.
If Ruby pisses me off, though, it’s shooting up, hundred-zero.
We draw up under the shadow of the manor’s tower. Siegrid dismounts first, Genicos falling into step behind her.
I glance at Stark again. He’s waiting for me. When I dismount, he follows. Then he’s at my side, hand resting on the dagger at his hip.
An elaborate courtyard spreads out before us. It was clearly once beautiful—an extended colonnade, a withered gazebo. A dried-up dip in the terrain hints at what was once likely a little pond.
Now, it’s all overgrown and disheveled. Weeds strangle the lingering plants. Crackle-dry ivy clings to the columns. There’s a stone bench near the empty pond that’s on its back, feet up in the air.
In the center of it all is a massive stone table. It’s been cleared of debris and dug out of the vines. And sitting at it is an eerily gorgeous woman I recognize.
Ruby is perched in a stone chair, her legs crossed at the ankles, her chin high. Her black hair is loose around her shoulders, and the subtle waves of it complement the sharper lines of her face. She’s out of armor, and her bright-colored clothes are perfectly tailored. She wears two gold hoops on each ear.
Behind her are two attendants, just as stony as the table before them. They’re more humbly dressed and don’t look at us at all as we enter the courtyard—a feat, considering the size of our wolves trailing behind us.
Ruby rises to greet us. We exchange curt nods before we take our positions. I sit across from her, while Stark and Siegrid remain standing directly behind me on either side.
I affect an air of calm as I turn to look Ruby directly in the eye. “Your terms?”
Ruby doesn’t blink at my brevity. “Astreona’s true enemy has never been Nocturna or its people, but Alistair Brightbane specifically. He has used your throne to challenge King Lucien’s rule for five centuries. Now that a new Sturmfrost Queen sits on the throne, King Lucien sees an opportunity to reforge a once-flourishing alliance and focus on our common enemy. We can make the ceasefire permanent.”
I carefully maintain my diplomatic mask. But internally, I’m letting out one long, disoriented groan. It’s borderline impossible to believe her.
The Siphons are literally bloodsucking monsters who feed on humans to survive. For centuries, they’ve been trying to take over our country so they can feast on Nocturnans.
Fresh prey, that’s all we are to them. And now she’s trying to claim that we could somehow be allies?
But then, the last six months have taught me that history is written by the people in charge, and the rest of us need to read between the lies.
So… I’ll keep listening.
I pinch my lips together and ask, “After years of terrorizing us, why would Astreona suddenly offer peace? What do youtrulywant in return?”
A small, knowing smile plays across Ruby’s lips. It looks like I’ve passed a test. “In exchange for an immediate ceasefire along all borders, you must agree to travel with me to the city of Brightbane to meet with King Lucien and formalize the alliance.”
Stark explodes, slamming his arm down on the table in front of us, both protective and threatening.
There’s a low growl in his voice as he bites out a sharp, “Fuck off.”
I’m torn between heated satisfaction and the knowledge that he probably shouldn’t threaten an ambassador.
Ruby’s gaze shifts to him and then returns to me lazily. “I suggest you call off your muscle and consider the precarious position of your kingdom.”
Anassa growls menacingly, and Ruby flinches, ever so slightly. The direwolf ends the growl with a mocking bark.
I smirk. “You should be aware that Anassa is the muscle here, and she does not like to be tested. She considers Siphon tongue a delicacy that she’s dying to try.”
“Queen Sturmfrost,” Ruby goes on, gathering herself, “it’s vital that you understand the position you find yourself in.” She spreads her long, perfect fingers over the rough stone. “You have lost the entire Phylax pack to Alistair, which has left your throat unprotected. As such, our fangs linger perilously close. No clever tactics—not even the power of your direwolves—will render your current military situation tenable. And forgetting the borders we share, we know a looming civil war brews within your own kingdom.”
I lean forward, pinning her down with my own searing stare. “However,youare the one who wants something fromme. Do you intend to win my cooperation with threats, General Navarro?”
“No,” she says. “I hope to convince you by reminding you of reality. If you want a ceasefire and to give your citizens reprieve, you will travel to the city of Brightbane to discuss the alliance with our king. If you do not, we will assume you are not interested in our partnership. We will enter Nocturna anyway and hunt down Alistair through methods of our own designs, starting by clearing out the village of Weisenstat to ensure that it is not harboring the traitor or any who are loyal to him. You grow grain in this area, do you not? Can your people survive without it?”
“Huh, that sounds quite a bit like a fucking threat,” I reply icily.
She presses her full lips together. “I assure you it is not meant as one. We do not want to enter your sovereign nation without your permission. But if we cannot come to an agreement, we will.”
