“If the North decides not to answer, we have to assume Prince Dimitri—or possibly King Dimitri at this point—is going to continue on his father’s work,”saidQuinn, who threw me asideways glance as she spoke, but I couldn’t be upset at the general. She was right, after all.
Though thatdidn’tdim the bitter taste of disappointment left on my tongue at her statement.
“Right. Wecan’tassume they will be peaceful if theywon’tanswer a simple message,” Callum agreed, nodding in Quinn’s direction.
The room broke out in quiet conversation, with even Byn leaning over to ask Laurence a question behind me.
“I can go,” a voice called out.
Teagan’svoice.
“No way,” I said in the same moment Bynstated, “Not a chance.”
Even Callum threw a concerned glance towards Byn and me.
Teagan pinched the bridge of her nose before defending her case. “I’mour Northern Ambassador—this is quiteliterallymy job and role to fulfill.I’llhead to the border and deliver a message myself, since the North hasdeemedthemselves too good to receive our corvids,” she said, her voice unwavering.
Byn opened his mouth to argue further when Rayven cut in. “She’s right,” he said, his voice husky and deep.
All eyes shifted to him as he carried on.“This is her duty. Plus, if anybody were to cause any trouble at the border, shecandefend herself. But shewon’tlet it get thatfar,I’msure of it.She’llplay itsmart, like she always does.It’snot as though this would be her first time stepping foot into enemy territory.”
“Exactly. I can handle myself.It’sjust a message delivery, after all,” Teagan added, nodding her thanks to Rayven, which he returned with a slight dip of his head.
I supposed as the oldest twomembers of theValwain—aside from Laurence now—theyhad to have each other’s backs at times.
Bynglancedmy way, and I knew he was lookingtome for the reassurance he needed. After losing his parents late last year,he’dbecome very protective of those he caredabout—his sisters especially. Teagan and Margo would forever hold a special place in his heart.
I reached out towards him through our bond—our emotions—and could feel his inner turmoil. Hesitation, doubt, and anxiety churned in his chest. In response, I sent a wave of calmness over them, like a hand covering the light of a flame. The flamedidn’tgo out, butits radiatinglight dimmed just enough for Byn to see through his fog of emotions clearly.
Byn smiled at me slightly, and I knew it was a sign of thanks as he turned back towards Teagan. “Alright,” he breathed, “butyou’rerequired to bring soldiers and guards with you. A small procession, led by you andLychen.”
Lychen, Teagan’s Titan Wolf, would be happy to be back in action—even if itwasjust a trip to the border. The wolves’ den seemed to be a little restless lately—Eden included.
“Deal!” Teagan exclaimed, and I could tell she was simply happy to have a mission to spearhead once again. Shehadn’tbeen given a true diplomatic mission to lead since she went to the North to try to bring peace to the entire continent.
“You and Quinn can hammer down the details of who willaccompanyyou on this journey. But in the meantime, the rest of us need to prepare for our upcoming scoutingmissions, just in caseDimitri decides to not be as helpful as we hope,” Byn said, his voice carrying the authority of the king he was.
“Right, so we’re still planning to scout out Acrynd, Jackton, and Neokell?” asked Callum.
Byn nodded. “Correct, just as we discussed in our last meeting.”
The dayI’dmet Matea was the same day we discovered our people were being kidnapped and taken prisoner,right out from under our noses, during battles. When we were trying to hammer down where, exactly,all ofthe missingfaewere being held, we narrowed itto those three Northern cities:Acrynd,Jackton, orNeokell. Each one was on the east side of the SalicMountains, andweremostlylocatedon or near the flatlands.
We concluded that these locations weremost likely whereour missingfaewere, due to the warmer climate compared to the snow-capped mountains. Along with that, transporting so many prisoners through the mountains against their will wouldlikely betoo difficult, and the cold would require more resources to keep them all alive.
Therefore, we had those three citiesto scout—if Dimitriwouldn’tsimply undo the wrong our father did by taking them all in the first place, thatwas. I was hopeful that Teagan would be able to make progress with my twin on her mission—or at least figure out whythey’dkilled our corvids.
“When will Teagan leave?” Caelia asked.
“Tomorrow morning,” Byn responded. When Caelia raised an eyebrow in question, I added, “It’ll be a bit of a trek to make it to the border.”
“Regarding preparations for the scouting missions, I’ll be supplying everybody with an emergency healing pack to include in their bags,” Chester, whom everybody calledChess, added. Always thinking like atrokav, it seemed.
Byn nodded his thanks to Chess, then lookedtoTeagan once again. “You have the rest of the afternoon and evening to prepare, sister. Come dawn,we’llsee you off.”
***
“You’re worried about Teagan,” I stated, scoopingupa bite of pie and bringing it to my lips.
