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“The fate of our royal line says otherwise,” Fenrick said. He smiled faintly. “I like her. She’s got attitude. Can’t wait to tame it out of her.” He licked his lips.

“I’m bored,” Granier said. He waved to his guards. “Take her. I can’t stand in this wretched place a moment longer.” His guards had hands on swords and bows ready as they moved closer. I was supposed to be the focus of their mission, but they all watched Revel as if he was a stick of dynamite ready to go off.

I’d been focused on the Solamites and hadn’t noticed the transformations going on in the other side of the clearing. Painful moans mixed with fierce growls as Fenrick’s men morphed into wolf form. The new pack gave some of Granier’s people pause. From behind, I could feel waves of adrenaline rolling off Revel.

I saw no good ending to this whole scene. “Wait, this is ridiculous.” I looked pleadingly at the surrounding faces. “Surely there’s a way out of this predicament. We all want it.”

No one was listening to me, and I felt rather silly for standing in the center of it all like a referee without a whistle. The clearing suddenly felt smaller as each side moved closer. I could smell the fierce tension in the air.

Revel moved next to me. His hand tightened around the handle of his axe. An arrow whistled through the air and landed at his feet.

“That was just a warning shot,” Granier said. He looked at Fenrick’s pack. “The next ones will land.” He lifted his hand as if to signal his people, but something had pulled away their focus. Fenrick’s wolves became agitated and started clustering together like a pack. Their amber eyes looked around wildly at the forest behind them. Granier’s people did the same.

“What the hell?” Fenrick asked and then it became clear.

It seemed as if the entire forest floor was moving as a wave of green moss crept out from the shadows and into the clearing. Granier, Fenrick and their people moved closer toward Revel and me, not in a menacing way but to stay clear of the live forest floor.

“The moss serpents,” Revel muttered quietly. “They’re here to protect you.”

All the cool, calm, badass demeanor on the other side of the clearing broke apart into panicked chaos.

“Kill them all!” Granier ordered.

Arrows and swords were raised.

“No!” I yelled. “Don’t hurt them.” The mossy carpet slowed its pace, and the serpents lifted their heads and turned yellow eyes my direction. “It’s all right. Thank you. Go now so you’re safe.”

They hesitated.

“Go.” They lowered their heads. A few took a moment to fix their slit-eyed gazes on the frightened crowd in the clearing before slithering back to the trees.

Granier was angry that his orders had been disobeyed, but he eyed me with a dose of admiration. “Seems my future wife has some interesting talents.”

“You mean my future wife,” Fenrick said.

“No one’s future wife,” I said.

Right then, a shadow swept through the clearing. The others were still on edge enough from the moss serpents’ arrival that some startled and ducked down. A raven swept over our heads.

“Is that Omni?” I asked Revel.

“No, that’s Argo, the official messenger for the Sorcerers.” The bird swept past again. He was bigger and a bit more tattered than Omni, as if he was quite ancient. A piece of parchment dropped free of its talons and floated toward the ground in a sing-song manner, like a giant leaf. Revel snatched it midair before anyone else could even consider it. Height had its advantages.

The voices and general clamor in the clearing shut down, and an anticipatory hush fell over the crowd. Revel unfolded the parchment.

“‘By order of the Triumvirate of Sorcerers, Prince Granier and his representatives must appear at a tribunal three days forth at the third hour.’”

Granier laughed and grinned smugly at Fenrick. Fenrick looked ready to tear him limb from limb. “I object. Those foolish old bastards don’t know what they’re doing. This will cause war.”

Revel cleared his throat. “There’s more, you hotheaded assholes. ‘By order of the Sorcerers, Prince Fenrick and his representatives must appear at a tribunal three days forth at the third hour.’ And before you two start beating the shit out of each other, there’s more. ‘Any fighting or war or battles fought concerning the matter of your double-fated mate will result in your families being removed from their place on the throne. New family lines will be chosen.’”

Revel was truly enjoying reading the Sorcerer’s edict to the two cocksure jerks; my two cocksure jerks, apparently, though I felt no connection or kinship to either of them.

Revel paused to read the rest of the letter to himself, then he looked at me. “‘By order of the Sorcerers, Raphael Willow and her representatives must appear at a tribunal three days forth at the third hour.’ They want to see you too, Whisper,” he said in a low voice.

“Me? Why me? Actually, that’s good. I’m going to explain to them just how archaic and, frankly, misogynistic this whole debacle is.”

Revel chuckled. “That should be interesting.” He looked at the letter again. “‘And now the opposing parties are ordered to return quietly and without incident to their regions and allow the Valian to escort Raphael Willow back to the neutral territory of Norvale until the tribunal.’”