“If it hasn’t already been made clear, Prince Soren, it’s the Briarfrosts’ intentions to form an alliance with the true Celestial bloodline once more. My father has given orders for my brother and I to accompany you and your Fates-blessed mate back to Yregar, along with our own battalions, and to stay there under your command until you’ve wed your Fates-blessed mate and reclaimed your throne from the regent. The kingdom has become too dangerous for him to leave Aysgarth but Gideon will be here for your Fates-blessed union on his behalf. Once the Betrayer has been dealt with and his raving armies burned away, we can discuss the Unseelie Court and how our kingdoms can prosper once more.”
He turns in his saddle to meet my eye, then Soren’s. “Whatever the battle brings, the Briarfrost stand with the Favored Child and the true Celestial king.”
Soren holds his gaze, the air heavy around them both, before he inclines his head respectfully. I let out a breath, relieved Soren accepted the alliance without misplaced suspicion. Standing before the regent has certainly explained why this prince is slow to trust, but the loyalty of the Briarfrost bloodline is the least of my concerns.
We stop at a clearing, and Gideon offers to make camp for the night. Despite my protests, Soren insists, and when I shoot him a frustrated look, he points out how long it's been since I last slept. Gideon calls out orders to prepare camp, sending soldiers in every direction to mark a perimeter and place their own bedrolls to sleep under the stars.
I envy them a night under the canopy of the trees, but I already know Soren will drag me back into his tent. He picks out a spot close to the fire Gage prepared, and setting it up is as easy as stretching out my hand, my magic placing the tent exactly as it was put away. I cast a shield around the entire camp, marking the sentry line of soldiers carefully and ensuring they’re protected from the falling snow.
As I take a seat by the fire and stretch my hands out before it, I try not to think about that morning of waking up pressed against Soren’s chest, his face buried in my neck, the desperate pull of his hands. My cheeks heat, especially when Lady Loreth’s face pops into my mind unbidden, but the princes all ignore my rosy complexion as they sit around the fire with me.
Soren looks around carefully. “How many soldiers are in your battalions? Yregar has plenty of space to house them, but preparations will need to be made for your stay with us.”
Gage answers, still subdued from his brother’s anger. “Goblin battalions are the same as the those of the high fae—five hundred fifty-five troops in each, including commanders. A little over eleven hundred will ride to Yregar.”
Gideon's mouth turns down, and his gaze drops to the forest floor as though he can see the cavernous void in the land’s magic stores. “The rites for the winter solstice should ensure the next harvest will grow, but I wouldn't expect the land to truly begin to recover for another few years. We’ll send for more supplies to be escorted across the borders to Yregar, and our own fields can see Yregar through until they arrive.”
I smile warmly at him before Soren has the chance to respond. “I both welcome and greatly appreciate your participation in the solstice rites. Finding a way around the loss of magic has been a tricky task.”
Gideon gives me the same delighted smile he has each time I show him respect; as though it’s a novelty to him. Gage's gazelingers on Soren, but he doesn’t speak, instead pressing his lips together firmly. I worry what news he’s heard from Yris, the consequences of our extraction, and as he scowls at the crackling fire before us all, my reassurances seem so hollow. When I notice his sword missing from his belt, I cringe and hold out my hand until it appears in my palm.
“I'm sorry I’ve held on to it,” I murmur as I hand it to Gage.
He takes it with a shrug, ducking his head into a bow as he buckles it back at his side. “No need for apologies, Rooke, I’m thankful you kept it safe. It was my grandfather’s, and it’s a great honor that my father gave it to me to wield.”
It’s the most subdued I’ve seen the goblin prince, and I can’t help but attempt to reassure him. “They’ll be safe soon, Gage. On the ashes, I swear to you they’ll be safe.”
He glances at me before giving Soren a guarded look, one that spells trouble for me. “I trust you, Rooke, but this is my Fates-blessed mate. How can I trust a male you left behind?”
Soren cuts in, his tone savage, “Especially one eager for your return.”
His face is cold and unreadable, and I stare back at him, dumbfounded. The gall of this male to question any part of my life in the Northern Lands is unprecedented but, as his magic reaches toward me, I’m reminded that losing my temper with him may have disastrous consequences for us all.
I choose my words with care. “I left behind a life I built after Kharl Balzog took everything from me. When I accepted my fate and made plans to return here, I made sure there was no question of my intentions or any hopes for my return there. Whatever tales the regent has heard or, more likely, fabricated from baseless gossip, they’re irrelevant to the path we now walk together.”
I take another careful breath before I add, “It’s also not true—the High Commander isn’tpiningfor me—but it certainly worksin our favor to have your uncle believe so. Your cousin and her sisters are now safe because of the assumption their vile father has made.”
Gage makes an unhappy noise in the back of his throat, but it’s Soren he levels a glare at. “They’re all his cousins, Rooke. Succession laws don’t change facts, whether the Unseelie Court like it or not.”
I still. In the muddle of this conversation, my mind has revealed itself to be a mess of traps, traumas, and blind-spots, and my heart lodges itself in my throat for misstepping so terribly. Malia is every bit as worthy as Sari is, no matter the Unseelie Court’s opinions on the matter. My face tightens and my head bows at the carelessness of my words.
Soren speaks before I can find the right ones to apologize. “They’re all Celestials by birth, but the regent has always terrorized his daughters born outside of his Fates-blessed marriage. Doing anything to claim them as fae of my bloodline would only spur him on.”
Gage shakes his head, ignoring the look of censure his brother levels at him. “It hasn’t worked though, has it? Treating them like they’re nothing hasn’t stopped him from killing them off just to satisfy his cravings for power and submission.”
Soren stares across the fire at him, the weight of many eyes on us all as the soldiers listen in. Even the forest stills. This Celestial prince has proved himself worthy through blood and magic, but can he prove himself here as well? Every declaration of alliance from the Briarfrost has been to me first, our marriage paving the way, but it can’t remain solely for the Favored Child forever.
“I’ve watched my uncle kill thousands, forced to sit by and do nothing, or close to nothing. My blood and my people murdered while I was told to learn patience, all of who deserved better than the deaths they endured. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, I know that,and some have been worse than others, but what else could I have done? Not just for my cousins, but for the entire kingdom—what other options did I have? I have loyal soldiers, but not a legion’s worth. Yregar has been reduced to a shadow of what it once was, in part because we’ve taken in as many fleeing fae folk as we could, and the land was too depleted to provide for us. I have no blood left who can ride to my defense. No matter how deeply I felt the unease of the kingdom and all that was wrought in my family’s name, without an understanding of magic or our traditions, I couldn’t even guess at how far the high fae have fallen… not until Rooke returned. What would you have had me do, Gage?”
The goblin prince has no answer, and the silence stretches between us all, my mind turning over his words. Gideon glances into the thicker area of the trees, listening to his soldiers, but he doesn’t move, his gaze never too far from his brother.
When Gage groans and rubs a hand over his eyes again, I murmur, “I gave Sari enough magic to cover her and her three sisters. The mark will hold.”
Soren’s gaze snaps over to me. "Sari has four sisters.”
My heart clenches. “She told me three.”
I swallow roughly as Soren turns to Gage with a snarl. “Who? Who did he kill?”
