Page 24 of Winter Gods & Serpents

Galleys and Oars

Snowlin

Nia hovered around my room like a fly. Restlessly tapping her finger to her temples coming up with the next reason why my father was tying an agreement with Adriata. She halted and I startled. “Adriatian steel, if his armies had that they would most certainly gain the upper hand above just anyone,” she said half-heartedly, replaying that thought through a fearful expression.

I rubbed my scar in remembrance of the black steel on my skin. She could be right, but he would not remove a whole wall to just get that.

“Produce?” Cai asked, leaning onto his knees tired from having stayed up all night and then taken hostage by Nia at dawn when I’d told her about the agreement. “These lands are dead, for just how long could you eat fish and pine seeds?”

“I doubt it,” I said, knowing my father and his flashy actions.

Nia narrowed her eyes on me. “What? Say it, what do you think he needs from them?”

I hesitated, nibbling on my thumb unconsciously. “A military agreement, to join forces against the continent. Could you imagine, their Aura together?” A shudder went through my body at the thought that I would be used to invade the continent, perhaps even beyond.

Nia shook her head surely. “The scale is too grand. We cannot think like that and Adriatians are sick fanatics but not foolish to indulge in such plans. To history they are a peaceful kingdom, never started any war beyond their borders.”

“The attack twelve years ago seemed pretty close to one,” Cai chimed in.

“Exactly, that attack makes me think otherwise. Totally not defending them, but they were trying to prevent one by that, remember?” she pointed. Kind of right, if we were bred and raised to kill it didn’t leave much to thought about my father’s plans for us and Adriata would have been first where he would test his weapons.

“What else beyond power does my father wish to have I don’t understand. I know his tactics believe me, war is his pleasure, he could be tricking the spiritual into something, they were easy to trick a decade ago.”

“How would this be connected to his soldiers in Myrdur?” Cai asked.

“Is it even?” Nia questioned. “It makes no sense even if he were to rage war, why would his soldiers be in Myrdur?”

“We will postpone entering Winter court,” I announced.

Cai strung in shock. “We don’t have much time, cakes, four moons would probably not suffice to gather all we need to have other kingdoms attack Isjord. We cannot rely on petty battalion numbers and exits. We must figure their reserves, spies, his main weapons, weak points of every city, detailed map of Sable Abyss, all nooks and hiding spots and veering pathways. That will take us too long if you are not on duty. We need someone on the inside and we need distraction. That was you.”

“I understand,” I said, feeling his devastation fill the air. “But that plan is in halt, till further notice. If what I fear is true, no kingdom will take their chance with Isjord now that they are tying an agreement with Adriata, no matter what we give them. Solarya has one fear and that is Adriatians, they are their nemesis since gods created disputes. Eldmoor will pull away if they know another spiritual is siding with my father, and Hanai, if they even decide to go forth with it on their own, will no longer do so. Their queen does not rely on numbers because she doesn’t have numbers, and now she will be dealing with exactly that.”

“Comnhall might step forth,” Nia tried to back up the sullen Cai.

“Which blessed do the unblessed fear the most?” I asked.

Cai rubbed his eyes and answered almost distraught. “Adriatians.” He stood and fluffed the top of my head. “I trust you. If it is at halt, then so be it. Do I retract from training courts?”

No one beside me would know how difficult the thought that we’d step down from destroying Isjord was to Cai. It was his comfort knowing we were on the path to take Isjord down. “No, keep your contacts close. We might need weaknesses and numbers still. I’d like to keep store for mistake, if father plans to make Adriata another of his prey then we might get to use them still.” He nodded and made to leave. I grabbed onto his arm and quickly retracted my hand awkwardly. “I will kill him Cai and I will kill this land, even if it is the last thing I do.”

He offered me a smile, half-moons that wrinkled to hide that mole just under his eye. “A simple I love you suffices.”

“You hate those words.”

“I hate those that don’t mean it.” He gave me a wink and left.

A whimsical whistle ringed about the room and I turned annoyed at Nia who conducted two fingers in the air. “I will kill him, Cai,” she mocked, and then screeched as I ran for her.

* * *

Penelope had been silent all morning, stealing glances toward me till she finally approached sitting at the corner of my bed to check on my bandaged hands. Unwrapping and wiping them gently before applying an ointment that stung making me wince.

“It will help them heal,” she said, noting my reaction. “Though I am starting to think…you might not want them healed.”

“You ponder upon such philosophical thoughts at your age. Don’t you have dolls to play with?”

“Don’t be insufferable,” she huffed, before ordering me to the baths.