Page 16 of Season Warriors & Wolves

“She is my faith. It would be absurd if I didn’t. And my faith is smart—the smartest. She has survived Silas too many times to count, she will survive him again.” I stood and got the letter he extended to me, still sealed with my crest. “I gather Magnus refused contact again.”

“Fifth letter, Kilian. It has to mean something.”

“It means nothing. Magnus will never join Silas, and Silas never had a plan to make allies, only to demilitarise kingdoms with his deals and bargains. If Solarya is cutting contact with us, Magnus must be thinking Snow has betrayed me.”

He leaned against the terrace wall, looking at the slim horizon made of white. “Or disappointed to hear that you’ve hidden the truth about her powers to him.”

“No, he would understand. Magnus would understand why we would have wanted her hidden.”

Heavy, quick steps sounded from the stairwell, and we all turned to watch the little Skygard sister heavily pant, limping till she reached us. “Hate…hate stairs.” She stretched back, wiping sweat from her brow. “It’s my training time. You were supposed to be there already to train me.”

“Are you telling me that you finished reading the books Atlas assigned you to read?”

Her lashes fluttered for a moment. “Yes.”

“Thoroughly.”

She was unphased. “Define thoroughly.”

Nesrin led a stomping group of soldiers up the wall tower and turned to bow at me, a wide smile and few shadows I didn’t like colouring her exterior. Her eyes went to Thora who stood by my side, glaring back at her.

As far as Nesrin knew, Thora was just someone I had taken under my wing to train and become part of my court eventually. It was the best way to keep her safe. But of course, she suspected something else.

The little sister tilted her head to the side and raised a brow at her. “I’ve already told you that I am not an Empath, Nesrin, if you have something to say, you have to say it. Whatever language you like, even.”

The councillor raised her chin. “No priestess needs to hover around the king. You’ve got plenty to learn to be wasting your time before the entrance exam you’re supposedly taking soon.”

“And no councillor needs to hover around the king’s castle quarters when they’ve been told a million times that they are not welcome to. If you passed your own exams with so little knowledge and skill, then I shan’t worry.”

Nesrin staggered a little, blinking between her and I. I hadn't known that she’d been trying to enter my quarters again. She cleared her throat. “Could I have a moment with you later, Kilian?”

“There is a meeting later this evening at court. Whatever there is to discuss, let me know then.”

She nodded, her attention drifting to Thora briefly before she joined the rest of her soldiers.

Thora sighed, looking bored. “One day I’m going to turn her lungs into wet, bloody prunes. I hate prunes.”

“You seem to hate her.”

“You should see her little group of arse lickers that follow her around all day, praising and fawning over her like she is some…queen.”

Something I didn’t like either. “Her father was influential.”

“Heard he was almost pretty flammable as well. He is probably loving hell.”

That made me chuckle. “You’re sweating.”

She wiped the beads from her temples and looked down at her feet, focusing there for a moment. “It is pretty high up…there were a lot of stairs, I mean.”

“You don’t need to come up here, Thora.”

“What if she shows up down there or up here? If father comes again or threatens us with someone else. What if she escapes? What if she needs help? I want to be here if that happens. I keep missing her again and again. I’ve been useless so many times and I’ll never be useless again.” She turned to me. “This is why you need to keep training me, not make me fall asleep in uncomfortable places such as the library.”

“You can read in your room next time. Atlas will let you borrow the books.”

Her face scrunched up all disappointment and she glanced back at her brother who was quietly chuckling by the edge of the tower. “Obscur Asteri,” she mumbled between her teeth, retreating towards the stairs. “More like…obscur my will to live.”

Eren sighed, leaning on the terrace ledge.