Page 175 of Season Warriors & Wolves

I cocked my head to the side. “Just magic, princess. It can’t be any darker than plain magic in the hands of the wrong Aura.” Before we turned to leave, I asked, “What happened to Skadi’s sister?”

The king froze. “Skadi? How do you know my aunt?”

Well, well. “Do you know where your aunt is?” I asked, avoiding his question that could possibly turn them against me—depending on what Skadi had done to deserve her banishment.

“Dead.”

That drew a giggle out of me. “Says who?”

“My mother.”

“And why would your mother lie to you?”

He frowned. “My aunt was killed by your father when she was banished.”

“Why was she banished for?”

“What game is this?”

I rolled my eyes. “The answer cannot be so complicated.”

“It is not. Our rules, however, might not seem…as easy to understand by outsiders.”

Heavens. “Well, humour me.”

“She wanted a child.”

“Heinous.”

He grunted. “By means not accepted by gods.”

“Oh. Is coitus forbidden in these lands? Do men just hand women a tablespoon of their…seed when they wish to reproduce?”

He looked over at my entourage. “Is she trying to be humorous?”

“Afraid not,” Mal said, holding back a laugh.

The king turned to me and calmly explained, “By means of dark magic. A Crafter is what you call them.”

“Were your own men not willing?”

He looked over at Mal again and sighed when he remained positively serious. “My aunt was a warrior, a huntress. She went on week-long hunts and fed villages with it for months. During that time, she also sustained injuries, suffered malnourishment and slept in rough conditions. One's body can only do so much despite the gift of magic. When she settled and got crowned as queen after my grandfather, village healers told her of her situation. She could not bear a child. From then, she became inconsolable, seeking all treatment there was until she stumbled by one possessing dark magic who promised to find aid for her condition.”

“That’s it? She seeked help so she could be a mother and you banished her?”

The woman next to him bared her teeth at me, almost growling like a wild thing. “We do not need judgement from an outsider.”

“A punch more like it,” Thora muttered, pulling me back. “We will speak soon. Farewell.”

My two noisy entourage had not spoken a word after we’d left the Islines. But once Thora settled in one of Visha’s chairs and sighed, holding a piece of cloth over her neck wound, Mal exploded, “You irresponsible girl.”

My sister blinked at him. I blinked at him.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?” he spat loudly, pointing a finger at her. “What were you trying to do, have your pretty head end up on a pike and roasted along their pines to have for their next lunch? He would have not thought about it twice, Thora, I saw his intentions. He would have gutted you if he had not been scared shitless of your sister. What when she is not there, huh, will you test your luck again? Will you grab a man’s sword and put it to your neck again?” He stopped for a breath and then narrowed his eyes on her. “You didn’t listen to anything I said, did you?”

My sister offered him a little smile. “Got a bit distracted after you called my head pretty.”

His head dropped back. “You’re five feet too small to act like this.”