Page 244 of Season Warriors & Wolves

“Should you be up and about?” Cai asked, throwing an arm over my shoulders.

“I feel…I feel—” What did I even feel? “I’ve never felt better. So lightless. Never so powerful. Before I had to summon my magic, now it just rests at the tip of my fingers. The wind stops at my call. Skies thunder without command at all, only with a simple thought.” I kneeled and rested my palm on the snow, feeling the magnetic pull on my skin from the layer of magic beneath. “The land has suffered, too, my magic and presence could heal it now that it feeds from me.”

“What now? Isjord is yours how you always wanted. So what now?”

My skin still felt cold. The snow felt foreign. The only thing that would remain warm in the midst of every winter from now on would be my thoughts—unburdened by the existence of my father. “I’m not the only Krigborn.”

He swallowed, his eyes searching the snowy expanse to land on my brother. “Eren does not want this. You know it.”

I sighed and nudged his side. “You need to sleep. And most importantly, a bath, Cai.”

He tugged me closer and covered my face with his armpit while I writhed and kicked until he let me breathe fresh air again. He burst out laughing when I gagged a little. “Your flowery king has softened your taste. Remember when we climbed our mountains without bathing for days? You stank worse than me.”

“Never again will I be doing that.”

“Come on, that was fun. The most fun I’ve ever had, actually,” he said, his laughter fading to an almost sad smile when his eyes landed on my brother again.

“Don’t let him go. Not him, Cai. Not this time. Not again.”

“Better than to be let go.” He nudged my shoulder with his. “Go home. That bastard of a husband you have will lose his mind, and a mad king is not on my deck of cards for the foreseeable future.”

My attention shifted over my people again. Over our allies helping along. “Not yet.”

The Seraphim people looked lost, but were trying their best to aid despite their own losses. They all stopped what they were doing when I approached and bowed their heads.

I sat between them, pulling some bandage from my bag and wrapping it around a young girl’s arm. “I heard you’ve asked to bury Nilsa here.”

“If it is permitted,” a girl no older than me said—Alyone, the priestess who had fought beside Nilsa. “We would like it to be so. Our fallen must be honoured in the land they died whilst protecting. If it was the seas, we would have let them drift on its waves. If it was the skies, we would have set ashes astray in the wind. But it is on snow she died, and under it she must be buried.”

“We would be honoured,” I said. “And always indebted. What will you do now?”

A cast of obscurity fell over her face. “Return home. Mend as much as we can.”

“My people are not travellers, but they would spare a hand to help you build your home again, to build back your kingdom. However we can.”

She shook her head. “We have no king, no queen, no kingdom to build back.”

“Then crown one.” Reaching a hand to her, I said, “Hand me your sword.” Though doubtful, she did as asked, and I let the metal heat up with electricity until it was soft enough to mould and twist into the shape of a mangled crown. “Here. Now you only need someone willing enough to put their life away for the sake of many. And that is enough. I see how you people look at you. How they follow you. But most importantly, I see how you look at them. How you lead them. If there is no throne to sit on, build it.”

She took the makeshift crown, clutching it tightly in her hands for a moment before looking over at her people and nodding when they nodded in approval at her. “We thank you. Your kind will always be welcomed in our lands.”

“As will be in ours,” Magnus said, and I spun to him. The man wore his pride on his shoulders today, not on his head like a crown. It was a heavy mantle because his steps towards me were heavy. “I doubted many things. But would you believe I never once doubted you would be able to come alive over this.”

“I didn’t.”

“I know. I saw it in your eyes. I’ve always seen it in your eyes. I hope to see it no more. This realm needs you to live. Your family needs you to live.”

“Will your people recover?”

“Our cities will mend. The realm will mend. We have that opportunity now because of you.”

“You do not need to fear me so much, Magnus.”

He grinned. “Respect is indeed something to be frightened of. I remember the first time your husband and I met, I wanted to despise the man. I want to despise you as well. What a shame. You’re easy to despise, but so much easier to respect.” Retreating away, he pointed a finger at me. “Stay away from the rest of my sons.”

Rather than mad I’d abandoned him for the entire day, Kilian was asleep. Nia was by his side, quietly changing the wet cloths soaked in medicine that were spread all over his body to help him heal.

“He’s never slept so soundlessly before,” I said, climbing the bed to him and kissing his cheek and pressing my nose to his skin to inhale the scent of spring. His features looked so soft, so sweet and relaxed. So unusual. “He must be extremely tired.”