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“Sick, I see.” The king was probably assuming he’d sustained injuries in the battle, which would have made a lot of sense. He then looked up, thinking. “How many fae attacked you?”
This was getting more complicated than she had expected. “I wasn’t here, but I’m assuming some fifty, one hundred soldiers. They came to a fort. We had the advantage of height and walls.”
“So you defeated fifty fae. Or one hundred. Who can even tell the difference?” He snapped his fingers. “Like that.”
Was he doubting her? “With many losses, your majesty.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. You know, I hope to hear more from your kingdom.”
“I have the same hope, except that next time we speak, I’d rather bring some good news. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to warn other kingdoms.”
“Understood. This contact can be severed.”
The mirror returned to its blue glow. Interesting and shocking. Frostlake attacked. By “fae”. Fae weren’t attacking anyone. Those were River’s illusions. Another thing he hadn’t told her. The prick. And here she was, all worried about him. Perhaps he wasn’t even going to Ironhold but to some other kingdom.
Why would Ironhold attack their allies? Unless… The Frostlake princess had come to Umbraar, and yet she was married to one of the Ironhold princes. It could be some sort of retaliation. Awful, unfair retaliation. Or else the idea was really to hide Ironhold’s guilt. If they only attacked their enemies, it would be too obvious. They were planning something, and Naia had no idea what it was. No idea, even though she’d been literally living with someone working for Ironhold. Sometimes she really wanted to strangle River.
Regardless, Ironhold was making their move. If Naia’s intuition was correct, they were looking for an excuse to call Umbraar traitors and retaliate against them—this time officially, perhaps even with the help of other kingdoms. Naia had to reach them first.
She tried Haven, Karsal, and Greenstone, and had no reply. When she tried Vastfield, a young man replied, one of the princes. They were a greenbringer kingdom, and bordered Umbraar on the north. Naia told the prince the story of the fae looking like Ironhold attacking Umbraar.
He listened to it stoically, then asked, “How can I know it’s true?”
“I’m giving you my word.”
The prince wasn’t moved or convinced. “Perhaps you want to sow doubt and confusion in Aluria.”
Great. He was calling her a liar now? “Of course not. If you have an Ironhold retinue, you know they’re helping you. I mean in your borders or something, if you find people you don’t know. They could be disguised fae.”
He nodded. “I’ll tell my father. Do you need any assistance?”
She knew that it was just a polite question.
“We are fine for now, but please be careful. They came from our Northern forests.”
“Why wouldn’t they dress as Vastfield soldiers, then, since they came from that direction?” His tone was mocking.
“Everyone knows Umbraar and Ironhold have had disagreements in the past, because of my father. It’s more realistic.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And the fae are privy to that information?”
“I don’t know. If Ironhold had no reason to attack us like that, that leaves only one answer.”
“Did you see them? Fae? Blond hair, pointy ears?”
“I wasn’t here. The bodies were burned. They looked human.”
“Well, then, there’s another explanation.”
No kidding. But Naia just blinked. “I don’t follow.”
“What if it was Ironhold?” the Vastfield prince suggested. Dangerous words.
Was this a test? “I already explained why it’s unlikely.”
“A lot is unlikely, princess, but I will pass on your information. Is that all?”
“Yes. The contact can be severed.”
