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“I assure you, there is no uprising necessary. I would give it to you.”
“Ack, lovey.” Raum wrinkled his nose. “You need to at least make a deal out of it. Nothing for free. Remember that.”
By the hells, it was good to be surrounded by these people again.
“We will be ready to leave by nightfall,” Kase said, his tone tearing the laughter from the tent. A stern tension gathered as he reiterated the next steps and the risk of infiltrating the newly guarded Jagged Grove.
In my eyes, the greatest risk would be the unknown fae. At least the brutal ones. The folk who devoured souls, or stole likenesses, or used blood magic to turn us into husks without a free thought. But this was the step. To my bones, I knew whatever we found in the caves of Jagged Grove was important.
Something needed.
“I’d advise we stick to the river,” Halvar said, a finger to the map. “Raum tells me there are swampy banks and thick trees.”
“Yes, but we’ll have all the Vill folk traveling with us,” I said.
“Only for a short while, then they will be shipped to Skítkast with our young academy fools,” Niklas said, gesturing at a few of his Falkyns who must’ve been the ones who would take our new prisoners to their new underground prison.
Halvar pointed to another spot, explaining the route the rest of us would take. How the man already seemed to know the land of the East I didn’t know, but his route made a great deal of sense.
“Halvar has a knack for this sort of thing,” Elise whispered. “You seem confused, so I thought I’d explain.”
“He is a secret weapon I didn’t know we needed.”
“Hal will get us there, but surviving is still on us.” Elise gave me a soft smile. She looked more warrior than queen. Tunic and trousers, a long dagger sheathed to her waist, and intricate braids keeping her hair pulled off her neck.
I was glad for it. If she’d arrived in fine gowns and petty commands, we would not have been allies long.
When Kase went to Halvar to finalize the route, I leaned closer to the queen. “Are you well?”
“Bevan’s herbs have helped, but I’ve found I can only stomach seed bread.” She sighed. “I hate seed bread, and Valen is beginning to notice.”
“You could tell him.”
“If you thought Kase hovering over you was intolerable, you do not want to see Valen Ferus.” Elise scoffed. “Last frost season I came down with a chill—a merechill, Malin. A little cough and a disastrous dripping nose, but nothing more. The man was utterly convinced I was going to the gods and kept three healers in our room constantly.” Elise snorted and turned her attention back to the table. “I keep this from him for his own safety. I am his greatest distraction, and he must focus on getting his army through another battle.”
I snickered when she glanced at her husband. As if he sensed her gaze, Valen turned in our direction and flashed Elise his white smile. One that proved his queen was his reason for existing.
“Our ultimate objective is to destroy this stronghold and find out the reason for it.” Kase’s voice drew my attention back to the conversation. He rested his palms on the table. “If it protects the ring, after what happened with the elixir wardings, we should expect the ring to be protected by deadly measures.”
“Is it possible to poison the ring with elixirs?” Valen pointed the question at Niklas.
The Falkyn considered the thought. “It’s a risk I’ll study out, but the queen’s ring is from legends. Old mesmer. I believe it would be difficult to keep it from the fated heir.”
“Oskar Vill will take us to the grove.” Kase’s eyes darkened when he glanced out the tent door. “He knows what will happen should he lie to us.”
Halvar stood. “Then we ought to prepare to leave, for it’ll be slow moving.”
“Lynx,” Kase said. “See to it the people of House Vill stay quiet on the journey.”
Lynx puffed out his chest and nodded. “Gladly.”
Kase came to my side and took my hand. There wasn’t a need to say anything.
We knew what came next. A new move, the next step in a scheme we never knew if we’d survive or meet our end when it was all over.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
THE NIGHTRENDER
