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Mattis rubbed his chin. “All right. When I was first brought to Ruskig and you had the Blood Wraith as your captive, you gave me the key to his fury bindings. What was it you told me when you did that?”
Ari paused for a moment, then shouted. “Keep it somewhere you can easily access it. I have a feeling he will come to play a magnificent role in our uprising.”
Mattis tilted his head. “What did you tell me about Siv?”
Ari scrunched his forehead in a wince. “I told you the truth—that I’d been the one to convince her to turn assassin more than spy. I stole the credit from fate and insisted that perhaps she went to House Lysander for more than Elise, for you too. You were rather petulant back then; I had to stop your pouting somehow. Keep going if you must, I enjoy reveling in all the moments I’ve been impeccably correct.”
Stieg chuckled, and I breathed a little easier when Mattis snorted and waved his hand.
A rumble shuddered the stone walls, and they split down the center, carving an opening large enough to fit us through. Ari reached back his hand and waited until I laced our fingers together. He squeezed. I pulsed pressure in return, at his side, always.
We were greeted by several Night Folk warriors, and I recognized two more Kryv—one built like he was made of boulders, and a woman with sparkling cat-eyes. She studied me, then winked as we strode through the line.
Ari drew in a sharp breath when the warriors parted and he faced the bright eyes of Elise Ferus. The queen wore a tunic and trousers, but her hair was braided around a crown of fresh rowan berries.
For torturous moments they merely stared at each other.
Finally, Ari grinned. Hand pressed to his heart, he bowed slightly. “My Queen. You look at me like you cannot decide if I should be under your blade or wiping tears of joy from your face, but—”
Ari’s words choked off when Elise lunged at him. Her arms around his neck, face hidden in his shoulder.
I released his hand and stepped back. For a moment, he seemed uncertain where to place his hands, but in the next breath, he swallowed her up in his arms.
“I hate you for the worry you’ve caused,” Elise said.
“Lies. I’m too wonderful to despise in earnest. I even convinced enemies to love me.” Ari patted Elise’s back. “Which reminds me, I’m afraid you must stop this endless pining over me, Elise; I am a vowed man now.”
The queen gave a wet laugh. She lifted her head, meeting my gaze over Ari’s shoulder. “Yes. So I heard.”
They parted. Elise wiped her eyes, and Ari came to my side. He gave me a soft smile and reached for my hand, but I pointed ahead of us.
Five paces back, Valen had his arms crossed over his chest, jaw set, the night black of his eyes glistened in what some might consider anger. On a second glance, it was a gleam more reminiscent of the kind of emotion a king fought to hide.
“You know,” Ari said, a touch of hesitation in his tone. He took a long stride forward. “As king it is your duty not to rush off with warriors and blades raised when a few missives aren’t received from your ambassador. I should know, I was king once—”
Gorm cleared his throat loudly.
“Right.” Ari’s mouth curved into a smirk. “It would seem I am a king again.”
Valen’s face was as stone, but the slightest twitch to his lip revealed the fight with amusement.
Ari took another step. “Naturally you have my apologies for causing the kingdom angst. Not that I’m surprised, of course. I would be a great loss, but it was unnecessary to put your lives at risk by coming—”
“Are you finished?” Valen asked, a thickness to his voice.
Ari’s lips tightened. His throat bobbed when Valen nearly butted his chest with his. “Almost. One thing I have learned through this ordeal is I keep thoughts—the important ones—too quiet. Shocking, I know, but I do. Before anyone tries to kill me again, I need you to know you will always be my king. You will always be my friend.”
“You bastard.” Valen hooked an arm around Ari’s neck and embraced him the same as his wife had done. The king pounded Ari’s back with a fist. Ari did the same to him.
They pulled back almost as swiftly as they’d embraced, cleared throats, and stepped apart sheepishly.
“We have a great deal to talk about,” Valen said. “Come and we’ll—”
“I want to see it first.” Seated on a ledge, one leg dangled over the side, Kase Eriksson reclined against the wall. One arm held Malin, his wife, to his chest while her hands rested over her swelling middle.
Malin kept her attention on me. The same sheen of gold and green brightened her eyes as her husband’s. I’d been told something had shifted when they took vows. The way the feather Ari and I shared bonded us, somehow, Alvers could connect in a way others couldn’t.
“See what?” Valen asked.
