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Gullie, red faced, allowed my grandmother to speak first.
“I meant to say,” said “Helen, let us not be too hasty… I would not recommend splitting up.”
“We don’t have the time to sit around and wait,” I said, “There’s a clock counting down somewhere… if Fate’s hunter comes back, and I haven’t done what I have to do,” I paused, not wanting to finish the rest of the sentence.
“We have seen what that creature can do, dear. We know the risks… but would it not be more dangerous to split up? As long as you are here, you are safe from Malys’ prying eyes. Once you leave this house, she may know where you are, and learn of your intentions.”
I looked over at Valerian. “We’ll just have to be quick, then.”
“And unpredictable,” he added.
Helen stood up and looked carefully at Valerian, sizing him up almost. “Are you certain you can help find Winter’s Son? I would not allow you to leave on a fool’s errand.”
“I am part of a guild of hunters and trackers… at least, I was. If there are people in Windhelm who remember Amara, it means there are people in Lysa who remember me. Any one of my people could have caught wind of where he went. The trail may be cold now, but Moon Children aren’t exactly difficult to track once they get on the move. Someone could’ve spotted him when he first made his move.”
“Really?” I asked, frowning. “I thought they were great at keeping their tracks hidden.”
“They… uh, they howl a lot,” Valerian ventured. “It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it also announces their presence.”
I looked over at my grandmother. “I’ll go with him,” I said. “If Malys figures out what we’re up to, then she’ll have to come to Lysa to get us. I don’t think she’ll do that.”
“You don’t?” Helen asked.
“If we know anything about her, it’s that her spell is failing, and more and more people are rejecting her as their Queen. Her grip on her power is weak. If she leaves the throne for too long, her enemies will take it from her.”
“And you know that for sure…” Helen trailed off.
“I’m a Royal. I guess I know a thing or two about how the game is played. Not that mother ever had that problem, but she was alegitimateQueen, not an impostor.”
I could see her hesitation, her reluctance. Sending me and Valerian to go and look for Radulf was dangerous, and I knew it. We both knew it. We also knew I couldn’t sit around and wait for them to try to contact my parents, and we couldn’t all go chasing after my brother.
These were two separate paths unfolding in front of us, and we couldn’t take them both one after the other. We were going to have to split up if we wanted to see where these paths led us, and considering we were going to need all the help we could get to defeat Malys, we didn’t have a choice but to follow them both.
We needed my brotherandwe needed my parents. There was no guarantee we would accomplish either task, but we had to try.
“I don’t think splitting up is a good idea,” my grandmother said. “I can’t condone this course of action.”
“I’ll go with her,” said Gullie.
“What?” asked Melina.
“I’ll go with them to Lysa,” Gullie continued. “I can set up a telepathic link between me and my wife, we’ll be in contact the entire time. That way, if anything happens, we’ll know about it instantly. Plus, I’ll be able to make sure Amara doesn’t get into too much trouble.”
“Who says I’d get into trouble?” I asked.
“You’re like your mother. Trouble follows you.”
Grandmother Helen’s conflict didn’t seem to settle much, and Melina’s apprehension was clear. She didn’t want to be separated from Gullie, but judging by the look on her face, she also seemed to understand what was at stake.
“Alright,” Melina conceded. “You’re right. Amara could do with a babysitter.”
“Hey!” I frowned.
Gullie beamed, her little green body glowing brightly with excitement. She spun around to look at me. “Consider yourselfbabysat. Let’s get packed and hit the road.”
“Now, hold on just a moment!” said Helen, raising a finger of protest. “There’s much to discuss!”
“I’m sure there is, but we’re on the clock, and if we don’t head out now, we won’t make it to Lysa before nightfall. Right?”
