SWNOVELS Court of Ice and Ash: Chapter 21
He slapped the lintel post on my doorway. “You’re going to want to come. Quickly.”
I shot from the lumpy bed; half dressed. Since we returned from retrieving the refugees two days ago, I’d hardly stepped into the sun. In part because Ulf tried to cause trouble whenever we met. Another reason was to keep from falling into the stormy sea of Elise’s eyes. If I saw them again, I would not be able to let go.
I was already trapped enough.
With a fresh tunic over my shoulders, I hurried after Stieg. Tor and Casper already waited outside. Last I saw of Halvar and Junius they were tending to the ill raven guard. The woman had come to, but the healers of Ruskig kept her in and out of sleep the same as they had with me.
Fresh rain during the night sparkled over the vibrant grass but caked thick mud on our boots as we climbed the slope to the royal longhouse. A blast of boiled fish and wild vegetables struck when we stepped inside. The fire blazed. Folk drank from wooden ewers and bone cups. Around the fur lined dais, once again, a crowd huddled, deep in conversation with Ari.
His dark eyes found me over the heads of his loyalists. “Ah, the Blood Wraith. I thought you might come if you heard the news.”
I narrowed my eyes and took a step toward the dais. By his side, Elise studied me. New rowan leaves were braided in her frosty hair, painted bone decorated her bare neck. Thoughts of her fast pulse, the feverish heat of her skin under my lips came when I stared too long at the slender nape of her throat.
I was a fool. Hiding away in my tiny room, as if my very being did not demand I be near this woman. As if my distance was any kind of protection for her. Truth be told, I was starting to think I was more interested in protecting myself. Too many loved ones had been ripped from my life, and I could not stomach losing another.
“Come. Join us,” Ari said, beaming.
“What is this?” I asked.
“We’re discussing the arrangements.”
He was goading me into asking, and it worked. “What arrangements?”
“For the royal vows. The ceremony will be soon!”
My hands clenched into tight fists. I shot my gaze to Elise. “You did not agree to this.”
She lifted a brow, confused.
“Oh. Oh, I see. You’ve misunderstood,” Ari said, with a chuckle. “Although, I am confident Elise will come to adore me soon enough, this ceremony is not ours. The false king and the Kvinna Runa will be vowed at the next high moon.”
“Apologies,” Stieg whispered, patting my shoulder. “He made it seem like the royal vow would most definitely be here.”
Ari chuckled. “I found it rather clever and had an inkling the Blood Wraith might come running at that rumor.”
“Ari,” Elise said through her teeth. “You play dangerous games.”
“I play entertaining games.”
“By the gods, tell us why the vows matter?” Tor snapped.
“They matter a great deal,” Ari said as if we should be keen to whatever stirred in his mind. “This ceremony will be attended by nobles across the land. No doubt even those from different lands. Countless Ettan serfs will be forced to be there. It is our opportunity to show the world there is a new claim to the throne. And as my friends have pointed out—” he gestured to Mattis and Siv, “it is our opportunity to see what fury Castle Ravenspire is hiding. We’re going to take their Night Folk and their witch.”
“Their witch?” I looked to Elise. With a subtle nod she confirmed it—they wanted the fate enchantress.
“It will be a show of strength, but if we take their fury,” Ari said, “it will ensure Calder’s reign is short and we take back what was stolen from us.”
Murmurs hissed around the fire. Ari bore a wild sort of madness in his gaze. I wanted to mock him, tell him his plan was reckless, but by the hells it made a bit of sense. Royal vows would be attended by every noble household. If Ari wished to weaken Calder’s forces by killing off his high-ranking blood and taking any fae he had in his control, then it would be a perfect opportunity.
Ari adjusted the fur cloak over his shoulders and faced the circle once again. “There is work to be done before the vows. We need to alert common folk, serfs, and many of those we’ve called friends in the past to our intentions. We need numbers. There is no other way to say it. The false king has over a thousand ravens at Castle Ravenspire alone. Throughout the kingdom, the number will triple.”
“At least,” Halvar said. He teased a great deal, but no one would understand the strength and strategy of an army more than him. “But do not disregard alliances that have been made in distant kingdoms. We don’t know the true forces Ravenspire holds.”
Ari nodded his concern, one fist in front of his mouth as he stared at the flames. “A fair point, and another reason we must assemble our own.”
“But we must also get inside,” Mattis said.
“Yes. I think our best chance is using a bard and minstrel cover,” Ari said. “There are many jesters and fools called in to entertain such an event.”
Frey blew out his lips. “It will take planning and bribing.”
“Yes, and again, we will need numbers. So.” Ari clapped his hands. “We start where we know there are loyal folk. Elise and Mattis have already agreed.”
“Agreed to what?” I asked, my gaze drifting to Elise. She met my eye but turned back to Ari after a breath.
“To returning to Mellanstrad and recruiting those left behind since the coup. There are those loyal to Elise, not her family. Mattis has friends in the tradesmen. But so did Legion Grey, the merchant, as I understand it.”
Ah, the true reason Ari wished for me to join. He wasn’t wrong. While I built Legion’s reputation in Mellanstrad, I’d acquainted myself with wealthy folk, serfs, dock men, gamblers. All manner of the population. I’d wanted—needed—to be popular to be selected as the vow negotiator.
But would they stand with us? They were miserly, unskilled, and accustomed to serving others. I couldn’t say.
“How will they trust him when they discover all he’s done?” Mattis said.
“They will not know him as the Blood Wraith,” Ari said. “He will return as Legion Grey, the loyal, protector of their kind Kvinna.”
Siv cleared her throat. She never said much, and often avoided my gaze. In this moment, though, she stared unblinking at me. “I think it is a good plan, however, Legion appears . . . different than when he left. He is clearly Night Folk. We must come up with a reason.”
“Another fair point, dear Siverie,” Ari said. The king tilted his head. “Wraith, what do we tell them? If you agree to return, that is.”
“I will not be forced?” I asked. “Odd.”
Ari’s grin gave away his annoyance. “I have set my terms for your compliance. You know the consequences. But let us pretend you decide to go along with our impressive plan instead of pouting like a child. What do we tell them? Or would you rather I cut off the tips of your ears?”
“There is no great secret how I concealed my lineage,” I said, biting back a rush of anger. “Fury is how it was done, so that is what I would tell them. It would not be so hard to believe Night Folk would want to remain concealed in Mellanstrad.”
“It is strange fury.”
“Not my problem.”
Ari scratched his chin. “Are you saying you’ll go, or not? I don’t wish to stay here all night and there are plans to make.”
My gaze drifted back to Elise. This time she stood, returning a narrowed glare, and said, “Make your choice independent of me. I do this with or without you. I do not need your protection. Not any longer.”
Be honest with her, for once in your bleeding life. No mistake, I’d become a coward to the truth, resisting it until I pushed her away again and again. Affection and love led to leverage enemies could use. It led to pain. Elise was my agony.
If the beast, the unfeeling monster inside, were ever needed, now was the moment.
At my silence, Elise turned and abandoned the longhouse.
To those around us, they might not have caught the underlying meaning in her words. She’d released me from any debt I might have for her part in breaking the curse. She’d chosen this fight, independent of me. I’d promised her I would always protect her, even if I was not with her.
But she no longer wanted it.
Strange, but the idea of her no longer needing me, no longer wanting me, ached more than the arrow I took to the back.
Over the nights in Ruskig, vengeance had simmered to an annoyance.
The longer I remained here, the more my drive to battle against Ravenspire stemmed from Elise. A desire—a need—to protect her from it all. Ari was wrong. Elise was not a soft spot in my armor, she was the bleeding destruction of it.
I spared a glance at Tor and Halvar. They revealed nothing on their faces. They would follow whatever choice.
I lifted my eyes to the king’s throne, voice dark and low. “When do we leave?”