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From the narrowing of his eyes, he knew as well as I did that I wasn’t asking if he had seen anything. “Of course not, milady,” he said. “Had I seen anything of the sort, the culprit would’ve been killed where he stood.”
“I suppose that is the Nightfall way,” I said. “And you are a general.”
My acquiescence bettered his mood. He straightened up. “I am. Though these days, I am more of a peacekeeper.”
“No battles on the horizon?”
“The court has no enemies,” he said. He sounded almost wistful. “In times like this, my role is to keep our soldiers trained and prepared, and to develop new strategies for the continued growth and success of the pack.”
I peered at him. “I admit, General, that it sounds like you would rather be leading them into battle.”
“I cannot deny it,” he said. “A soldier is meant for the battlefield. As much as I am grateful for times of peace, part of me always longs for the simplicity of war.”
I hummed. Maybe that would be why the king chose Adora—to have full control over the moonstone resources, to fund a push into new territory. I could only hope Cyran was throwing his weight behind her as a candidate, as well.
Maybe that was a good reason for him to get rid of me. If the king was interested in me, perhaps it was easier for a war-hungry general to remove me from the equation.
We reached the doors to the manor. Fina and Adora were already waiting on the small patio that led out to the gardens, bundled in scarves and cloaks. Fina, as promised, had on a pair of fine white gloves of Adora’s. They both glanced up curiously when the door opened, and then nodded their heads in greeting at Cyran.
“Thank you for the escort, General,” I said.
“My pleasure,” Cyran said. He cast his eyes to the other two with interest. “Enjoy your stroll.”
16
The gardens were beautiful but bare in the winter cold. As soon as we began to walk, the clouds covered the sun, ridding us of the only respite we had from the freezing cold. I tugged my cloak tighter around my shoulders and tried to keep my teeth from chattering.
“Goodness,” I said. “I did think the sun would be out this afternoon.”
Fina looked up at the sky. As if on cue, fat flakes of snow began to drift down from the cloud that had just covered the sun.
Adora laughed. “It’s not that cold. Reyna, you may be the one who has to adjust to this.”
“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled. “I already miss the sunshine at Daybreak.”
Fina gave me a strange look. I swallowed. I was so comfortable with these two—it was like I had already told them my secret plan. But of course, I hadn’t. As far as they knew, I wanted the crown just as badly as Adora did.
In the cold air and the quiet privacy of the gardens, I found I wanted to tell them the truth.
“I’m really going to miss this,” I said. The words fell off my tongue.
“As am I,” Adora said.
Fina’s expression fell. “Me, too,” she said quietly.
I knocked my shoulder against Fina’s. “It really means a lot to me that you both wanted to be friends,” I said. “I never…” Embarrassment heated my cold cheeks. “At home, I didn’t have any friends.”
“What?” Adora asked. “But you’re so charming!”
“I was too busy being a Lady of the Court at home to make friends,” I admitted. “There wasn’t anyone of my same age or standing… And those who weren’t in the court referred to me as the Ice Princess.”
“Because you look like a woman of Starcrest?” Adora asked.
“Or were you a bitch?” Fina asked with a cheeky grin.
“Fina!” I said, then broke into a laugh. “I guess I was a bitch. My father asked a lot of me, even though he never wanted me around. When I was growing up, I was always trying to be perfect to win his approval. By the time I was ready to be my own woman, my reputation as being cold was pretty much done. Griffin is the only one who ever treated me as a person in Daybreak.”
“Griffin?” Fina asked.
