Page 135 of Season Warriors & Wolves

An older gentleman slowly reached where Cai and I stood and put a string of white beads on my hand, closing my fingers around them. “With courage, my queen.”

“And if I lack it?”

“I’ve never known you to lack courage. Why start now?”

I nodded and held onto the beads tightly until I felt the skin under the smooth stones mark red from force.

Silence rippled over the crowd, and I stepped forward. “I thought and hoped to never gather you here for what I am about to tell you. I had hoped we’d left wars and battles behind. So I had thought. And I had thought wrong.”

Expectant silence pushed me to continue. “There is war ahead of us, one that was already started long ago. But this time we are not alone. There will be night again, but night will be by our side. There will be frost, but frost will be by our side, too. Most of you have already fought against my father once and I cannot ask you to fight against him again. Our young are too young and our old are too old. Our chances against what my father prepares might leave us with no chance at all. But till my last breath I swear to keep him from this land and keep you safe. And with my last breath, I vow to never let my father threaten it again. I come today to break my oath and ask you the favour I swore to never ask. To fight my father again.”

Lila shot up from Cai’s arms and ran toward the crowd, in Tristin’s arms. “There was no fight, my queen,” she said, hoisting her daughter up. “No battle or war. The Night of Draugr was slaughter. For our people, for those we lost that day in Myrdur, this will be their justice. We’ve waited a long time. We’ve hid for far too long.” The Skye Commander bowed her head and her soldiers followed suit. One by one, the rest of the crowd followed. When silence rippled, the wind quietened with them.

Bile rose to my throat, realising I’d just asked my people to give their life for this and they had just accepted. I had hoped…hoped they would ask me to destroy all, to use what I was and do what I wanted to do. Instead—

Cai’s comforting hand landed on my shoulder and then air entered my lungs at the calming speed he dictated. “Breathe.”

“Olympia could hide.”

My friend shook his head. “We’ve hidden for far too long.”

“They don’t have to fight this.”

“You said this was a war started long ago. And it has. Now we get the chance to end it.”

“I can end it.”

“Not without it ending you.”

I turned to him, eyes pleading. No words were spoken, but he’d learnt to read all the words I never spoke.

The vein on his brow ticked and he took a step closer, anger rippling through his face. “Whatever that means, it better be some sort of joke, Snowlin.”

A small hand tugged at my dress, and I looked down at Lila, reaching to hold her up as she was asking. Her little finger trailed a long line on my forehead. “Don’t be sad, auntie.”

“What do you know, kid. The hells do you know.”

Lila put a hand over my mouth. “That’s a bad word.”

“We all might be going there soon, so strap your flowery boots on.”

Cai snatched her from my arms. “Alright. I think auntie Snow just needs to fucking calm down for a moment.”

“That’s another bad word, uncle,” Lila murmured, glancing at Tristin who was glaring daggers at us.

Cai noticed the Skye general and almost threw her child back at me. “Have to go, Cakes. They are expecting me back.”

“Coward,” I snarled when he quickly portalled away.

Tristin took her little girl back and glowered at me. “You have that look in your face.”

“What look?”

“The same look that has me doing three stacks worth of reports.”

I flicked my hand back. “You know I never read those.”

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Who are you after now?”