Page 6 of Autumn Queens & Shadows

But the maybes faded away pretty quickly.

The Isline queen had finally struck inside my own walls. That did not bother me as much as the fact that she’d managed to get her followers so close to my castle. Near my family. Snow and her children had been sitting not even a few feet from where the arrow had struck. A thought that had me shoot up to my feet. If her soldiers were now disguising between mine—

“You’re thinking of doing something irrational, I know that particular look,” Oryn commented, bringing me out of my daze that had somehow ignored time. It was dark outside when it had been bright just a second ago. How long had we sat in my room for?

“To me it looks rather well calculated and rather delayed,” Elias added, sending me a look. Fight ice with ice, he’d told me five years ago when Sigurd Krigborn had died. Iskyla will not be gentle like wind. Why be wind?

Oryn sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Thora, you have handled this situation thus far with far too much precision to be swayed and act impulsively at this moment.”

My bedroom doors swung open, and Snow stood there, a deep frown etched in her forehead. “What is that you don’t want her to do? I’ll do it.”

Sam walked up to me, his little face that he’d inherited from his father scrunched up a little at my dress before his ever-composed face slipped back on. “My condolences, aunt.”

“Condolences alright,” my sister scoffed, crossing her arms. “How did that bitch get someone so close to you?”

“Ma,” Sam quietly warned, taking a seat by the window, staring at the approaching night.

Snow blinked a little. “Don’t tell your father you heard me say that.”

“Heard you say what?” Kilian asked, coming from behind her, his daughter’s strange doll in his hand. He didn’t leave her side, not a step or a full breath away unless it was for their children.

Nia pushed into the room just after him and gave me a tight hug. “I’m really sorry for your loss, Thora.”

I wasn’t. Not as much as I should be. The idea that I had to marry an Isjordian man to be perceived as more of an Isjordian never settled well with me. And the fact that I could only garner my people’s respect by sitting a king next to my throne even less. Frankly, Erik’s hand and power in Isjordian diamond trade never had boded well with me either. He was rich, filthy rich, and coin could practically buy you anything in Isjord.

Kilian’s brows jerked up and he bit a smile back before Snow noticed it—he knew my truth and was trying to respect the fact that I didn’t particularly want it to be known. Was I even trying to hide it?

“Let me solve this,” Snow said, all threat and menace.

Nia stepped forward, “And involve not only Olympia and Adriata, but a guardian too? Do you know what that means? Are you ready to fight a holy war again?”

“Holy war?” my sister asked, her gaze sharpening. “They touched my family. There will be no holy war. Only unholy slaughter.”

“There is power that lays restless in Islines,” Nia said, shaking her head. “Unleashed, it could do as much damage as Aurora did. This is why the other Krigborn are so fearlessly tempting us. Uncle Sigurd warned me, he was fearful that this would happen. This was why he held onto this life so hard after he fell sick, he knew what would happen once he’d die.” She turned to me. “There are many other Krigborn who will claim the same as Iskyla, it will be never ending. This has to settle somehow. Without involving war.”

“What war exactly would it be?” I asked, filling myself a glass of wine. “Would it be a fight to protect Isjordians or enslave them? They certainly don’t feel the need to be protected as they see Iskyla as a possible monarch, not a threat. And do I wish to enslave?” The sip of wine tasted almost like water from the bitter words that I spoke. “I promised peace and prosperity. They do not want peace and prosperity. They want what Iskyla is willing to give them. Exalt. True Krigborn exalt led by wars and claims of power that echoes through the realm. They constantly fear now that their military is merely decor for our borders, they feel anxious that I don’t call their children forward at sixteen to have them stripped of humanity so they can serve me blindly and fanatically, they are displeased that I offer their women education and not allow them to marry their daughters off at merely fifteen. They think me weak—”

“That is not true,” Elias said.

I turned to him. “Then tell me, Lord Venzor, why so many men wish to see me gone?”

“Ten years is a short time to adjust to such new rules when they’ve abided by the old ones since the dawn of time. The new generation raised by your rule will soon come into power.”

I set my empty glass down. “Maybe I should just get rid of all the old. It will make this move quicker.” My eyes flashed at the idea of lining them all up and painting my white gardens red. Smiling, I added, “You all need to loosen up. Was just poking a little fun.”

Snow looked disappointed, but the rest were relieved.

Filling a glass of water, I kneeled before my sister. “How is my little niece?”

“Nephew, apparently. Visha confirmed it last night.” She swung the water down and then grabbed my hand to place it over her rounded stomach. “And he is feisty.”

“I can see,” I said, laughing when little movement grazed my palm.

“Should you be smiling like that on this very grey day?”

The room went abnormally quiet, and I froze at the sound of that voice I thought I’d forgotten until today. My smile slipped away when I lifted my attention to the door, at where he stood leaning against, a glass in hand.

Not all had changed apparently.