Page 40 of Court of Wolves

“Marszton is surrounded on all sides,” he murmured, not surprised. It was the last bastion of Aethean strength; of course Vassal’s bitch queen would want to conquer it.

“They say it’s Vassal soldiers, but I’m not stupid. No army conquers this quickly,” Anzhelika said, leaning over to inspect the papers he’d brought with him. His bag was full of them.

“No,” he agreed. Invasions like this tookdecades.“This is old, dark magic.”

“Son of a goat fucker,” Anzhelika hissed, snatching the newest paper from him. “They got Kraeva too? How the fuck did they get up to Jakahr?”

“Marched through Venhaus?” Isak guessed, looking at the new country to be conquered. “Or maybe she filed all her soldiers onto a ship, who knows?” But that was a whole new kingdom invaded, where dark, twisted saint magic spread through it.

It’s advancing faster than I expected,Viskae said uneasily.Within a fortnight there’ll be nowhere left in the whole Saintlands that’s safe.

Yeah, Isak was beginning to think that.

“We’re surrounded,” Anzhelika murmured, putting the paper back down so they could see the horrifying spread of red across the continent. “They’ll come through the Aethers to Sainsa.”

“We could flee into Felis,” Sunny suggested, frowning at the map. “They haven’t reached there yet.”

“It’s only a matter of time,” Isak said, dragging a hand through his hair. Shit. Having all this resting on him was a little too much fucking pressure. An old box and a saint of mistakes against the end of the known world. It was a joke. “V’haiv would be a smarter choice.” The saints had never quite conquered that kingdom before.

“Will you come with us, if we run?” Sunny asked, concern knotting her dark brow.

He shook his head. “I’ve been a coward most of my life. I might as well die doing something brave.” He cracked a grin. “Give people something to write ballads and legends about.”

He shovelled the last of his food into his mouth because 1) he’d struggled for food for too long to waste it and 2) one couldn’t expect to break into a fortress stronghold on an empty stomach. And then he stood, packing the newspapers back into his bag. He left the newest one on the table; stealing from friends was bad manners. “I’ll leave this here today, is that alright?”

“It’s a single bag,” Anzhelika drawled. “I doubt the clutter will kill us.”

Isak rolled his eyes, grabbing his coat off the back of the sofa. “Well, I’d better be off. Holds to storm, boxes to find, maidens to rescue. You know how it is.”

“You’re not going alone,” Anzhelika huffed, rising too. “Wait here, I’ll get dressed.” When he opened his mouth to argue, shespoke over him. “Unless you know some martial art shit with that cane, you should be accompanied by someone who knows how to use a weapon. Only dumbasses commit heists without a sword.”

She had a point. He knew how to wield several weapons thanks to his training, but he wasn’t exactly in possession of any. Unless you counted the darkness within him.

“Well, if you insist,” Isak agreed because he’d appreciate backup, or at the very least someone to witness the spectacular death he was destined for.

Wow,Viskae remarked.Aspectaculardeath? That’s ambitious. Judging by the rest of your life, I’d expect a mediocre one.

Don’t be a dick,Isak retorted.It doesn’t become you.

“Doesn’t this seem a little odd to you?” Sunny asked, still sitting at the table, her expression open and curious. Isak tried not to resent her but it was clear she’d never known suffering a day in her life. Not the way he’d become so well acquainted with it, he could call pain a lover.

“What?” he and Anzhelika asked at the same time, both of them turning back to the table to peer at whatever Sunny had seen.

“Look.Vassal. Venhaus. Jakahr. Lower Aether. All the conquered areas are right by saint circles.”

Isak remembered the sickly wrongness that had seeped from the circle in Venhaus and shuddered. Remembered how he marched people onto the island and slit their throats over a stone slab. He turned away, a shaky hand over his mouth.

He’d seen the spread of the army conquering land and hadn’t considered that the saints now had access to more than one circle. All the things they’d done with asinglecircle…

Or had they always had access to the circle at Thelleus; had Queen Ismene given them that one first?

If they’d had two before, they now hadfour.

“Not to be completely alarming,” Anzhelika said with a little laugh, using a sharp fingernail to draw a connecting line from one saints' circle to the next. “But don’t these things form a circle across the Saintlands?”

Isak stared, cold crawling across his shoulders, and he realised this was bigger than him. A circle formed of ancient stone formations. A circle of circles.

“Shit,” he breathed, turning back to the table, letting his eyes skim across the map. “They’ll come for the others. They want to complete the circle.”

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