Page 67 of The Crown of the Last Fae Queen
“But she’s in a relationship with Agnarr,” she said. “He must have shared something with her.”
“The two of them are together … romantically?”
“Yes. They’re mated to one another.”
“Mated?” He tilted his head to the side as if that would help him hear better, or understand better. When she didn’t elaborate, he lifted a dark brow. “What does that mean?”
“They did the Bryllup ceremony together. I guess it means they’re … together.” Her face flushed at the thought of what the ceremony meant for the fae, and what it meant for her and Blár. She whirled around until she was facing the fire, and she spread her hands out to warm them, but mostly to keep him from staring at her for too long. “Apparently, that makes us …”
He was quiet for a long while. “Mates?”
“I suppose so. It’s a fae thing, I guess,” she mumbled, casting a furtive glance his way. “Anyway, Agnarr and her are together in that sense and she’s?—”
Carrying his child.
But the words wouldn’t come out. For some reason, she didn’t want to reveal that vulnerable piece of information about the fae female.
“She’s …?”
“She’s …” Kolfinna placed her hands on her own belly, as if that was enough to tell him what she meant to say without saying it.
Blár stared at her and then at her hands. “What, Kolfinna?”
“I … don’t know if I should say it. It’s just a hunch of mine.”
“What is?”
“I think she’s … carrying …” The words burned her tongue and guilt twisted her insides until her stomach cramped painfully. Revealing Freyja’s truth meant that someone could injure her unborn child, or take advantage of her vulnerability. She didn’t think Blár could do such a thing, but what if Blár told someone who then went on to hurt the fae general? She had a bad feeling about the whole thing.
Blár watched her carefully. “She’s pregnant.”
She cringed.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Does your father know?”
“I don’t think anyone does. At least, nobody acts like they do.”
They both remained silent for a moment longer.
Kolfinna cleared her throat and crossed the distance to where he was, and sat down beside him.
“I can try to talk to her before she leaves. Maybe she’ll open up to me? Most of the generals are actually, sort of, nice to me. Or at the very least, polite enough.” She was already formulating a plan. “If I can’t get anything out of her, I can also try Floki, and maybe even Vidar. Lately, he’s been opening up a bit more.”
“Kolfinna, it’s dangerous. These people, these generals, may seemkindto you”—he said the word like it revolted him, but also perplexed him—“but they are incredibly dangerous people. Do you know how they found Bernsten’s body in the battlefield after that male fae was done with him?”
Kolfinna hesitated, unsure if she wanted to hear more.
Blár levelled her with a cool stare. “He was torn to shreds. Limb by limb. And his head was put on a spike at a tower of the headquarters. It’s still rotting there.”
A grotesque image filtered in her mind. She hadn’t known Commander Bernsten, Sijur’s father, but she wouldn’t have wished that kind of death on anyone. Nausea curdled her stomach.
Agnarr had done that? Her first impression of the golden-haired male fae had been that he was brutish and intimidating, so she shouldn’t have been too surprised. She had to remind herself that the fae armies were cruel, and the only reason they treated her reasonably well was because she was Vidar’s daughter.
“I can do it,” she said after a moment. “They don’t trust me, of course, but I’m in a unique position with them. I can try to find more information. Please, Blár, let me help.”
He didn’t seem to like the sound of that, but he only sighed and nodded shortly. “Fine.”
The cogs in her brain were already spinning and grinding. At least with a plan, there washope. She felt like she would go mad if all she did was sit here and worry about the future. About whether it was right for her to side with the humans. She still wasn’t sure if she was making the right choice, but if Blár was in charge, she could imagine a future for the fae and humans.
