Page 101 of Skyshade
Poppy and Terra might have done something out of vengeance, she thought. But no—she had already wrongly accused them of murder before.
“Why would anyone attack Nightshade? How would they even get access?” Almost the entire island was surrounded by reefs, making it nearly impossible to reach by boat. Cleo’s fleet could only anchor to the north. She supposed the perpetrators could have flown, but it was a long journey, and the Skylings were peaceful people. There was no need to start a war between realms, not now.
“We’re not sure. We just have initial reports, we’re working to get more witness accounts.”
Isla nodded. Good. “Are we going to the town?”
He looked at her. “Do you want to?”
“Of course I want to.”
She turned to the dresser and began putting on a new set of pants, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt. A bath would have to wait.
As she made to put her hair up, however, Grim said, “You should stay. Get cleaned up; I will take care of it.”
Isla froze, fingers still against her roots. “You want me to stay?”
“You didn’t sleep last night.” He brushed his lips against her forehead. “Rest, heart. I’ll be back soon.”
Then, before she could protest again, he was gone.
Isla’s eyes narrowed at the door. There was something he wasn’t telling her.
She slipped into the hall. Keeping to the shadows, she followed him all the way to the throne room, where his legion waited. Just before he entered, Astria stopped him at the doors.
Isla pressed against a wall around the corner, far enough not to be sensed but close enough to listen.
“Yes?” Grim said, even more gruff than usual.
“More witnesses,” her cousin said. “They’re all saying the same thing, ruler.”
“They’re confused. They don’t know what they saw.”
Astria was silent for a few moments before she spoke again. Her voice was resolute. “Is that what you’re going to tell them to say?”
Grim made a sound like a growl.
“They’re reliable witnesses. Previous soldiers. They are certain in their accounts.”
“And what, exactly, are they claiming they saw?” Grim demanded.
“A Wildling, coming up from the ground. Leveling the town with power they have never seen before. Pulling bodies straight into the dirt. Suffocating them.”
Isla wasn’t breathing. A Wildling attacked a town on Nightshade. A Wildling with power they had never seen before. None of her people had power like that, at least that she knew of. She supposed they could be hiding it, but to what end? They were happy here.
It was the traitor. She was still out there.
“They saw her, ruler,” Astria continued. “Their description matches her exactly. One of the witnesses has seen her in person, at the court. He confirmed it.”
Her.
She meant Isla.
Her blood went cold, then boiled. How could Astria accuse her of such a thing? Did the fact that they were family mean nothing to her?
Grim’s voice was a growl as he said, right in Astria’s face, “Are you accusing my wife of destroying a town?”
Astria did not back down as she said, “She’s done it before.”
