Page 95 of Storm of Fury
“Again?” Tormund flashed him a grin. “Can this damsel not get out of his own way? And you never know, Marduk might enjoy being mated.”
“Árdís says we need to protect the treaty between Rurik and Harald at all costs. But we also need to bring Marduk home.”
“Why?” Tormund slowed at his cousin’s tone. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s news.”
This time, he wished he’d brought his damned sword. “What kind of news?”
“You were right. There’s trouble on the wind. Sirius arrived just in time. There was an attempted uprising within the court, and thedrekiinvolved refused to surrender. They almost managed to get their hands on Malin.”
Sirius’s pretty little wife?“What happened?”
“Sirius killed them,” Haakon replied grimly. “All of them. But Árdís said one of them tried to kidnap her. He told her that the queen wanted to repay the debt she owed Árdís.”
Tormund stared at him stupidly. When he’d spoken to Sirius, he’d only been half convinced, but there was a trickle of ice running down his spine. “Amadea is alive?”
Haakon raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. We were all there when we saw her body burned. We all saw Sirius kill her. But somehow…. Árdís thinks she can sense Chaos magic within the court, and if it’s not coming from her….”
The only otherdrekiwho’d been able to control the dangerous magic had been the queen.
“Could she have used her magic to somehow… linger in some sort of spirit form?” He knew little enough about Chaos magic, but he’d seen thedrekispirits haunt the horizon in flares of vivid greens and blues.
“I don’t know.”
“What are you going to do?” He knew his cousin. Haakon would be determined to return to Árdís’s side to protect her.
Haakon tipped his head. “I’m going to insist you get dressed. And then we’re going to go fetch our precious prince, because I need someone who can fly me home.”
* * *
“You have my payment?”Bryn asked, one hand resting nonchalantly on the hilt of her sword as she stood in front of thedrekiprincess.
Solveig tilted her head. “Bold of you to demand such from me, when you betrayed me.” Her eyes narrowed. “I would almost admire the gall if I wasn’t facing a difficult dilemma right now.”
“I merely helped Tormund deliver a message to your father,” Bryn replied. “A simple job. Like the one I performed for you. The one you promised would grant me a certain reward.”
Somehow Solveig managed to recline in a chair as if she was sitting on a golden throne studded with precious jewels, surrounded by a floor littered with the skulls of her enemies. It must be adrekitrait to be able to instantly command a room not your own.
“You argue likedreki.” Solveig smiled and nodded toward a pouch. “But I did give my word. The rest of the gold is inside.”
“I don’t care about the gold,” Bryn said.
Solveig gestured to the small lacquered box beside the pouch with a mocking little twist of a smile.
Bryn opened the box. Inside was a single sheaf of parchment, signed by her enemy’s hand. Finally. Her greedy eyes traced the sloped letters, relief filling her as she realized the words were exactly as Solveig had promised. She couldn’t quite hide the tremble in her hands, nor keep her lungs from catching.Everything was here. Everything.“How did you manage it?”
“Róta owed me a debt. This was how she was to repay it.”
It couldn’t have been that easy.
Róta covered her tracks well, and she had to know this confession could be used against her.
Bryn met the princess’s eyes. “My sister is battle spawned. Neither threat nor coercion would have worked, and she is no fool.”
Solveig’s eyes grew distant, as if she pictured the past. “Adrekiis a patient foe. And your sister owned but one weakness, which was mine to exploit.” Her smile grew dangerous. “And so, I did. A heart is a treacherous beast, betraying its owner at the most inopportune of times.”
A man then.
