Page 100 of The Princess of Nothing
“I did tell you before, I’m invested in your future. For now.”
“You still haven’t told me why.”
He tapped the side of his nose. “For now, we will focus on reclaiming your throne. Destiny won’t show us who will take the crown, leading me to believe it could go either way. You must kill your cousin and his right-hand man, General Frost.”
Shockwaves rippled through me. A conversation from over a year ago resonated in my mind. Morgana had told me something about frost.
“Frost,” I said slowly. “Why is that important?”
He shrugged.
Morgana squinted. “My foretelling.” Her thick eyebrows knitted together. “Remember, I told you, you’d rule when frost fell. Sometimes the messages aren’t always clear. I assumed it would be the weather, perhaps snow in Berovia, but this makes sense. He’s the man who protects Edgar. He relies on him for everything. Winter...” She leaned across the table, her eyes bigger than ever. “He’s a dangerous man, a skilled spellcaster, a fighter. He will not be easy to take down.”
A knowing ran through me. “If all it takes is killing him to seal my fate, then I will make sure he falls.”
“You’re barely seventeen!” Morgana exclaimed, her expression laced with fear. “You will not be fighting. Someone will kill him, yes, Adius perhaps, or another, but not you.”
Licia whipped his head to look at her. “She will need to fight. She’s the commander in chief.”
She shook her head. “There’s no way. She can stay behind. She’s too important. If Winter is killed, there will be no queen.”
“She has to.”
I sighed. “I’m right here,” I said. “Licia is right.” My nose wrinkled. “I have to be leading the army. They need a leader, and I am her. I know you want to protect me. My goodness, it’s all you’ve done since I was a little girl, but I’m queen now, Morgana. I must take risks. It’s my responsibility.”
Tears crowned her eyes. “I always knew this day would come, but you’re family to me, Winter. If something were to happen to you... When your brother died, it hurt. I’ve been there for you both since you were little. We can’t lose you too.”
I grabbed her hands and squeezed her fingers. “I promise I will do my best not to die.”
She half-smiled. “We will place the strongest protection spells on you.”
“Not again.” Licia crossed his arms. “You’re not using that magic for her again.”
I had no clue what they were talking about, but I’d never seen anyone talk to Morgana that way.
“She needs the strongest magic we can find,” she replied. “I can handle it.”
I didn’t like the way she looked at him. “I need to go,” I said, visibly confused. “Cedric will probably be worried. Let me know if anything else happens.”
“Winter!” Cedric ran into the banquet room, his eyes wild. The three of us stood, and goblets knocked over onto yesterday’s newspaper. “They’re here. Edgar is here. They’re coming, in the thousands. We had men at the ports to intercept them, but there were too many. They marched to Fairmont. The fields beyond there, Adius has soldiers ready.”
My heart palpitated, and my vision hazed. My shaking fingers gripped my staff. The time had come to fight. I looked around desperately for Blaise, but he was nowhere to be seen. I spotted Lucien over by the tables.
“Tell Blaise they’re here!” I shouted at the young prince before rushing out of the throne room with Cedric and Morgana.
