Page 44 of The Nightbound Soldier

“They who?” I ask.

“The Winter fae.”

Ledger snorts. “The Winter fae who are no longer in Aamako’s favor because they traded the loyalty to their king for the approval of the now-dead prince regent to build beyond their borders. Am I right?”

Leroy shrugs. “Don’t know yet.”

“I’ll find out,” Ledger answers. “But first, why do we care?”

“Because Skylander dragons have been spotted in the Fallen Court,” Leroy says.

“And?” Ledger throws up his hands, seemingly losing patience with the conversation.

“Because,” I answer, wondering what’s bothering Ledger, “Leroy thinks dragon activity means the dragons are reclaiming that land.”

Leroy chuckles. “Actually, General, only you would see power plays at that level. All I was thinking is that Skylanders dislike intrusions and there’re at least two spots I identified as possible nests near those towns. If any of those dragons is a female, she will incinerate the towns.”

“So you want to warn the fairies of an impending dragon attack?” I ask.

Leroy shakes his head. “They already know. They’re preparing an offensive.”

“We will stop the offensive. I don’t want the fae starting a war with the dragons.”

“Why not?” Ledger pauses. “They’ll kill each other. All the better for us. When the undead magic wielder comes into her own, she’ll raise them and have a fucking dragon army.”

“Ledger,” I say in a warning tone. “A fae who wields undead magic and dragons could destroy the world. This time around, I would prefer if we coexisted in harmony with the living because now, we have a kingdom. A kingdom with a power vacuum, but a kingdom nonetheless. The dragons are keeping to themselves in the same way Aamako is. We will keep it that way.”

“What do you want me to do with the traitor settlement?”

“Bring them back into the Winter Court.”

The brothers exchange looks.

“As fairies?” Leroy asks, his eyes flashing red in anticipation of sucking the fairies dry of magic.

I roll my eyes. “Guess.” He knows better than to ask. His orders are clear. “Once the town is empty, seek an audience with the Skylander in the area and tell her the town is empty. She will burn it down so nobody returns, and we will settle the matter of expansion without casualties.”

“Brilliant,” Leroy says.

“Thank you.” I bow. “Then turn toward the Spring Court, find whichever traitors are hiding there, and invite them back into the Winter Court. We shouldn’t hunt in foreign territories. Remember that.”

“The fae won’t come,” Ledger says.

“The Summer princess is here. They’ll come.”

Leroy snaps his fingers. “Just like that.”

“That’s correct. Her magic is like a vortex, pulling in all the boats in the vicinity. They want to steer away, they know they should, but they can’t. The boats will arrive. They can’t help it. She’s the reason the Summer Court attracts so many crowds. Even the dragons attend.” She’s incredible.

“Boats?” Leroy asks.

“Analogy,” I answer, pulling the soldier from my pocket. I roll the toy over my knuckles. “Although, don’t be shocked if lycan boats try to break through the ice to get here. They follow her like puppies.”

Ledger stops in front of me, looking like a little girl whose dad got her a donkey instead of a pink unicorn. “I might have conversed with her.”

“Uh-oh,” his brother says. “Bad Ledger. The general said no looking or talking or sniffing around the flower.”

“The flower?” I repeat. “Did you call her ‘the flower’?” Nobody besides me gets to call her that.

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