Chapter 36 – Neve
NEVE
The rebels had transformed the dining hall into a place of pure joy and dancing.
Getting the Fr?r Crown had gone a long way in helping our reputation at Valrun Castle. But it had been saving Tanziel’s face from the venom eating through her skin that had made the others want to include us. Tonight they even spoke with the vampire sisters, laughed with them.
The gryphons and pegasi helped a bit too, I suppose.
I chuckled at the memory of Thyra and Thantrel returning to Vitvik on pegasi, each with smug smiles on their faces. The others in their cohort had followed them on gryphonback.
The eight beasts had quickly crowded most of my team out of Lord Riis’s office. Caelo and another faerie named Halladora had stayed behind and performed a vast amount of glamouring on the creatures to make them look like horses.
They’d then ridden the glamoured mounts through the crowded hallways of a brothel and tavern below. Surely those in Vitvik would talk of that night for many turns to come.
As those in Avaldenn would gossip about the prince and princess who robbed a coinary. Stars, we’re becoming notorious.
Poor reputation or not, I had to admit Thantrel’s idea of “borrowing” the pegasi and gryphons from his father’s castle was brilliant.
Both creatures could fly with fae aback, and their wings weren’t as sensitive to the cold as ours.
It made small missions and runs into villages and towns for supplies far easier.
As was obvious by the vast quantities of good ale and wine procured from a village before this celebration. One we sorely deserved after getting the Fr?r Crown, which I’d been all too happy to immediately hand over to Thyra.
The Fr?r Crown made me uneasy, and I’d been interested to see if Thyra would have a similar experience. She had not, and that gave me pause in sharing what I’d seen in the vision.
Why had it shown me a vision and not my twin?
Did it speak to the Falk who touched it first?
Could it be as simple as that? Though my questions resonated inside me as valid, not sharing this information troubled me.
Thyra was my twin. Had we grown up together, I was certain there wouldn’t be a secret between us.
My heart ached, for that wasn’t the case.
Is a loving relationship with her the price I must pay for saving Anna’s life? I wondered, and not for the first time. Magic had brought my best friend back to life after Prince Gervais tore out her neck, and I was all too aware that I had yet to pay for that miracle.
“Your wine, my love.” Vale appeared at my side. He’d gone to get wine ten minutes back but had lingered over there, distracted by Luccan and Arie, all of them watching Thantrel trail Thyra.
“Thank you.” I took the dented silver goblet. The rebels had brought out the finery for the occasion. “Has Thantrel had any luck?”
“She hasn’t commanded him to go away.” Vale cocked an eyebrow. “Than is likely taking that as a good sign, but I’m not so sure that’s the right way to think about it. Perhaps Thyra is just very grateful for the gryphons and pegasi.”
I didn’t know what to think about my twin’s actions either.
Since their comparatively uneventful mission in Bitra, of which I was incredibly envious, Thyra seemed to have warmed to the youngest Riis.
As Vale said, she wasn’t banishing him, or even sneering at him, but she also didn’t smile or actively invite him into conversation.
“Her being mean to him might be better,” I said softly. “Her current actions give him hope.”
“It’s difficult,” Vale agreed, pulling me close and kissing me on the temple that bore my scar. “Especially when his brothers are finding their own loves.”
In the crowd, fiddlers and flutes played, and a few rebels performed jigs that were nothing like the dances we’d danced at court.
One satyr in particular was going wild, prompting smiles all around.
These raucous, enlivened romps made my heart sing.
The other two Riis brothers had taken to the dance floor, and Anna appeared to be enjoying herself with Arie.
Among our friends, only Clem looked a touch nervous.
I chuckled when Clemencia caught my eye. The sheltered merchant’s daughter was being exposed to a whole new world. One that she’d never bargained for. Though when she beamed at me and then turned that breathtaking smile up to Luccan, there was no doubt that she was happy to be here. With him.
“Your sister is coming,” Vale whispered in my ear.
I tore my gaze from Clem and Luccan to find Thyra was indeed approaching from the right. She cast a glance over her shoulder in a way that hinted she might have just escaped Thantrel.
And she’s seeking me? Interesting.
“Neve. Vale.” Thyra came to a stop beside us. “Are you enjoying the celebration?”
“I am,” I said. “It seems like everyone else is too.”
Thyra’s face softened. “They deserve it. For so long we’ve been out here, surviving well enough, but I’m well aware it’s not a life most would choose. They only do it so that one day the kingdom can heal.”
“Here’s to that.” Vale lifted his goblet. I toasted him, as did Thyra, though with less enthusiasm than me.
We drank, and as I lowered my goblet Thyra locked eyes with me. “Can we speak in private out by the Drassil? I don’t mean to pull you from the party for too long.”
“Of course.” I kissed Vale on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
I left with my sister. The moment we stepped out of the dining hall, I cocked my head to the side.
Was it me, or were the Drassil’s leaves a brighter purple?
There were certainly fewer leaves on the snowy ground than usual.
I wanted to think the tree was healing, but it was just as likely that someone had swept, and the moonlight was playing tricks on my eyes.
Above us, the night sky was painted with jewel tones of green and purple. The colors danced together, undulating like waves and sweeping over the stars. I smiled, for it seemed that nature was celebrating us as well.
“This is my first time seeing the lights in Winter’s Realm,” I murmured. Out of all the nine kingdoms in Isila, the lights were best viewed here, though I had seen them twice out my window in Sangrael.
“Here, when the lights appear, we say that Brae is painting the sky.” Thyra stared above, her eyes, often so serious, lighting up for a moment. “They never get old.”
“I’m glad that I’ll be able to see them more.” I dragged my gaze away from the beauty above and looked at my twin. “You wished to speak?”
Thyra cleared her throat as she met my eyes. “I never thanked you for getting the Fr?r Crown, and then handing it over.”
My head tilted. “Did you expect me not to?”
“I . . . wasn’t sure.” She shrugged. “But thank you. I’m not any closer to understanding its power.” I braced myself for her to ask if I had any idea what the magic of the Crown could be. However, Thyra surprised me again when she extended her arm.
I gripped her forearm, and she gripped mine in return. It was the most touch we’d shared since finding one another again.
A lump rose in my throat. “When I was at Frostveil, I snuck into the hidden part of the castle. The part that does not abide by Aabergs or their supporters.”
Thyra stared at me, probably wondering where I was going with this.
“One time, I stumbled into our mother’s old rooms. It’s where I got the jewels I told you about.”
“The ones you were going to sell. Fates, alive.”
“I won’t do it. Promise.” I laughed. “But did you know that our mother painted?”
“I didn’t.”
“I saw them. She painted portraits of her family, including one of us as younglings. Our backs were to the viewer, but we held hands, much like this.”
Thyra’s grip on my forearm tightened.
“The moment I realized it was me in that portrait and that I had a twin, I so wished to find you. To hold hands with you again.” I stared down at the connection between us, tears pricking my eyes, halting me.
Thyra sniffled, though when I looked up to see if she was crying, she was not. There was, however, an openness to her I’d not seen before. “I would like to get to know you better, Neve. If you’ll allow it. If you can see past how I’ve acted.”
My jaw dropped. “I’d like that, but I have to ask, are you only saying that because I’m being sappy?”
“Not at all. I’ve been thinking about it for days.
” One corner of her lips tugged up. “Anyone with half a brain would understand that if you were working against me, you would have kept the Fr?r Crown for yourself. And you wouldn’t have helped Tanziel as you did with that venom, nor acted so bravely on your mission.
I’ve watched Tanziel’s recording many times.
Your heist was far more dangerous than mine.
” She shook her head. “All that said though, I have to admit I’m split minded about siding with your mate.
Having Vale and his friends could be a boon, but is your mate truly settled with the idea of bringing down his father? ”
Despite her doubts, warmth rushed through me. I’d been waiting for Thyra to take a step closer to me, to accept me, and it was finally happening.
“He says we’re mates, and mates always choose each other.” The moment the words were out of my mouth, I wished I’d thought them through more. After all, Thyra was rejecting her mate.
She didn’t seem to care though. “What if imprisoning him isn’t enough?
What if we have to kill King Magnus? We’d be kinslayers, and while others would look down upon us for that, I can live with that label.
Can you, though? Can your mate?” She paused.
“And what of the queen, the prince and princess?”
That gave me pause. In no way would I condone harming Saga. The queen either, for though I did not trust her, there was also something about Inga that made me think I did not know her whole story.
Rhistel could be tossed in the Shivering Sea and eaten by kraken for all I cared, but it was more complicated for Vale.
He might not like his brother, but they were twins, and I was just beginning to understand how deep that relationship could delve into one’s heart.
We might be able to spare Rhistel if he went into exile. I simply never wanted to see him again.
And then there was the king.
Thyra had no idea that Vale shared Lord Riis’s blood, and truly, it didn’t matter. For most of his life, he’d considered Magnus Aaberg his father. I had no doubt that while he disliked his father and much of what he’d done, there was a sliver of love for the fae somewhere in Vale’s big heart.
Her mention of kinslaying made my skin crawl. In the hearts of most fae, none were as cursed as the kinslayer. King Magnus was our cousin. No one could deny that.
I can live with killing him, though. I’ve survived far worse than gossip about what other people think of me.
“I don’t want to harm Saga or the queen, and as for Rhistel, well . . .”
“They’re twins,” Thyra said. “I expect emotional conflict there. The rebels can easily bend on the princess and queen as they exhibit far less power. We can probably negotiate on Rhistel too, if he is stripped of power, but Magnus has done too much, Neve. He’s responsible for so much pain. No one can defend him.”
When you sat at the top, you were responsible for it all. Good or bad. And King Magnus wallowed in the bad.
“You’re right. I’ll make sure Vale understands the worst might come to pass.”
“Good. The White Bear won’t go down easily,” Thyra said. “Which brings me to my second reason for pulling you aside—I want to search for the Ice Scepter now. Have your scholarly friends found any information on it?”
“Arie and Duran,” I reminded her of their names. They’d gone with her to Bitra. She should remember their names by now, but then again, Thantrel might have been monopolizing all her brain power. He did have a knack for attention-stealing. “No clues have cropped up.”
“Well, your scholars have been resigned to your annex but starting tomorrow, they can have free rein in the library. And your weapons will be returned to you tomorrow morning.”
My jaw slackened. The rebels accepted us. For me, that meant a lot. For Vale and the Riis brothers it was more complicated—though as I spied Luccan and Arie, still dancing and happy, I thought maybe it actually wasn’t. Perhaps they were pleased to be part of the movement that changed the kingdom.
Maybe they—I gasped as Luccan fell to his knees. Though I couldn’t hear the scream leaving his lips, his face contorted in pain, and I saw the panic ripple across Clem’s delicate features as she knelt next to him.
“Thyra, I have to go!” I rushed back into the dining hall and headed straight for Luccan.
When I arrived, Clemencia held him tightly, tears running down her face. Vale, Anna, and Arie beat me to him, and Thantrel arrived as I did. In the time it took me to run to them, Luccan stopped screaming, but he was still panting, his eyes wide.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Something broke inside me. A snap, like a bone cracking, but in my heart. Fates it hurt.” Luccan gripped his chest. “I think someone has attacked my magic. A gateway.”
“What?!” Arie shared a wild-eyed look with Thantrel. “The one in Vitvik?”
Luccan shook his head. “Not that one. This connection felt further away. I’m fairly certain that a gateway in Avaldenn is gone. The one in my house. They all have a unique sensation, and I can feel it better now that the shock is less.”
Clem rubbed his back as the rest of us exchanged startled and pointed looks.
“Few things can destroy a gateway,” Luccan continued. “Which is why when they’re destroyed, the maker—if they’re still alive—feels it.”
“Many people witnessed us run to your home,” Vale spoke softly. “The king might have had it investigated, and he has ample resources.”
“Agreed.” Luccan rose. He did so without help, so I stood back, watching him. When he stood again, he brushed himself off and said with calm fortitude, “This changes any plans we might have to move about the kingdom.”
“It does far more than that,” Arie murmured. “It marks our house as traitors to the Crown of Winter. The realm, as far as most fae are concerned.”
My heart gave a hard thud as the danger I’d put my friends in grew ever larger.