Shadow Heir

That mollified him slightly, and when we told the Hemlock leader—whose name turned out to be Orj—our decision, I got the impression their group had also been having a similar conference for traveling procedure and defense. So, we all set off together, the air heavy with wariness but also with a sense of solidarity. There was comfort in numbers.

We spoke little to our new companions at first. When we settled down to camp for the night, a bit of the tension lifted. Each group offered up food, and there’s something about a shared meal that encourages friendliness, particularly among the gentry with their strong ideas about hospitality. The soldiers in our group—though always on guard—had the easiest time bonding. When your life involves constantly being shuffled to new situations and fighting with those you don’t know, I think it becomes easier to make friends where you can.

Unsurprisingly, each party contributed its own people to the watches. Mine was later in the night, and as I spread out my blanket near the campfire, Alea—the woman with the falcon—came and sat beside me. The bird sat on her shoulder.

“Spots is surprised you aren’t sleeping with him,” she said.

It took me a few seconds to dissect that statement. First, I realized Spots must be the falcon’s name. Then, I thought she meant the bird wanted to sleep with me—until I saw her gaze on Dorian.

“Ah,” I said in understanding, staring at the opposite side of the fire. Dorian caught my eye and smiled. I quickly looked back at Alea. “No.”

“Isn’t he your man?” she asked curiously. “It seemed like it from what I observed today.”

I didn’t recall Dorian and I doing much more than our usual chatting while traveling, but maybe others saw things I couldn’t. “He used to be,” I admitted. “But not anymore.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Why ever not? He’s very attractive.”

“He is,” I said, a bit more wistfully than I intended. “And smart and powerful and resourceful.” I thought about it a moment more. “And kind.”

The bird made a couple of clicking sounds. Alea tilted her head to listen and then nodded. “Spots says he sounds like an ideal mate and can’t understand what your problem is.”

I laughed. “It sounds like Spots has a lot to say about romance.”

She shrugged. “He sees things we sometimes miss. Often, his view of the world is much simpler than ours. That’s why he has trouble understanding your comments.” She murmured something to him that sounded like squawks, and the falcon flew off into the night.

“I guess because it’s not simple,” I said, trying not to look at Dorian again. “We had some disagreements.”

“Everyone has disagreements,” she said dismissively. “Only fools think otherwise. And only fools allow their pride to hinder reconciliation, especially in these times.”

The bitter note in her voice wasn’t lost on me. “Has your kingdom suffered a lot?”

“Yes. It’s the only thing that would drive us to this course of action.” She stared off into the night, face filled with anger and frustration. “I’ve been to war, you know. And nothing I saw there matched the horror of children starving and freezing to death. Or of entire villages being slaughtered by monsters from the frozen reaches.”

I shuddered. “We’ve seen that too.”

She sighed. “I don’t like bending the knee to Varia. But I like seeing my people and king suffer less. So. Here we are. As I said, only fools refuse to put their pride aside.”

I said nothing right away. Even without talking to Orj or the others in the Hemlock party, I’d picked up on this same angry vibe—people pushed into a corner and out of options. Traveling with them was good for us because it ensured we’d get straight to Varia’s capital. Yet, I also wondered if some other good might come out of it. I’d have to tread cautiously, though.

“Have you ever thought of any other options?” I asked. “Like not giving into her?”

Alea glanced back, irritation in her dark eyes. “I already told you. It’s not worth my kingdom’s suffering.”

“No—I don’t mean bravely refusing and letting the blight go on. Have you ever thought about openly opposing her? Rebelling? Attacking?”

She didn’t answer, and I couldn’t read her thoughts. “Have you?” she asked at last. “It doesn’t seem possible.”

I was careful not to directly answer the question. “Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe it would depend on how many people were willing to work together against her.”

Various emotions played across Alea’s face, as though this was a debate she’d had with herself many times. A resigned expression fell over her, and I suspected she’d reached the same conclusion she had countless times before, the one that had led to this path.

“No. The stakes are too great.” She rose abruptly to her feet. “Forgive me. I’ve delayed your sleep too long.”

She stalked off to her own blanket without another word. I curled up in my own, more exhausted than I realized. Just before I fell asleep, I opened my eyes and caught sight of Alea. She sat on her blanket, staring at the fire, pain and indecision all over her.

Chapter 18