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“And you didn’t care for it, I see,” Fell replied sarcastically. “I didn’t quite care for it either, but I didn’t think you would show up here demanding my head.”

“You are a liar and you will pay, Dryhten. I’m here to see to that.”

I scanned the army spread out before me in disbelief. Stig had led these soldiers all this way? They must have marched ceaselessly for the past three weeks.

“You and the army you brought with you, eh?” Fell called back down. Laughter rippled through his warriors.

Stig gestured behind him. “This army is here to see to the peaceful transition of power once I gut you and put your head on a pike and take control of the Borderlands.”

This was met with several boos and jeers from the wall.

Fell held up both arms, bobbing his hands and gesturing for his warriors to be silent. It took several moments for the warriors to quiet down.

“I don’t think my warriors are in support of that, Captain.” Fell gave a mocking shrug of regret.

Stig continued, “You thought we would believe you. Dragon, indeed,” he scoffed. “You murdered her, and I’m here to make sure you die for it.”

I flinched.Murdered her?

Murdered...me?

He was talking about me?

Clearly, he had received Fell’s message that I was taken or killed by a dragon and had reached his own conclusions. Was this what my family thought? My parents? My sisters? Did they all believe me dead?

“Stig!” I shouted down, waving an arm. “What are you doing?”

Stig’s gaze whipped to me. His eyes widened. “Tamsyn!”

“What are you doing?” I repeated, shaking my head in disapproval. I waved at the army behind him. “You brought an army?”

He didn’t take his eyes off me, merely called my name again, as though struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. “Tamsyn!”

I sighed. “Yes. It is me. We have established that. Now, what are you doing here?”

His eyes narrowed. His shoulders squared. “I’ve come for you. To avenge you.”

I shook my head. “Well, as you can see, I am not dead.”

Stig’s gaze then flew to Fell. “He was telling the truth?” He said the words as though they were the most incredulous, impossible, unbelievable thing.

My gaze followed Stig to Fell.

My husband shrugged and nodded. “So you can see you made this long journey for nothing. Now why don’t you turn around and go back home?”

I exhaled an exasperated breath.Men.

“Fell,” I chided, sending him a glare before looking down to Stig and his waiting army. “Open the gate!”

THERE WAS NOforce on earth that was going to keep me from Stig’s arms.

Yes, he had just brought an army to the gates of the Borg with the intention of putting my husband’s head on a pike, but he had done it for me. And he was my best friend. Family. It was like having a little bit of home again, a little bit of the old normal. And I couldn’t help but long for the familiar comfort of that when life was anything but normal these days.

The three of us gathered in Fell’s personal library.

I felt my husband’s gaze on the back of me as Stig folded me in his arms, his warm breath fluttering my hair. I stepped away, eventually, and sent Fell a wary look.

His face was impassive, staring at me with eyes as unreadable as stone. And yet I felt the inexplicable impulse to apologize.For what?Hugging a friend? I lifted my chin a notch, trying to look confident, calm. Casual.