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Large enough to seat twenty, the royal box was painted in swaths of blue and gold, House Aaberg’s colors. A selection of cheeses, fruits imported from the Summer Isles and the Elven Kingdom, breads, and cured meats were spread out on a table before the king. Three bottles of fae wine awaited, each one rare and expensive.

Below, the semi-circle playhouse spread before us, empty, the seats a royal blue. Above, the great dome was painted deep gold save for the middle, which was enchanted glass. The glass dome allowed theatergoers to take in the starlight on a clear night but didn’t allow in daylight during earlier shows. The curtain spread across the stage, a red waterfall that contrasted with all the blue.

Rhistel and Father were the only ones present, both holding goblets of wine. If I dressed to minimize embellishment, Rhistel did the opposite. He, too, wore Aaberg royal blue with gold embroidery, though his gold artistry covered his entire jacket as well as the tunic beneath. His pants were simpler but clearly made of fine fabric. Father also wore our house colors though his sense of style lay somewhere in between mine and my twin’s, a regal, slightly understated balance.

“About time,” Father said when he saw me. “Take a seat.”

Rhistel said nothing, just looked out over the seats below and at the stage. That suited me as well as it did him.

“Now,” Father said after I settled into my seat next to my brother. “Have you seen anything of note since we last spoke about the Scepter? Rhistel?”

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees to better see Father.

“Not a thing. I even had a drink with Lord Balik as you requested, Father. He seemed normal, as did his magic.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You had Rhistel questioning Tadgh Balik?”

Father gave a single nod. “I’m considering wedding him to one of the older daughters of the southlands. His pick.”

I thought of Baenna and Eireann, the eldest daughters and most likely to be considered for such a match. They were Saga’s close friends, but as they were also Sian’s sisters, I’d spoken with both many times over the turns too. Though both ladies were not too young, around twenty-five turns, and well educated, which Rhistel valued, I couldn’t picture either of the Balik ladies with my brother.

Then again, I couldn’t imagine my brother married toanyone. He didn’t invite that sort of union. The Courting Season we had held not long ago had proven that.

Differing from a Courting Festival in the sense that during a Season,Rhistelheld all the power, but he hadstupidly used that power to choose no bride. During the current Festival, however,Fatherheld the power over who would marry who. Not just for his own children, either, but for the entire kingdom.

Save me, of course, though I wasn’t about to rub that in when the king was not being negative about Neve. At the moment, anyhow.

“I was going to bind you to one of the Balik ladies, Vale,” Father added, likely noticing that I was deep in thought. “After all, their house heir is your squire, so you’re already bound to the rulers of the southlands. Tightening that knot seemed wise . . . lucrative . . . but then you took matters into your own hands and upended my plans.” He snorted. “Alas, I’d rather have the Baliks in my grasp than not.”

“Because you think they hold the Ice Scepter? Or other reasons?” I asked.

Rhistel rolled his eyes. “Do you really care, brother?”

“Of course I do. Why would you assume otherwise?”

He turned his gaze on me, a twin to my own. “You’ve been so preoccupied with your bride; I figured that matters of our house mean little to you.”

I swallowed. My brother and I had many differences. At times, I flat-out despised him. But looking into his eyes, I could tell that this was a rare instance where he was being real—vulnerable. He wished for me to care about our house, and in a way he was right. I’d done a poor job of showing that in the last week.

“I care,” I assured him. “And I’m sorry that now the responsibility of securing alliances falls on you and Saga. Ido not regret marrying Neve, but I regret that you have even less choice than before.”

For a moment, my twin stared at me until his face relaxed and a slight smile bloomed. “I suppose I could do worse than a Balik wife. They are both quite attractive.”

“As if that matters.” Father frowned. “Alliances do not require attraction. That’s what harems and whores are for. Now, back to the matter at hand. If Tadgh Balik is showing no signs of deceit, nor a marked increase in power, then we shall move on to Lord Riis. I still have reasons to suspect him.”

“I have been dying to know what those are, Father,” I said. “Truth be told, I see none, and he doesn’t even have the bloodline to use the Hallow.” I nodded to the door. “Not to mention, he was just in our box. So you trust him in some regards?”

“Should I not speak to my spider, that would only raise red flags,” Father replied. “Plus, he is handy. Lord Riis is trying to find Warden Roar for me.”

“And?” I pressed.

“No sightings. He has not retreated to Guldtown. Nor has anyone spotted him on the Queen’s Road.”

“The storms have been bad,” I mused. “Perhaps he’s holed up in a small inn?”

“Or he has found Riis’s spies and paid them off,” Rhistel added. “Do not dismiss the depths of House Lisika’s pocketbooks.”

Never. The great house of the western territory had always been the wealthiest in Winter’s Realm. Their mines supplied much of the kingdom’s gold and, thoughthey’d been mining them for centuries, never seemed to run dry.