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“Their name is Ora,” I hissed.

“A human is a human,” Evres said with a shrug.

“What exactly does Nero want in exchange for the safe return of Ora?” Grae asked before I could retort, putting particular emphasis on the word “safe.”

“Ten thousand crovers,” Evres said.

“Done,” I blurted out. We had ten times that much sitting under the castle—a trove the Silver Wolves clearly didn’t know anything about. The ransom was a lot of coin but surprisingly reasonable. I wondered if Nero was truly so desperate for more gold that he’d make such a low offer. With trade cut off and humans fleeing, maybe Damrienn was falling apart.

“I wasn’t finished,” Evres replied with a chuckle. He cocked his patronizing head at me. “Ten thousand croversand...your father’s inauguration crown.”

I gasped at the same time Grae snarled. Even Ingrid couldn’t hide her surprise. There was no reason for Nero to want my father’s crown except to gloat. I mostly wore my mother’s crown, the size fitting my head better, but my father’s crown sat atop a velvet pillow in the Olmdere grand hall. It was a symbol, a memory of my father, and a beautiful relic of my ancestors, and I knew Nero would use that symbol as a show of his power against us... but symbols weren’t going to save Ora’s life.

“Agreed,” I muttered.

“Wait—” Grae said, but I shook my head. I’m sure Nero had a reason for wanting the crown, but it was a symbol, not the actual mandate to rule. Whatever he thought the crown meant was nothing compared to Ora.

Evres smiled. I didn’t have a choice and he knew it. “Excellent.”

Ingrid gestured between us. “And where exactly will this trade take place?”

“You wouldn’t invite your Silver Wolf neighbors to Taigoska?” Evres mocked, his eyes dancing with delight as he watched Ingrid squirm. “No, we’ll make the Olmderians do the traveling, hey, Ingrid?” The wink he gave Ingrid made achill run down my spine. “Mount Achelon. Your castle there straddles the border of Taigos and Damrienn, does it not?”

“It does,” Ingrid conceded. She seemed more than a little relieved at the location in the Stormcrest Ranges, so far from Taigoska. “Splendid idea. I will host the trade there on impartial territory.”

Evres hummed. “Good.” He looked at me, his moonlight eyes cutting straight through me. “If you send word now, a wagon of gold should be able to reach there in the next week.” I didn’t reply, just stared at him coldly. “I’ll see you then, traitor.”

“And we’ll seeyou, whelp,” Hector said.

But the insult—usually fighting words for Wolves—didn’t faze Evres. “Whelp, eh?” As he turned, his body twisted and dropped, shifting with impressive speed into a Silver Wolf. He stepped forward and shook off the rest of the cloak. His silver fur matched the gleam of his eyes, his ears and snout tipped in midnight black, his paws nearly white as if dipped in snow. He was far more stout and muscular in his Wolf form. I made a note that he’d be much harder to outfight in our furs. I prayed to the Moon it wouldn’t come to that. He gave us one final look from those bright crystalline eyes and then turned and ran out the far archway of the hall, leaving us all staring at each other with hesitant expressions.

No, definitely not a puppy. And I hated that Hector had spoken out of turn.

My stomach dropped as Evres howled in the distance. I turned to Hector. “Send word to Olmdere. Ten thousand crovers and my father’s crown.”

“Calla.” Hector rocked back on his heels, his face strained. “Are you sure you want to—”

“Listen to your Queen.” Grae pinned Hector with a vicious look, a quick sidelong glance to Ingrid indicatingnot here.

Hector’s cheeks flushed as he bowed and left. I tried to ignore that little interaction, that slight crack in Hector’s faith in me, the way he immediately obeyed Grae.

“Mount Achelon is a good location for a trade,” Ingrid assured me. “The peak is too steep for a large force to attack. I’ll send guards there now to be on lookout. We will only permit a single Damrienn carriage up the mountain.”

“Regardless,” I said. “I’m going to need more information on the mountain and schematics of your property there.”

“Yes. Yes.” Ingrid rose on weary legs and waved me off. “In the morning.”

Her easy dismissal made me shrink another inch. I wished they would all respect me for the ruler I was, but more and more I was beginning to realize the only way to get through to Wolves was by force.

Well, if Briar had been raised for this aspect of politics,Iwas raised for force.

Sadie

The rich scent of spices hung in the air as we rode into the town of Sankai-ed. Every street and path was covered in tented tan linen, the entire city buried under fabric to keep cool from the sun. Already, the city was much less scorching than the deserts of Lower Valta, but it was still warm enough to make me sweat, especially with the throng of bodies.

Sankai-ed seemed like any other trader town, the markets lined with goods from every corner of Aotreas. Inns and taverns dotted the busy squares. Most people didn’t even bother glancing up at us as we rode through the crowd, despite my bruised face and hands tucked behind my back.

“How could a wagon even navigate through this place?” I asked, craning my neck up to the labyrinth of thin fabric above us. People leaned out windows and shouted from rooftops. Smoke swirled in the air so thick it obscured some of the pathways. I was already completely turned around.