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Xavier didn’t cower but he did reply. “The king would have shown me favor.”

“We have no king,” Josslyn huffed.

“Don’t we now?” Xavier stated with a mocking grin. “If you are fleeing the capital, then that means he must have taken the throne as was the plan along, once your whore of a mother died.”

“You speak of Benoit,” Avera murmured. “You knew of his plans.”

“We are allies.” Xavier spoke proudly and it was a wonder Gustav didn’t take his head. Avera would wager he held back mostly because Xavier proved talkative.

“Who else has Benoit conspired with?” Josslyn questioned.

“Enough lords of standing that the bastard fleeing doesn’t even matter. She’ll never wear the crown and it’s only a matter ofwhenshe dies, not if, for we are everywhere, preparing for he who comes.”

Avera latched on to his words. “He who?”

“The master,” Xavier stated, using the same title they’d heard before but no name. “The master shall reshape the world, removing the weak, rewarding those of us who aided in his return.”

“Who is this master? Why help him? If you already own Daerva then what more do you expect to receive?” Avera wanted to know because this sounded like more than a coup.

“His name is not for the likes of you.”

“We’ll see about that.” Gustav lunged and grabbed Xavier by the shirt. Before he could pummel Xavier, the man slipped loose of his garment and ran for the forest.

Gustav took off on foot after him, but Xavier had the vitality of youth fueling his escape.

The old rook soon returned huffing and red-faced. “I’ll need my horse if I’m going to catch him.”

Josslyn put a hand on his arm. “We don’t have time to chase him down.”

“He’s going to tattle to Benoit about seeing us,” Gustav growled. “Not to mention he’s a stain upon this land.”

“Agreed, and one day he will receive his due, but right now, I’d say it’s more important we get the queen far away from here,” Josslyn suggested.

It took a moment before Gustav nodded. “Let’s get the horses and be on our way.”

Their mounts were quickly saddled, and soon they were galloping off into the night, the fire lighting the sky at their backs, their clothes and spirits worse for wear. Despair weighed on Avera. What could she do when it seemed they couldn’t trust anyone? If Xavier spoke the truth, then the conspiracy involved more than the lords in the capital. Just how many though? How many plotted the murder of her mother? How many wanted to see Avera dead?

Who was this master who inspired such evil?

She didn’t speak, none of them did, as they travelled in secret, scrounging what they could, the berries barely filling the gnawing knot in her stomach. The rabbit Gustav caught the next night helped but sleeping on the ground left Avera’s body aching.

The only good thing? They made it to the foothills of Fraegus Spire without further mishap. Once there, gazing upon the mist-shrouded mountain, feeling the chill that swept from its peak, Avera knew only one thing for certain.

“We’re going to need warmer clothing.”

And that meant entering the town at the base of the spire.

Was it any wonder Gustav growled, “If anyone asks, my name is Loki. Avera, you’ll be my daughter, June. Josslyn, you’ll be my other daughter, Lynne.”

“Where are we from? Why are we travelling?” Josslyn asked as they laid the groundwork for their new identities.

“We’re headed for Cliff Haven to help my ailing sister. We were waylaid by brigands who stole our belongings.”

“But not our horses? Brigands would take those first,” Avera pointed out.

Gustav grimaced. “Very well, a fire by my clumsy youngest when making dinner took our wagon. We only escaped with our clothes and steeds. Is that better?”

“Yes. It will explain our stench. Do we have coin to pay, though?” Avera asked.