Page 31 of Dance of Kings and Thieves

Raum was the eyes at the stempost, guiding the ships forward through Kase’s shadows. The youngest Kryv joined us. I was as surprised as Ash when Kase asked the boy and Hanna to join the ranks. Hanna sailed on the second ship with Ellis, her brother, Hob, and Inge, while we sailed in the lead ship with the North royals.

There’d been a somberness in our farewells. Even if we all behaved as if this was merely another scheme of the Nightrender, deep in our hearts and heads, we knew this was the beginning of the end of our kingdom.

Whether we rose victorious or fell into the Otherworld, the East would never be the same.

For two nights we kept an agonizingly slow pace. No matter how many times I sailed across the Howl, I was convinced my stomach would never grow accustomed to the endless rocking and dipping in the swells of the black water.

I understood the need to move forward carefully. No mistake, Ivar would have countless Watchers on the Howl, skirting around the sea prisons, simply waiting for us to fall into their nets. We’d also need to dock on the rocky shoreline in the northernmost fjords, then take the hills to Felstad. The position added an extra night to the journey.

“Gods. Be gone.”

I turned to Ari’s lament. The Northern Ambassador waggled a rope on the mast. Near the top, a raven shrieked at him before flying off into the night.

A raven on the sea?

I snickered at his look of discomposure, trying to ignore my sour stomach. “Afraid of a little bird, Ari?”

He glared at the sky, searching for the creature. “Not at all. Butthisraven is following me. Can’t shake the damn thing. And how did it fly clear out here?”

“Might’ve come from the prison islands. They’re small, but have a few trees, I suppose.” I wiggled my fingers and groaned like a spirit. “Or it could be an omen of the gods.”

Ari did not seem amused. At least he tried not to be, but the twitch of a smile was there in the corner of his mouth. “Ravens are the wise companions of the Father of Gods. Since I am the wisest on the ship, I shall take it as a good omen.”

“You do that.” I gasped and pointed at the sky. “Gods, it’s back.”

I laughed, loud enough a few eyes turned toward us, when Ari jolted and looked to the sky.

“Amusing, Queen Malin.” He ran a hand through his golden hair. “Truly, I’ll be laughing until I bleeding die.”

A swooping dip of the ship over a swell wiped the grin off my face. I left Ari to watch the darkness for his raven and dug through one of Tova’s leather pouches searching for more mint leaves. Only when Kase slept was I able to sleep. Tonight, he stood at the stem with Isak and Raum, speaking softly and planning the course.

“I have some special herbs that help with the motion if you’d like.” Startled, I whipped around. Herja smiled and proffered a small fur pouch. “It’s made from moonvane. A bloom native to the North, but one with powerful properties. It’s what we use when we travel the Fate’s Ocean.”

I let out a breath of relief and snatched the pouch from her hand without a second thought. Inside, roughly crushed silvery petals dotted the bottom.

“Place it beneath your tongue.” She demonstrated, sprinkling the petals into her mouth.

A silky, earthy taste coated my tongue and throat, but almost straightaway the slow drip of petals soothed the ache in the pit of my gut.

“Thank you,” I said, handing the pouch back.

“Keep it.”

With the chaos of building an army, I’d spoken a handful of words with Hagen’s lover. We were, in a way, sisters. Even still, a tumble of nerves tightened my chest.

“How is your little one handling the journey?” I asked.

Herja glanced at the mound of furs beneath the canvas canopy at the bow.

“She is resilient. The idea of bringing her into our battles is a constant worry on my shoulders.”

“I do not want her near danger,” I said softly, “but I am glad I was able to meet her.”

“There will be many more days to get to know her after this fight is done,” Herja said. The words were spoken with conviction, but there was a bit of fear beneath the surface. The slight quiver in her tone meant she was speaking the words to be hopeful, as if she wouldn’t accept anything less.

“I look forward to those days. And she will be safe in Felstad. The Kryv have lived there for turns. It is well concealed.”

The truth was we all knew the journey from the ships, to Limericks, then onto the ruins of Felstad would be dangerous. Add a child who’d never faced knives and death the way Hanna and Ash had, and the risk increased.