Page 54

She had done no such thing. Baldr had never met the Lieutenant personally, as Ulf had recruited him, but he had passed her a few times in the barracks.

Brynna was a fierce warrior and an even more terrifying Lieutenant; she had done her job well despite her surprising alignment with the Kolbecks.

But he played the "frustrated new General" well enough that each lord had taken him aside at some point to inform him they had no idea the state of their army had been left in shambles and that they would support him in this time of rebuilding.

Taking a deep breath as another piece of his soul chipped away, Baldr settled into the role and opened the door to the new War Room .

The long table in the center of the room was the newly constructed map of Ahland— the borders of each kingdom had been removed as Helvig explained that as High King, there were no more separate kingdoms. At the head of the table, sitting in a black velvet chair, was the King.

His copper and honey-colored hair was braided back from his face to proudly showcase the new scar that he received during the invasion of the palace.

It had finally healed enough that the skin was unbound, the bright red center of the scar making him seem more menacing somehow.

On the King's hip was the Bone Dagger— its very presence making Baldr feel ill.

He learned that his Heir had given him the scar before Ulf had killed her.

Rather than go after Helvig as he retreated, the Heir had thrown herself in the path of a blade meant for the Lieutenant General.

She'd died to protect her sister. His chest tightened when he heard the story.

This Heir had been honorable through and through, and Baldr would have liked to have met her.

Sorrow for a woman he never knew settled in his bones, but the feeling settled in him wrong, like his very cells were rejecting the idea of grief for her despite his thoughts on her bravery.

"General, you're right on time," Helvig said graciously as he motioned for Baldr to sit to his left.

Baldr bowed deeply with his fist over her heart before taking his seat.

The rest of the lords had already arrived, their murmurs creating an uneasy buzz in the room that was hard to ignore.

The King's seemingly good mood could only mean that he had received some news he planned to drop on them during this meeting.

Across from him was a matching black velvet chair that always remained unoccupied during these meetings. Until now.

As soon as Baldr was seated, the double doors opened behind him again. Jonas, the King's steward, entered the room looking more pale and shaken than usual.

"Her Highness, the promised Queen Consort, Vilde Shadowheart," Jonas announced to the room, his voice stumbling over her name as the Elven he had encountered in the hall entered the War Room.

All the lords in the room remained seated for a moment too long as Vilde came to a stop inside the doors.

She was cloaked in darkness, that same black aura ebbing around her still form.

The delicately pointed ears poking up from between her snow-white hair became the least surprising thing about her.

Her black eyes were still devoid of any spark or warmth as she took in each of the seated lords, resting on Baldr last for a moment longer than he would have liked.

Today, she wore a deep red gown. The tight corset revealed her subtle curves before the rest of the gown cascaded to the floor, the sheen from the candlelight giving the fabric the appearance of dripping blood.

Long fingers were clasped in front of her, her skin that same pale tone as her hair but luminous as if moonlight somehow glowed beneath her flesh.

Baldr stood swiftly, bowing to the female who seemed to see right through his act.

The lords' hesitation, however, was punished quickly when the King forced vines to shoot out from between the cracks in the ceiling, wrapping around their throats and yanking them from their chairs until they stood on their toes.

"Show some respect for those more powerful than you," the King growled.

The lords, whose faces had begun to grow a deep shade of purple, nodded quickly. The vines quickly burned away when Helvig snapped his fingers, causing the men to fall to their knees as they coughed and spluttered.

Vilde cracked a small, vicious smile at the lords working to regain their breath. "That's more like it."

A shiver ran down Baldr's spine at the sound of Vilde's voice. Her tone was light and deceptively soft, too innocent to match the dead eyes that stared back at him.

She glided to the black chair in front of Baldr, running one icy hand over his shoulders as she passed.

Helvig reached out as she seated herself, spine straight against the tall back before he placed a chaste kiss on the top of her hand, but Vilde kept her focus on Baldr the entire time.

Running her eyes down his front before she met his stare again.

"Welcome to War Council, Vilde," Helvig said huskily, even as the Elven continued to stare at Baldr. "I'm so glad you could join us today."

Baldr finally managed to break the ice that had formed around his limbs as Vilde finally took her eyes off him to look at the King.

She nodded but said no more as she leaned back and crossed her fingers over her lap.

Helvig brought his attention back to the rest of the room as the lords settled into their seats again.

They all looked ill at ease with Vilde's presence, her shadows deepening the already dark room.

"It has come to my attention that the Kolbeck's have still not returned to their kingdom," Helvig reported to the room. "Their borders go undefended as long as the General remains separated from their armies. I say it is time to act— we march on Veter and dethrone Alva once and for all."

The lords all shared a look as they all seemed to come to the same agreement.

Baldr leaned back in his chair, pretending to be uninterested in their upcoming speech.

He knew what they would say; his efforts had not gone to waste these last few weeks.

He was buying the Kolbecks time to retaliate before it was too late.

"Your Majesty, the council feels it is not the right time to act," Lord Torben said, speaking for the rest of the lords. "Our armies are not prepared to take on such a feat as attacking the Kingdom of Rivers so soon after the traitor Lieutenant's schemes."

Helvig managed to stay relatively calm, surprising Baldr. Usually, it didn't take much for steam to start billowing out of the King's ears. But he only sat and listened to the council speak. Vilde merely watched Baldr's every move and reaction, setting his teeth on edge.

"Lord Torben, what schemes are you speaking of?" Helvig asked, his tone light.

"The state of your soldiers' training, Your Majesty."

Baldr decided to intervene before the lords revealed too much. "I've mentioned to you, Your Majesty, that the previous Lieutenant General's sabotage included weakening your armies. Most of my work has gone into retraining the soldiers to best serve you."

"Ah yes, my youngest's attempt to undermine me," Helvig chuckled.

"Regardless, the time to act is now. What we lack in strength, we make up for in numbers.

Vilde has informed me that the Kolbeck brothers are in the north; their forces will not be able to rally quick enough without their precious General and Heir of Rivers to lead them. "

"How do we know that the Princes have not arrived in Veter in the time it took for Her Highness to receive this news?" Baldr asked, leaning forward onto his elbows. "They may have returned by now. "

"I receive real-time updates to the General's movements," Vilde offered quietly. She did not raise her voice but rather forced the men to listen to her. "I've been able to track his movements, his emotions, his surroundings ever since he stepped out of his cell."

"May I ask how that is?" Baldr demanded of her, his patience running thin as she withheld information from him.

If she had been tracking Herrick, who else could she be monitoring? What else did she see?

As if she had heard his internal panic, Vilde's small smile grew as she held his eye. She knew what he had done, that much Baldr suspected. But if she knew, why didn't she tell Helvig?

"The iron band you placed on his neck during your… sessions is imbued with dark galder that I have created in my time studying old runic galder uses," Vilde explained, finally taking her eyes off Baldr to address the nobles. "Dwelling within the band is what I've taken to calling a shadow draugr ."

The temperature in the room seemed to chill as the Elven spoke, her shadows reaching out to envelope them all.

They slithered over the map of Ahland to each of the lords and Baldr in long ropes.

They were almost curious in their movements until a sharp and jerking pull from Vilde reigned them in before their cold touch could wrap around a lord's limb.

"The shadow draugr is a parasite that feeds off the victim's galder until it becomes more sentient," she continued.

"It slows their healing, restricts their galder , and whatever the shadow draugr takes from the victim gets funneled back to its creator— me.

Through the sacrifice of each vitki who did not withstand our galder retrieval procedure, the shadow draugr were born.

Right now, only the strongest of mortals can withstand the shadow draugr inhabiting their bodies.

If left to dwell long enough, the shadow draugr will wrangle full control of the mortal shells.

This continent is all the stronger for it. "

Baldr's stomach soured as nausea rose in his throat.

Their sacrifice , Baldr seethed, disgusted. They were innocents .