Page 41 of Heart of Fire (Royal Ice Dragons #3)

HANNA

Honor was in the playroom, surrounded by the children. I stood in the doorway and hesitated, though I could feel Dare and Zehr standing behind me, judging my reaction.

Jaik, Branok, Lynx, and Damyn had left to do work—probably bloody work—but Caldren and Arren sat with Honor. Arren was rocking the baby on his shoulder, and she was falling asleep despite all the commotion. Caldren was deep in conversation with Lysander and Briden, whose young faces were heavy with responsibility that he was obviously trying to lighten.

“Hi,” I said, taking a step forward, and suddenly Dare was at my side.

Kasia shied away from me as if she were scared of me. For a second, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe, even more so than I did when we shadow traveled.

But it was all right. It wasn’t her fault.

Dare’s fingers slipped around mine. I hated the thought that they had been traumatized.

Honor rushed to hug me. She was watching the children as she hugged me as if she wanted them to know that they could trust me.

“I’m sorry,” she told me quietly, as if she had seen what I just saw. “Thank you. This could have been so much worse?—”

“I wanted to see them, I know that they are okay. But if it’s worse for them—” Pressure was building up behind my eyes.

“No, everything is all right.”

She called each of the children over, and it was a relief to see that each one of them was alive and well. I didn’t know what had happened in that room, and I gave Dare a wide-eyed look.

“Walk with me,” Honor told me, taking my arm.

Kasia cried and tried to cling to Honor’s skirt, and Caldren scooped her up, smiling at her. My heart still wrenched.

Honor steered me out into the hall. I cast a glance back at Dare over my shoulder, knowing how uncomfortable he must be, but he just gave me a faint smile and nod of encouragement.

“Everything is all right,” she told me warmly. “Don’t be upset.”

“Don’t be upset?” I echoed, my voice ringing distantly in my ears, as if I had never quite recovered my hearing after those blows to the face.

“No one’s hurt,” she said, and maybe that was true for their little bodies, but I was sure they were hurt in other ways.

“I was so afraid that she was going to kill you,” I said. “And I know…it’s not nearly as important…but she told me she was going to say these terrible things to you, so you would die thinking that I betrayed you and that I never loved you—” My voice broke.

Ginelle’s plot felt even crueler because sometimes I did have complicated feelings toward my sister. Though I always loved her. That wasn’t complicated.

Nothing was complicated, either, about the way Honor folded me into her arms, hugging me so tightly as if I were just another one of her traumatized children.

“Hanna, I never would have believed her. I would have known.” Honor gripped my shoulders as she pulled back slightly from the hug, directing her full, bright smile at me. She sounded so confident, though I wasn’t sure how she could really believe that. She must have seen my skeptical look, because she went on. “I know things aren’t always easy between us. It’s not supposed to be for sisters.”

I let out a laugh that sounded shaky.

“But I always love you, and I always count on your love,” she told me.

“What about my plans? Can you count on my plans?” I was trying to switch our conversation into territory that was more comfortable for me.

“I have a feeling I’m going to hate them,” she said, but she gave me that irresistible Honor smile. “Come on. We’re not going to the war room tonight…I want these kids to know that they’re safe to lay in their own beds tonight, but we’re going to do our planning in the hallway so that they know that we’re right there.”

“I don’t think seeing me is going to help,” I began.

“It will.” She squeezed my arm. “Xera realized something was wrong, by the way. She was up—doing something she won’t confess to, but that I’m sure I will discover to my horror in the future—and saw Ginelle in the nursery.”

“As…Ginelle?”

She shook her head. “She realized something was wrong, that it wasn’t you. So she grabbed Briden, and together the two of them tried to get all the kids out. Xera was last, and Ginelle grabbed her before Briden could come back for her.”

“They could have all been…” My voice faltered on the possibilities.

“They weren’t,” she said firmly. “And now I’m going to get them all little commemorative plates. Baby’s First Assassination Attempt !”

“You’re not funny.”

“I’m a little funny. Anyway, you’re going to hear the story a million times, Xera is extremely proud of herself.”

I nodded.

I wasn’t sure what Honor saw in my face, because she softened as we stopped at the door back into the nursery wing. “Hanna,” she said, quietly and tenderly. “You saved them. Everything’s all right.”

I nodded, trying to believe it.

When we walked into the nursery, it was the kind of pandemonium I would’ve expected from my nieces and nephews when they were overtired. They mobbed Honor to hug her goodnight.

Lysander hugged me, another one of those manly quick hugs as if he were uncomfortable with it; Kasia was right by his side, staring up at me with big, fierce eyes as if she might have to kill me. It was an alarming way to be looked at by a five-year-old.

“To bed.” Damyn said sternly, sounding so commanding that it always made me think I should probably head toward my pillow.

As Honor’s men started trying to chase the children back to bed, Honor sat cross-legged, leaning against the wall of an enormous dollhouse that had to be worth a small fortune; magic illuminated each room inside. “I know you have a plan I’m going to hate, Hanna. But I would rather allow it than have you avoid me.”

She leveled a severe look at me that I was pretty sure she’d learned from Damyn.

“Oh, it’s a plan you would love if you were the one doing it,” I said. “But everyone would know you . No one knows what Ginelle looks like. She’s supposed to be meeting the Lord, who is the priest of their House of Restoration nonsense, and the rest of these lunatics for some special ceremony. I’ll go—you know I can do my makeup so no one can recognize me, if they even would—and present myself as Lady Ginelle. We’ll find the identities of everyone involved. Simple!”

“Simply a good way to get yourself killed,” Honor returned.

“You would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Not now.” She shook her head. “We could take our time rooting out these fools and not risk any lives.”

“I can’t, Honor.” My voice had gone very soft. I couldn’t get myself to stop pacing, and Dare hovered right behind me, his face frozen. “Please don’t ask me to see my family in danger both on the Isle and back in the Ice Kingdom and to just…wait. Let me protect you.”

Honor’s face softened. “You’re my little sister, Hanna. I don’t want you to protect me.”

“She always is,” Dare burst out, and Honor looked up at him, her lips parting. “She’s always protecting you, and somehow none of you realize it, even though you’re supposed to be so clever.”

Talisyn, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened, his arms folding over his powerful chest.

They didn’t like it when anyone yelled at Honor. But Honor just held out her hand to Tal, who came and held it as he stood beside her.

Honor smiled at Dare. “Tell me more.”

“Don’t,” I warned him.

Dare shot me a look, his jaw tight. “Why won’t you let anyone see you, if you’re going to forever be so angry about not being seen?”

“Dare. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.” His voice was harsh. He turned back to Honor, his posture taut. “I hope you can see she’s not a little girl anymore. She’s an incredible woman—a hero—our hero. I’m sure you mean well, but you sound so condescending when you talk to her. She’s given up everything to protect you?—”

“Is that so?” Honor’s voice was low and soothing, trying to encourage him to keep talking, though her gaze kept flickering to my face. Then, suddenly, her lips parted as her eyes met mine in sudden shock and recognition. “That’s why you joined the Spy Guild.”

“I never wanted to go to that military academy anyway,” I said, falling back on an argument I’d raised a dozen times. “It seemed miserable.”

Honor rose to her feet, and Honor and Tal faced us with their fingers twined together. Dare reached out and took my hand, coming to my side.

“You should’ve told me,” Honor said softly.

“I didn’t think the Spy Guild was loyal to you, and they aren’t,” I said. “Let me finish what I started back then.”

Honor started to shake her head.

“I know you’re all in the habit of being the one who forms the plans,” Dare said. “But those children are alive because Hanna had a plan, and I trusted her, and I followed it without questioning her—even though it took everything I had to come here instead of running toward her.”

I’d been watching Honor for her reaction, but I raised my gaze to Dare’s face and suddenly, I couldn’t look anywhere else. He was staring down at me with so much warmth in his eyes.

“Please listen to her,” Dare said quietly, as if he had suddenly realized he was speaking to the queen. “If she has a plan, I believe in it. I believe in her .”

Honor stared at the two of us for a few long seconds.

“I like him,” she said finally. “Though I do still hate your plan.”