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"I will step down as Eldritch Lady of the High Pass and surrender its throne to Young Lord Hauke!"

Ashlynn’s words unleashed a storm of emotional cheers on both sides of the Great Hall.

Some, like Odette, dropped to their knees and wept openly in relief.

They had been conquered, but the Vale of Mists would only rule over them while Hauke had a chance to grow and learn under the guidance of both the Mother of Trees and the Eldritch Lady of the Vale.

To learn sorcery from one of the great witches was already an honor beyond words, but the fact that Hauke would also benefit from being able to learn how Lady Nyrielle ruled over the Vale of Mists was almost more valuable than whatever Hauke could learn from Ashlynn.

The High Pass had long kept to their ways and their traditions, but Nyrielle was right that the world was changing.

Now, Hauke would be able to learn from one of the people confronting those changes directly.

When Hauke returned from his exile, Odette was certain that he would face some opposition by the more traditional among the elders.

But by then, he would likely command the strength to overrule any serious objections.

On the opposite side, Heila finally took her hand off the handle of her whip and slumped against the warm, comforting figure of Ignatious. They’d done it. Her lady had passed the most fragile, delicate moment of this transition of power, and no blood had been shed to secure their victory.

Now, feeling drained as if she were a wet towel that had been thoroughly wrung out, Heila let go of the last of her reservations and clutched at Ignatious’s crimson and gold tunic, burying her face in the soft fabric and inhaling his warm, comforting scent.

Her mind drifted at the edge of sleep, and keeping her eyes open felt like far too much work, but her ears remained attentive, listening to everything happening around the hall.

"Lady Ashlynn," Commander Jannik’s rich, powerful voice called out over the din of the crowd’s celebration. "Lady Ashlynn, will you give me a word?"

"No," Ashlynn said, her voice barely carrying across the hall as she gripped the edge of her throne to steady herself. The room seemed to tilt slightly beneath her feet, and the bandages on her hands had begun to show faint crimson stains where her wounds had reopened from the evening’s exertions.

Each breath felt like drawing air through wet cloth as the pain in her ribs intensified, but she forced herself to stand straight, knowing the importance of appearing strong in this moment.

"Commander Jannik, if you wish a word with me, you may have it another time," Ashlynn continued, the subtle tremor in her voice noticeable only to those closest to her.

Sweat beaded along her hairline despite the chill of the hall, and her complexion had taken on an alarming pallor that contrasted sharply with the vivid green of her dress.

"There are many things that need to be done," Ashlynn explained. "But things that should be sacred, like the crowning of a new Eldritch Lady of the High Pass, will have to wait for things that cannot be delayed, like the healing of Ritchel and Hauke as well as my own recovery."

"My darling Ashlynn has endured enough," Nyrielle said, stepping forward to wrap her arms and one wing around her exhausted lover. While Nyrielle’s protective appearance beside her was seemed to be a simple act of offectionate support it was also increasingly necessary as Ashlynn’s strength visibly ebbed with each passing moment.

"Castle Mistress Odette, I’m certain that you wish to join your husband and your son, but for now, we require your presence here in the High Pass. "

"Me?" Odette asked, blinking in confusion as she stood, particularly when she was addressed as ’Castle Mistress.’ The title she held was one that belonged to the wife of the current Lord of the High Pass, or, should the high pass be ruled by a woman, her husband would be titled ’Castle Master.

’ The instant that Ritchel was stripped of his title, she should have been stripped of hers as well.

"I will be away from the High Pass for some time," Ashlynn said.

"And though I am its Eldritch Lady, I can never dwell here the way your ruler should.

The High Pass is truly beautiful," she said, gazing out the crystal clear windows of ice along the Great Hall and at the frosty, snow-covered world beyond.

Sitting above the clouds and under the vast night sky, it truly felt like a place that belonged more to the fairy tales she’d read as a young girl than the real world.

But as beautiful as it was, it was barren and all but lifeless.

This was no place for the Mother of Trees to dwell.

Even looking at filled her heart with a complex ache, yearning for the lush forest of the Vale of Mists, the dense overgrowth of the Briar, or even the windswept fields of seagrass that surrounded Blackwell County.

Anything that felt more alive than this desolate place.

"In my place, the people need someone who can care for them," Ashlynn explained.

"You can rely on Commander Jannik to protect your people and keep the peace," she added, with a nod at the dark-furred commander.

"But right now, after everything your people have just been through, they need a heart that breaks and weeps for those who suffer more than they need a stout arm or stridant voice to keep them in line. "

"Be their source of comfort and guidance, Castle Mistress," Ashlynn said with a weak smile. "Do this for me now, and I will send word when you can visit Ritchel and Hauke. I’m sure they’ll understand that you can’t be at their sides while they heal, as much as you wish to."

"As you command, my lady," Odette said, kneeling formally and lowering her horn to the woman who held all of her hopes in her hand. Ashlynn was right that she wanted nothing more than to rush to Ritchel’s side and accompany him to the Vale, to be with him every day during his healing and recovery, but. ..

When she thought of her proud husband, brought low by the petite Thistle Witch, the agony of his wounds surely paled in comparison to the shame he felt at everything that had happened.

When the thought struck her, her pale eyes widened in surprise and she looked at the Mother of Trees to see the young woman giving her a very knowing look.

Lady Ashlynn had only met Ritchel on a few occasions, and the time she spent with Hauke wasn’t much greater, but she knew. She knew that neither man would feel comfortable with the wife and mother they loved so dearly hovering over them when they were at their weakest.

Asking Odette to care for the High Pass wasn’t just about caring for her clansmen, it was also about caring for her family.

Neither woman said anything aloud, but for a moment, a knowing look passed between them as they acknowledged that Ashlynn’s intention had been recognized.

Ashlynn would tend to not only their physical wounds, but also the emotional scars as well. All Odette needed to do was play along.

Toward the back of the hall, Commander Jannik stewed in bitterness that he was denied even the chance to speak at this critical moment.

Everyone was cheering for Hauke’s appointment as an apprentice of the Mother of Trees, and they were celebrating his confirmation as the next Lord of the High Pass, but no one was looking at the reality of the situation.

The witches and vampires would have five whole years to mold and indoctrinate the future ruler of the High Pass.

By then, would he even be someone they recognized as one of their own?

He cared deeply for the High Pass, but one group of powerful people had already led him to disaster.

Now that his leash was being passed to a new master, everyone seemed to be celebrating, as if they were blind to the chains Hauke would surely bring with him when he returned to become Nyrielle and Ashlynn’s puppet ruler.

"Darfrir," Jannik said, approaching the young man and the gathering of celebrating young hunters around him. "I respect you for speaking up tonight. What you did, it took courage."

"Thank you, sir," the young warrior said, tapping the tips of his claws to his chest in a brief salute. "I’m just glad that we won in the end. Young Lord Hauke will be a good Lord of the High Pass."

"Perhaps," Jannik said, tapping his chin for a moment as he organized his thoughts. "But Hauke will need capable men at his side when he returns. Men who can stand up to him and challenge him when he’s wrong, or he may find himself caught in a trap designed for him that only others could see."

"Come with me and bring your men," Jannik said. "By the time Hauke ascends the throne, he’ll need a new Commander at his side. I may be growing old, but you and your men can’t ask for a better mentor to shape you into the best weapon at Hauke’s side," he said with a smile.

And perhaps, he thought to himself. If Hauke truly became a puppet of the vampires and the witches, these boys would be the only weapon that could come close enough to the future lord to bring an end to the tyranny that Jannik feared he would bring with him when he returned from his exile.