Her back shot straight. “I’m not a fortune teller as they don’t exist,” she snapped. “I am a seer. I do not control the visions, they come to me. This is what I saw, it was grave and because of that I have travelled far to inform you but this was all I saw.”

At that moment, a loud, feminine cry of delight pierced through the room and Frey turned to the windows.

Finnie was jumping up and down, her arms around Annar’s neck with one hand still holding her bow. Her movements were so excited the arrows in the quiver strapped across her back were cascading to the green grass at her feet. Annar was standing feet planted firm to the ground, his hands at her waist but her exuberance was jolting his body. He was in profile but Frey could see his man’s wide smile.

Finnie detached swiftly from Annar, whirled to face an excited Skylar, threw both her arms up in the air, still holding her bow and shrieked her delight again before she bent and caught Skylar up in a tight embrace, shaking him side to side as Frey heard her laugh.

Skylar’s boyish laughter mingled with hers.

Frey’s eyes moved to Finnie’s target and he saw the arrows had been cleared. Now there were only two.

One in the circle outside the bulls-eye.

One embedded directly in the middle of it.

He felt his lips curve into a smile.

She’d done it.

Fire and blood.

Frey’s smile died.

Then he turned to the witch.

“Have you eaten?”

She blinked then asked, “What?”

His eyes moved over her dusty, travel worn gown. “You’ve travelled far, have you eaten?”

She shook her head and said, “I have made haste, starting on my journey the minute I learned from Finnie’s Jocelyn that you were at the chateau. I have ridden hard, consumed little and slept even less due to my haste and that dream. So no, Drakkar, it has been since yesterday I have eaten.”

He nodded. Then he stated, “I will order a meal for you. You have three hours to eat it, wash and rest. Then you are away with one of my men. You will ride fast to Bellebryn and board the first vessel bound for Lunwyn. You live in Fyngaard?”

“Just outside it, yes.”

Frey nodded again. “You will go home, my man will accompany you and you will prepare to be away for some time. Finnie and I leave on the morrow, headed back to Lunwyn ourselves. We will first go to the Rimée Keep so she can see her parents. My man will take you there. We will stay there a week, perhaps two, then we will be moving on to my lodge in Kellshorn. You will follow us.”

Her brows drew together, “But, I don’t under –”

Frey impatiently anticipated her question and therefore answered it before it was fully asked, “So that I will know immediately, I want you close at all times should you receive more communications from the other world, have any dreams that shed further light on the situation you fear will befall my Finnie or any dreams you have about Finnie at all. And I want you to use your powers to protect my wife.” He paused and added, “For these endeavors, you will be paid.”

“There is no protection against dragon fire, Drakkar, you know that,” Agnes stated quietly.

“Finnie faces a variety of dangers, witch, and there are protections for those,” Frey returned.

The witch nodded.

Then she took a step toward him, her gaze grew cautious but her mouth opened to speak.

“There are no dragons in the other world, Drakkar.”

Frey’s body went solid and it did this because he took her meaning.

Then he whispered, “You speak treason.”

She pressed her lips together, clearly hesitant, but went on, “I do and I do with purpose. There are few matches like yours with Finnie in this world or hers. So few, they are so rare, they are precious and need to be protected at all costs. Valentine may be able to break the binding spell of the elves and she could take your Finnie and you to the other world where she’ll be safe. If Princess Sjofn doesn’t run through it, your princess has the means for you both to live there comfortably for the entirety of your days and –”

Frey leaned toward her and cut her off. “Witch,” he clipped, his tone fierce, “you… talk… treason.” She leaned back slightly and pressed her lips together but Frey went on, “And treason is heinous but what you speak of is worse. If I were to remove Finnie from this world, an elfin, dragonian child will not sit on the Lunwyn throne as our gods desire, our frosted land would again descend into turmoil, the dragons would lose their Drakkar and would remain at slumber in their caves for the gods know how long. The fact I am The Drakkar means there is a threat looming for all of Lunwyn for which the dragons will need to be roused. And lastly, the elves would again be betrayed by The Frey and because of that may retreat for another seven centuries or worse, may never ascend again. And you know that breaking their binding spell would mean sacrifice, the elves will demand it as their due before they withdraw to their realm. I do not know what this sacrifice will be but I do know it will be terrible. The gods have chosen Finnie for me and me for Lunwyn. Our destinies are linked and this link is for the future of Lunwyn. We cannot desert our land. This cannot happen.”

She stepped back, her eyes moving to contemplate the rug and she nodded but he saw her hands shaking with fear, as they would. It took great courage for her to suggest betraying his country, his responsibilities and the elves.

But she did it to advocate safe harbor for his wife.

“I will forget you suggested it,” Frey said quietly.

“Thank you, Drakkar.”

Frey continued speaking softly and when he did her eyes moved back to him.

“As you can see, we must do all we can to keep my princess safe.”

Agnes nodded. “It will be my honor to serve The Drakkar and his Ice Bride.”

“My thanks,” Frey replied, watched her draw in a breath then he stated, “I will see to your meal and bath. You’re away in three hours.”

Agnes nodded again.

Frey moved to the door muttering, “Safe journey, I will see you in Snowdon.”

He did not await her response.

He went in search of the housekeeper.

Then he went directly to his wife.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hit the Bell with a Loud Clang

Two days later…

I stood at the railing on the bridge deck at the stern of The Finnie and looked at the terracotta tile roofed, adobe buildings with their brightly-colored awnings, pots of profuse flowers, multi-colored lanterns and wrought iron whimsies all stretching up the hill where, at the top, there was an unbelievable fairytale castle.