“Sjofn –” he started but stopped with a squeak when I pressed the blade deep and blood flowed at its edge.

“I said do… not… utter a noise,” I hissed again. “Now roll to your gods damned stomach.”

He rolled to his stomach, I planted a knee in his back and reached for the ties I took from the curtains and sat on in the chair.

“Hands behind your back,” I demanded, Broderick hesitated and there was nothing for it, I further had to demonstrate my resolve. Therefore, I plunged the knife in his side and he groaned with pain, hopefully not loud enough for the guards to hear. “Hands behind your back!” I hissed and he put his hands behind his back, I pulled the knife out, wiped it on my gown, put the hilt between my teeth, tied his hands then moved down and bound his feet.

Then I moved back to my chair and grabbed the handkerchief I’d purloined from a trunk with one of Phobin’s scarves. I rolled Broderick to his back and he groaned in pain as I did it. Then I quickly shoved the handkerchief in his mouth and secured it by tying the scarf tight around his head.

Then I wasted precious time and I did this not for Frey, not for our child, my father, mother or Lunwyn.

I did it for me.

I took the knife from my teeth, got in Broderick’s face and I whispered, “You know, cousin, it pained me to do that,” I jerked my head at the now dead body of Phobin. “You know me; it pained me to do that. But you see, I could not fight you both and bind you both so one of you had to be neutralized. Hopefully, you will not bleed out before someone knows aught is amiss.” Then I got closer and my voice dropped lower as I held his eyes and whispered, “Thank you for uniting Lunwyn for the child of Frey’s I already carry inside me. He will be most appreciative.”

Then I pushed away from him and hurried to the door, hoping there were only two guards. One was one too many, two, God only knew. I’d probably fall at the first hurdle.

But I wasn’t going to give up.

I was three feet away when I heard grunts, steel clashing and then bodies thudding on stone.

I blinked at the door.

Oh shit.

I quickly put both hands behind my back.

The door flew open and I stared at two, big, brawny, exceedingly handsome men.

And they stared at me.

Then both their eyes flicked to the room behind me then back to me.

Then, to my shock, they smiled, one turned to the other and, to my shocked delight, stated, “Lund appears to be a good teacher.”

They were Frey’s.

“You are Frey’s,” I whispered.

“Balthazar,” the dark one said.

“Quincy,” the fair one said.

I’d heard of both though never met them.

“Hey, I’m Finnie.” I was still whispering.

“We know,” Quincy said while still smiling.

I smiled back.

“So, Finnie, you think we could rescue you rather than loiter chatting in a wounded king’s room with his murdered lover still bleeding on the carpet?” Balthazar asked.

“That’s probably a good idea,” I answered then thought quickly and told them, “But before we do the whole, um… rescue thing there are a couple other things we need to do.”

They looked at each other.

Then they looked at me.

Then my heart flew to the sky when Oleg stomped through the door and grunted, “Yup, and I know one of them.”

“Oleg!” I cried, never in my life thinking I’d feel complete and utter joy at the sight of Oleg but I did in that moment, I totally did but Oleg, being Oleg, didn’t even look at me.

He walked by me. Unsheathing the sword from his back, he walked to Broderick, stood over him and right in front of my eyes, he ran Broderick through with his sword, straight through the belly, yanking up.

Broderick’s body jerked what I had to admit was sadly on the floor as his cries of pain were muffled by his gag and Oleg pulled out his sword, sheathed it and walked to me, stopping in front of me and meeting my wide eyes.

“Raider rule, my princess, do not leave a job undone,” he grunted then grunted again, “Lunwyn.”

“Lunwyn,” I whispered then felt a hand on my arm and that hand was pulling me to the door.

“Let’s go,” Balthazar, who had hold of me, said and we went.

But at the door, I turned back and saw the carnage, Phobin motionless and dead at my hand, Broderick’s head turned, his face pale and awful in his pain, eyes on me.

And I knew in that moment I would remember that scene, the blood, the gore of exposed wounds, the look on Broderick’s face, and I would do it until the day I died.

But for the life of me, I couldn’t find it in me to care.

Then I hurried out with my men and whispered, “Okay boys, somewhere close, there are two women…”

Chapter Thirty-One

Dragons

One month later…

“Finnie, Apollo requests your attendance.”

I looked from cleaning the wound to Lund and nodded. “Let me finish here, Lund, and I’ll go directly to him.”

Lund looked at the man I was working on then at me, his eyes soft as all Frey’s men’s eyes were soft when they encountered the shadow of mourning drifting steady and unrelenting in mine and he nodded.

Then he left.

I looked at the man in the cot. “Am I hurting you?”

He shook his head then lied through his teeth (literally because he was clenching them), “No, my Winter Princess.”

I smiled at him. I knew it was a sad rather than reassuring smile but I had to try and I didn’t have any smiles that weren’t. He didn’t smile back mostly because he was clenching his teeth and I decided to finish quickly so he could relax. I tipped my head and readdressed his thigh, cleaning it with spirits, biting back the impulse to blow away the burn as I heard him suck in breath then I dabbed it with clean cotton, spread a healing salve on it and redressed it.

Once done, I curled my fingers around his ankle, gave him a squeeze and caught his eyes. “It’s beginning to heal, Joshua,” I said softly. “I shouldn’t have to do this again for awhile.” To that, he nodded and I finally saw relief on his face.

I gave him another small smile, got up from the edge of his cot and looked to Lavinia and Valentine who were both seeing to other wounded. I caught their eyes, indicated the flaps to the tent, waited for their nods and walked out.

To get you up to date – Lunwyn was at war and if that wasn’t bad enough, one faction was at war with itself.

With the fall of Broderick, the conspirators, which did indeed include the heads of Houses of both nations, were fighting amongst themselves as to who would take the throne of the united land at the same time fighting against my men who were intent to regain control of the throne in order to keep it and Lunwyn safe until Frey and my child could assume his rule.