Authors: Amanda Hocking
“I didn’t expect you home so early,” Tilda said. “I thought you were working today.”
“I am, but I’m actually here looking for Bryn.” He motioned to me, and I straightened
up and away from the counter.
“Me? Why? And how did you even know I’d be here?” I asked.
“I stopped by your place, and you weren’t there, so I thought maybe Tilda might know
where you were,” Kasper explained. “There’s urgent business at the palace.”
I set my cup of tea down. “What do you mean?”
“Is something wrong?” Tilda asked.
“I don’t know.” He gave her an apologetic look and shook his head. “They just sent
me to get Bryn, and said the King and Queen want to see you immediately.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Tilda smiled at me, but worry filled her eyes. “And when you’re
done, just let me know if you need anything, okay?”
I nodded, and then waited as Kasper kissed her briefly on the lips. Tilda walked us
to the door, and I followed Kasper down the stairs and out to the street. He took
long, deliberate steps, the way all the Högdragen were taught to. I tried to match
my pace to his, but he was much taller than me, which made it a bit harder.
“I don’t know what it’s about, but I don’t think you’re in trouble.” He glanced back
at me, making sure I was keeping up.
“Then what is it?” I pressed.
“I really can’t say more, Bryn.”
He shook his head, and looked ahead again, quickly weaving through the busy marketplace
as we made our way toward the palace. People parted for him out of respect for his
uniform, and some of the younger kids even stopped to stare.
I had no idea what could possibly be going on, but the King and Queen had a sent a
member of the Högdragen to personally retrieve me. That did not bode well.
The King sat in his high-backed chair beneath the massive portrait of himself as a
younger man at his coronation. His wife paced the meeting room, and this was the least
formal I’d ever seen the Queen. She wore a simple white dress underneath a long silver
satin robe that billowed out around her as she moved, and the length of her hair lay
in a braid down her back.
My father stood at the end of the table near the King, with a piece of paper before
him. The paper had been rolled, and the ends kept trying to curl back up, so I could
see the wax seal at the top. It was blue, imprinted with a fish—the seal of the Skojare.
“Your Majesties, Chancellor.” Kasper bowed when he entered the room, and I followed
suit before he introduced me. “Bryn Aven has arrived to see you.”
“Thank you.” King Evert waved at him absently, the heavy rings on his hand catching
the light from the chandelier above us.
Kasper left, closing the door behind him, and I stood at the end of the table, opposite
the King, and waited to be told why I’d been brought here.
“Thank you for coming here so quickly.” Evert spoke to me, but his eyes were elsewhere
and he shifted in his seat.
“This is unnecessary,” Mina hissed. She’d stopped pacing to glare down at her husband.
“I really do think this is the best course of action,” my dad said, looking between
the two of them. “Given this letter, and the situation we’ve been dealing with, it
does make sense.”
“Sorry for interrupting, Your Highness,” I began, and they all turned to look at me,
as if they’d forgotten I was there even though I’d just arrived. “But why have you
summoned me?”
“Tell her about the letter,” the King directed my dad with a heavy sigh.
“This morning we received this letter from Mikko Biâelse, the King of the Skojare.”
Dad held up the paper. “His wife Linnea, the Queen, has gone missing.”
“Missing?” I asked.
“She’s only a child. Perhaps she found being married to an old man unbearable and
ran away,” Mina argued. “I’ve heard of far stranger things.”
It had only been a week ago that I’d met with Linnea, her husband, and her brother-in-law
in a neighboring room for brunch. She’d been poised but friendly, and there had been
a loneliness about her. And she’d been very young, with an aloof husband, so Mina’s
claims didn’t seem unreasonable.
“In light of the current situation with our own changelings, I think we need to consider
kidnapping,” Dad reasoned. “Mikko seems convinced that Linnea didn’t leave of her
own accord and he’s asked for help in recovering her.”
“Husbands know so little of what their wives are up to,” Mina sneered, and Evert gave
her a hard look, causing her to roll her eyes. “Oh, you know what I mean.”
“I agree with the Chancellor on this one,” Evert said, and Mina huffed and began to
pace again. “With Konstantin Black out for blood, we need to take all of this seriously.”
“It’s because of Konstantin Black that we shouldn’t get involved!” Mina insisted.
“We don’t know where he is or when he may strike again.”
“Our involvement will be very minimal,” Dad said. “Bryn would go to Storvatten, working
as liaison for us, and would help if she can. There’s a good chance she won’t be able
to do much more than offer condolences, but that will be enough to secure our position
as their friend and ally.”
“I’m to be a liaison?” I asked, and though I should’ve been nervous, my initial reaction
was one of pride. I let out an excited breath and tried my best to suppress a smile,
but I still held my head up higher.
“Yes. With your Skojare blood, we thought you’d be the best tracker for the job,”
King Evert informed me.
While I felt a little deflated upon learning I’d been chosen for the job because of
who my mom was and not because I was the most qualified, I decided that being Skojare
counted as a qualification, and whether the King knew it or not, I was the most capable
for the job.
Being the liaison was a very high honor, and one that would certainly look outstanding
on my résumé when I applied to join the Högdragen. But even in the immediate future,
this role could lead to other important tasks. It could be the beginning of the career
I’d spent my whole life working toward.
Mina shook her head, then looked over at me. “Have you ever even been to Storvatten,
tracker?”
“No, my Queen, I have not,” I admitted, bristling slightly at being called
tracker
instead of my name, since I knew she knew it. “But my mother grew up there, and she
has told me many stories about it and her family.”
Dad gave me a look, since I’d exaggerated. Mom very rarely spoke of her hometown,
but I would say nearly anything at this point so I wouldn’t lose my chance at being
liaison.
“See?” Evert gestured widely. “Bryn’s perfect for the job. She’ll make nice, and everything
will be fine.”
“She may be the best one for the job.” Mina stopped walking and wrung her hands together.
“I just think it would be very unwise to send away help when so much is going on here.
The Skojare have done nothing for us, and we don’t need to risk our kingdom for them.”
“They need our aid.” Evert held his hand out to her, and reluctantly, she took it,
letting him comfort her. “This will go a long way to furthering an alliance with them.”
“We don’t need an alliance with them,” Mina said. “Perhaps this is the beginning of
their death rattle, and we shouldn’t interfere.”
“You say that as if their stockpile of sapphires means nothing to you.” The King gave
her a knowing look, and Mina’s lips pressed into a bee-stung pout. “We are working
toward a new era of peace, and they’ve asked for our help. We can spare one tracker.”
“Pardon, Your Highness,” my dad interrupted. “But given the state of things, wouldn’t
it be prudent to send two trackers out on the mission? Just to be safe.”
“I’ve agreed to send this
one
tracker!” Mina pointed at me. “Not anyone else!”
“If I may offer a suggestion, My Queen, Ember Holmes is only on partial duty because
of her injury, but she would still be a great asset to me,” I said, hoping to ease
her anxiety.
“She’s suffered a fracture.” Dad dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. “It’s
unfair to ask her to risk further injury by sending her out to work again.”
“The Chancellor is right, but so is Mina.” Evert still held her hand and offered her
a sidelong glance. “I’d rather not spare another good set of hands when we’re not
sure when Konstantin may strike again.”
“What about the Rektor?” Mina asked. “He adds little to our security, doesn’t he?”
“Ridley Dresden?” Dad considered this, and my heart dropped. “He’s a capable tracker.”
“Sire, I don’t think that Ridley is well suited for this,” I interjected, wanting
to put an end to the idea before it got started. I didn’t really have any reason other
than it sounded like an awkward hell traveling with him after our kiss last night.
Dad raised an eyebrow, surprised by my protest, and he continued on with his support
for Ridley. “He’s actually more skilled in relations with other tribes than Bryn is,
so he’d be a great addition to the mission.”
“I had asked him to stay back from the field for a while to focus on paperwork here…”
Evert shrugged. “But we could spare him for a few days to go on this fact-finding
mission with Bryn.”
“Your Highness, with all due respect, there are other trackers that may be better,”
I tried again. “Simon Bohlin is—”
But Mina cut me off. “If they’re better, then we need them here, protecting us.”
“The Queen has spoken,” King Evert decreed. “Now I suggest you pack your things and
get on your way as soon as you can. They are expecting you in Storvatten by tomorrow
morning.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” I bowed before him and the Queen. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
I’d offered to drive, but Ridley had insisted he could do it. That was the last time
we’d spoken to each other, and that had been over ten hours ago. We’d stopped for
gas, bathroom breaks, and cheap gas station food, and we had managed to do it all
without exchanging a word.
Our conversation before we left had been quick and to the point. My dad had been there—either
fortunately or unfortunately, I wasn’t sure which—and he’d relayed the parameters
of the mission to Ridley, so there had been little need for us to speak.
Ridley occasionally hummed along to whatever song was playing on the stereo, but that
was it. I stared out the passenger window, watching the barren landscape change from
snow-covered plains and lakes to green tree-covered forests the farther south we went.
“It’s getting dark,” I said finally and turned to look at him.
Ridley’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, and he kept his eyes locked on the
empty stretch of highway before us. “So it is.”
“We can switch. I can drive through the night,” I offered.
“No need.” He tilted his head, cracking his neck. “You haven’t slept this whole time,
so it doesn’t matter if I drive or not. We’ll be in the same boat.”
“Do you want to stop for the night?” I asked, even though I thought I already knew
the answer.
“We’re expected in the morning. We don’t have time to stop.”
I sighed, and then gave up on talking. I slumped lower in my seat and pulled my knees
up, resting my bare feet against the dashboard. But now the silence somehow felt even
more unbearable, so I looked over at him.
“I’m sorry.”
His jaw tensed, and he waited a beat before asking, “For what?”
“Whatever it is that has you so pissed off at me,” I said, because I really didn’t
know why he was mad. Something to do with us kissing, obviously, but I didn’t know
what, exactly.
“I’m not mad at you,” Ridley said, but he sounded exasperated. “I just…” His shoulders
sagged, and his hand loosened on the steering wheel. “I don’t know what to say to
you.”
“Things are … awkward,” I agreed. “But maybe if we talk, it’ll be less awkward.”
“All right.” He rubbed the back of his head and took a deep breath. “That kiss last
night was a mistake.”
I knew it was. Deep down, I knew it was a mistake. But still, after hearing
him
say it, my heart felt like it had been torn in half. The pain in my chest was so
great, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to speak. But I did, and I did it while keeping my
voice and my expression blank.
“It was,” I said, sounding astonishingly normal, and I pushed the heartache down.
He was right, so I had no reason to feel bad about it. And if he hadn’t said it was
a mistake, I would have. Because we both knew it was. We both knew it was something
that could never happen again.
“It happened…” He trailed off, like he didn’t remember what he wanted to say for a
second. “I don’t know why it happened, I guess, but it did.”
“It did,” I said, unsure of what else to say. “But it’s over now, and it’s probably
for the best if we just pretend it never happened.”
“Right,” he said under his breath. “That’ll make everything okay again.”
“Do you have any better suggestions?” I asked him pointedly.
He pressed his lips together in a line, and his eyes darkened. “Nope. Your plan will
work great.”
I ran both my hands through my hair, pushing it back from my face, and I wished he
wasn’t being so difficult. “Did you tell Juni about it?”
“No. I haven’t yet.”
I rested my head against the seat and watched as the first stars began to shine in
the darkening sky. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” Ridley asked.
“I just think maybe it’d be better if nobody knew about it.”
“Okay,” he said after a pregnant pause. “I mean, if that’s what you want.”
“With me being the liaison for the King and Queen, and you coming with and being my
boss, I just don’t think it would look good. Especially now that I’m getting more
responsibility.”
“Right. Of course,” he said, and the edge to his voice was unmistakable.
“How about some music?” I suggested, since the conversation hadn’t gone as well as
I’d hoped.