57

Corrine’s plan weighed heavily on my mind. It wasn’t just Shianga she wanted. Surely, she’d come for Frasia next, what with the way the Fae lands had dissipated in our nation. She’d already spoken ill of Daybreak. And then after that, surely she’d use her power to take Osna, Cruora, and Askon, too.

From spending time at her side, I knew how conniving and convincing she could be. I knew she would try to build a diplomatic relationship with those nations while she built up her army in our realm. She’d try to woo us all into a sense of safety, and then she would strike.

But now I knew. Now, Frasia would be ready.

Now, I could bring the fight to her.

For the next two days, the queen continued to give me freedom to roam the palace during the day, but she did insist that I remain at her side during the dramatic banquets that happened every night without fail. It was part of the ongoing celebration for the queen’s return, but I was well sick of it. The first Fae banquet I’d been dragged to had been remarkable: piles and piles of unfamiliar fruits and suckling pigs, enchanted to dance and squeal before they flopped onto the tables, fast-paced and thrilling music playing from bands perched in the rafters, complicated dance routines, ever-flowing wine, and Fae kissing and laughing and disappearing into side rooms for privacy.

From her table on the dais, Corinne overlooked it all. She sat at the table with Adrian at her side, lounging in her carved white throne and dressed in white robes embroidered in silver. She swirled her wine in its glass as she overlooked the revelry with an impassive gaze.

None of the activity in the banquet hall interested me. I lay down on the dais, ears low as the party went on. Being stuck at a banquet in wolf form was even more boring than the ones back when I was a Lady of Daybreak. I longed to be return to Corinne’s quarters, just so I could pass out in front of the roaring fire, but for events like this she used me like an accessory, an example of her power and influence.

I was moments from drifting into an uneasy doze despite the raucous noise when a horn sounded abruptly. The music cut. General Eodwin, dressed in fine silver armor stained with dirt and blood, marched into the entryway, his gaze stern and commanding. The crowd parted around him, and he waved one gloved hand dismissively. The band began to play again, and the dancing and partying resumed, as if Eodwin wasn’t there at all.

Eodwin climbed the stairs to the dais and took at Corinne’s left side. I inched a little closer, still on my belly under the table, ears pricked to better hear the conversation.

“General,” Corinne said as she poured him a flagon of wine. “I trust you come with an update from Shianga?” She glanced at his breastplate. “It seems you’re straight from Shianga?”

“I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible,” Eodwin said. He took a long drink from the wine. “My spies and I have kept a close eye on the fighting the past few days. Both the wolves and the dragons are engaged in a war of attrition at this point. The wolves’ ranks have been thinned, and the defenses at the palace are weak. If you wish to strike, I suggest you move soon, before Frasia calls for reinforcements from Efra, and while the palace is still reeling from their latest hit. This is a narrow window.”

She nodded, and a cold smile turned the corners of her lips upwards. “And what of the wolves?”

Eodwin popped a grape into his mouth and crushed it between his front teeth as he grinned. “They struggle,” he said.

My ears flicked as I suppressed a low whine.

“Their morale is dropping steadily, but they fight on.” Eodwin said. He rolled his eyes. “They frustrate Draunar.”

The whine broke through my clenched jaw. Corinne glanced down at me and her expression hardened with irritation. I scooted further away before she could kick me in retribution. Why was their morale dropping? What of Elias? Was he alive? Was he battling alongside his wolves? Desperation rushed through me, renewed, like the dry leaves of my sorrow had been set alight. I had to get back to Shianga. I had to see him again.

Corinne only sighed. “Tomorrow,” she said. “Under cover of darkness, we will strike. Ready the warriors.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Eodwin stood up and hurried back through the raucous dance floor.

“Rest well tonight, wolf,” Corinne murmured. “Tomorrow will be interesting.”

Another whine slipped out. I could only hope that when I was dragged into Shianga as the queen’s pet, Elias would still be alive. If he wasn’t… If my leaving with Draunar had led to his death, I’d never be able to forgive myself.

18

I

 snarled at the Fae blacksmith as he approached me with silver plate mail in hand.

“I see why you keep the beast muzzled,” he said with a low laugh as he knelt down in front of me.

I was in the armory with Corinne and Eodwin, and the cavernous room beneath the palace bustled with activity. Fae soldiers strapped into lightweight silver armor and sharpened their weaponry, throwing sparks off the grinding wheel. They spoke in low voices, and the sounds that filled the underground armory were mostly the clanking of metal on metal as they readied for battle.

Battle… or war.

The blacksmith strapped the plating onto me. It was a silver breastplate fastened with leather, and layered plates over my front legs. It was so lightweight it hardly hindered my movement at all. Behind the ever-present muzzle, I bared my teeth and tossed my head in frustration. If I was going to go onto a battlefield, I’d be a lot more useful with a sword in hand rather than with my main weapon restrained.