1
“Y ou’re not going to believe this,” I said. I leaned towards the map I had spread out on the oak desk. We were in the library, a round stone room with high ceilings and books lining every wall. I loved to read, sure, but the court cartographer had uncovered this map from deep in the archives just for me.
Barion sighed dramatically and looked up from the novel he was thumbing through. He sank deeper into the overstuffed armchair.
“What now?”
His lack of interest didn’t deter me. I was used to this kind of reaction from Barion — he’d been my tutor in sword fighting and strategy since I was knee-high. He’d been the one to first encourage my burgeoning interest in cartography when I was a little girl. Now he had to deal with the consequences. I smoothed out the edge of the parchment and traced the faded ink with the tip of my finger.
The map didn’t look too different from the ones I was familiar with. My country, Frasia, looked similar to its state today. The capital of Efra was still marked in the center. The mountain range between the capital and Starcrest on the northwest side was still immense and imposing, even when sketched out in ink, and the fertile fields of Duskmoon were once apparently forests. Dawnguard on the northeast was marked as flat and dry, a vast prairie one traversed to get to Daybreak and the castle in which I stood now. Daybreak still had its lush forests and winding coastline, and it already had a port marked on the chart. It was much bigger now, I assumed. But it did thrill me to see that the Daybreak pack was leading coastal trade even hundreds of years ago.
Right now, though, something on the east coast had caught my attention. Instead of the bay that was situated there today, there was a narrow land bridge on the map linking Frasia and nearby continent Askon.
“Look,” I said to Barion as I peered at the map. “Frasia and Askon used to be connected.”
Frasia was the kingdom of wolves. Five packs controlled its various territories and resources. Daybreak was on the coast and focused primarily on trade, so I had some familiarity with the other kingdoms accessible across the seas. Askon was the land of jaguar shifters. Cruora, to the north, housed the kingdom of eagles; close to Osna, of the shark shifters. And to the west was Shianga—the kingdom of dragon shifters. I longed to see it for myself one day though I knew that was a pipe dream.
“Thrilling,” Barion deadpanned. “I’m glad it sank into the sea, we have enough trouble with the wolves alone. Last thing Frasia needs is jaguar shifters on our land.” I shot him a dark look.
“This is an important discovery,” I said. “If the other continents were more connected than we thought, it’s worth examining. There may be parts of our own shifter culture that feel inherent to our way of life but are just as constructed as…” I floundered for a metaphor. “As our ships.”
Barion sighed and went back to his book. He was used to hearing this rant from me. No one ever cared about my studies, matter how hard I tried to engage people. Meanwhile I couldn’t help but wonder why no one else seemed to get bored simply navigating court. There was a whole world out there—one Frasia was once apparently connected to! -and everyone in Daybreak society was happy to just keep up with the routine every day, without question.
“You’re missing the point, Barion,” I insisted. “What if I could get to the west coast and see where this land bridge once was? Maybe I’d be able to—”
The heavy wooden door to the library clattered open, interrupting the scholastic trip I was already crafting in my mind. I sighed when I saw who it was.
“There you are, Lady Reyna,” Vuk, my father’s butler, said curtly as he strode across the stone floor. His boot heels cracked the silence with each step. “I’ve been looking for you.”
He said that as if I didn’t spend nearly every afternoon in the library. “What is it?”
Vuk adjusted the labels of his fine linen jacket. He always acted like his butler’s uniform was the peak of finery.
“The duke has requested your presence in his study,” he said. “Now, please.”
“Right now? What does he want?” I glanced at Barion, as if to ask, did you know about this?
Barion only shrugged. He seemed barely interested at all. He was far too big for the armchair he was seated in, wearing his usual plain outfit of a dress shirt and loose trousers, so the functional warrior’s arm muscles were on open display. At least he’d been to the barber recently so his beard was a little more tame than usual. When he had the wild hair and the jagged, faded scar lanced across where his right eye once was, he really got looks out on the streets of Daybreak.
“Lady Reyna, he only asked me to come fetch you,” Vuk said with no small amount of irritation in his voice. “I was not given the specifics.”
Somehow that made me more nervous. I delicately rolled the map up and slid it back into its archival tube.
“Barion, would you take this back to the archivist?” I asked.
Barion raised his eyebrows at me and slowly closed the novel. I met his gaze steadily. He understood my meaning—I did want to meet with my father alone. The last thing I needed was the duke thinking I needed Barion’s presence to steady my nerves in front of him.
Even if that was partially true.
“Certainly, my lady,” Barion said.
Vuk cast him a dark look and sniffed. He’d never liked Barion. He found him to be too boorish for the refined Daybreak Court—and he didn’t like that Barion had insisted on teaching me swordcraft from a young age.
I paused and glanced at my reflection in the mirror hanging above the fireplace in the library. My father preferred not to look at me at all, but when he did, it was easier if I looked presentable. I tucked the strands of white-blonde hair that escaped from my long plait out behind my ears and removed my reading glasses, meeting my own sharp blue eyes in the mirror. There were ink stains on my fingertips, but luckily I hadn’t gotten any on my white linen shirt and long brown skirt. My father would’ve preferred if I’d worn a bit of jewelry to show my rank. But that was his fault for summoning me on a day when I didn’t have any court responsibilities scheduled.Vuk cleared his throat.“I don’t need an escort, Vuk,” I said.“It’s my duty to ensure you make this appointment safely,” Vuk said. This meant he thought I was going to run off to the market square by the docks instead of to my father’s study. Which was, honestly, not an unreasonable assessment. I sighed and followed Vuk out of t
“Constantine held the Choice because he already had a handful of fine suitors to choose from—the packs were scrambling to join ranks with Daybreak. The Choice was seen as a fair way for the king to choose between them. Elias is attempting to bring back what was a joyous affair for Constantine, but he lacks the Daybreak charm and panache.”King Elias isn’t the only one lacking that, I thought to myself as I glanced around the dim study.“The king knows the packs are losing faith in his ability to lead Frasia. If he doesn’t stabilize his court and kingdom, it won’t be long before another pack attempts to take the throne by force, just as Drogo did.”“He dug his own grave, then,” I said. “I say let him lie in it.”My father shook his head. “You should realize the opportunity we have at hand.”“You don’t mean to say we will be participating in this Choice?”“Of course we are,” my father said. “If we don’t send a suitor to the Choice, we will be openly insulting the king. And you know Elia
The contesting women would be the center of it. Not only would we be competing for the king’s affections—we’d be competing to win the hearts of the pack and all the wolves the king ruled over.Diplomatically, it was a good idea. If I were to take the throne, Daybreak would gain a muchneeded boost in power, and my skills would benefit Nightfall in softening their reputation as bloodthirsty, savage wolves.I huffed and shoved the letter in a drawer. Unfortunately for my father and for the king, I wasn’t going to be winning this competition.Even still, there was a tiny chance that this could work out in my favor. If I went to the King’s Choice and lost, without a doubt, my father would lower my status. I’d have substantially less responsibility in the Daybreak Court. One of his advisors would step up and complete the traderelated duties I usually took care of.I’d no longer be tied to Daybreak. If everything worked out—maybe, possibly, I could leave Frasia and travel the world like I’d
Ducking my chin, I gazed down at our feet. His presence always grounded me—made me remember that there was more to life than the political demands of the court.“What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”“The duke summoned me to his study today.” I looked up, meeting Griffin’s eyes.He raised his eyebrows. “The duke? He hasn’t asked for you specifically in… Gods, in years.” “I know,” I said. “He got a dispatch from Efra.”“From the king?”I nodded. “He’s holding a King’s Choice.”Griffin was silent. He set his hand at my waist and squeezed like he knew where this was going.“Reyna… You don’t mean…?”“Yes.” Somehow saying it to Griffin made it more real. Anxiety curled in cold in my chest. “I’m to go as the representative from Daybreak.”Griffin stepped back and pushed both hands through his hair. “You can’t. Reyna, you can’t go to the Court of Nightfall.”“I don’t exactly have a choice here,” I said. “I’m a Lady of the Court, and the duke has ordered me to go.”“Fuck the duke,” Griffin s
Now, I stood at the front gate of the manor. Three trunks were stacked up behind me and a fine brand-new, fur-lined coat hung over my arm. I was dressed simply in a linen skirt and blouse for the travel, but I had a fine silk gown to wear for when I made my entrance at Efra.Over the past three days, I felt like I’d barely had a chance to breathe. I’d had my hair done, my nails groomed, my skin exfoliated, undergone a brush-up on my etiquette, and a crash course in the history of all five packs. No one knew exactly what to expect from the King’s Choice, especially one held by Nightfall after a hundred years. The best I could do was to be prepared in, well, everything.“You think you brought enough?” Barion asked, eyeballing the three trunks stacked up behind me. He had a simple canvas bag swung over his shoulder and was dressed in his usual workwear of linen pants and boots.“I wasn’t the one who packed them,” I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest. If it was me, I’d be traveling
Barion climbed into the coach, rapped his knuckles on the front, and then settled onto the bench across from me with a heavy sigh. The horses nickered and began to pull us away from the manor. I leaned out of the small window of the coach and watched as Griffin shrank in size, until the manor was just a distant structure on the horizon.“I don’t get what you see in that boy,” Barion muttered. He reached into the basket he’d brought with him and ripped off a chunk of crusty bread, as if we were already hours into our journey instead of just getting started. It was early in the morning, and we’d be riding in this bumpy coach all day. “There’s plenty of other lads in Daybreak that’d be honored to court a lady of your status. I doubt thatGriffin could even raise a broadsword over his head.”“This may shock you, Barion,” I said, “but a man’s ability to wield a sword is not the most important thing to me.”“I’ve never seen him shift, either,” Barion said. “He could be a sad, mangy dog in t
“I’ll show you to your room, my lady,” he said. “These fools won’t trouble you at all.”He nodded to the haggard-looking barkeep behind the counter, who sighed and abandoned her post to lead us up the stairs. Barion gave her more than a few coins, which brightened her mood. She unlocked the furthest door in the upstairs hall with a heavy brass key and motioned me inside.Barion followed me in and set my trunk by the foot of the bed. There was already a hot bath steaming in the room, which I desperately needed after a long day on the dusty road.“To your liking, my lady?” Barion asked.“Of course,” I said. “We can have our dinner downstairs, if you’d like.”“Oh, certainly not,” Barion said. “Those brutes are nothing but trouble. I’ll have dinner sent up to your room, and I’ll be right next door should you need anything.”I nodded. “If that’s best.”“We’ll leave just after dawn tomorrow,” Barion said, “to ensure we make it to the capital in time for the welcome dinner.” He glanced aroun
“Mmf,” Barion grunted as he eased into wakefulness in the afternoon. “Ah, we must be close.There’s that cold weather the Nightfall wolves love so much.”“It’s too cold,” I huffed. “This coat isn’t enough.”“I told you to put on the thicker socks this morning,” Barion said.I sucked my teeth. I was dressed to travel and also to make an entrance at Efra, somewhere between comfort and formality. The simple dark gown and heavy cotton skirt had been uncomfortable earlier in the day but now I was grateful for its warmth. I’d tucked the pendant Griffin had given me into my trunk this morning. I didn’t want anyone in Nightfall to ask about it. Instead, I’d worn my simple silver jewelry, a necklace and rings, just in case anyone doubted my status.“Here,” Barion said as he rummaged through his canvas bag. “I brought a pair for you.”I bit back a smile. “You think of everything, don’t you?”“It’s what your father pays me for,” Barion said with a wink. He handed me a pair of wool socks, and I q