Page 4 of A Lord of Snow and Greed

“No . . .” Saga replied, eyes on me. “I suppose not.”

The hairs on my arms rose. She was holding something back. Had she seen more than what she reported? Or more than what the others had seen?

In her vision, had she seen me make my deal?

I swallowed, hoping that wasn’t the case. I wasn’t ready to talk about that. Not yet.

Perhaps never.

Chapter 2

NEVE

The Tower of the Living and the Dead rose above the other buildings of Avaldenn. Only Frostveil Castle loomed larger, its white-hawk-topped spires reaching for the waxing moon.

Though the name of the holy building mentioned one tower, that was inaccurate. A series of circular pillars spun out from the largest, tallest central one, like a giant spider web of interconnected buildings. It left me no question from where the complex took its name. A ten-story masterpiece of black stonework, the central tower was as dark as Frostveil Castle was white. And up close, the black stone came to life, as though the masons had splashed the smooth stones with glittering mica. A night and the stars—the very objects the starets and staretesses living inside studied and worshipped.

According to Vale, the Heart Drassil grew at the center of that imposing tower, and that was where wewould wed. As we approached the gate, I leaned back so that only Vale could hear me.“Are there rules?”

“Rules?” Prince Vale echoed, his breath grazing my ear and making my neck tingle.

“For going inside.”

I believed, as most did, that our magic was from the stars, gifted by angels who used celestial power to create all magical orders. Some fae, however, believed something far deeper than me. The most religious among us thought gods had been the ones to create all magical orders. That they had lived amongst the stars before dying.

A smaller faction among the religious decried that belief. The most religious fae claimed the gods weren’t dead. That they were resting. And one day, they’d awaken.

No one knew for sure what would happen if they woke up, and I’d never thought too much about it. Until recently, vampires had dictated my life. Now fae lords did. I didn’t need revived gods adding their opinions too.

“Just be respectful,” the prince replied. “Oh, and when we stand before the Drassil, it will be barefoot. An old custom.”

Considering we were in Winter’s Realm, I deemed that particular old custom a silly one but said nothing as Lord Riis spoke with the guards. A moment later, the gate squealed open, allowing us access to the Tower grounds.

“Prince Vale, prepare to speak with the Grand Staret,” Lord Riis called over his shoulder as we passed through the gate.

No one spoke as we stopped at a hitching post, tied upthe horses, and strode through the outermost smaller towers down a little path made of that same sparkling black stone. The snow-dusted path led to the central tower. Double doors rose before us, spanning at least two stories. On the doors, a painted moon glimmered like the heavenly body itself.

Lord Riis’s massive fist came down on the wood three times, and the right-side door cracked open to reveal a wide-eyed female faerie wearing a black smock dress with gold stars circling the high neckline.

“My lord?” She stared up at the Lord of Tongues, questions in her eyes. She couldn’t have been over sixteen turns and appeared to have been roused from sleep.

“I’m Lord Riis, here with Prince Vale and Princess Saga. We wish to see the Grand Staret.”

The youngling blinked at the mention of Lord Riis’s name, but when he mentioned the prince and princess, her eyes snapped past the Lord of Tongues and widened. Belatedly, she opened the door fully. She curtsied and as she did so, her wings rose a touch. They were shriveled, reminding me of Roar’s wings. Was she another victim of the blight that Roar had told me about? She was certainly young enough to have been affected.

“Apologies, Prince Vale, Princess Saga, and Lord Riis,” said the youngling. “I didn’t recognize you. Only beggars come in the night. And of course, as a novice, I don’t leave the Tower often, so I’m not so familiar with your faces.”

Even if she frequented court daily, her confusion was understandable. Blood had frozen on Prince Vale’sclothing and Saga was far paler than I’d ever seen her. I doubted I looked any better.

“I take no offense,” the prince replied. His sister echoed his sentiment, and the girl’s shoulders loosened before Lord Riis pressed the matter, making her tense once more.

“The Grand Staret. Where is he?”

“He’s asleep, my lord.”

“Wake him.”

For a moment, the novice looked like she might argue, but she opened the door and allowed us inside. I spied a single chair across from the double doors. Her post for the night. A book lay atop her chair. Judging by how she had looked when she’d opened the Tower’s doors to us, the book had not been exciting enough to keep her awake.

---