Page 38 of A Sky of Emerald Stars

I caught Briar’s gaze and held it for a split second, which was enough to tell her everything she needed to know. Our twin communication was still strong.

“As lovely as this impromptu visit has been,” she said, “there’s a reason we’re here beyond a social call.”

“I figured as much,” Ingrid said. “Given the haste with which you came.” She looked at me, her eyebrow arching, before turning to Grae and asking, “So what happened?”

“Our friend has been kidnapped by King Nero,” Briar said.

“Friend?”

“A member of the Golden Court and my council,” I said.

Ingrid let out a smug laugh. “I’m guessing that means that this person is a human?”

“They are,” I said. “They were ambushed in Nesra’s Pass.”

“Nesra’s Pass is Damrienn territory,” she said. “Nero has every right to deal with humans in his court as he sees fit.”

The music seemed to pick up tempo as Ingrid spoke.

“So you know,” Grae said, leaning his elbows on the table.

“Know what?” Ingrid asked even though it was clear from her frown that she knew exactly what we were talking about.

“What Nero is doing to the humans in Damrienn,” Grae said.

“I’ve heard rumors,” she said with a shrug. “My guards tell me of an abnormal volume of humans crossing our borders, but—”

“He’s slaughtering people,” I snarled.

Ingrid kept her gaze locked with Grae’s. “Maybe Nero got a little overzealous, but I honestly don’t believe it’s as bad as they’ve said.”

“Where are these humans?” I asked. “Why don’t we go see them and ask them for ourselves?”

“They’re being taken care of.” Ingrid finally turned toward me, her mouth pinched. “I treat my humans well here. We are on the same side, Calla Marriel.” She took a sip of her tea and set it back on the saucer so delicately I didn’t even hear a clink. “Two women who chose to rule.”

I pressed my lips together into a thin line. I wouldn’t correct her. For one thing, I didn’t choose to rule; I waschosen.More, I wasn’t a woman at all. Which allowed an uneasy thought to coilin my stomach: if Ingrid knew I was merem, would she still help us? I didn’t know why she wouldn’t, but that uncertainty gnawed at me. Maybe it would be too much, too different, from the Wolf world she knew. Maybe I’d lose the support my people so desperately needed. I decided to shove my barbed retort down. If saving Olmdere meant needing to bend my truth for just a little while, I had to do it.

“What your father is doing is wrong,” Ingrid said to Grae and my shoulders sagged a little with relief. For a second, I thought she might defend his actions. “He’s always been a power-hungry bastard, Graemon, you and I both know that.”

“We can’t let him get away with it,” I pushed.

She turned her blue eyes on me. “And you want me to dowhatabout it exactly?”

Briar cleared her throat and leaned in, cutting off our line of sight. “We would handle the rescue mission mostly ourselves,” Briar said. “But we could use a few more Wolves to help us since we are all so...familiarto Nero.”

“You’re his son,” Ingrid balked at Grae, leaning around Briar. “Surely you know how to reason with him.”

“If we go alone, Nero will kill us,” I insisted.

“But you’re so willing to letmypack die for you?” Ingrid whirled on me. “You are acting more queenly every day, Calla—I’ll give you that.” My lip curled and Briar placed her hand on my knee under the table as the Queen continued. “Giving you soldiers to steal back ahumanof all things. That is bold, indeed.”

“We all know that if Nero carries on this way, that it will end poorly for Taigos, too,” Briar said lightly.

“Do we now?”

“King Nero and King Luo have always been on good terms,” Briar said.

A flash of fear crossed Ingrid’s face at the mention of Luo, her once betrothed. The fact she had denied his marriage and decided to rule Taigos alone was against everything Wolves believed. Technically, according to Wolf laws, Taigos should belong to Valta now since Taigos didn’t have a direct male heir. I glanced at Klaus. Perhaps he would’ve become a defunct king of the Ice Wolf Kingdom, though the land would officially belong to Ingrid’s husband.

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