Page 87 of Princess For All

“Okay, I’m in,” Olivia agreed.

“Good, see you there.” I looked to Ceawlin. “Tell Matilda I will get her all the help to handle this. Just don’t let anyone do something stupid that Inez won’t forgive.”

He swallowed loudly. “I would hurry. Kristof has been shouldering too much for too long. I’m worried he’s going to burn down both Fort Knoxandthe settlement in New Orleans since people from both were involved.”

That was what I was worried about.

“He’s not the only one. There’s a list, so instead of sitting on him, some of the most powerful and oldest are riling him up. Jamelle was losing the battle to hold back Vitor when I left. I stopped in Paris first and told Joi to get back there.”

Well, that would buy us a bit of time.

I moved fast, and clearly other visiting nobles had traveled to their home covens as well. I found most of the ones I’d recognized there… And oddly enough, Princess Lawan was already gone?

One of her nobles bowed to me at the door of the coven. “The princess has the coven in lockdown but left a message to be delivered personally if any of Princesses Inez’s family showed up.”

“I will hear it,” I accepted.

“‘She saved my sister’s life and I’m heading to tell others to honor the treaty. Hopefully, I will beat you there.” He handed me the list of where she went.

“Excellent. I knew she was worthy of leading. I assume her mother can’t get into much trouble while she’s gone.” I nodded when he looked worried. “She won’t be gone long, love. We’re just going to make sure the one we need to win is protected and scorch the ground around her. Just keep reminding people that everything they have is because of Lawan and Arpa.”

“Yes, thank you, Princess Nora.”

Lawan was handling three. Olivia and Hanna were each as well. That left a few more for me and I blinked and it was time to swim the ocean.

Always fun, but it had to be done. At least now we all remembered to swim the little strip between Russia and Alaska. Hiding for so many years among humans led to forgetting things like logic and maps at times when we suddenly could let our true abilities out.

I wasn’t the first to arrive at Inez’s castle, but I wasn’t the last either, and I really didn’t expect Princess Leonor to look like she was going to vomit all over the ground. But then I realized she had the ghost gift and that was why she was so pale and upset.

“What do you see, darling?” I asked as I made her focus on me.

She rattled off something too fast for me to understand even if I understood Portuguese… Which I didn’t.

Cerdic was there and dipped his head to me. “Basically, she’s saying it’s like the portal to hell or the underworld has opened above the castle. Almost like it’s dumped ghosts and death on top or all over it.” He frowned and gestured, asking to take my place getting Leonor’s attention. “So they aren’t touching the physical castle?”

She gave him a look like he was stupid to care right then but then sighed and spoke again.

“She says no, they’re sort of hovering over top mostly. It looks like they are an umbrella over the center—”

“The tree,” I gasped. “The ghosts cannot get closer than the tree allows. They used to be able to reach her to a point, but her tree is stronger and bigger.” I moved into Leonor’s view. “The ghosts don’t come near your tree or into certain parts of your coven as well, yes?”

She nodded, looking relieved that I understood.

Cerdic kind of shrugged. “She kept saying it wasn’t like normal. We knew that. I just didn’t understand she meant her normal and not what we know from Inez.”

Fair enough.

“Take us to where she is and the rest can be brought as they arrive. Leonor shouldn’t be here either,” I instructed.

Leonor waved us off and moved towards the castle and I felt some of her power flare. She frowned and moved closer, entering past the guard station and stopping just in front of the entrance before trying again. Then she rattled off in Portuguese.

“She said—” Cerdic started to say.

“We know when someone is cursing no matter the language, lad,” I drawled. “She can’t help. We get it. Take us to Inez.”

He did, and I immediately had eyes for the head of their military who said he loved her and yet let this happen to risk her. His sister saw me coming with death and wisely headed me off.

“We don’t know how it happened, but we don’t have any missing jets, Princess Nora,” Trisha said quietly. “Best guess is we’ve had this and that all over the damn place. Someone who knows planesknows planes. James could pick pieces up here and there and put one together and make this work.”

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