Page 61 of Winter's Fate

At least, if one believed the legends. And standing here, facing the stillness of the water, the ancient aura of the trees, Callum did believe them. It would be impossible not to.

He wondered whether the master knew they were here. Even he could not gainsay the king himself, surely. Hawk was not entirely wrong when he said that everything belonged to him—this place included—though he’d never been one to say it out loud before.

Hawk let out a breath, then made for the stairs.

“What are you doing?” Callum asked.

The king ignored the question as he knelt on the top step and reached for the pool. Callum started forward, ready to intervene in whatever this foolishness was, but Thaddeus moved first, skirting past Callum and hurrying up the stairs.

The poisonkeeper would prevent the king from touching the poisonous pool. He would talk sense into Hawk, whose eyes looked nearly as dark as the water itself.

But Thaddeus didn’t put a hand on Hawk. Instead, he withdrew a pouch from deep within his robes and held it out to his brother. Hawk nodded in thanks, plucking something out of it and pressing it into his mouth as Thaddeus retreated down the stairs, coming to stand beside Callum. He was all nervous energy; he kept fidgeting with his robes and adjusting his spectacles. His attention did not leave his brother.

Callum felt like he’d been dropped into a story he did not understand.

Closing his eyes, Hawk touched a fingertip to the surface of the pool. The water should have rippled, if only slightly. But the only indication that this was water, that the pool wasn’t made of pure stone, was the fact that Hawk’s fingernail disappeared into its depths.

Callum started forward, but Thaddeus laid a hand on his elbow. “Just watch.”

Callum watched. There was nothing else to do. The king crouched before the pool, half his hand now submerged in its depths. His eyes were still closed, lips pressed tight, and his skin had gone so pale it seemed impossible he could still be conscious. The shadows beneath his eyes seemed to darken.

Finally, the king lifted his hand from the pool, allowing a stream of water to drip from his fingertips. It fell too quickly, the drops landing heavily, leaving no ripples. As if they’d simply been called back home to rejoin the rest of the water.

At the side of the pool, the purple lantern flickered.

“Thad is right,” Hawk said, his voice raw. “The barrier is thinning.”

Thaddeus released Callum’s arm. He hurried to Hawk’s side and handed him the pouch once more. Hawk withdrew several leaves, shoving them into his mouth without examining them. A breath, then another, and he opened his eyes. The king rose, breathing hard, and turned to Callum. “Take the delegation to Vunmore. I’ll follow in a few days.”

Questions poured into Callum’s mind, insistent. “But?—”

Hawk stepped down from the pool. “Take the delegation to Vunmore, Farrow,” he said, his hands visibly shaking. “And if you disobey me again, I will banish you from Aglye for good.”

CHAPTER 25

They finally left Inasvale the next day, with enough horses for everyone in the party and an expanded entourage to escort them to Vunmore in safety. No one discussed the king’s absence; it was as if everyone but Laena had been informed of his reasoning for remaining behind. It seemed to her that the entire party might have waited on him—hewasthe king—yet he’d opted to send them on ahead.

Whatever had passed between Callum and Hawk yesterday, it couldn’t have been pleasant. He’d disappeared for the rest of the day. Judging by the grayness of his complexion this morning, he’d spent much of that time in his cups. He rode beside her, near the middle of the group, his expression distant. When she asked why the king would not be accompanying them, he’d muttered something about stubborn idiot children. Even though the king could not have been more than a few years younger than him.

At least the soldiers appeared to be deferring to him again, and not subtly. He barked orders at them, and they complied, while Landon Moore sulked at the back of the party.

She would have expected that to at least bring a smile toCallum’s face. But when she mentioned it, his expression grew even darker. “Hawk dislikes traitors. Calling his emissary a whore amounts to a betrayal.”

Laena huffed out a breath of annoyance. “If not even Landon Moore’s fall from grace can bring you out of your bad humor, then I must admit myself defeated.”

“Apologies, my lady. I’ve been lost in my thoughts.”

Clearly. Even her mention of it was not enough to pull him out, or to lighten his expression. He rode on, back straight, eyes trained on the road ahead until she thought he might be trying to sear a hole in the hills with his gaze alone.

Laena decided to ignore him, opting instead to take in the beauty of the countryside. After Inasvale’s cliffs, the land had smoothed out into a vista of gentle hills. The road cut around them, which minimized the difficulty of the trek. The hills, thick with green grass, were interrupted only by white and yellow flowers, the buzz of bees, the occasional flash of a butterfly’s wing. Here and there, a lone tree stood upon the top of a hill.

They passed a fork in the road. Rooftops in the distance announced a village. She would have liked to stop, to wander the streets and meet with the people, but the entourage moved forward without so much as acknowledging the place’s existence. It was just as well. There was business to attend to in Vunmore.

They rode in silence for so long she nearly jumped out of her saddle when Callum spoke again.

“Why did Katrina send you to Aglye?”

Laena patted her horse’s main, though the animal didn’t seem overly worried about its jumpy rider. “And here I was thinking you’d been paying attention, Captain. She sent me to speak to King Hawk as emissary.”

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