Page 25 of Dead Crown
Mother’s face crumpled as she started sobbing.
November 5th, 1645
Edur shivered on the boat as he stood by the railing. Normally, he would have been interested in what the sailors behind him were doing, and he’d try to find one who didn’t look too busy so he could ask questions. Instead, he stared at a spot in the distance beyond the shore and wished he could see Mother. She had promised they’d see each other again shortly.
Father had said the same thing.
Tivar took his shoulder to lead him toward the captain’s cabin. “Come on. It’s cold. We’ll stay in here.”
“She promised we’ll see each other again…”
“And we will. She’s not going to fight, and she’ll be quite safe. This is temporary.”
“Where are we going?”
“To a different safe spot.”
Tivar had come before dawn and gotten Edur out of bed only to rush him out of the house in less than an hour. All he had was his pack and the clothes he wore, the memory of Mother’s kiss on his forehead, and her promise that they’d be together in a little while. Guards were going to take her to a different location.
“How close is the East Forest army?” Edur asked when they stepped inside a cabin.
“Too close for comfort. It’s best if we split up. We’ll reunite later when East Forest gets tired of harassing us.”
Edur dumped his pack in the corner and went to sit on the narrow bed built into the wall. The cabin was a bit bare. It had the necessities, and a brazier gave off heat. “They won and supposedly don't even want our throne. If we won't become a part of East Forest, why not leave? They beat back the invasion, and we can’t try again. Not like this.”
Tivar sighed. “Because it’s a way to rub the loss in our faces before they fuck off and leave us to deal with the mess. We started it, they won, and they can run around and kill and loot as they please until they're tired of it.”
The King and Queen of East Forest had died of yellowing shortly after Father’s defeat and death. Their deaths didn’t change the fact: Iceland had lost.
“I’d rather we run together.” Edur sniffled. “Better yet, I wish I’d been old enough to fight. Maybe I could have protected Father.”
Tivar cocked his ears as he sat next to him on the small bed. “Don’t be like that. Mother would have worried to no end if you’d gone to fight, and Father didn’t want us to. Separating now is safer. I doubt East Forest will hunt us down forever.”
Mother had refused to be separated from Edur before, but maybe she thought he’d be okay with Tivar. After all, he was fourteen now, and he couldn’t have Mummy pasted to his side for life. He needed to grow up and not cry even though thethought of Father dead was like a knife to his gut, and it made his throat ache.
“Besides, I have a plan so no one looks for you,” said Tivar. “You’re my little brother, and I’ll protect you.”
“What’s the plan?”
“On the way to get you, we found a village had been attacked. The East Forest soldiers are quite savage, and unfortunately, we saw a dead boy whose face had been bashed in beyond recognition. He was a cat fairy with the same-colored tail, ears, and hair. He was the right size too. The woman who must have been his Mother wasn’t far, and she was dead.”
Edur flinched and looked up at his older brother who had white hair too, although it wasn’t quite as bright. His eyes were dark green while Edur had pale ones like the green sea ice farther north.
Tivar shook his head. “It was a terrible shame they died like that. We took the bodies.”
Edur stared at him. “Why? They should be buried in Ymir’s dirt.”
“I know, and they will later. We didn’t disturb anyone who had already been buried, and the Goddess will know. She'll also know it's to protect a living person.”
“Why take their bodies?”
“Once Mother is away, some men will place the corpses in the house and make a controlled fire. They will have to be careful to make sure it’s not all destroyed. Just one side is enough. When the East Forest men come to kill you and Mother, they’ll find a half-destroyed house and a partially burned cat fairy boy with a white tail just like you. The Mother’s body will be in the burned portion and destroyed beyond recognition, but they’ll think Aisi is dead too because who else would it be? What a dreadful accident, right?”
Edur could see the sense in case East Forest was bent on erasing them all for the sake of it. Iceland had invaded East Forest and started the trouble. If the little Prince and Queen were dead, they wouldn’t look for them anymore.
“But what about you? They'll think you're alive."
“Everything is taken care of,” Tivar said in a firm voice. “I have questions for you. I’m not only your brother, I’m your King now since Father is dead. You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”
