A Queen for the Frost Giant (Legends of Rahasia Book 0)

Chapter Forty-Four

They take Julius's body and throw him in an unmarked grave. His heart, Fell sets in ice made strong with seiðr. This also, strangely, makes the heart featherlight. It looks as though it was cut from diamond, and if you bring it upwards, it shines clear as a prism against the moon. I wear Julius's heart at my belt around a loop, a new accessory I can't seem to part with.

At least that blowhard provided something useful.

Finally.

We sit in Julius's old throne room, the floors scrubbed clean. A group of Masked Men take out Alarica's throne. The rest of the riches get sorted into bags from the cities they were stolen from, to be taken back with re-housed residents of Dreki, those coerced to join Julius's cult or kidnapped from their homes to mine reykr.

Put the stolen goods back. Return them with the people whose hearts were stolen by greed. By Julius's foolishness.

I send more parties back to report to Lord Octavia in Knarr or with Sigrid to Hreindyri. I want the memory of the Cult of Julius wiped off the face of the earth along with his infuriating, self-righteous smirk. I want the cities rebuilt. The people too.

"Some of those treasures are from Ymir." Lord Kazmer stands at my side, dressed in a relatively fresher set of clothes from Revna's family while his own bloodstained garments are washed. "Why are you sending so much of these riches off to Knarr and Hreindyri?"

I pick up a coin on the floor. I flip it over, rubbing my thumb over the etching of my father's face. I hold this up for Leif to see. He stares at it for a moment, eyes flickering uncertain to me. "Yes? That's King Balder's face, and...?"

"Julius was a fool," I spit a little still at his name, "but he was right in one thing. The people on the outskirts of Idriola, outside of Ymir. They're hurting. In the castle, have our ambassadors with Rahasia, Jiwa, Okami. Hel, we even get imports from Akua at times. We have our processed silver, our stores beneath the castle. The people were right to be angry. They deserve better than kings in castles. King Balder sees his face enough already." I toss the coin into one of the bags, not giving my father's stony face a second glance.

Leif smiles, pressing one hand to my shoulder. His handprint seems to burn through, his smiling eyes beneath his platinum hair, the dark roots growing out to frame that roguish grin. "You're right. They deserve a change of leadership. They deserve a queen who's stayed in their cities. Fought alongside them. Rode in their ships. Dined in their halls."

He leans in close, brushes his hand along my arm, fingertips dancing, "they deserve a queen like you, Cassia."

I snap his fingers up in my hand, pulling tight. He hisses, the momentary faltering giving way to his telltale smirk. His eyebrows raise, observing me as I lean my face towards his. "Gods help us all then. Gods help me do better. Be better than the fools now. For their sake."

I release his hand and Lord Kazmer shakes it, wincing slightly. "If you rule with an iron fist, I pity the ones to test that grip of yours."

I'm tempted to flick another coin at him, in punishment for such a bad pun, when Sigrid runs in, gasping for air. Amos follows in tow, trying to keep her from entering Julius's tent.

"Please, my love. We have orders to leave for Hreindyri at once —." Amos starts, faltering when he sees me. He falls to his knees at once, pulling Sigrid down with him.

"You're the new konungr, aren't you?" Sigrid's eyes are caught beneath a mess of hair. Her gaze is darting everywhere, unfocused, frantic. "Well, aren't you?"

I nod, startled as I catch Amos's pleading, hunched figure in contrast to Sigrid's terror. He looks like he wants to run from the tent with Sigrid in his arms.

Amos is afraid of me.

Not an entirely unwelcome change of pace, I find. First time not thrown into dark encampments or made to fight to the death in a quarry.

I pull my shoulders back, nodding the affirmative. "Yes, I'm konungr here."

"Then you have to help me. Help us, please, gods. I know we failed you. We betrayed you, but please." She crawls to me, still on her knees, clutching at my boots, grasping at my ankles. "You have to help me."

Lord Kazmer scoffs, rolling his eyes. "You said it yourself, you betrayed us. You're no good as traitors."

I lift my hand and Leif falls respectfully silent.

"Hear her out. What is it, Sigrid?"

She stifles a scream of exhaustion, swallowing it with the horror inside her, the tension twisting her face. "It's the mines. The mines collapsed when Julius died, the magic that called to him. The magic he took into him left with his heart. But my children..." She shakes her head, clutching at me harder, voice high and pained. "My children are trapped in the reykr mines."

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