Queen of the Pyre (Silver Crown Chronicles #3)

Teaser

Brenin stood on a precipice of Maid Mountain in the Marsda's Mantle range. Behind him lay the unforgiving expanse of the desert. Ahead of him awaited the rolling highlands of Kanetalm. His clothes were torn and ragged, caked in dark mud and, strangely enough, occasionally dusted with the red sand of the Amhsis. For a long time, he said nothing, his severe gazing lingering on the outlines of the hillside below him.

Then he was interrupted by a careful Cyrus whose overall appearance was much neater in comparison to Brenin's. "Your grace—"

"I'm not the king of Umfeld any more, Cyrus," Brenin snapped shortly. "There's no need for such formality. Just speak plainly."

But Cyrus had also changed in his own way. Just as Brenin had felt himself harden, Cyrus lost any semblance of his prior meekness and humility. He stood his ground against Brenin. "Then perhaps you could do us the favor of including everyone in your thought process." His tone was more firm than harsh.

Brenin yielded to his steward's request, turning to face his pack. Viveka and Knotas were stretched out on the damp earth, awaiting for Brenin's new plan. They had been patient, all things considered, when Brenin had freed them from Lycaon's hold. Lycaon had not been particularly fond of releasing them to chase after Brenin's mission, but he had reluctantly relented with little other choice. It would seem that Tarion's remaining pack now belonged to Brenin.

There was one exception, of course. Gunilla was an older, more dangerous werewolf. On Lycaon's counsel, Brenin decided to keep her imprisoned for the time being. Meanwhile, Viveka and Knotas could be offered the chance to prove themselves, prove their loyalty.

But despite their best efforts and Viveka's adept skills in tracking, Caelfel and her abductors eluded them. They had searched the corners of Kanetalm and even braved a great distance in the desert. but it was to no avail. They had no leads other than a vague description of vampires, and even Brenin was beginning to doubt the credibility of Cyrus's account. The steward had been attacked, hit his own head; he could have suffered a great number of delusions or spotty memories.

And the logistics of such? The only known vampires resided in Umfang. Brenin had never met one, but he could not deny the political implications of Umfeld's would-be king scouring the steppes of Umfang, that was supposing if Caelfel was even taken back to Umfang.

"You want to know that I think?"

Garvanna suddenly appeared, descending from a higher bluff on the mountain. She used a burst of golden magic to jump the distance and soften her fall. She had joined him at the very moment she had learned of Caelfel's disappearance, something that surprised him very little, given how Caelfel had equally been as devoted to Garvanna. She had experimented with various forms of magic to track Caelfel, all of which had been unsuccessful.

Viveka rolled on her back, smirking. "No, but I have a feeling that you'll tell us anyway." The she-wolf of their party had taken to goading the she-elf into trivial arguments, all of which Brenin reserved no patience for.

"Hush," he hissed at her before turning to Garvanna. "Please, tell me what's on your mind."

Only the corners of Garvanna's mouth twitched in annoyance; she was getting better at ignoring Viveka's taunts. "This isn't the first time Caelfel's been kidnapped. The last time it happened, she was used as leverage, bait, against...someone." She danced around saying a name, and Brenin could easily guess which one.

"You think someone is using her as leverage against me?"

"Not exactly. There would have been some sort of ransom notice by now—"