“Keep your voice down,” I told Bryn now, eyeing the group of men standing just to my right. “Someone might hear.”
Viggo gripped my hand and leaned in to whisper in my ear. I knew it was Viggo because I heard his quick steps and smelled the subtle perfumes on his clothes before he had touched me. That and no one else dared touch me.
“Asta, he’s here.”
My blood ran cold. “The general? But I thought—”
“He was too busy to attend the king’s wedding?” Viggo said. “Yes, so he said, but I just saw him conversing with Counselor Rakim at the cake table. Apparently, he lied.”
I laughed somewhat hysterically. “What a surprise.”
Bryn leaned in to join our whispered conversation. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” I swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, of course. It’s only… I wasn’t expecting to see him until after the winter and I had hoped Torvald’s spies would have contacted us before then.”
“Still no proof about the devastation overseas?” Viggo said with a scowl. “The king should send more spies with the general. The first group is probably tied to a pile of bricks at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Does the king receive any mail from the mainland?” Bryn asked.
“Only letters from his diplomats and the mainland emissaries, which are delivered by General Halvar,” I said. “The king has had those accounts tested against other documents written in those same representatives’ handwriting. They match, so his ambassadors are alive. They must be being kept somewhere so that they can continue writing general-approved lies to Torvald. But, of course, there’s no way to prove that.”
Viggo’s grip tightened around my fingers. “One of these days the general is going to make a mistake and when he does—”
I flinched. “One of these days I’ll need my hand back.”
He released me with a murmured apology.
Torvald and Kalea swept across the dance floor and came to sway directly before the three of us. Torvald looked sophisticated and refined in the black and white suit. The close-cropped beard and mustache made him seem much older and wiser somehow.
“If you’re going to scare away all the potential suitors by standing so close to Lady Isa, the least you can do is ask her to dance, Viggo,” Kalea said with a teasing smile.
Bryn chuckled at his friend’s flabbergasted expression.
I snorted. “There are no potential suitors, Lady Queen. If anything, my fellow warriors are promoting a good image of me by pretending to be my suitors. Without them, I would be very much alone and pathetic.”
“Is that so? Then why is there a group of eligible young bachelors mingling merely five paces away from you?” Kalea nodded at the men sipping champagne and trying to be inconspicuous.
I blushed because she was right. I had simply been too busy conspiring with my friends to realize it sooner. What happened to my fearsome and awe-inspiring reputation? Were men simply becoming more courageous? It’s the dress, I reasoned. It’s much too revealing.
“Come, my dear,” Torvald said, gently leading his new bride away. “You’re embarrassing our friend. Lady Isa is much too busy to think of suitors.”
“But there’s more to life than keeping watch,” Kalea protested. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass her, just open her eyes to the possibilities.”
“Yes, I know, dear. Perhaps some other time.” The king sent me an apologetic smile before whisking his wife further into the dancing throng.
I mouthed, “Thank you,” before they disappeared entirely from my sight. If I’d known that getting married would inspire Kalea to marry off every other single lady she knows, I wouldn’t have partaken in the celebration tonight…
Bryn was trying to conceal his laughter and making funny noises in the process.
I elbowed him in the ribs. “So what exactly happened between you and Fia?”
“Will you ever let that matter go?” he asked with a frown.
“Not until you tell me.”
Viggo placed a hand over the small of my back and ushered me forward. “Come, Asta.”
“What are you doing?” I asked, fearing the answer.
“Asking you to dance.” Viggo rolled his eyes. “What else?”
“But—”
His arm, now around my waist, pulled me close and silenced me. Bryn very helpfully lifted the fur shawl from my shoulders and skipped away before I could reprimand him. Viggo took my free hand and guided me through the steps. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d danced. I looked down at my feet and then chanced a peek over my shoulder. If I made a fool of myself in front of those men, I would never regain my fearsome reputation.
“Eyes on me,” Viggo said, surprisingly gentle.
I obeyed.
He smiled a peculiar little smile. “There. This isn’t so bad, is it?”
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Not at all.” Looking into his face, I realized he was the one part of my life that hadn’t changed. He was still clean-shaven and handsome. Those burning eyes that made me wince whenever I saw them in a mirror looked warm and dear on his face. He was still gruff, straightforward, and brutally honest, but occasionally kind—to prove he wasn’t completely heartless. I found myself smiling up at him.
“What is it?” he asked.
I leaned my head against his chest. “Promise me we’ll always be together.”
“Of course,” he said, ears turning pink. He was slowly becoming more accustomed to my nearness. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
“Much has changed since I arrived on Holger,” I said. “It would be nice if one thing stayed the same.”
Viggo cleared his throat. “Asta—”
“May I cut in?”
Snapping to attention, I turned to see General Halvar standing beside us. I shuddered at the pink and red scars marring the left side of his face. His hair, beard, and mustache were neatly trimmed but with that face… he would always seem weathered, harsh, and odd. I’d forgotten how unnerving his mismatched stare could be.
I averted my gaze and stepped away from Viggo. “Sorry, sir. I suddenly don’t feel well enough to dance.”
The general clicked his tongue. “I sailed across the sea to attend this boring party. Can I at least be allowed a dance with the most beautiful woman present?”
“Don’t mock me unless you want a scene,” I said, glaring.
Halvar put a hand over his heart and had the audacity to look surprised. “I never mock, my lady. Please, do me the honor of dancing just one song with me.”
Viggo made a sound that was eerily close to a growl. “The lady doesn’t feel well, sir. Kindly refrain from hassling her.”
General Halvar dropped the act in the blink of an eye. He looked down his nose at Viggo and smirked. “As you were, warrior. I don’t have to ask for anything; it is a courtesy, really, that I even pretend to seek permission from a girl whose life I spared and continue to spare whenever we cross paths.”
I placed a restraining hand on Viggo’s shoulder and stepped between them. “I think you’ll find that my influence has grown since last you visited, sir. I’m the Lady Warrior who keeps saving the king’s life, and you’re the savage brute who keeps insulting and demeaning his favorite Defender whenever you come to visit. Just whose side do you think he’ll take if he thinks we’re having an altercation?”
“I picked up a stupid, insolent mule from Kenshore, had her trained and educated in the best school, and persuaded the king to hire her.” The general picked invisible lint particles from his creaseless black uniform. “And how has she repaid me? By resorting to insults and unseemly growling whenever I come to visit.”