The Cursed Queen (The Impostor Queen #2)(90)
“Did you hear me?”
“Little red,” she says, slowly, like she’s considering each word. “I think you best eat up. You’ll need your strength. Priests will arrive today from the Loputon. Our scouts found them in the woods and are bringing them here. Should arrive after noonmeal.”
“And I have you to thank for that,” I say in a flat voice.
“Nothing but good. More magic, less pressure on you to deliver a victory.”
I close my eyes and rub my hands over my face, trying to summon some energy. I don’t know how to explain to her how badly I needed to be the one, how the wish has grown huge inside me these past weeks, as isolation sank its teeth into my marrow. “I wanted to deliver victory,” I whisper. I wanted to be accepted within my tribe again, to know who I am without question. I wish Thyra hadn’t made me think about the cost.
“Maybe you will,” she says, pushing the wooden tray closer to me. “Still a chance.”
My hands fall away from my face and I look up at her. Her brown eyes make me ache, and the words I wish I could say make my tongue feel hard and twitchy. What will I do as our warriors face off against each other in this betrayal she’s arranged? Which side will I take?
If I don’t try to stop the coming catastrophe, then I don’t deserve either tribe. “I need to see Nisse.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Why?”
“Is it any of your business at all? I need to see him. Make it happen.”
She scoots away from the edge in my voice and turns for the door. “Of course.”
She goes and comes as quick as a hare, and by the time I’ve swallowed the last bite of my porridge—she was right, I can’t go into today starving and weak—she’s back with a few guards from Nisse’s personal entourage. She pulls open the door with her head down, the meek Halina she presents to all Krigere except me, it seems. The warriors lead me up the stairs to Nisse’s war chamber. My heart beats out a fierce rhythm as I try to puzzle out the best words, the way to stop this clash between those loyal to Thyra and those who belong to Nisse.
I step into Nisse’s chamber, sweating and shivering as my trapped magic squirms just beneath my skin, awakened by my desperation. The memory of my temporary triumph and control last night is just that. I’ve run out of time. I would beg for more if I thought it would matter, but now there is something so much more important to think about.
“Ansa!” Nisse calls from over by the massive fireplace. I turn to see him set a goblet on the mantel. “I heard you wanted to speak with me, but I would have summoned you this morning anyway. How’s the magic?”
“Better,” I say. “Perhaps in another few weeks—”
“Ah,” he replies, clasping his hands in front of him. “That is time we don’t have. They may not have had an army a few months ago, but with every day that passes, the impostor queen is gathering more power and preparing her people for our attack.”
I look down at my hands. How I wish I could be in the same room with that fraud, if only for a few minutes. Yes, it might destroy me, but I think killing the impostor queen might be worth it. After all—that is a throne that is rightfully mine.
I blink as the thought hits my consciousness and look up to find Nisse with his head tilted, regarding me closely. I am thankful he can’t read my mind. “You have decided to march soon, then?”
He nods. “In two days’ time, once we’re armed, packed, and ready. I received excellent news this morning. The refugee priests who escaped from the ambush at the temple were found by Vasterutian scouts two days ago. I sent two warriors to meet them, along with a host of horses so they could reach us quickly. They will arrive this afternoon.”
Just as Halina said. “I am ready to go with you,” I tell him.
He smiles. “I will welcome you at my side, Ansa.”
His gaze is so warm on me that it catches me by surprise—I had expected him to be cold, to discard me as he plans to discard Kauko, assuming he still can. “Thank you.” Now I must tell him what I came here for. Now I have to save warrior lives without wielding magic. “But I did not come here to talk to you about Kupari.”
He sits down on the bench at the painted table. “Then tell me your purpose.”
I draw in an unsteady breath. Surely I am doing the right thing. “How do our warriors barricaded in the eastern part of the city fare?”
“They’re all alive as far as I know. Like I told you, I’ve made sure they have rations.”
But only enough to keep them alive. “Have they given any indication of when or if they might emerge?”
“Last I heard, they are refusing unless they hear from Thyra.”
And they have heard, apparently. “Has she shown any indication of changing her stance?”
He chuckles, but it’s heavy and low. “Not yet,” he says softly. “I fear for her warriors, and because of that concern I am afraid I have made a very difficult decision. In fact, that is why I was going to summon you this morning, had you not come to me first.”
My stomach clenches. “Yes?”
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to use a bit more force when trying to persuade Thyra. We need those warriors to join us, and she’s only leading them to their deaths.”