Page 57 of The Shrouded Queen
“I’m sorry I was there this morning,” I said in my most measured tone. “It was not my place. I did not mean to upset you. Please forgive me.”
Instead of smoothing out, the line between Keir’s brows deepenedfurther. He studied me, like if he just looked long enough, he could drag my secrets out of me. I held my ground, hands fisted at my sides and face carefully neutral, the way my queen looked when she had to deal with a particularly difficult advisor. He could probably hear my heart slamming against my rib cage, but I tried to take slow breaths to calm it.
Keir said, “You—”
“Your Majesty!”
Both our heads snapped up at Velka’s call. She approached with a wave.
I took a large step away from Keir, breathing easier, and smiled gratefully, beyond relieved to be saved from this conversation. “Hello, Velka.”
Velka wore a bright smile, cheeks rosy from the chill, and gestured to the brewery. “Did you want to go in? Don’t listen to Keir, you’re allowed to approach. Venna loves to talk all about hercraftto anyone who will listen.”
Keir grumbled darkly beside me as he fiddled with something under his cloak. His jaw tightened, muscle feathering in his cheek. That wince of pain again.
Maybe if he hadn’t spent the last five minutes threatening me, I would have felt bad.
Instead, I turned all of my attention to Velka. “Maybe later.”
Velka nodded but fell into step beside me. Though I did my best to keep my shoulders low, my insides tensed. She hadn’t done anything to me, but she’d laughed and applauded Hedin’s snapped neck as much as everyone else. Though, so had Keir, and I’d had no trouble talking to him just now.
Probably because I expected him to act like a monster, while Velka seemed so… nice.
She pointed to a hut with a line of gutted fish hanging from its open front. “That’s Aurel’s smokehouse. It’s his first month having a go at running the place on his own. Used to be him and his father,but the man’s a little…” She gestured vaguely to her head. “Hasn’t been fully there since the Shroud took Pinethorpe. But he’s doing a fine job. You’ve tasted his dishes firsthand.”
I’d had fish a few times now. It seemed to be the most readily available meal. And it was almost always smoked. Not as good as the pork my first night, but definitely better than the slop from Khada Palace.
“Was everyone here displaced by the Shroud?” I asked.
“Not everyone.” Velka angled her head toward a cluster of cabins. “We call that Founders Street. Their families have been in Frostguard for generations—they claim since the War of the Ancients, but I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
I vaguely remembered her mentioning she wasn’t from Frostguard, and asked, “You’re not a founder, right?”
“Lived here over ten years, but no. I’m luckier than most, though. My family got out of the Pillars before everything went to shit.”
“Your family is here in Frostguard?”
She nodded. “Blacksmiths by trade. Papa claims to run the smithy”—she lowered her voice conspiratorially—“but everyone knows it’s my big sister, Aisling, who’s really in charge.”
I couldn’t help but grin.
Her gaze shifted over my shoulder. Mischief glinted in her eyes. “Feel like losing the warden?”
“Um…” Considering the less-than-pleasant conversation we’d just had, I didn’t think it smart to taunt him. But when I chanced a peek back, I saw Keir was talking to Sillia, their faces severe. They didn’t even bat an eye in our direction.
In the last few days, all my survival instincts must have truly vanished. First, I’d walked willingly toward the Shroud, and now I nodded to Velka, agreeing to poke an actual bear.
“When I say so,” Velka whispered, hooking her arm through mine, “cut left.”
My heart pounded. We walked a few more feet, steps hurried.
Keir shouted, “Velka!”
“Now!” she ordered, and yanked me to the left.
I heard Keir swear before we turned the corner into a small alley between cabins and ran. Velka careened around another corner, into what seemed to be a makeshift courtyard where drums thundered, boots stomped, and hands clapped. Kaldfolk marched in a circle around a flagpole, the Kaldfold bear flag waving from the top. They were chanting—and they wereloud.
I slapped my hands over my ears. “What is this?” I yelled over the din.
