Page 189 of North Queen
Norah wasn’t sure if he was dismissing her or prompting her for more insults. Her breath shook, and she had to keep from crumpling the parchment in her hand. Forcing back the words on the tip of her tongue, she pursed her lips in festering rage and spun on her heel, leaving him in her wake of frustration.
She stormed down into the great hall, gritting her teeth. To think she went in there to thank him—never again. Theycouldhate each other forever.
“Salara,” Mikael’s voice called her.
She stopped and turned to see him walking toward her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes,” she managed, trying to calm herself. This was where her thanks were owed, and she didn’t want to start by criticizing his beloved commander, his asshole brother-in-arms. “Yes,” she said again, swallowing back her frustration and trying to put the commander from her mind. “I was actually just looking for you.”
“Were you?”
She nodded. “I heard about the detachment sent out this morning to look for my crown. I just wanted to let you know that… it was more than I ever would have expected, and… I wanted to thank you.”
The corners of his lips turned up. “It’s unlikely we’ll find it, but now that we have its image, it’s possible. When Soren suggested it, I admit I felt a bit of a fool. I should have thought of it myself.”
Wait.Itwasthe lord commander’s idea?
He reached out and touched her arm. “The men will start where I took you. Let’s see what we find.”
She nodded, her mind still spinning. Then she stopped. “My Northmen might not take kindly to Kharavian warriors in the outer reaches.” She couldn’t even get her grandmother and the council to accept her marriage. She certainly wasn’t going to get them to accommodate Shadowmen within the borders.
He smiled. “They won’t even know we’re there.”
Like they’d been there before…
Chapter fifty-four
Theafternoonsunwanedas Norah walked along the windowed hall, looking out into the courtyard. The sky was alive with colors of purple and orange. It was beautiful. A smile crept across her lips. Sometimes it was easy to believe a good life could be made here, if she let it.
Her mind still churned with everything that had happened. She could let herself dwell on the hardships and the despair, everything she had lost. Or she could look to the good: Mercia was safe and fed, and the threat of war between their kingdoms was gone. Mostly. And marriage to Mikael was not as she’d expected. Maybe shecouldbe happy here.
She turned back toward her sanctuary, but her smile quickly faded when she looked up to see Mikael and the lord commander walking toward her, with Artem just behind. Mikael’s stride was one of purpose. One of anger.
“What business do you send your lord justice on?” he called before he even reached her.
It took her a moment to understand what he’d asked. “It’s a task for the council. Why?”
“What kind of task?” he pressed sharply. His tone made her own defenses raise.
She paused, trying to remember her conversation with Alexander. “I don’t know, he didn’t say. It’s insignificant.”
“Is it, now?”
Why was he so bothered? “What’s this about?”
“He rides for Aleon,” the lord commander snarled.
Norah gaped at Mikael in surprise. “What? That’s not true.” It didn’t make sense.
“Our scouts confirmed it,” Mikael told her.
“He wouldn’t go to Aleon without telling me,” she insisted.
“Well it appears you’re wrong,” the commander said.
Mikael’s eyes shifted to his brute, warning him. He turned back to Norah. “You didn’t know of this?”
