Page 88 of War Queen
“It’s time, Norah,” Catherine said directly. “Mercia needs a justice.”
Norah stiffened. That wasn’t what she’d expected. She would have rather talked about her sanity. Her grandmother let the silence sit between them, waiting for her to respond. And she’d have to respond. Eventually. She took Catherine’s chalice and swallowed a large swig of wine.
“I don’t need a lord justice, I have the lord commander,” she said finally.
“Yes, well, as pleasant as he is, he’s a beast of the Shadowlands. That’s where he belongs.”
“I’m not sending him back—”
“You’ll need him by your side whenyougo back.”
Norah jerked her head up. “What?”
“With Aleon and Osan now, you don’t need to hide away in Mercia. And I’ll not play ignorant, I know your heart is in the Shadowlands.”
Her pulse raced. She could go back to Kharav? Back to Mikael?
“However, Mercia needs a proper justice, and a proper council.”
But Mercia didn’t deserve anything less than Alexander. “I’m sure you’ve already prepared a recommendation?” Most likely one of the elder lords—
“Caspian.”
Norah sat back. That, too, was unexpected.
Catherine took a drink from their now-shared wine chalice. “You and I both know he was Alexander’s choice, not that it was or is his choice to make. But I trust it’s the right decision.”
Caspian. Soren had felt the same. If she didn’t know him and her grandmother better, she would have thought them to be colluding. She drew in a long breath. Caspian had been Alexander’s choice. If she were to nameanyone, it should be him.
“Of course, then you’ll have to name a new captain,” Catherine added.
Or let Soren do it. Or Caspian. That sounded like a justice’s task anyway.
“Norah, you can continue to mourn for as long as you need, but see Mercia well. Don’t forget your duty, or your people. They look to you.”
The thought of seeing Mikael again, and so soon, filled her with a rush of emotion. She needed him. She needed to be home again. He could help make things right, if ever things could truly be right again.
Norah turned her mind to Mercia—she did need to move her kingdom forward, both with a justice and a council. Especially if she would be returning to Kharav. And she most certainly would be returning to Kharav. She nodded. “All right.”
Catherine gave a sad smile, then reached across the table and clasped her hand. “I love you, my darling. I don’t say those words enough.”
Norah clutched her hand through her tears. They were exactly the words she needed to hear.
Soren sat at the large desk in the Bear’s study. He’d been using it as his own quite a bit lately. At first it seemed sacrilegious, but thoughts came easier here—in the place where the Bear had planned and strategized. Maybe his spirit lingered, watching over and helping him, like Norah and the Northmen believed. More likely the Bear was annoyed by Soren’s complete disregard for how everything had been meticulously situated. Soren had moved the larger chair from the window to the desk—it was more comfortable—and he’d pushed the desk forward to create more room from the shelves behind. Yes, that was more likely—he was sitting in the Bear’s irritation. Soren gave a small chuckle.Good. “That’s what you get for dying, you bastard.”
He looked up from his thoughts to see the pair as they stepped inside from the hall. “What have you found?” he asked.
“No one has seen outsiders that seem suspicious,” Calla said. “But there was a man who saw this box.” The siblings looked at each other hesitantly.
“And?” Soren prompted them.
“He said a dog was carrying it.”
“A dog?”
“Large dog, big jowls, short hair, black. No ears and no tail.”
Soren frowned. “A dog with no ears and no tail?”
