Sylvia realised that she had not done nearly enough. She felt safe in Fristad. Too safe. All winter long, there had barely been a mention of Wolves. There were no sightings, no battles, no disturbances. It was an illusion. The ambush had made it abundantly clear that it would take more than Oskar’s name and a few cantrips to reach her ultimate goal. The Crown. Real safety. A country in which her family would have still been alive. A country in which little Alice would have been busy learning how to swim in the spring waters.

Remembering the blackstone needle Yrian had made, Sylvia picked up the blackstone which she used to practise channelling. She brought the whispered knife to it again and created a pointy tip. Carefully, she felt for the tip with her finger. The makeshift weapon pierced her skin with astonishing ease. She pressed the tip against the table instead. The blackstone cut into the wood like butter. Even the sharpest and most hardy tool may not have any effect on magic, though.

Sylvia glanced toward the door to convince herself that it was closed. She brought out the god from her pocket. Pressing the sharp blackstone tip against it, she found that her hypothesis held. Nothing happened. The blackstone could not penetrate the crystal. If Gramr could cast, she would have to do better.

For the second part of the experiment, she lay the blackstone weapon down on the table, and referred to The Basis of Magic. The final chapter detailed charms and enchantments. It was a bit vague on the details, but in order to imbue an item, she would have to fundamentally alter it with intent. It sounded difficult, but Sylvia evidently had the ability to enchant items. She had unwittingly imbued the silverwood leaf she used to treat Theodorus. The question now was how she could repeat this feat. Some stories talked about inscribing runes and symbols into enchanted swords and mystical trinkets. So far this entire magic business had been exactly as straightforward as that. Holding the tip of her whisperwood knife against the blackstone, she focused her intent and engraved the word “drain”.

She lay the knife down and inspected the blackstone closely. Nothing seemed to have changed. She picked it up and felt something tug ever so lightly at her soul. Smirking, she pressed the sharp tip against the god again. The liquid inside shot to the point where the blackstone met the crystal. Instead of tugging at her, the enchantment now pressed against her. The stone was attempting to drain the god and the magic was being pushed back into her. Satisfied, Sylvia lay the blackstone aside. Where it had met the crystal, a tiny dimple broke the even surface. Sylvia ran her thumb over it, feeling for the imperfection. This could actually work!

She experimented a little, strengthening the enchantment, until the door to the basement opened. She quickly cupped her hands over the god.

“Yri and Oskar are here now”, Dana informed her.

“I will be right up”, Sylvia smiled.

When Dana had left, Sylvia stored the god safe and sound in her breast pocket, and placed the enchanted blackstone weapon in a storage box together with her notes. Knife in sheath and Afi in tow, she walked up the stairs.

In the library, the entire inner circle stood gathered, or what was left of it. Everyone was visibly tense, and for once no one bothered with any wine.

“That is all of us. Let us start”, Yri said. “We have lost a lot, but we are not done here. The Wolves knew we were headed for Storhjärd. That is no surprise. I cannot fathom who would give them a crossbow cart and emboldened them to come all the way down here to carry out this cowardly attack, but it is what it is. There is no point in dwelling on it any longer. We have to think about our next move.”

“We have gotten word from Holms Fäste”, Dana reported. “The Wolves took the city. They used the tunnel and then caused it to collapse. I believe this occupation is what encouraged them to be so bold.”

“Jannes Gunn was close to the late mayor of Holms Fäste. He must have told them about the tunnel”, Yri grumbled.

“It seems likely. Aulikki LiljaKnut also sent a messenger. Wolves have been spotted around Storhjärd. They appear to be consolidating their troops.”

“Bastards”, Bothilder spat. “I say we show them once and for all that you do not pick a fight with Fri.”

“Keep your head”, Yri reprimanded. “We have a king. He will decide.”

Everyone turned to Oskar.

“What should we do?”, Tone asked.

Oskar hesitated. “I do not know. We do not have the strength to attack nor defend, do we?”

“No, but we might be able to get it from Linus Guld”, Sylvia suggested. “Ida, you are close with Guld, are you not? You could seek aid from him. He has soldiers and horses to spare. I dare assume he has siege engines, too.”

Ida sighed. “Yea. I had the same thought.” Her voice was low and hesitant, as though she did not want to be heard.

“You do not have to do it”, Tone said at once.

Ida did not look at her father when he spoke. Instead she looked to Sylvia for guidance.

“You do not have to”, Sylvia echoed. “But we direly need you to.”

Ida’s gaze fell to the floor and she nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

“So, how do we get to Guldhamn?”, Una asked.

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“By ship”, Yri stated. “You have to be swift and the road is too dangerous to ride without numbers. No doubt those rats are still hiding in the bushes.”

“Then the question is just in which direction the rest of you ride. North-west for the capital or south-east for Holms Fäste”, Una said.

“Holms Fäste of course. We have a duty to protect them”, Yri stated.

“If we wait too long, Gramr will take the throne”, Una argued.

“Let him. We will pull him right back down.”

“It is not that easy, I am afraid”, Sylvia interrupted. “Assuming Guld gives us all we need, we will still only be able to use siege weapons at Holms Fäste. They will be of no use at Storhjärd.”

“Why is that?”, Tone asked.

“The catacombs”, Oskar realised. “The city is built on a giant labyrinth of tunnels. If we bombard the defences, we could sink entire districts.”

“Not to mention the castle”, Sylvia added.

Dana nodded. “It has been a defining symbol of Sev’s unity since before Floki’s time. It is what allowed him to separate from Severn in the first place, to unite and lead the lords. If you destroy it, destroy the throne, you might as well drop your claim right now. There will be no Crown without its castle.”

“Is it really that important?”, Tone questioned.

“We can attempt to unite the country under a new rule, but it will not be the Crown, and as such it will not be welcome”, Dana stated unequivocally.

“I say we take it straight to their lair!”, Bothilder called.

“That would be suicide”, Afi said.

“Did you say something, Rat?!”, Bothilder barked.

“Shut it”, Yri ordered. She nodded to Afi, “Speak.”

“The quickest route to Safeharbour is via Isbäcken. As soon as we dip a single toe in that river, skirmishes will begin, and they will not back off the way they do down here. Every village, every town, every random stranger on the road will try his luck. We would not make it to Lesa, let alone Safeharbour. The safest route would be sailing up the East Cut and rounding Lesa altogether. But Gramr has connections in Severn. In order to sail north, you have to zigzag against the wind. We will be spotted from one shore or the other, and where the East Cut reaches the northern sea, we will be greeted by forces from two nations.”

Bothilder huffed and refused to look at Afi.

“How about we take the capital first? If we re-establish the Crown, we should be able to increase our troops and freeing Holms Fäste will not be an issue”, Ida suggested.

“Only if the people have faith in the Crown again”, Dana countered. “Few would enlist to serve a man who abandoned those under his protection for the sake of power. Your word and the hope it inspires is your greatest asset. Hesitating to aid Holms Fäste is a most unfavourable look. I say save Holms Fäste and show that you are a man of your word. Then ride for Storhjärd. Anyone able to hold a sword will follow you without hesitation. You will have more reinforcements than you will know what to do with. Once you have the throne, you can unite southern Sev and turn toward Safeharbour.”

Silence fell in the library. When no one else spoke up to add further suggestions, everyone turned to Oskar again.

“Well, what do you say, Little Prince?”, Yri asked.

“Dana’s summary sounds reasonable”, Oskar agreed.

“Then it is decided.”

“There is something you should know”, Theodorus said. “The woman who killed Thorun—and I suspect Kaija as well—she is hollow.”

Bothilder scoffed. “Please.”

“It is true”, Theodorus insisted. “I come from the mountains. I know them. It is not a myth. I wish it was. The Wolves are using hollow.”

Everyone frowned. Some frowned in disbelief while others frowned in worry.

“It does not matter what she was. I shot her”, Yri said. “I spotted her sitting in a tree like some owl.”

“Did you see her body?”, Theodorus asked.

“I did not stop to check, but I am pretty sure she would not survive a bolt to the chest, followed by a twenty metre drop.”

Theodorus shook his head. “I would not count on it.”

“How strong is she?”, Sylvia asked.

“You actually believe this?”, Bothilder questioned.

“I know it”, Sylvia stated. She met Bothilder’s eyes and spoke firmly. “Hollows exist. I have seen one, felt its gaze. It is like ice cutting into your soul. And I know for a fact that they are much more hardy than you would like to think. She may very well still be out there.”

Bothilder’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Are you serious?”

Sylvia nodded. Turning back to Theodorus, she repeated, “How strong is she?”

“A hollow does not fear pain or death. Hollow are trained for battle form an early age. There is nothing but death that can stop a hollow from killing their target. And if one fails, another will follow. There is no escape for a target, only death.”

“Then we will have to make sure to kill her before she kills any more of us”, Bothilder concluded.

“And hope Thorun and Yri were her only target”, Oskar added.

“Unlikely”, Sylvia commented. “Is there nothing that can stop this, stop more of them from coming after Oskar?”

Theodorus shook his head. Then he hummed and made a vague hand gesture. “The whole thing is a trade-off, risk versus payout. It is incredibly rare for a hollow to miss their target. If we kill the hollow, her master will have to decide if the risk to send out a second hollow is worth it. If he decides that the contract was not paid fairly, that the risk was higher than first indicated by the customer, then his price will go up. If no one coughs up the extra money, the contract will be cancelled. But I doubt Gramr would be stingy with assassinations of his rivals.”

“He just might be”, Afi said. “This contract is not a cheap thing to buy, right? He may not have the money. Maybe he promised them something for pay, part of the treasury or something along those lines.”

“Pray it is so”, Sylvia sighed.

“Either way, our best shot is to move quick”, Yri determined. “Una, Ida, you travel to Guldhamn. I will get the ship ready for you. I will also prepare Fri and our sworn. Tone, make sure the Nordborg soldiers are ready as well. Make sure they are not just packed, but motivated.”

“I will do my best”, Tone nodded.

“What should I do?”, Bothilder asked.

“You should cool your head. Once you have done that, you will lead our troops. Kaija is gone and unless you can accept that, you will stay right here and protect the city. Am I making myself clear?”

Bothilder clenched his jaw. “Yes, Liege.”

“Dana, I need you to speak with Ritva. I know she is mourning Frida, but we need her on the road now that Aimo is gone. Ask her to bring her men for the baker’s tent. Get to work. The quicker I can separate Gramr’s pathetic head from his shoulders, the better.”

“Sylvia, may I have a word?”, Oskar asked.

“Of course, My King”, Sylvia nodded.

When the rest of the gathering had left the library, Oskar sank into a chair. Sylvia sat down beside him and dismissed Afi.

“When you said you have seen a hollow…”, Oskar began. He met her eyes, hoping she would catch his meaning.

Sylvia merely looked back at him with a carefully blank expression.

“Where was this?”, Oskar finally asked.

“Why?”, Sylvia returned the question.

“More importantly, do you know where this hollow is now?”

Sylvia hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

“You know then”, Oskar concluded.

“Yea. I know.”

“You have not told anyone?”, Oskar asked.

“No.” Sylvia frowned. “But I do wonder. If you know, then why do you keep him around? Why do you keep him so close?”

Oskar grimaced. “A valid question and a long story.”

“We have some time before we need to leave”, Sylvia prompted.

Oskar sighed, but nodded. “So we do. But not here. Can you swim?”

“Yes.”

“Meet me at the docks at midnight.”