“We’re glad you finally…decided to join us,” General Aylard replied. “We were worried there would be another long absence.”
I started to step forward, my hand dropping to the hilt of a dagger, but Poppy’s smile stopped me. It was sharp, like the blade strapped to my chest, and the eather stirred inside me, responding to the rise in hers.
“I’m sure,” she said. The uncertain girl from before, the one who was worried about what Seraphena would think of her, was gone. A Queen had spoken. A Primal god held Aylard’s stare until he backed up, and Netta moved to stand behind her, her arms crossed as she eyed Aylard with open dislike.Please, don’t throw the dagger,her voice came through the link.He’s not worth the effort.
Smirking, I lowered my hand as Sven stepped forward with a smile. “We haven’t been waiting that long, Your—” He caught himself. “Penellaphe.”
“Thank you. I do hope the rest of you weren’t as concerned as Aylard,” Poppy said, sending the general a pointed look.
Aylard’s throat bobbed on a swallow.
Poppy’s smile increased.
Beside me, Kieran sighed and then gestured toward the table. “Shall we sit?”
With a nod, Poppy started to go but stopped and turned back to Sven instead. “Have you found anything of use in your research?”
“Not yet, but Perry’s still looking,” he answered.
“Please let us know if there is any way we can assist.”
“Of course.” Sven bowed his head.
Poppy walked toward us with a smooth, predatory grace that all eyes in the chamber followed. She was unaware of both things, but her next actions? She knew exactly what she was doing when her shoulder skimmed Aylard’s armored one,forcing him to take a step back. Grinning, I pulled out the chair at the head of the table.
“My Queen,” I murmured.
With a roll of her eyes directed at me, she sat. The others followed suit, with Kieran taking the chair on her left and me to her right. Netta sat beside her brother, but neither Emil nor Delano took a seat, leaving two open as they moved to stand beside Naill.
Eyeing the empty seats for a moment, I leaned back and shifted my attention to the generals as Poppy cleared her throat.
“We were told Thad returned,” she said.
“He has,” Sven replied from where he sat between Aylard and Damron, a slight frown pulling at his brow. “I assume Reaver did not advise you of his condition?”
Poppy stiffened beside me. “No, he did not. Was Thad injured?”
“He was,” Kieran answered, shifting closer to Poppy. “But he will recover.”
Worry bled into her features. “What happened?”
“General Da’Neer will be able to go into better detail when he rejoins us,” Lizeth offered, and I felt the faint splash of Poppy’s surprise sneaking past her shields, quickly followed by woodsy relief.
No sooner had she finished speaking than the sound of footsteps drew my gaze to the closed doors. Two pairs. A knock came, and Emil opened them.
My brother was the first to enter, his white linen shirt tucked into dark trousers that seemed to hang from his tall frame. My gaze lifted to his face. The shadows beneath his eyes weren’t as stark as they had been, but with his hair pulled back into a knot at the nape of his neck, there was no way I didn’t see how lean his face had gotten. I’d noticed it yesterday, and he’d fed at somepoint, but I doubted it had included much food. He wasn’t taking care of himself.
The second set of steps ground to a halt. I slowly moved my stare to the man behind my brother.
My father had shed his armor, opting for the plain black uniform of a common soldier. His sandy-blond hair was longer than I recalled, damn near reaching his chin. When our eyes met, the first thing I thought was how much he looked like Attes.
“Valyn?” Poppy called quietly, leaning forward in concern—
I frowned and focused on her. It wasn’t concern I was picking up from her. It was the coolness of shock, nearly equal to what my father was feeling.
I reached out to her through the link.Is something wrong?
Poppy’s brows knitted as she still stared at my father. I exchanged a glance with Kieran. Clearly, he had no idea what was going on.
