Chapter 27

I almost ran through the hallways until I came to Mother’s room, where I halted and straightened out my tunic. Would Mother even listen to me? After all, she might simply decide that Sami had lied, and that it was only part of her scheming against us.

I knocked on the door, and I heard Mother’s call to enter. She looked at me, surprised when I stepped in.

“Has something happened?”

I shook my head. She waited for me to continue, and I suddenly wondered if it had been the right decision to come after all. What would I do if she told me it wasn’t true and that I had fallen for a lie? I took a deep breath.

“I…”

What would a High Lady do? I hesitated before taking another deep breath.

“I have gathered information”

She cocked her head in surprise.

“Information?”

“Yes”

I took another step into the room until I stood before her desk.

“I believe our fear is misdirected”

I almost waited for her to scold me for wasting her time, but she only laid her pen down and turned to me.

“Fear?”

“Of… the Dragon”

Silence fell over the room, and I began to explain what Sami had told me, making sure to present it as a report. When I was finished, she turned and stared into the room.

“So they would not invade…”

I shook my head, then realised she might not see it and instead said,

“I do not believe so”

She turned to me.

“And are you sure you can trust it?”

“Yes”

She nodded to herself.

“You have done well”

I almost stepped back in surprise at her praise, then nodded and turned to leave when she suddenly walked over to me.

“Freja…”

She hesitated.

“Forgive me”

I turned back to her.

“I… only tried to do what was best for you. If the Zarvāns attacked us, I might not have come back. You had to learn to lead our people.”

I looked at her, surprised. Is that why she’d done it? She took my hands.

“Please, forgive me. I… wasn’t fair.”

She looked at me, and I thought I could see the Mother I’d once had in her eyes.