Evan

  Another day, another meeting.

  Honestly, anymore, that’s all he did with his time.

  “The missing villagers were found, but it wasn’t something anyone should have to see,” Farminger said from his position next to Evan’s father at the head of the large table. For Farminger to say that, things must have been far past bad. The man had led the king’s armies for decades, through peace and war, and had seen everything there was to see.

  “Don’t be coy,” the king said. “We’re all warriors here. Just tell us.”

  “The faces were… disturbed. Not disfigured in any way, but…” Farminger trailed off, apparently not knowing how to continue.

  “Was it the work of the Draugr?” another councilor asked.

  “We don’t believe it to be. She was recently seen in Rothger.” Farminger motioned to one of his men standing near the door, who signaled someone outside of the room. Four men shuffled in, carrying a body between them. They dropped it on the table in front of the king.

  Evan had seen bodies. Many. As a second son, he’d been more expendable than his brother, and had been sent all over the realm. The men he could take. They made their choices. But he’d always thought he’d seen the worst that the world had to offer when they came across children in the raided villages.

  No longer. The woman in front of him looked as if she was still screaming. One of the men reached forward and pried her eyelid up. Her eye stared back, a whiteish blue that he had never seen before. A sense of dread filled the room.

  Several of the men around him cursed and stumbled back.

  The king waved his hand. “Get her out of here. Now!”

  The room sat in sick silence for a moment before everyone burst out speaking at the same time.

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  “Quiet!” the king shouted. He pinched his nose between his eyes, a sure sign that his father was near breaking point.

  These excursions by someone, or something, were becoming more and more common. Something needed to be done. Something real, not just these endless meetings.

  “Are all of these strange happenings in the south?” Evan asked.

  The Jarl nodded. “So far. But it’s starting to spread from the entry point, east and west. The men I sent never reported back, and should have by now. Something is very wrong.”

  “What will we do, Father?” Evan asked the king.

  “Send out more spies. Many more. Get the lay of the land, search for more victims, and find the perpetrators. Once we have more information, we will be able to make a better plan.”

  Evan stood, his body tight. “Father-” a hand on his shoulder reminded him of the others in the room. He wouldn’t disrespect the man in front of all of his leaders. “Father-” he started again, much calmer. The presence behind him stepped back. “This must be taken seriously. We have to send actual troops. By the time we get reports, many more will have died.”

  His father finally looked at him, face worn, eyes sad. “If we had them, I would send them. But against what? Legend? What are men of flesh supposed to do against the supernatural? My men are needed at the coast. Raiding season has begun early, and strong. We’ve already lost so many.”

  It was true. Evan was a second son. He wasn’t even supposed to be in this room. But his older brother had led a raiding party against the Vadostri. He should have returned months ago when the ice began to melt.

  He hadn’t.

  Gar would have known what to do. And the council would have listened to him. They probably would have given him all the troops he needed to take care of this new threat. But they didn’t trust Evan yet, and he couldn’t blame them. This wasn’t supposed to be his role.

  But he would do his best with the role that had been forced upon him. He stood. There was nothing left for him in this meeting.

  Nodding to the others in farewell, Evan strode out of the room, followed closely by Gunnar, his bodyguard and friend. Almost a father. Evan’s true father had been too busy teaching Gar to be king to be bothered with the second son.

  “Get horses ready,” Evan told Gunnar.

  Gunnar cocked his head in question, without saying a word.

  “It’s past time we put our plan into action. Father cannot handle a war on one front, the spring raids on another, and whatever is happening in the south all at once. It’s time we get things moving.”

  Gunnar nodded, his face impassive. Whether he approved or not, he wouldn’t say. He was the most loyal person to walk the Earth, and Evan was about to put his life on the line.

  The only way to get support to stop what was happening in the south was to know what was truly going on. And for that, he would have to go deep into enemy territory. He needed someone who could defy death on his side. And he knew just the person.