Frey lifted a hand to his neck and his fingers squeezed. He did not turn back to the window. He waited for the witch to come through the door.
When she did, he dropped his hand and waited for the housekeeper to close it behind her.
“I thought I made myself clear,” he stated quietly, his eyes locked with her faded blue ones.
“You did, Drakkar,” she replied just as quietly.
“If this is true, you’re here because?” he prompted.
“I have an urgent message for your Finnie,” she told him.
“And you did the last time we spoke in Lunwyn. And my message to you was that you do not see or speak to my wife,” Frey returned.
What was now months ago, just days after Frey and Finnie argued over Viola, Stephan had intercepted the witch Agnes when she visited the Winter Palace and demanded to speak to the princess. For obvious reasons, his men vetted anyone who made such a demand. Upon hearing who she was Steph wisely brought her to Frey.
It took some doing but Frey had convinced her to share the message she had for Finnie and this was a message Frey himself had not, at that time, yet delivered to his wife. The message was that Finnie’s witch from her world, a woman called Valentine, had sensed the elves binding spell and she had communicated with this Agnes to warn Finnie this had happened and awaited instruction on what she should be doing in her world to rectify the situation.
Frey had, at the time, lied to Agnes saying Finnie was well aware this had happened and was happy to remain in his world. And he had paid her to communicate the same to this Valentine.
He had also warned her not to see or try to speak to Finnie without seeing him first. He paid her for that too. He’d also made it very clear what would befall her if she reneged on their deal.
Since then, of course, he and Finnie had spoken of where she came from and his falsehood had turned true.
Frey knew straight to the depths of his soul, more and more as every moment passed with his wife, that she was pleased she’d risked her venture and, in the end, been bound to him as his wife and thus to his world.
What Agnes would travel to Hawkvale to communicate, and risk communicating it, he could not fathom nor did he wish to know.
But he had no choice but to find out.
And his concern was that something had befallen one of the friends his wife spoke so lovingly about. This was something that would cause Finnie distress for she felt deeply, especially when she came to care about someone but even when she hardly knew them.
And if there were problems, Finnie would feel it. She would feel it worse for she could not return and do anything to help.
And he did not want his wife to feel distress but if this had happened, he was powerless to help except offer his neck for her to sob into and although he knew his presence soothed her, he also knew in such a case this would be no help at all.
“You did, Drakkar, but there is much news,” Agnes replied.
“And this news is?” Frey asked.
“Princess Sjofn, of our world,” she paused, “much is happening.”
Frey’s body got tight as the jagged shards of the ice slithering through his veins started scoring.
“And what is Princess Sjofn of our world up to?” Frey queried.
The witch took two steps toward him, leaned in and whispered, “Drakkar, the princess is a guenipe.”
Frey instantly relaxed.
“I’m aware.”
The witch’s brows shot up then she started, “The Princess Finnie –”
He cut her off. “My wife, too, is aware.”
She leaned back, visibly surprised at this news, and she surveyed him.
Then she stated, “This may be so, and Valentine reports the dalliances are discreet, but nevertheless, she is living the life of your wife in that other world and no matter how discreet, word has a way of getting out. Valentine tells me it is there not like it is here. There are people who do not accept the guenipes. There are even those who are violently opposed to them.”
Finnie had told him of this curious fact about her world, something not shared with his own. Frey himself had no issue with guenipes, unless, of course, he was pledged to marry one.
“This is true, witch, but as Finnie will never return to that world, it matters not.”
“Perhaps she will not agree,” Agnes suggested.
“I can assure you she already knows and she does not care,” Frey stated then crossed his arms on his chest and his brows went up. “You travelled all the way from Lunwyn for this?”
She shook her head. “No. This is not the only news. It isn’t even half of it.”
Gods damn it.
“Spit it out,” he clipped.
“There have been many communications back and forth. Many communications,” she stressed. “And Princess Sjofn is aware of the perils the Princess Finnie is facing, including the assassination attempts.”
“And?” Frey prompted.
“And she is feeling great guilt about these perils,” her face went slightly hard before she went on, “as she should. Through our communications both Valentine and I have become aware that the Princess Sjofn has been far from forthright with your Finnie.”
After that, the witch said no more.
“And this matters because…?” Frey asked, losing patience.
“It matters because her guilt is ascending. She’s becoming frantic about these perils she’s placed Finnie under. She’s gravely concerned something will befall her. Princess Sjofn is highly trained and rightly feels she is better equipped to deal with these threats, as she has proven in the past. And I can assure you, Drakkar, that communication is not easy for me and it is not cheap for Princess Sjofn. Every time she sends a message through Valentine, she pays dearly for it and the messages are coming one on the heels of another.”
When she quit speaking, Frey lifted his brows, not about to prompt her again.
“Drakkar,” she snapped, “it is not her currency Princess Sjofn is using. It is your Finnie’s.”
“Again, this matters not,” Frey replied. “Finnie has no further use of that currency. She is mine and my coin and property are hers. And, woman, I’ll remind you she has taken over the life of Sjofn and is now a princess with her own funds and property, that property being a bloody palace.”
“That may be so, Drakkar, but I’m telling you, Sjofn’s guilt is ascending. She is now talking of paying Valentine to send her back.”
Frey felt the ice disintegrate as the fire came back.
“By the gods, you jest,” he whispered.
“No.” She shook her head. “Valentine is refusing until she hears word from Finnie. But Princess Sjofn is making refusal difficult for she’s offering three million of what they call ‘dollars’ and from what I gather from Valentine, this is enough coin to set a single being in a life of relative opulence for decades.”
“My princess is bound here and Sjofn bound there by the elves,” Frey reminded her.
“Valentine is strong, Drakkar. I cannot say for certain if she can circumvent an elfin spell. What I can say is that I feel her power and if anyone can, she can.”
Gods damn it.
“And if she were to return Sjofn here, would that mean my princess would go there?” Frey asked.
The witch shook her head. “The talk is not of the Princess Finnie returning to her world, but only of Sjofn returning here.”
“She cannot return,” Frey declared.
“I know this, Drakkar, but she is determined.”
“Then tell this Valentine to tell Sjofn that if she does, I will see to it that she sits at a secret tribunal to hear testimony of her treason after which, when judgment is passed, she will face private execution. Her mother and father both agree that her selfish actions brand her traitor to the realm and traitor to the crown and if they do, any head of a House chosen to be judge at her tribunal will as well. All of this will be done without any but the four people involved knowing it is done, plus, of course, her executioner. Sjofn will be hanged for her crimes but no
