Page 75 of The Fox Heir

“You and I both know I’m no mere ‘guest’.”

“No.” The haunting edge has returned to her voice. I can sense those undead eyes on me from behind her veil.

“Then tell him plainly,” I say. “What do you require in exchange for this generous gift?”

Hunter’s eyes dart between the Dead Queen and me. I stand firm, daring the queen to be forthright.

She lets out a weary sigh, as though I’m a tedious child. “Fine.” She turns her head to Hunter, her veil swaying in a draft. “In exchange for safe harbor and the return of your armor, I have one request.”

“And that is?” Hunter’s voice sounds hesitant, as if he’s not sure he wants to know.

“Fight for me,” she says simply, as if it is nothing. “Help me destroy the Fox King’s empire.”

The silence of the room is torture. Cold drafts make the tapestries sway and the guards behind us shift uneasily. From her spot next to the Dead Queen, Nalina watches us with fury in her eyes.

“How am I supposed to defeat an entire empire?” Hunter asks.

“Not alone, I assure you.” The Dead Queen nods toward me. “The Fox Heir will help.”

Hunter turns to me, his eyes wide. “You’re helping the Dead Queen now?”

“It’s complicated.”

He gives me an incredulous look before turning back to the queen. “And how am I supposed to fight a force like the Fox King?”

The queen shrugs her bony shoulders. “By swinging around that pretty little sword of yours. And ...” She pauses, weighing her words. “Doing what you do best. Protecting the Fox Heir.”

Hunter scoffs. “Why can’t you have your corpses do that for you?”

The queen’s voice is sharp as a blade. “Because they’re not enough!”

The room stills in the wake of her words. Hail pounds on the windows and thunder rumbles in the distance.

Then, just as quickly as she erupted, the Dead Queen gathers her composure again. “You may not know this, but my people are barely surviving.” She trails her bony fingers along the armrest of her twisted throne. “The Fox King takes more territory each year. We are losing this centuries-long war. And losing it badly.” She sits back as if to rest her weary bones. “We need a new plan. The dead cannot fight all the battles for the living.”

“And what is this ‘new plan’?” Hunter asks.

“A new weapon.”

I stiffen. I’d wondered when it would come into this.

Hunter looks down at the sword in his hand. “This? It’s a sword, nothing more. It’s not enough to turn the tide of war.”

The Dead Queen tuts. “Never underestimate the might of a single sword, Hunter. For a single blade can change the world.” She shakes her head. “But that is not the weapon I was referring to.”

“Then what?”

The Dead Queen laughs lowly.

Hunter frowns. “How is any of this amusing to you?”

“Because I know something you don’t.”

“What?”

“Our tides have just turned.”

He throws out his arms. “How?”