The snow-covered lands split under the pounding hooves of a galloping horse.
The rider leaned low over the animal's neck, urging it forward. Cold wind slashed across his face, biting through his cloak and stinging his eyes. The horse snorted clouds of steam into the air as it ran.
"Faster! Faster!" The spy echoed.
Behind him, the northern sea faded into the gray horizon. Ahead, the jagged mountains of Aranoyed rose like black teeth against the sky.
The horse did not slow. Snow sprayed behind its hooves as it thundered across the frozen ground. Pine trees blurred past. Narrow paths twisted between rocks and drifts of ice.
Nearly an hour passed before the rider finally pulled the reins. The horse skidded to a halt at the base of a fortress carved into the mountain's side.
Aranoyed.
The rider jumped down immediately, boots crunching into the snow. He tied the reins quickly to a wooden post and rushed toward the heavy gates.
"My lord!" he shouted as he ran through the courtyard. Guards stood on either side of the entrance.
None of them stopped him. They knew the man. They also knew that messengers who arrived breathless rarely brought small news.
The spy burst into the inner hall, shouting. "My lord!"
The shout echoed against the stone walls. Footsteps sounded almost immediately. Lord Bennett appeared from the side corridor.
His cloak hung loosely over his shoulders, and his sharp eyes narrowed the moment he saw the man.
"What is it?" he demanded.
The spy bent slightly, catching his breath. Then he smiled. "The Warden has just left the North for the Capital."
Lord Bennett's brows lifted. His eyes widened slightly. "Who is in charge now?" he asked quickly.
The spy's smile widened. "His fifteen-year-old bastard."
For a moment there was silence. Then Lord Bennett threw his head back and burst into laughter.
The sound filled the hall. It echoed through the stone corridors.
"What sort of foolishness is that?"
He paced slowly across the floor, shaking his head. "He didn't just leave a boy to handle a kingdom as vast as the North…"
His grin sharpened. "…but an illegitimate blood."
The spy remained silent.
Lord Bennett stopped walking. A slow smile crept across his face. "Now," he said softly, "is the time."
He turned toward the great window overlooking the snowy valleys below. "To take my father's fortress from that girl."
His voice hardened. "Women were never meant to rule in Astarous."
He turned sharply toward the commander of his guards. "Prepare your men." The commander straightened instantly.
Lord Bennett's voice dropped. "Tonight," his eyes gleamed. "we storm the city."
Night settled quietly over Snowland. Inside the castle, torches burned along the stone corridors.
But in the smaller western building, Newton lay awake. He stared at the wooden ceiling above his bed.
Sleep refused to come. His mind drifted back again and again to the harbor. To the ships.
To the moment Sonia disappeared into the distance.
All his life he had carried her. Across halls. Across courtyards. Across the snowy paths of the castle grounds.
Morning. Afternoon. Night.
Now his arms felt strangely empty. The bed creaked softly as he shifted.
"Sonia," he whispered into the darkness. "I hope you are fine." The words vanished into the silent room.
For a while nothing happened. Then a faint flutter touched the air. Newton turned his head slightly.
A white shape slipped through the open window. Soft wings beat quietly in the darkness.
The bird landed gently on his shoulder. Newton blinked. Then he slowly reached up.
A small white dove perched there, its feathers glowing faintly in the moonlight. Newton held it carefully in his hands. The bird did not struggle. It simply stared at him with small black eyes.
For a strange moment Newton felt something familiar. Something warm.
The bird carried a faint scent. A scent he knew well.
Sonia's.
It felt almost as if she were standing beside him. As if she had somehow reached him through the bird.
Newton exhaled slowly. His fingers brushed the dove's feathers. "Am I going insane? Or this bird truly smells like Sonia?"
Far away on the open sea, Sonia sat inside the ship's cabin. The waves rocked the vessel gently beneath her.
The room was quiet except for the creak of wood and the distant splash of water against the hull.
She stared at the empty space beside her bed..Her thoughts wandered north..Back to the castle. Back to Newton.
Suddenly the window curtain shifted. A flutter of wings filled the room. A white dove glided through the opening.
It landed on the wooden table near the bed.
Sonia stared at it.
Then she slowly reached forward. The bird did not move..Her fingers brushed its feathers. A familiar scent drifted toward her.
Newton's.
The smell clung to the bird faintly. Sonia's chest tightened. For a moment it felt as if Newton had come to her.
Through the bird. Through the wind. Through something she could not explain. She closed her eyes briefly. Then opened them again. The dove remained there quietly.
But while the North slept, other movements stirred in the darkness. Torches flickered along a narrow forest road.
Dozens of horses moved silently through the trees. Steel glinted beneath the torchlight.
Soldiers.
Their armor rattled softly as they rode.
At the front of the column rode Lord Sigmoid Bennett. His eyes remained fixed on the path ahead. The fortress of Kalkigan waited beyond the forest.
The stronghold of the Bennett family. But now it was ruled by someone who should never have ruled.
Sandra Bennett.
His niece. The horses continued through the trees. Branches scraped against armor and cloaks.
Thirty minutes passed. Then the forest opened. Ahead of them stood the fortress.
Tall stone walls rose against the night sky. Torches burned along the battlements.
Sigmoid raised his hand. The riders halted. Snow crunched beneath hooves as the column stopped.
Sigmoid dismounted slowly. Then he stepped forward toward the gate.
"Sandra!" he shouted. His voice rolled across the courtyard.
"Sandra!"
Inside the fortress, the sound reached the upper chambers.
Sandra Bennett slept lightly.
The violent knock on her chamber door snapped her awake. Her eyes opened instantly. As if she had been expecting something like this all along.
Another knock shook the door. "My lady!"
Sandra sat up quickly. "What is it?" she roared.
A frightened voice answered from outside. "My lady, your uncle has come with an army."
Sandra felt her heart slam against her ribs.
For a moment she simply stared ahead. Then she swung her legs out of the bed.
Within seconds she was pulling on her war armor. Leather straps tightened. Metal plates locked into place. She grabbed her sword.
Then she opened the door and stepped into the corridor. Her soldiers gathered behind her as she moved toward the courtyard.
The gates opened slowly. Torchlight spilled across the snow. Sandra stepped forward. Her men formed a line behind her.
Across the open ground stood Sigmoid Bennett and his soldiers.
Sandra folded her arms. "Is it not too late," she said sharply, "for you to be disturbing this castle?"
Sigmoid smiled. "Surrender the castle and run," he said calmly. His voice carried easily across the courtyard. "Then you may live."
His smile widened. "But stay."
He paused.
"And you will definitely die."
Sandra stepped forward slightly. "The castle is mine." Her voice remained steady. "My father named me as heir."
She lifted her chin. "Why can you not live with that?" Sigmoid and the men behind him burst into laughter.
The sound rolled across the courtyard. "Look around, woman," Sigmoid said. He spread his arms toward the mountains surrounding them.
"This is the North."
His smile sharpened.
"Never has it been heard that a woman ruled a kingdom or a fortress."
Sandra bit her lip. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword.
"The Warden awarded the fortress to me," she said. Her voice rose slightly.
"As against your claim."
Sigmoid waved a dismissive hand. "The Warden is a fool.".His tone turned cold.."He has no respect for ancient tradition."
Sigmoid's eyes darkened.."And that will be his downfall."
Sandra stepped closer to the gate. "The Warden will behead you for this.".Sigmoid laughed again. "Your Warden is gone to the Capital."
Sandra's eyebrows lifted sharply..Sigmoid's grin widened.."And before he returns," he gestured toward the fortress walls. "You might be dead."
He leaned forward slightly. "And my reign over this fortress will be crystallized."
His soldiers shifted behind him.
"The lords of the North will support my claim." Sandra's jaw tightened. Her eyes moved slowly across the enemy ranks.
Their army was twice the size of hers. Twice the steel. Twice the horses.
The cold night wind brushed across the courtyard.
Sandra gritted her teeth. She knew If she wanted to live, she would have to fight her way out.