Keely and Leo exchanged puzzled looks. “Surely you don’t mean Leyes of the Eifalians?” Leo said. “He is the gentlest of souls. What trouble could he have caused you?”
“Trouble?” The queen rose out of her chair and began pacing. “He tried to kill my son. Lured him away from his nanny and then took him through the woods. The boy was nearly lost in the snow. We searched for him for hours. It was only by luck that we found him before . . . before he froze to death.” Her voice choked up. “I could not have survived losing another child. Joran was beside himself. Kaleb told us of the man who dressed as a woman and tricked him into following him.”
“And you’re sure that man was Leyes?” Galatin asked. “When was this?”
“Three days ago. He had the white hair of the Eifalians and gave his name as such.”
“My lady”—Galatin drew closer and bowed—“I swear to you, on my honor, that man was not Leyes.”
She held herself very still as she faced him. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because three days ago he was in Skara Brae meeting with the High Council to discuss the pending invasion of Surt’s army.”
“Surt?” Now it was her turn to look puzzled. “The fire giants are banished to Musspell. They have not ventured into Orkney in a thousand years.”
“Not while Odin was alive,” Galatin said.
Her face dawned with realization. “Of course. Odin made sure Surt and his kind never troubled mankind. But you offer no proof. It might not have been Leyes, but there is no doubt he was Eifalian. My son’s description was very vivid. He described his eyes, his face, his hair.”
“May we speak with him?” Keely asked. “Maybe there is an explanation, some way to make sense of this.”
The queen hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, I will bring him in.”
She went to the window and called out. The boy came bounding in, his face flushed red from running about in the cold. He was almost as big as Keely, but his face had the rounded features of a young child. He gave his mother a hug, looping his arms around her waist, looking suddenly shy as he saw the four of them.
He said something to her in their language, but she chided him.
“Speak English, Kaleb. Say hello.”
“Hello,” he said shyly before looking up at the queen and whispering loudly, “Who are they, Mama?”
She took his hand and led him over to the sofa where they were seated. She pulled him up on her lap so that he faced Keely and Leo. “They are friends. They would like to talk to you about what happened.”
“You mean that day?” He looked frightened.
She nodded, brushing the hair off his forehead. “You must be brave and tell them everything, starting with the moment you wandered off.”
“It was the bird, Mama, the mockingbird. It came to our window and hopped on my finger. Papa said we couldn’t keep it. Then the next day, it was in a tree, but every time I went to touch it, it flew off. I followed it, but it disappeared, and I was all alone. I called out to Nanna, and then she was there.”
“What do you mean, there?” Keely asked.
“She came around a tree and took my hand and led me away. I thought we were coming home, but she wouldn’t speak, and then I got scared.”
Keely turned sharply toward Leo. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
He nodded, his eyes gaunt with guilt.
“What?” Reesa commanded. “Tell me.”
“The bird wasn’t a bird,” Keely said confidently.
“And that man wasn’t Leyes,” Leo added.
“Then who was it?” Reesa looked from one to the other.
They said the name together. “Loki.”
She frowned, puzzled. “Loki, the mischief-maker? But he’s been banished to the underworld for a millennium.”
“He tricked me into releasing him,” Leo explained.
“Loki can shape-shift,” Keely added. “He can take the form of any animal or person, but he is especially fond of birds.”
“But why?” Reesa asked. “Why harm my son?”
“Don’t you see?” Keely said, sitting forward. “He didn’t want to hurt Kaleb; he just wanted you to think that the Eifalians did, so you would go after them. Loki is out to start a war. He’s punishing everyone in Orkney for what Odin did to him.”
Reesa’s frown grew deeper. “If what you say is true, then my husband is about to slaughter an innocent kingdom.”
“My lady, is it too late to stop them, call them back?” Galatin asked. “We can send word to him.”
“None he will listen to. Unless he hears it from my own lips, he won’t withdraw. He is too proud, and he has lost too much.”
“Then we must go after him. How long before his men reach Ter Glenn?”
“They left a day ago. Three days more, I would guess.”
“Is there any way to get there ahead of them?” Keely asked. “What if we sailed?”
“No. The tides are against you. It would take too long. Your only chance would be to take a coastal route. It is more direct, but the way is narrow and open, which is why Joran went over the mountain pass. I can draw you a map to follow. You might catch them before they arrive, but it will be close.”
Keely frowned. “You’re not coming with us?”
The queen shook her head. “I am sorry; I cannot leave my children. They are unprotected here. We have only a few of my private guards who are bound to remain at my side and some old men too feeble to go to battle. They would be left with no one to protect them.”
“I can stay,” Galatin offered. “I would protect them with my life.”
The queen caught her knuckle between her teeth, warring emotions on her face. After a long moment, she sighed. She bent down to look Kaleb in the eye. “I must go, my son. That means you are in charge of the kingdom.”
His eyes grew large. “What should I do?”
“Be brave, be wise, be kind. Take care of your people. This man will guard you with his life.”
The boy looked up at Galatin with a pinched look on his face, then whispered loudly, “But he’s so small.”
Everyone laughed because Galatin was a large man to any but a frost giant.
Galatin bowed to the boy. “I might be small to you, young prince, but my sword is big enough to carve up any beast.”
“I take lessons in sword fighting,” the boy boasted. “Will you teach me?”
Galatin tapped his sword to his forehead, “Your wish is my command.” Over the boy’s head, he nodded at the queen. “He will be safe, Your Highness. I swear it on my life.”
In a matter of an hour, they were suited up on horses with provisions to last them the journey. They were traveling light, with only a few weapons and bedrolls. The horses were fresh. Reesa had six of her men with her, burly frost giants with bare chests crossed with leather straps that held their fearsome blades.
The sun was high in the sky, but the day was cold. A light frost covered the ground. Exhilaration soared through Keely as she held on to the broad waist of a Vanirian soldier. Everything would be okay. They just had to get to Ter Glenn before Joran. The Vanirian king would listen to reason. She would make him see he was making a huge mistake.