Chapter 13: The Weight of the Crown
The sun rose over the mountains. It cast a blinding white glare across the snowdrifts outside the cabin window.
I sat at the rough wooden table. I held a mug of tea that had gone cold an hour ago. My eyes were fixed on the map I had spread out.
It was a topographic map of the Blackwood territory. I had marked the potential breach points with red ink. There were too many of them. The territory was vast and the borders were porous.
Kael was still asleep in the chair by the window. He had taken the first watch and the second. He had refused to close his eyes until the sun breached the horizon. Now his head was tipped back and his mouth was slightly open. He looked younger when he slept. The lines of worry on his forehead were smoothed out.
"Mommy?"
A
