Book 4: The Noose Tightens

Finn

Xander jostles me awake, his hazel eyes urgent. “You have to get up.”

I blink and stretch. Although my leg has mostly healed, new muscles ache. I’m not used to this much sitting.

After what people have started calling the Battle of Tansy Tower, everything changes. Kieran demands I come with him to marathon council meetings and watch the other players in the room. I roll my eyes at him—I’m still not Anwen—but once I’m in the room, it’s obvious he wants me there as another voice. We don’t quite get votes, as foreigners, but every bastard around that big wooden table has turned into a war hawk. With their borders breached, they now favor bloodshed over peace talks. Kieran keeps arguing for caution, at least, and Xander ventures the occasional agreement, but other than that, I’m the only person on his side.

Most of the time. Even though Corwyn is the most aggressive, the most slash-and-burn of all of them, he has the worst habit of offering