“A kisa for your thoughts,” Wigg said, bringing the princess back to the present. Looking over at his craggy profile, she smiled.

“I was just thinking about how much things have changed,” she answered. “And about how much we’ve all lost, yet also gained.” She looked over at Tristan again, to see that he was still painstakingly sharpening his sword. His silhouette dark against the moonlight, he did not look back.

“Do you think that the peace will hold?” she asked.

“For a time,” Wigg answered. “But periods like this have always been fragile. Several things still threaten our security.”

Wigg took a deep breath. “We must secure the Scroll of the Vagaries,” he added, “and Serena must be dealt with. I am sure that she is of highly endowed blood, and that makes her immensely dangerous. Wulfgar would have never chosen her as his queen otherwise. There is simply no telling how much craft training she might have already had. From that mission you and Tyranny carried out at the Citadel not long ago, we also know that she is pregnant. That means that there will soon be another child in the world of your family’s bloodline. As long as Serena controls the other scroll and has gifted consuls working in her service, we will always be in danger.

“Our recent examination of the azure pass also concerns us greatly,” Wigg added. “The terrible hordes Wulfgar used to attack Tammerland came through there, but we have yet to learn any of its secrets. Who knows what other horrors may lie in wait behind that glowing wall? Faegan, Jessamay, and I think that the calculations needed to breach the pass might be found in the Scroll of the Vagaries. But would having them do more harm than good? Only time will tell.”