"Hmm," Neris hummed softly, his pale blue eyes drifting toward the frosted windowpane where tiny, crystalline lattices crept across the glass. "And what of Nicklaus? When does he return from the Virelian border?"
"If his horses hold and the mountain passes do not freeze over entirely," Lucen replied, his breath blooming faintly in the chill of the solar, "he should ride through the lower gates a day before the main column departs for Caelmont."
Neris turned back to him, his gaze sharp, pale, and completely unblinking. "The moment his boots touch the courtyard, bring him straight to my chambers. I do not care if it is the dead of night or if I am asleep. Send him up immediately."
"It shall be done, my lord."
