The next morning began peacefully.
That, in hindsight, was the first warning.
Concordia had become accustomed to chaos.
There was always something happening.
A shipment arriving late.
A bridge needing repairs.
A noble complaining about taxes.
A merchant arguing with a craftsman.
Thor getting into an argument with someone who had made the mistake of challenging her to a drinking contest.
Loki disappearing for three days and returning with an explanation nobody believed.
And, increasingly, wedding gifts that still hadn’t been properly catalogued.
But that morning, everything seemed calm.
The streets were busy.
The markets were open.
Construction continued in the remaining districts.
The bells of the central square rang eight times.
And Lexander stood on the palace balcony with a cup of coffee, watching the city.
Io joined him a moment later.
She wore a loose blue dress, and the subtle curve of her stomach was now impossible to miss.
Lexander smiled when he saw her.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
He kissed her cheek.
“How are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“Again?”
Io smiled.
“Apparently growing another person is exhausting.”
Lexander nodded solemnly.
“I’ll have a word with the baby.”
Io laughed.
“Please don’t.”
“I’ll explain that mother needs rest.”
“I’m sure they’ll listen.”
“They’d better.”
Io rested against him.
For a moment, neither said anything.
Then Lexander looked toward the city.
“Almost finished.”
Io followed his gaze.
Concordia was magnificent.
The palace dominated the center of the city.
The great avenue stretched from the eastern gate to the river.
The government buildings surrounded the central square.
The fortress protected the northern road.
The markets were full.
The residential districts were nearly complete.
Even the gardens were beginning to bloom.
“We did it,” Io said softly.
Lexander smiled.
“Almost.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“We did it.”
She looked around.
“Whatever happens now, Concordia exists.”
Lexander smiled.
“You’re right.”
Neither noticed the man standing across the street.
He watched them from beneath the hood of a plain brown cloak.
He wasn’t a soldier.
He wasn’t a merchant.
He wasn’t a noble.
He looked like an ordinary traveler.
And that was precisely why nobody noticed him.
He turned away.
Then disappeared into the crowd.
By midday, Lisbeth had received another letter.
She stared at it.
Then at Lysandra.
Then back at the letter.
“No.”
Lysandra laughed.
“You haven’t even opened it.”
“I recognize the seal.”
“Who?”
“The King of Dalvar.”
Lysandra groaned.
“Another prince?”
“Another prince.”
“How many now?”
Lisbeth sighed.
“I stopped counting.”
Thor, who had been eating lunch nearby, leaned across the table.
“Give me the letters.”
Lisbeth immediately pulled them away.
“No.”
“I want to read them.”
“Why?”
“I need to determine which princes are worth intimidating.”
Lysandra laughed.
“You can’t intimidate all of them.”
Thor looked offended.
“Why not?”
“Because they’re kings’ sons.”
“That has never stopped me before.”
Lisbeth shook her head.
“You are not going to threaten foreign royalty.”
“I’ll threaten them politely.”
“Thor.”
“Very politely.”
Lysandra smiled.
“I appreciate the offer.”
Thor nodded.
“I take my responsibilities seriously.”
Lisbeth looked at her.
“Your responsibility is not frightening away every man who looks at Lysandra.”
Thor thought about that.
“Can I frighten away the ugly ones?”
“No.”
“The boring ones?”
“No.”
“The ones who brag?”
“Thor.”
“Fine.”
Thor returned to her food.
“You’re no fun.”
Lysandra’s expression softened.
She had been nervous about the attention.
Not because she wanted to marry.
Quite the opposite.
She was fifteen.
There were books she wanted to read.
Places she wanted to see.
Things she wanted to learn.
She wasn’t ready to become someone’s political wife.
And for the first time, she realized something important.
Nobody was forcing her.
Lisbeth had made that very clear.
So had Lexander.
That knowledge made the letters less frightening.
Annoying, perhaps.
But not frightening.
She looked toward Thor.
“Do you really think you’d scare them?”
Thor smiled.
“Absolutely.”
“How?”
Thor leaned closer.
“I’d tell them stories.”
“What kind?”
“The honest kind.”
Lysandra laughed.
“That sounds terrifying.”
“It is.”
Across the city, Atreyu was having a very different conversation.
He stood inside the military headquarters with Mara.
A map of Concordia covered the table.
“Three suspicious incidents this week,” Atreyu said.
Mara nodded.
“Four.”
He looked at her.
“Four?”
“Someone tampered with a shipment of weapons yesterday.”
“How?”
“The crates were opened, but nothing was stolen.”
Atreyu frowned.
“Then why open them?”
“To make us think something had been stolen.”
Atreyu stared at the map.
“Distraction.”
“Possibly.”
“What else?”
Mara pointed toward the southern district.
“A group of workers got into a fight.”
“Workers?”
“Two groups.”
“Over what?”
“Nothing.”
Atreyu frowned.
“Nothing?”
“They were arguing over which kingdom had contributed more to Concordia.”
Atreyu stared.
“That’s absurd.”
“Yes.”
“And yet they nearly killed one another.”
Mara nodded.
Atreyu sighed.
“The Keeper.”
Mara’s expression hardened.
“Probably.”
“We need to tell Lexander.”
“We already have.”
“Then we need to tell Io.”
“She already knows.”
Atreyu looked at her.
“Everyone knows?”
Mara smiled.
“Everyone who matters.”
That afternoon, Lexander summoned Loki.
The trickster arrived late.
Very late.
Lexander was waiting in his office.
Io sat beside him.
Thor stood near the window.
Loki entered carrying an apple.
“You called?”
Lexander stared at him.
“Where were you?”
“Busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Things.”
“What things?”
“Important things.”
Thor snorted.
Loki looked at her.
“What?”
“You’re lying.”
“I always lie.”
“Exactly.”
Lexander rubbed his forehead.
“Can we focus?”
Loki sat down.
“Fine.”
Lexander leaned forward.
“Atreyu reported disturbances.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“I have ears.”
“You have spies.”
“Those too.”
Io spoke.
“Do you think it’s the Keeper?”
Loki’s expression became serious.
“Yes.”
Thor crossed her arms.
“What is it doing?”
“Testing.”
“Testing what?”
“How easily people can be manipulated.”
Loki placed the apple on the desk.
“It doesn’t need to convince everyone.”
He looked at Lexander.
“Only enough people.”
“Enough people to do what?”
“To start arguing.”
Io frowned.
“About what?”
“Everything.”
Loki began counting.
“Money.”
“Military authority.”
“Trade.”
“Religion.”
“Territory.”
“Who gets positions in the new government.”
“Who controls Concordia.”
“Who pays for Concordia.”
“Who benefits from Concordia.”
“Who is being left behind.”
He looked at them.
“The Keeper wants every disagreement to become personal.”
Lexander’s expression hardened.
“Then we stop it.”
Loki shook his head.
“You can’t stop people from disagreeing.”
“No.”
Lexander smiled.
“But we can stop disagreement from becoming hatred.”
Loki looked at him.
Then smiled.
“Exactly.”
That evening, Lexander called an emergency meeting.
Representatives from all three kingdoms attended.
Merchants.
Military leaders.
Nobles.
Architects.
Religious representatives.
Workers.
Everyone with influence in Concordia.
Lexander stood before them.
“There are rumors spreading through the city.”
Nobody spoke.
“We’ve all heard them.”
He looked around.
“Some are true.”
Several people exchanged glances.
“Some are false.”
More glances.
“And some contain just enough truth to make people believe the lies attached to them.”
The room became quiet.
Lexander continued.
“That ends tonight.”
A nobleman stood.
“Your Majesty, are you accusing us of something?”
“No.”
Lexander looked directly at him.
“I’m warning you.”
Io stepped forward.
“We built Concordia because our kingdoms were stronger together.”
She looked around the room.
“We cannot allow fear to convince us otherwise.”
A merchant raised his hand.
“What about legitimate concerns?”
“Bring them forward.”
“What if the alliance is making mistakes?”
“Then we correct them.”
“What if someone disagrees with the king?”
Lexander smiled.
“Then disagree.”
The merchant looked surprised.
Lexander continued.
“Concordia isn’t built on everyone agreeing with me.”
Io nodded.
“It’s built on everyone having a place at the table.”
Lisbeth smiled faintly.
Thor whispered to Loki.
“That was good.”
Loki nodded.
“Very.”
Thor whispered again.
“I’d have threatened them.”
Loki smiled.
“That’s why you’re not king.”
Thor frowned.
“Neither are you.”
“Exactly.”
The meeting lasted several hours.
By the end, something unexpected had happened.
Instead of dividing the factions, the discussion had exposed the rumors.
People began comparing what they had heard.
Several discovered they had been told different versions of the same story.
One merchant admitted a foreign diplomat had offered him money.
A minor noble confessed that an unnamed agent had promised him a position if Concordia’s government changed.
A soldier revealed someone had asked about troop movements.
And then a worker stood.
“I was offered gold.”
The room went silent.
Lexander looked at him.
“By whom?”
The worker swallowed.
“A man I didn’t know.”
“What did he want?”
“Information.”
“What information?”
“Which parts of the palace are finished.”
Lexander’s expression hardened.
“Did you give him anything?”
“No.”
“Why?”
The worker shrugged.
“Because it seemed strange.”
Thor grinned.
“Good man.”
Lexander nodded.
“Very good.”
Later that night, the palace guards captured a spy.
He had been attempting to enter the restricted construction area.
He carried no weapons.
Only papers.
Maps.
Names.
Schedules.
And one symbol.
Seven circles connected by an arcing line.
Loki stared at it.
“I’ve seen this before.”
Lexander looked at him.
“Where?”
“Ancient ruins.”
Io stepped closer.
“We all know what it represents, yes?”
Loki looked at the symbol.
“The cycle.”
Silence.
Then Loki noticed something else.
There was writing on the back of the paper.
He turned it over.
His face went pale.
“What?”
Lexander asked.
Loki didn’t answer.
He handed the paper to him.
There was one sentence written in ancient runes.
Loki translated.
The child must not be allowed to inherit the new age.
Io’s hand instinctively moved to her stomach.
Lexander stepped closer to her.
Thor’s expression became deadly serious.
“Now we have a problem.”
Loki nodded.
“No.”
He looked toward the mountains.
“We have a war.”
Hundreds of miles away, beneath the earth, Surtr smiled.
Fenrir stood beside him.
Jormungandr watched the flames.
“They know.”
Surtr nodded.
“Good.”
Fenrir looked at him.
“You wanted them to find the spy?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because fear is more useful when people know they are being hunted.”
Jormungandr smiled.
“And the child?”
Surtr’s expression darkened.
“We cannot allow it to reach adulthood.”
Fenrir nodded.
“What do you want us to do?”
Surtr looked toward the distant image of Concordia.
“Nothing.”
Both of them stared at him.
“Nothing?”
“Not yet.”
Surtr smiled.
“Let them protect the mother.”
“Let them protect the city.”
“Let them search for spies.”
He turned toward them.
“And while they do…”
His eyes burned brighter.
“…we will find the weakness they aren’t watching.”
Jormungandr’s expression became predatory.
“The child.”
Surtr nodded.
“The child.”
Fenrir smiled.
For the first time since Ragnarök, the three ancient monsters had a purpose.
Not revenge alone.
Not destruction alone.
Something more precise.
They would prevent the birth of the being they feared might finally end their age.
And in Concordia, Lexander stood beside Io.
His hand rested protectively over hers.
Neither knew exactly what was coming.
But they knew one thing.
Whatever the Keeper sent against them next, it would not find them divided.
Not if they could help it.
Outside, the bells began ringing.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then all at once.
A guard came running into the chamber.
“Your Majesty!”
Lexander turned.
“What happened?”
The guard was breathless.
“There’s been a fire.”
“Where?”
The guard swallowed.
“The eastern district.”
Lexander’s expression hardened.
“How bad?”
“We don’t know.”
Then another guard appeared behind him.
“Your Majesty!”
Lexander turned.
“What now?”
“The northern gate.”
“What about it?”
“It’s been opened.”
Lexander froze.
“No one was supposed to open it.”
The guard shook his head.
“We know.”
“Then who did?”
The guard looked terrified.
“We don’t know.”
Loki stood.
The color had drained from his face.
“Surtr.”
Lexander looked at him.
“You think this is him?”
Loki shook his head.
“No.”
He looked toward the burning horizon.
“I think this is only the beginning.”
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