Raevyn had been many places in her time: to Westgar, as the head of house Thorne. To Sothgar, as an exile. To Northgar, to wage war against its people. To Eastgar, to search for new dragons. And now back to Sothgar, to spy against her will. She stood at the prow of the ship, facing the left, looking over the vast waters. As the days passed, she had noticed a huge shift in the weather. As the company headed south, the air had become humid, something the crew complained about often. She had commanded each member of the crew to swear an oath of total silence, and the queen had “encouraged” the captain with the threat of crucifixion. Raevyn had to keep this a secret, after all. Spying was generally something frowned upon by lords and ladies. Especially on one’s closest ally. Queen Kathryn Sommyr of Sothgar had long been an ally of house Thorne. After Raevyn was exiled from the west for conspiring against her king, Kathryn had taken her in and sheltered her in Sothgar until it was safe to return. When queen Alysanne and her loyalists took control of Westgar and began a purge of the late king’s allies, Raevyn had protected house Sommyr from the queen’s wrath, after returning to Westgar and claiming her titles once more. And now, through cunning and plot, Alysanne had put Raevyn in debt and forced her to turn against house Sommyr by spying on Kathryn. And Raevyn had allowed this to happen, completely unaware of the queen’s plans until it was too late. Now, for the good of house Thorne, her children and her husband, Raevyn served Alysanne. Not her friends, not her allies, but her queen.