He stopped the carrier outside the Main Gate hall.

Quinn climbed out, looking at her appearance and giving him a quick grin.

"I don't think I'm presentable," she said. "Are you sure you want me here?"

"You're my fated," Rhys said firmly. "Your place is by my side and yes, I want you to be seen. By Kol-Eresh and by any man who helped that traitor Jeroek. I want them to see what they've done to you, to know that if I ever learn their names, they're dead.”

"Do you think some of them might confess after that?" Quinn asked.

"They will if they know what's good for them," Rhys said, marching toward the Main Gate.

Like he'd ordered, Kol-Eresh was waiting for him alone, surrounded by his warriors. It amused Rhys to see how little it bothered the other harbinger, although it was the first thing he pointed out when he saw them approach.

"Rhys," Kol-Eresh barked. "Some greeting. Do you think these measly boys will be able to detain me if I didn't have such good manners?"

"Not at all," Rhys said, waving the warriors away. "I think they were awestruck. You must forgive them."

The wide smile that spread on Kol-Eresh's face told Rhys that his friend had lost none of his wild spirit and temper he was known for.

Kol-Eresh was as young and as accomplished as Rhys was, but the domain Kol was the heir to wasn't as large as his. That hadn't stopped Kol from fighting his way to power among the many warlords on Luminos.

The hardships had given him a tough outlook on life and hardened the lines of his face, but there was still obvious nobility about him. Rhys knew that the females on Luminos, even those who resisted everything else about the world, were saddened the other warlord hadn't found his fated in them. The bright blue-and-gray eyes were said to have stolen many hearts.

Right now his friend looked tired and careworn, but still full of determination.

"Is this your new female?" Kol-Eresh asked, looking at Quinn with interest.

"Yes," Rhys said. "Quinn, this is Kol-Eresh. He is a bastard, but an honest one. If he tried to betray me like those fucks who don't have the courage to face me, he would be standing right in front of me when he told me why."

The look on Quinn's face told him that she understood the meaning of that.

Kol-Eresh was regarding him seriously.

"I heard about her," he said. "Is your fortress slipping away from you, Rhys?"

He answered the other warlord's gaze firmly.

"What do you think?" he asked, his deep voice carrying a warning note.

Kol-Eresh said nothing for a long moment before he grinned again, baring his teeth in a feral smile.

"I thought as much," he said.

Then a dark shadow flashed across his face as he stood taller. It was clear to Rhys how much it pained Kol-Eresh to say what he'd come to say. Harbingers weren't known for their social skills and asking for help didn't come naturally to them. It just wasn't in their vocabulary.

It was something Rhys had never expected to see.

"What happened?" he asked before Kol-Eresh could say anything.

The other warlord growled.

"The storm that's coming is the worst one yet," he said with bitter fury. "The cold got us already. The gates would not close properly and I will not risk it. The last haul we got turned out to be a good one. Half the females have already been claimed. It is not the time to risk what we've achieved."

Kol-Eresh grunted, crossing his thick arms over his chest.

"I didn't stay to wait to see if the fortress holds," he said. "It's not a domain worth defending. Once the long night passes, I will claim another one for my people. Right now..."

He trailed off. Rhys understood. A warlord could find another home for his people, that wasn't uncommon for Luminos. Every year, the storm broke some. Whole fortresses were frozen with the people found later with ice in their lungs. It wasn't a pretty way to go.

But there were always others who took on the tedious, harsh task of building the fortress up again in the months that followed.

Rhys agreed completely. Kol-Eresh's domain wasn't worth fighting for and he knew there were better ones out there. His friend was more than capable of claiming a fortress and the land that came with it that was worthy of him.

Kol-Eresh's eyes were dark as he observed him. Rhys knew he had to wonder why he'd been called alone. He could imagine what his friend had to have been thinking. Undoubtedly Kol-Eresh expected Rhys to want him to beg.

Harbingers weren't merciful creatures, after all. If there was a chance to humiliate or gain an upper hand over their rivals, they took it.

"Do you vow to keep peace among your own in my fortress?" Rhys asked.

The look of surprise on Kol-Eresh's face would have been amusing to see at another time.

"Yes," the other warlord said. "I vow."

"That's good enough for me," Rhys said, rising to transmitter to his lips. "Gate Control, open the Main Gate. Make an inventory of what they brought with them and start calculating rations. Find places for Kol-Eresh's people to live through the long night."

"Yes, sir."

The Controls didn't sound too happy and Rhys could imagine why. It was going to be a tough month, but the look in Quinn's eyes was well worth any sacrifice he had to make to save two domains instead of one.

"You make sure your people move as fast as they can," Rhys told Kol-Eresh. "The storm will be here soon. The Main Gate needs to be firmly shut by the time it hits."

"It will be," Kol-Eresh said.

For a second, Rhys thought he was going to say more, but then the other warlord turned on his heel and marched back out there to give orders.

Nayanors weren't that great with thanks either, but luckily Rhys knew his friend well enough to read between the lines.

"Come," he told Quinn, grinning.

Her eyes were making him long for nothing but their bed and her in there with him.

"We're going to get warm before the storm comes."