River stepped down from the carriage slowly, one hand instinctively touching her swollen belly. She was close—so close—to bringing her child into the world, and the weight of that life steadied her more than it frightened her. Tempest watched silently inside her mind, poised and ready.
Heiko stood at her side, protective, tense, but determined not to overshadow her. This was River’s meeting. Her heritage. Her challenge.
And then she appeared.
Queen Victoria stepped from the mist with the same breathtaking, intimidating presence River remembered. Her long pale hair flowed like frostwind, her cloak heavy with silver embroidery, her crown a sharp circlet of ice. Her aura pressed on the air like a blade—cold, ancient, merciless.
Yet her expression was unreadable… until her eyes found River
