Queen Ha' Ilik
Ha' Ilik felt the air leave her body when she saw the wolf. It was Noch, the messenger -- the one who would help Sho-qoot-Bak fulfill her destiny.
She'd never given much credence to that part of the prophecy before – no longer were there wolves in the Nine Kingdoms. From what she heard, there was no wolf in Athering, either. Every prophecy had holes in it; why would the one about Sho-qoot-Bak be any different?
But now, as Queen Yarrow's aunt walked up to Ha' Ilik and Agate, accompanied by a massive grey wolf, Ha' Ilik felt a shifting and clicking, as if the world suddenly righted itself.
Thadea inclined her head to the two women, and the wolf bowed. Behind them, the tree-being that had gone to find the Jade Star kept a distance, simply watching.
Thadea extended a gloved
