Crown of Ice (20 page)

Voss can conjure a blizzard as fierce as mine, as deadly as the one that injured Kai’s father. I sigh and turn from the vista to head for my chambers. I too must prepare myself for this rescue and, unlike Kai, I know just how dangerous it might be.

A BLIGHTING FROST

Kai’s seated in the sleigh, clutching the reins too tight. The ponies side-step and paw at the ground. “Aren’t you getting in? We’ve no time to waste.”

I hold out my hand and whistle. A dark object hurtles from the threatening sky. It shrieks once before landing on my wrist. Swiveling its head it stares at me, unblinking. Its pupils are as dark and dead as beetles caught in amber.

“What do you want with a falcon?” Kai visibly relaxes as he releases one hand to pat Luki, who’s leapt up into the sleigh beside him.

“He’s one of our messengers.” I use two fingers to smooth the speckled feathers on the bird’s breast. He shrieks again and sinks his talons into the leather of my gauntlet-length gloves. I extract a rolled slip of paper from my pocket and insert it into the metal cylinder attached to the falcon’s leg. Bending my head to his, I whisper the incantation that will direct the bird to the intended recipient of my message. I throw my arm high to send the bird soaring back into the sky.

“Exactly who are you contacting?” Kai eyes me as I climb into the sleigh. “I didn’t think you had any friends …” His face, framed by the fur-lined hood of his cloak, reddens.

“Not a friend.” I take the reins from his hands. “But in this instance, possibly an ally.”

We take off, sailing into the heavy banks of clouds. I can’t see anything but the whiteness that envelopes us. I concentrate and conjure a wind that swirls about the sleigh, breaking up the clouds just enough for me to guide the ponies toward the mountains.

“Kai, I must warn you—this storm won’t be easy to navigate, even for me.” I glance at the boy, who’s peering into the heavy clouds.

He turns to gaze at me. “But you can control the snow and wind.”

“I can, but this is no natural storm. And not one of my making. It’s Voss’s creation, and that makes it more difficult for me to master.” I urge the ponies forward as the winds buffet the sleigh, swinging us to and fro. “Stay down, Luki,” I command. The wolf’s gray head disappears as he drops to the floor.

Kai’s gloved hands grip the edge of the sleigh. “His power’s greater than yours? Even over wintery weather?”

“Yes. He gave me my magic, remember. And taught me to use it. He knows how to create a blizzard that will challenge my powers.” A gust whips my hood back, exposing my head. I blink as tiny ice crystals sting my face like a spray of needles.

Kai leans over and pulls my hood back over my hair. As I shoot him a quick, grateful, look, I’m surprised by the searching gaze he’s leveled on me. “You’d better keep a hold on something,” I say, turning until my profile is hidden behind the edge of my hood. “We’re in for a rough ride.”

I focus on keeping the sleigh, and us, aloft. The ponies push bravely against the headwinds as snow swirls about their straining bodies. I concentrate all my magic to keep the worst of the blizzard at a distance, but all I can achieve is a bubble of lighter snow and wind. There’s no glimpse of Gerda or Bae. Of course, we can’t possibly see them, but even my attempts to sense their whereabouts are futile.

After some time I glance at Kai and notice the blue sheen that veils his face. He’s huddled down in the seat, one hand gripping the side of the sleigh. The other hand clutches at the blanket that covers our laps and legs. His gloved fingers twitch, digging into the heavy fur. I redouble my efforts to warm his body with the shield I’ve cast over him, but logic tells me that I can’t provide enough protection, whatever the enchantment. Voss’s unnatural storm is too powerful.

“We must find shelter,” I say, but my words are lost to the roaring wind.

Kai turns to me with a questioning look. There’s a violet tinge to his trembling lips.

“Shelter!” I shout and point toward a cave that’s a barely discernible blot on the face of the looming mountain.

Kai shakes his head violently, but I hold the reins. I direct the ponies to land on the wide ledge that skirts the cave. As they pull up before the dark opening, Kai leans in to me, gesticulating wildly.

“What are you doing?” His voice is rough as new-cut timber, and oozes anger like sap. “We can’t stop. We haven’t found them yet.”

“You’re freezing.” I jump from the sleigh, throwing Kai the reins. He fumbles and drops them into his lap. “Your fingers will soon be blighted with frostbite, even in your gloves. We must seek shelter and wait for this storm to die down.”

“We’ve no promise it will dissipate anytime soon.” Kai crawls out of the sleigh, his whole body shaking. He stumbles and falls back against one of the ponies.

“Look, the ponies are also trembling with cold. We must wait this out. If my ally fulfills my request”—I unhitch the sleigh and grab hold of the lead pony’s harness—“the storm will die down soon, and we can resume our search.” I wait for Luki to leap out of the back of the sleigh before leading the ponies toward the mouth to the cave. “Come on, Kai. You’re no use to Gerda, or me, or anyone, dead.”

“But they could be freezing right now.” Kai takes hold of the other bridle and aids me in guiding the ponies into the cave. Luki trots behind us, his nose twitching and his eyes alight.

“Bae knows how to survive a blizzard,” I reply as we move deeper into the darkness. The cave is shallow, merely an indentation in the cliff, but it offers protection from the worst of the storm. “I’m sure he’s found shelter, as we have. And he can use his body to keep Gerda warm.” I release the ponies, who wander over to one side of our stony shelter and huddle together.

Kai trails me to the back of the cave, the fur blanket draped over his arm. “I thought we might need this,” he says, as he sinks to the hard stone floor. He presses his back against the cave wall and pulls the blanket over his trembling limbs.

Luki pads up to Kai and drops to the ground, curling his body into a tight ball as he nestles against Kai’s right side.

“Good thinking.” I sit on the other side of Kai. My skills allow me to avoid some of the biting cold but even I’m chilled. Voss’s magic is too powerful to ignore completely.

Kai shifts and throws a portion of the blanket over me. “I wish I had your confidence in Bae. He’s just a beast, after all, even if an enchanted one.”

“Beasts can survive better in the wild than humans.” I rest my back against the stone wall of the cave. “Gerda’s safer with Bae than she’d be with you.”

“Yes, I’m certainly not the safest person, as far as Gerda’s concerned.” There’s a bitter edge to Kai’s voice. “If it weren’t for me, she’d be home.”

“That was her choice.” I lean in to Kai. “It might help if we’re touching,” I say, as Kai turns to look at me. “My magic might warm you better.”

“Oh.” Kai’s dark eyes survey me with interest. “Well, that sounds logical.” He places his arm about my shoulders and draws me close to his side.

My decision to rest was the correct choice. Kai’s no longer shivering. I glance at his profile, relieved to see the blue tint fading from his face.

It’s strange, really, feeling another human body close to mine. I close my eyes for a moment and recall the last time I was physically close to a mortal. In the sleigh, pressed between my mother and father … I jerk upright.

“Something wrong?” Kai adjusts his arm until the back of my head is resting against his chest. Luki examines us for a moment before dropping his head across Kai’s right leg.

“No. Just a memory.” I hear his heart thudding through the thick layers of clothing that separate our bodies. “Nothing significant.” My own heart’s fluttering like a moth mesmerized by a candle flame. I’ve never wanted so much to stay and to flee at the same time.

“This ally of yours,” says Kai after a moment. “Who might that be?”

“Her name’s Sephia. She’s an enchantress and was once Voss’s mentor. No friend of mine, I can assure you, but she does care for Gerda.” I plunge ahead, telling Kai of my encounters with Sephia and the assistance she’s provided his friend. “So you see, she wouldn’t help us if it meant aiding me alone, but I suspect that she might do as I ask to help Gerda, and to thwart Voss.”

Kai tightens his grip on my shoulder. “What can she do, though? You say she can’t travel into realms of ice and snow.”

“No, but she can draw Voss to her, away from here. If his attention’s diverted he won’t be able to perpetuate this blizzard.”

“Sounds like a gamble.”

“But a calculated one.”

Kai glances at me. “Logical Thyra Winther, always calculating.”

I raise my head and adjust my position so that I’m leaning against Kai’s arm instead of his chest. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.” A faint smile flits over Kai’s face. “It’s just unusual, in my experience.”

“Oh, and you have such vast experience?” I lift my chin and meet his steady gaze.

Kai looks away, staring moodily at the storm that rages just beyond our shelter. “No, not really.”

We sit in silence for several minutes before Kai speaks again. “I want that experience very badly.” His voice is so low I must lean in close to hear him. “To learn, to discover, to really understand …”

“Yes, I could tell at the university how much you want that.” I allow my head to rest upon Kai’s shoulder.

He sighs deeply. “It’s that obvious?”

“For anyone with eyes.” I reach out and lay my right hand on Luki’s head. The wolf opens his eyes and gazes up at me.

“It is my dream to study at the university.” Kai uses his free hand to stroke Luki’s back.

Luki’s tail beats rhythmically against the stone floor of the cave.

“And then what? Aren’t you supposed to run the mill someday?”

Kai’s shoulder twitches beneath my head. “Well, yes. But if I can learn enough during my schooling I plan to continue my studies on my own once I return home. Sure, I can run the business, but I can also conduct research and work on mathematical theories in my spare time. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be better than just staying in the village with nothing but the mill to occupy my thoughts.”

I close my eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation of being held close. Despite my power to temper the cold, I’ve never felt so warm.

“You should be a professor. Like Dr. Daman. Let someone else run the mill.”

“There is no one else.” Luki stops wagging his tail in reaction to the tone of Kai’s voice. “I’m the only boy, you see. Between the two families, I’m the only boy.”

“And you’re an only child.” I remember this from my observations.

“Yes, and Gerda has only sisters.”

“But one of them might marry someone who could eventually run the business. I mean, if we’re being perfectly rational, that could be your way out.”

Kai’s laugh holds no humor. “I’m the one who’s marked for that task. You see, if I marry Gerda that’ll please both our families and protect our business interests. Oh, don’t get me wrong …” Kai covers the hand I’m resting on Luki’s head with his own gloved fingers, “Gerda’s a truly sweet and loving girl. And pretty, too. I could do a lot worse.”

“And you love her.” I fight to keep this observation from turning into a question. It’s none of my business, of course. But I must know.

“I do, actually. I love Gerda as much as I love anyone I’ve ever known, up to now.” Kai glances at me, his brown eyes unreadable. “But I wonder if that’s enough. I feel like there’s something more. Something I’d be missing if I just follow the path laid out for me.”

“You have a great hunger to learn, I understand that.” I gaze down at Luki, who’s fallen asleep. His muzzle twitches and he whimpers, obviously chasing some creature in his dreams.

“Yes. Sometimes I think that if I don’t get that chance, if I have to stay in the village, with no real education, with nothing but the mill and work and family and all that—wonderful as it can be—I’ll go mad. I’ll wake up one day and just walk off into the wild and let the winter take me.”

“I’ve been given to the winter. It’s not what you want, I can assure you.” My words are as acrid as the scent of pine needles.

Kai looks at me with curiosity. “So, what about you, Thyra? Once we complete the mirror and you’re free from the curse, what will you do?

I shift, attempting to pull away, but Kai’s hold on my shoulder keeps me pressed to his side. “I’ll be the Snow Queen. Forever and ever.”

“I know that. I mean, what will you do with your forever?”

I look away from his penetrating stare. “I will learn as well. Gather all the knowledge that I can. Study about every land, every language. Fill the palace with books and read them all. Work out my own mathematical formulas, solve unsolvable equations.” I look back at Kai. “I won’t be able to leave the realms of snow and ice, you understand. Voss granted me that ability only for a limited time. But I can still learn, and study, and discover the answers to so many questions …”

“And when I’m a famous mathematician”—Kai’s eyes are brighter than I’ve ever seen them—“I’ll send you my theories and you can proof them. Then you can wing your calculations and ideas my way. Just imagine the sensation it’ll cause on campus when a falcon delivers messages to me.” Kai slides his arm out from behind me and points from my head to his. “We’ll be mysterious geniuses, collaborating to provide answers to equations others can’t solve. No one will ever guess that my partner is an immortal queen.”

“No, I don’t suppose they will.” I focus on Luki’s sleeping form. “A very nice dream, Kai, but we must finish the mirror first.”

“We will. Of course we will. Then my father can be brought back to health and I’ll be able to take my place at the university. We must succeed, and we will.” Kai places his hands on either side of my face and tilts my head so that I’m forced to stare into his eyes. “Thyra Winther can’t become a wraith. That would be such a foolish, terrible, waste.”

I’m aware of the sound of breathing, but can’t distinguish Kai’s from mine. Kai strokes my nose with one gloved finger before dropping his hands and turning to gaze outside. “The storm seems to be subsiding,” he says, in a voice that sounds strangely hoarse.