Of Sorcery and Snow (22 page)

Miriam, Lena, and I exchanged glances. Chase, as usual, was too busy devoting his full attention to his egg-and-cheese burrito.

“I guess we should go see,” Miriam said with a sigh, crawling out. Lena and I followed her.

Still tied up, the reindeer stamped their hooves and snorted
out big steamy breaths. Well, all but two of them. Hadriane and Forrel's mounts galloped hard back to the trail. The dwarves raised their spears above their heads.

“Maybe Forrel convinced her to go back?” I said.

Miriam gasped and pointed. “Wolves!”

Half a dozen black and gray figures pounded across the snow-packed plain, headed straight for the dwarves. Forrel cocked his arm back.

“They're totally outnumbered!” I sprinted for the reindeer, grabbing a saddle.

“I think they've got it under control, Rory,” Lena said.

I stopped fumbling with the buckles and looked up. One wolf was already still, pinned by Forrel's spear, and the soldier beheaded another one with his axe as he thundered past. Hadriane charged the line to cover Forrel's back and speared a black-furred wolf in the heart.

We were too far away to hear much of the battle, but as soon as Forrel chopped down a fourth pack mate, a white wolf gave a long howl that sounded like, “Retreeeeeaat!” It and another gray one turned tail and ran.

Chase wiggled outside. “Wait, the dwarves went to fight, and nobody
told
me?”

“It all happened kind of fast,” I said.

Hadriane launched her spear, and the white wolf dropped. The only member of the pack left was the small gray one, with white paws. He had to be the same wolf I'd knocked into Stow Lake, the one younger than all the others. His pack mate had called him Mark.

Forrel retrieved his spear and threw. It flew for so long I bet he could have won the Spear event at Kiivinsh's Tournament. I held my breath, but it fell short, sliding to a stop on the ice.

I was weirdly, stupidly glad that the little wolf was okay. To hide it, I said lightly, “Well, five out of six isn't bad.”

“Who's glad they're on
our
side now?” Miriam said. We all raised our hands, half grinning.

The dwarves weren't nearly as pleased with the battle as we were. After they rode back, Forrel called, “We should get moving. One got away, and it's only a matter of time before the beast reports our whereabouts.”

“My father must have informed the Snow Queen,” said Hadriane apologetically. Hopefully, the king had made his report
before
he'd found out the princess had joined our quest. “We should expect trouble ahead.”

“We're used to trouble.” Chase shoved the rest of his burrito in his mouth, and he busied himself with saddling, talking through his mouthful. “Here's what I really want to know: Can we get another war reindeer demonstration? And can you teach
me
?”

After we returned to the trail, the terrain changed. From far away, it still looked pretty flat, but up close, you saw the jagged cracks in between big blocks of ice. Some of them were barely as wide as my finger. Some were so huge a troll could fall into the puddles of water below—I had to close my eyes when my mount leaped over those.

And wince when we landed. These reindeer saddles weren't all that comfortable after you'd been sitting for a few hours.

That wasn't what was bothering me, though.

I just didn't want to believe that the Director was right. I didn't want to believe our mission was doomed. Besides, the dream didn't make any sense. Maybe getting captured was likely, but the Snow Queen would never ask me if it was what I always wanted.

“You okay?” Lena said. “You're being really quiet.”

“She's trying not to fall asleep,” Chase said before I could answer, and I
really
wished I had something to throw at him.

Instead, I fought back the only way I could think of. “Lena, I really loved that dress you wore on Saturday.”

She grinned. “Thanks! I loved yours too. That green looked really amazing on you.”

Chase shot us a look of pure disgust. “Fine. Be that way. I'm going to make Forrel teach me about dwarf fighting.” He urged his reindeer farther ahead, where the soldier was leading us right down the middle of the Piper's trail. As soon as he caught up, Chase unclipped his scabbard from his sword belt and started poking the dwarf with it.

Forrel didn't even turn his head, but Chase was unstoppable.

“Wow. I'm going to laugh if Forrel smacks Chase upside the head,” I said.

But Lena was looking behind us, where Miriam and Hadriane were bringing up the rear. “Do you think they can hear us?”

Their voices drifted across the ice.

“The twins can annoy me as well,” said Hadriane. “If I tell them that I don't have time to help them practice their spear work, they threaten to tell Father when I sneak out with my squadron for extra patrols.”

“Philip does that too,” Miriam said. “Except it's when I won't let him borrow my DVDs.”

“What are DVDs? Are they like M3s?” asked Hadriane.

“I think they're pretty involved in their own conversation, Lena.” But I leaned in a little closer just in case. Maybe she'd noticed something in the stasis spell she didn't want to share with the dwarves.

“Kyle asked me to dance!” Lena whispered. “I can't stop thinking about it.
Kyle
asked me to dance, and now I have to wait, like, three years before EAS has another ball. I
hate
the Snow Queen.”

After Queen Titania's pavilion and the dwarf city,
this
was what she couldn't stop thinking about? I was glad Chase wasn't around to hear.

“What do you think it means?” Lena whispered. “Do you think he likes me?”

I laughed. “Come on, Lena. Kyle ran all the way to the library to warn us that the Director was coming. Do you really think he did that for me and Chase? Or for Miriam, Philip, and the kids in Portland?”

Lena let out a happy little squeal. I smiled too, ignoring the uneasy feeling that wormed into my chest. I was pretty sure, but I didn't want to be responsible for getting her hopes up if I was wrong.

Up ahead, Forrel had finally had enough of Chase's poking. Quick as a winter hare, he knocked the scabbard out of Chase's hand and struck him hard in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear.

Laughing, Chase swung his reindeer around and leaned far out of the saddle, scooping up his sword without even dismounting. “Come on, Forrel! Teach me how you did that!” he called. “Or I can keep poking you! That's fun too.”

“Anything from Saturday
you
want to talk about?” Lena asked with a sly look.

I didn't get a chance to ask her what she meant.

Chase's mount tripped. The reindeer recovered, but Chase toppled out of the saddle.

Lena and I reached him in two seconds. He was fine, just dusting the snow off and cursing.

I grinned. “Chase, if you think I'm forgetting
this,
you have another thing coming.”

Forrel trotted over, leading Chase's mount by its bridle. “Take a look at what he tripped over before you get carried away.”

Half sticking out of the ice was a thumb as big as my leg and the same pale blue as the sky. Rust-colored stains were embedded under its cracked nail. I was almost sure it was blood.

I could see the hand partially hidden by the cloudy ice beneath our feet. The faint shape of an arm lay up ahead. “Um, did someone lose their giant?” I said.

“Likon, the cold one,” replied Hadriane gravely. I looked at Lena for a better explanation.

“You know, one of the four pillars,” Lena prompted, like this was something I should definitely understand. Then she added in her tinny, reciting voice,
“‘On the day the Snow Queen was defeated, it took the magic of both Fey kings to bring Likon down, and even then, Solange's protection spells wouldn't let them kill him. So the exhausted monarchs dragged him off into the frozen wasteland and buried him beneath the ice, never to be seen again.'”

“Except by us.” Chase jabbed Likon's thumb with his scabbard.

The explanation had definitely freaked me out. “Don't wake him up!”

“That's not gonna happen. King Oberon and Fael's father used both Seelie and Unseelie magics to bind him here,” Chase explained. “Two Royal Fey would have to work together to get Likon out. Do you know how often that happens?”

“When Atlantis first became a hidden continent,” Lena said. “That's the only other time I can remember.”

I had a really terrifying thought. “But what if you were a young and stupid prince and Torlauth kept telling you and the Seelie heir
about this ‘demonstration of ancient and powerful magics'?”

The color drained from Chase's face. “Oh, crap. Torlauth's going to bring them here. He's going to tell them the test is raising Likon, and then he won't let them put the giant back.”

“Are two princes enough?” asked Hadriane. “The enchantment was cast by two kings.”

“Two
heirs
, though. They can probably do it,” Lena said nervously. “Maybe the Snow Queen doesn't know Likon's here.”

“With years to search the wasteland?” Forrel said. “I am sure she does.”

“The trail goes right over him, Lena,” Chase pointed out.

“We can't let them wake him up,” I said. “Whoever these pillars are.”

Every single face turned from Lena to me in disbelief, and I hated it. I hated the blush creeping up my cheeks even more.

“The pillars are the Snow Queen's giant bodyguards,” said Lena. “She said, ‘These are the pillars on which I'll build our new era.'”

“Come on, Rory,” Chase said. “You've met all of them now: Ripper, Ori'an, and Likon here.”

That left one out. “Who's the fourth? Searcaster?”

Lena shuddered. “No, the sorcerer giant is in a class all her own.”

“Dad killed the fourth one,” Chase said. “After that, the Snow Queen cast some protection spells. Nothing can kill them now except another pillar.”

Every day I found out the Snow Queen had bigger and scarier allies on her side. I was starting to get tired of it. “Maybe we could keep her from getting this one back.”

“And what do you propose to do?” Hadriane asked. “Wait here and guard? Split our forces? Which is more important to you—the
possible return of one giant or the possible return of those children?”

The kids, obviously. But I couldn't imagine not even
trying
to stop Torlauth. “Lena, could you set up an illusion? Or something to confuse the Fey into thinking that Likon isn't here?”

“Well, there's a disorientation spell I've been meaning to try.” She dug through her carryall. “It'll only slow them down a little, though. I
think
we have enough spare dragon scales.”

“Worth it,” Miriam said, “especially if we can rescue Philip and everyone before they defrost Likon.”

We waited while Lena ran around the giant, burying dragon scales under loose snow and murmuring the enchantment over each one. Forrel followed along behind her, erasing her tracks, and then we were on our way again.

The mood was a lot less festive after that.

It was Monday. Chase, Lena, and I were missing school. Mom had probably called into work and asked her understudy to take over. She was probably in our kitchen right now, her hand on the phone, waiting for it to ring.

I might have called, if I could, just let her know I was all right, but I had no way to contact her.

The Pied Piper's trail cut through miles of frozen plains. Once a snowy hare bounded up and watched us pass, but otherwise all we saw was white and white and more white, the icy patches glittering in the sunlight. My eyes began to ache. I should have brought sunglasses.

Finally Lena said, “Hey, are those mountains?”

She pointed at a part of the horizon that looked a little more jagged than the rest. She unfolded the map. “That's probably the Avaker mountains. That's the halfway point.”

“The halfway point?” Miriam sounded way less excited. “Shouldn't we already
be
there? The kids reached the palace in a night and a morning. We're mounted. We should be faster than them.”

“They didn't take a pit stop in the dwarf prisons,” Chase reminded us.

“Or take time to sleep and eat, either,” added Forrel.

“So, after we get to those mountains, how long till we reach the Snow Queen's palace?” I said.

Lena squinted at the map. “Maybe a day.”

That cheered everyone up. Getting back by Tuesday night sounded good—Mom wouldn't have to worry too much longer. I could explain everything to her. I could even tell Dad and Brie.

Hadriane started chatting with Miriam again. “You are better traveling Companions than the twins would be. They have no patience for journeys.”