Ashes of a Black Frost

She decided to change the subject. “It feels like they’re marching us all the way to the Hyntaland,” Visyna said, leaning her head back against the wall and wiggling her toes in her sandals. The bottoms of her feet felt like she’d been walking on coals and her shinbones ached.

“Or as far as the coast, at which point we might need to hold our breath,” Hrem said, his voice deadpan but his eyes twinkling.

Visyna smiled up at the ceiling. “I suppose the ocean might pose a bit of challenge,” she said, although she knew she had to come up with a plan to free them long before then. That elf soldier’s eyes hadn’t shown a hint of mercy.

“We’re still a fair ways away. I don’t think we’ve covered more than twenty-one miles so far.”

Visyna brought her head forward and focused on Hrem. He wasn’t smiling. “You know this?”

Hrem reached up a hand and tapped a finger against his temple. “No magic required, just the ability to keep count in my head.”

“Any idea where we’re going? Are they heading us toward the coast?”

Hrem removed his shako and began scratching his head. His black hair was wet and plastered against his skull. The more he scratched the more the hair stood up on end. When he was satisfied with his efforts he put his shako back on his head with a soft thunk. “Near as I can tell, we started heading north, but then there were some twists and turns. I doubt we’re going south because that takes us deep into the desert and further away from their homeland. Angling toward the coast makes more sense. I heard the major say they were stationed at Suhundam’s Hill, and I know that’s due west of the library. If I had to wager on it, other than my life, which is already in the pot,” he said, a small grin lighting up his face, “it feels like we’re heading west. Makes sense, too. They meet up with that dwarf Griz at their old fort, resupply, and make for the coast.”

“Why not head back to Nazalla? There are all kinds of ships there.”

Hrem waved away her idea. “True, but these elves are deserters now, just like that bastard Kritton, so Nazalla is the last place they’d want to go. Too many Calahrian forces there. Assuming the city didn’t rise up in rebellion. .”

Images of their recent escape from Nazalla flashed unbidden in Visyna’s mind. Private Renwar’s calling of the shades of the dead had led to many deaths.

“You’re right, but no one but us knows they’re deserters, and it was Kritton that killed Sergeant Arkhorn. They could still redeem themselves,” Visyna said, knowing as soon as she said it that it was foolish. The elves had cast their lot with Kritton. There was no turning back for them.

“I wish it was different,” Hrem said, “but they just went too far over the edge. I actually feel sorry for the poor bastards. They’re really just as cursed as we are. They may not be bound by this oath, but they’ve had to live with being born with a black ear tip and their banishment a lot longer.”

Anger welled up in Visyna. He blames Konowa. “Major Swift Dragon acted in the best interests of all people when he killed that horrible Viceroy. Do you know the horrors that Viceroy committed against my people? It’s true Gwyn turned out to be even worse, but Kon-Major Swift Dragon wasn’t to know that. And he certainly couldn’t have known his reward for trying to rid the world of such evil would be the loss of his command and the banishment of his regiment out here.”

Hrem held up his hands in peace. “I ain’t blaming the major, Miss Tekoy. He was right to kill the first Viceroy even if it did lead to all of this. I know he feels bad about it and wants to do right by these elves, but Kritton found them before he did. Now they think whatever treasure they scavenged out of the library will be enough to buy back their honor. The really sad thing about it is, they could have had their honor back for the price of a single musket ball put in the back of Kritton’s head. But they had their chance and didn’t take it. Like I said, I feel sorry for them, but because of them, Yimt is dead. If they find themselves on the end of a rope one day, I won’t shed a tear.”

Visyna bowed her head toward Hrem. “My apologies, Hrem, I should have known better.”

“We have faith in the major. He may be as stubborn as a two-headed mule and thrice as ornery, but deep down we know he’ll do right by us.” The conviction in Hrem’s voice surprised her.

“But the oath, the frost fire. .”

Hrem looked up to the ceiling as he marshaled his thoughts. “I’ll admit, I sure didn’t expect that when I took the Queen’s coin, but I wasn’t a babe in the woods either. I saw past the fancy uniforms and marching bands when I joined. Soldiers die. I knew it right from the start. We all did,” he said, lowering his head to look around at the sleeping soldiers. “But the thing about soldiering is, we all know that it’ll always be the other guy that does the dying. That’s the trick. People are always talking about hope, but sometimes the best thing you can have is the ability to fool yourself. None of us saw what the oath would do, but if it wasn’t that it would have been something else. So you trick yourself into believing we’ll find a way to escape these elves, rejoin the regiment, get to the Shadow Monarch’s mountain, put an end to Her and break the oath.”

It took a moment for the meaning of Hrem’s words to sink in. When they did Visyna was aghast. He really believes they’re all doomed.

“There really is hope, Hrem. Don’t give up.”

The big soldier said nothing, but looked down at his hands. Flickers of black frost danced in his palms, then went out. “Like I said, Miss Tekoy, sometimes the best thing you can do is fool yourself. If it works, then maybe it was hope all along and you just didn’t realize it. Like when I look in a mirror and say ‘Hey, I’m a good-lookin’ fellow who won’t scare children in the street because they think I’m a giant likely to eat them’ or something like that.”

“I think you’re very gallant, and very handsome,” Visyna said.

Hrem lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Best we keep that between us. I won’t tell the wife and you don’t tell the major.”

Visyna repressed a grin. “And a scoundrel, too.”

“That you can tell folk.”

“Gladly,” Visyna said. “We’ll be out of these tunnels eventually.”

Hrem looked around them then leaned forward, lowering his voice. “At which point we’re going to have do something about these elves. Is Miss Red Owl going to have a problem with that? They are her people after all.”

Visyna glanced over again toward Chayii and Jir. “I think our only problem with her will be staying out of her way when the time comes.”

“Good. Now we just need to figure out how we’re going to overpower eighty some elves,” Hrem said.

Visyna looked down at her hands and delicately weaved the air in front of her. Thin skeins of magic began to glow between her fingers. She looked back up at Hrem and saw his eyes gleaming with reflected light. “I have an idea. .”

THIRTEEN

Konowa didn’t wake up as much as the bruising that covered his entire body dragged him back to a state of consciousness. Pain. Endless pain. “Ow,” he said.

“Back among the living are we?” Rallie asked, her usually gruff voice a full octave more. . joyful.

Konowa pried open his eyes a crack. It was still dark, still snowing, although not as heavily, and he appeared to be lying flat on his back under a makeshift tarpaulin in the back of Rallie’s wagon. “Ask me again in a year,” he said. He noted the wagon was definitely the worse for wear, but then who wasn’t? Splintered planks of wood making up the wagon bed were bound together with twine. He tried to move and realized he was completely immobilized, swaddled like a newborn babe inside what must have been a dozen Hasshugeb robes and something that smelled like hot manure.

“It was the Viceroy’s idea,” Rallie said, reaching down and removing the top layer of his cocoon.

“Is that. .” Konowa started to ask before he was overcome by gagging.

Rallie held up the offending garment. “Camel hide, recently skinned. Apparently it’s an old tribal remedy for those who have been injured. They wrap them up tighter than a tick in wet wool in one of these things and before you know it the afflicted are on their feet and running.”

“No doubt to get away from the stench,” Konowa said, his eyes watering as he gasped for breath. Despite