which to turn an ankle, and rocks on which to slip.
Glancing at the others, I stepped aside, and Grieve and Chatter quietly took the forefront. This was their wood-they knew it like they knew the back of their hands. Rhiannon and I would follow, and Kaylin would bring up the rear.
Grieve dropped his head back and sucked in a lungful of the icy air. A look of sorrow crossed his face, but he said nothing, simply danced over the edge of the ravine. For him, the snow was no hindrance. He had Myst’s blood in his veins-even though he hadn’t been born to the Indigo Court, drinking from her had given him enough powers to endure the winter she wore like a cloak.
Chatter followed as gracefully as Grieve but a little slower.
My turn. I plunged over the side, immediately wishing I’d stopped to pick up a walking stick. I cast around, looking for anything that would help me balance. Chatter glanced over his shoulder, saw that I’d already stalled out, and quietly whispered to Grieve, who motioned for me to stay put. I waited as they hunted through the tangle of brush and eventually returned with sturdy branches for Rhiannon, Kaylin, and myself. Then, with the added balance from my handy-dandy walking stick, I took another stab at hiking over the edge.
The slope was steep, and the going rough. I stumbled more than once, plowing through the vegetation covered with snow, tripping on hidden roots and rocks, but I was managing the traverse.
Once I went down hard onto hands and knees, my chin bruising as I slammed it against a fist-sized rock. Wincing from the pain, I let Chatter help me up. Grieve watched, a worried expression on his face, but I just wiped away the dribble of blood from the cut and shook my head.
We moved in silence, a chain of figures silhouetted against the hush of the winter landscape. Rhiannon slipped twice, but she landed on her butt, managing not to sprain or break anything. Kaylin was by far the lightest on his feet of the three of us, almost matching Grieve’s and Chatter’s graceful descents.
Ulean swept around me, keeping watch as we made our way down the ravine. She distracted me with her continual gusts, but soon it became comforting to know she was there, and her light flutterings blended in with the surreal march we were on.
Through cedar and fir we passed-their boughs heavy with snow, bending down toward the ground. The only sounds that of our breath as it came in steady white puffs, and the steady slide of boots against the snow as we crunched along the surface.
We’d almost reached the bottom when my foot gave way and I found myself knee-deep in a snowbank. The snow here was looser, not quite so compact, and by the time we reached the stream, even Grieve and Chatter were slogging through the powder. The stream was frozen over, though beneath the icy surface, I could see bubbles. It wouldn’t be safe to walk in the streambed-the ice wasn’t thick enough.
We paused, looking back up the ravine. It seemed more like a mountain than a slope, and I dreaded the return journey. I pulled a protein bar out of my pocket and broke off half, handing the rest to Rhiannon. Chatter and Grieve seemed fine, but Kaylin found a similar bar in his own pocket and devoured it. I chewed the chocolate-flavored crunch and swallowed, then took a drink from my water bottle. After wiping my mouth, I pulled out the map.
“To the right, follow the creek upstream.”
Grieve nodded, leaning in to plant a light kiss on my lips. His razor-sharp fangs glistened in the light of day. He sniffed my neck. “I’m so thirsty for you,” he whispered, the light in his eyes flickering a dangerous shade of desire.
Stepping back, I put my hand on his chest and he caught it, bringing it to his lips. He turned it palm up, and exposed my wrist free from the glove and jacket. Slowly, his dark, starry gaze never leaving mine, he leaned down and lightly nipped the skin. As a thin line of blood welled up, my body responded and I wanted to strip, to pull him to me, to fuck in the snow and ice. But I forced myself to stand still as he slowly began to lick the droplets off my skin.
“We are in Myst’s realm. The feral side of your nature is coming out to play.” I wasn’t trying to stop him-I knew by now that wasn’t a safe thing to do, but I was trying to bring him back to himself.
He paused, his long lashes flickering. After a moment, he drew back with a shudder. “I am not safe here. But there is no turning back. Watch me, Cicely. Chatter-I am relying on your common sense. If you see me slipping too far, get them out of here, away from me.”
Grieve looked so stricken I wanted to go to him, to kiss him, to reassure him that I would never leave him again, no matter what, but I knew now that promises were like burning paper in this world of snow and ice: quick to make but easy to vanish into smoke and ashes. Instead, I pressed my fingers to my lips and held them out toward him. He nodded, understanding.
“We’d best be off again. Let’s move.” He turned and took the lead once more. Chatter gave me a sad smile, then swung in behind him. I followed, Rhiannon and Kaylin again bringing up the rear.
After a while, Grieve held up his hand and we paused. He turned. “We’re coming to the glade your father mentioned.”
I nodded, so cold I could barely think. The snow kept falling, the flakes thin and small, but they were adding up, and they crusted my eyelashes and chilled my nose and melted against my lips when they hit.
The streambed swerved to the left, as the trail continued right and we were now walking between stands of the stalwart conifers. The next moment we entered a wide glade, ringed by a circle of tall trees. We were still getting our bearings when Grieve shouted as a sudden force knocked him back. I raced forward, looking for what had hit him, and then I saw it. Skidding to a halt, I almost fell face-first into the snow.
A tall bipedal being, glistening and translucent, stood there, towering over me. The face was smooth, no sign of eyes or nose or mouth, and its limbs were angular and ribbed like icicles. An Ice Elemental.
“What the hell? The Ice Elementals usually don’t even notice us!” Chatter warily circled the creature, who stood silent, like a robot, waiting.
“I was thinking the same thing. I have no clue.” I stared at the Elemental and took another step forward. It moved, ever so slightly, raising one arm. I put my foot down, and it paused, waiting.
“They seem to be intent on keeping us out of this meadow.” Kaylin slowly walked forward, stopping at my side.
“They?”
“Look.”
I followed his nod, squinting through the ever-falling snow. Several other Elementals were in the meadow, and they were all looking our way. Cripes. What were we going to do? We couldn’t fight them-they were too strong.
Ulean whirled past me. She swirled, the skirts of her breeze whipping up the snow to cloud my vision. After a moment, she whispered in my ear.
I turned to the others, slowly so as not to arouse the Elemental who was standing far too close for comfort. “They’re being controlled by Myst. I’m thinking if we skirt the border of the glade, we might be able to get around them. But we have no way of knowing if they’re programmed to attack that far out. What do you think?”
Grieve considered the creature. He’d crawled back toward me before standing up and now, a wary, feral look crossed his face. “Myst controls them. I wonder if she can see through their eyes?”
“I don’t know, but it’s daylight. Did she escape the plague?” I prayed he would say no. The last thing we needed was for Myst to be able to tolerate light.
But Grieve shook his head, resting my fear. “No, she is caught by the light-rage, too. So I truly doubt she’s keeping watch. In fact, that may be why she enchanted them-to guard during the time her people cannot walk abroad.”
“Ulean thinks it’s because we’re near the…you know.” I didn’t even want to speak the words aloud just in case there might be someone listening behind a bush or under a snowbank or on the slipstream. Lainule’s heartstone
