CHAPTER 23
Veronica
Relentless, icy snow pelted my face, sticking to my eyelashes and obscuring my vision. The hood of my thin cloak had long ago soaked through and lay like a wet second skin on my head. Covered by the saturated fabric, my ears felt as if stakes were being driven into them with a giant hammer.
“Verrannica!”
Clearly, I was hallucinating.
I stumbled forward, my toes and fingers burning with a cold, penetrating fire. I’d almost turned back dozens of times, realizing the futility of getting anywhere in this raging blizzard. But despite the pitch-black night and the blinding snow, turning back wasn’t an option.
The wind screamed through the mountain valley like an angry beast, pushing me to my knees. I sank down on my haunches in the snow and found I didn’t have the energy to get back up. As I slumped forward, my eyes drifted closed and I lay my head on my legs. I’ll just rest here for a moment, I promised myself.
I had to get the journal out of Doon. No matter what the cost.
That morning, while Kenna was in the bath, I’d thrown the book into the fireplace and watched the flames leap around it like it wasn’t even there. After twenty minutes, I’d pulled the unblemished journal out of the blaze with a pair of iron tongs—it’s flawless condition confirming my suspicion that getting the cursed object out of Doon was the only solution.
Since the bridge was impassible until the Centennial, I’d snuck away from the funeral, headed for Muir Lea. If I’d read Jamie correctly, very few people knew about the secret cliff path that lead down to the beach and out of Doon. But none of my plans or calculations had included this freakish blizzard.
The roaring in my ears clued me in to the fact I was not only hallucinating, frostbitten, and lost—but most likely dying. I should have confided in Kenna or even Fiona. If I perished now, the knowledge of the cursed journal would die with me and the witch would win.
No freaking way was I letting that happen.
Drawing together my last reserves of strength, I began to uncurl and get to my feet when a strange warming sensation permeated the hood of my cloak. I opened my ice-crusted eyelids and lifted my head. But instead of finding the endless snow-covered landscape, I stared directly into the eyes of the biggest animal I’d ever seen—a giant brown bear crouched so close, I could smell its rotten breath.
I choked on a scream and fell back onto my behind, the movement startling the animal into action. It took a step back and let out a furious, ear-splitting roar. I scrambled back on my arms and legs like a crab, cursing my snow-encrusted skirts. The angry beast stalked toward me, a deep growl vibrating from its massive chest.
Heart hammering, I continued to move backward on all fours until my shoulder slammed into what I assumed was a tree. Unable to take my eyes from the advancing monster, I pushed myself to my feet. Big mistake. Apparently, the bear saw this as a challenge, and rose to its full height. As it lumbered toward me on its hind legs, I swallowed a scream, afraid the noise would trigger the animal to charge.
If a bear attacked, you were supposed to poke it in the eye—or was that for a shark? I searched for a stick or rock, anything that I could use as a weapon. Nothing. Not that I had any delusions of defending myself against the eight hundred pound mass of muscle looming over me.
The next raging roar shook snow from the leaves above my head. Wicked-sharp claws and huge jagged teeth flashed in my face. I sent up a quick prayer and balled my hands into fists, bracing for the first strike.
The bear stumbled back, roaring furiously into the sky with a red-feathered arrow lodged neatly in its chest. Then it charged, its razor claws slashing toward me. I ducked as another arrow whizzed close by my ear, landing in the animal’s muzzle. Dropping to all fours, it whined and swiped at the arrow with its paws.
“Let’s go!” A tall hooded figure appeared beside me. He jerked me by the arm and we set off at a quick walk into the dark forest. The wind howled, whipping through the trees with an almost human anger. I leaned forward as my protector pulled me directly into its raging strength.
The unidentified archer wore a heavy fur-lined cloak, a scarf around his face, and a bow and quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. Letting go of my arm, he looked back the way we’d come. I followed the direction of his hooded stare, and saw that the bear was no longer in view.
“Can ye run?” he yelled, his words barely reaching me over the wind.
Nodding, I picked up my pace. He stayed beside me even though it was clear he could’ve outdistanced me easily. We reached the other side of the glen and stopped at the base of a mountain path. As I pulled in deep breaths of icy air, the archer took the bow and quiver off his shoulder and lowered his scarf.
“Jamie!” I flew into his arms, clinging to his neck as if my life depended on it. If I hadn’t been frozen from the inside out, I would’ve cried at the sight of the face I thought I’d never see again. He pulled my arms from around his neck and set me away from him. Oh, right; he hated me. But at least he was here.
He unfastened his cloak and shrugged it off. Swinging it around my shoulders, he lowered his face to within inches of mine—his cheekbones stained bright red and his lips pressed into a dangerous line.
“What the devil were you thinking!” he shouted as he fastened me into his cloak.
“I … I …” My teeth were chattering so hard speech was difficult. Not that I really knew what to say anyway.
“Never mind! Come on.” Slinging his weapons back onto his shoulder, he took off up the path. I stood watching his long strides eating up the trail, shaking with cold and aftershocks of fear. The luxurious fur-lined cloak seemed only to trap the cold closer to my wet skin. When Jamie glanced over his shoulder and saw I hadn’t moved, he came back for me, a mask of rage distorting his features.
“Dinna just stand there. We need to go now!” Grabbing my upper arm, he turned and guided me up the path. Although he’d nearly wrenched my arm from its socket, I was grateful for the support as my knees kept giving way on the steep, slippery trail.
Long, agonizing minutes blurred together as I forced my frozen, exhausted body to keep moving. Finally, we turned right onto a narrow path sheltered by giant evergreen trees. Here, there was only a light coating of snow, the trees a barrier to the harsh wind.
Then Jamie cut left and a door appeared as if set into the mountain. Pushing me through the entrance, he followed closely on my heels. He pushed the door shut and we were plunged into complete blackness. I blinked, blind and disoriented, with no choice but to trust him as he took my hand.
“There’s a staircase in front o’ you. Step up and hold on to the railing on yer right.”
I followed his instructions like a robot. My fingers and toes stung with tiny needle pricks as my blood warmed. The soaked dress I wore hung on my shoulders like a thousand-pound weight. More than once, I tripped up the steps, with Jamie pulling me to my feet each time. After what felt like an eternity, we made it to a landing where he opened another door.
Moonlight flooded into the room through a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, bisected by a massive stone fireplace. He led me to a sheet-covered sofa in front of an empty hearth. Judging by the animal heads hanging lifeless on the walls, I figured we were in some sort of hunting lodge.
“Sit.” Jamie’s voice was void of emotion as he pushed my shoulder, and I fell onto the cushions behind me. He stacked logs and kindling in the fireplace while I shook so hard I had to clench my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering like a battery-powered Halloween skeleton.
A tiny fire began to grow as Jamie knelt, blowing patiently into the flames.
“Ye need to get out of that wet dress.”
I stared into the fire, and standing on shaky legs made my way toward the heat.
“Verranica.”
My teeth clicked together uncontrollably, making words impossible. When I failed to answer, Jamie turned me by the shoulders to face him. His jaw clenched and his brows scrunched over his eyes.
“I’ll be back.” He let go of me, and I swayed but managed to stay on my feet. My brain felt like it was shutting down. Maybe I was in shock.
Jamie returned with a pile of clothing. “Can ye change or do I need to undress you myself?” Despite the
