Although Lionel had tried to remind Edward that the land there was eternally held in winter’s grasp, he’d refused to believe it. Thus, to allow for more weapons, the Prince had refused to carry more than a basic cloak for the arctic environs.
Lionel, however, had listened closely to Clarysa’s firsthand accounts of the icy kingdom and took them to heart. He was dressed smartly in a hooded, fur-lined coat, sleek yet oh-so warm. “Don’t blame me for your own arrogance, cousin,” he said to the shivering Edward. “After all, I did warn you!”
“Yes, you did, didn’t you,” Edward said, voice dripping with frozen sarcasm. “And this will also be the last time you remind me of said warning, dear cousin.”
Lionel gave him a jaunty salute. “Message received and understood. Now shall I walk up to the front gate and announce us?”
“No. We’ll wait here until nightfall and then infiltrate the castle under cover of darkness.”
Lionel glanced over the shivering troops. Their military apparel was only suitable for the temperate climes of Aldebaran. “Well, that’s fine with me. But do you really think the men can endure the wait?”
“Sir,” said Edward’s second-in-command, “the gate’s opening!”
Lionel and Edward followed the line of the man’s pointed finger. A large, wolfish brute burst from the castle gate. They watched as it streaked across the snow. Lionel stared at it in shock. He’d never heard of such a creature. Had it attacked Stellan in his own castle? The implications were sobering.
“Where’s it headed?” Edward demanded.
Lionel scanned the landscape. A dark shape was approaching the castle. “Look there,” he said. “That might be its target.”
A wagon emerged from among the snowy hills. Lionel narrowed his eyes. Strangely garbed men and deformed creatures grouped about it in a mad procession. How odd. There was a figure on the wagon. As the wagon’s bulky wheels turned, drawing it closer, a distinctly female shape emerged.
Lionel sucked in a breath. “Clarysa!” He swiveled his head left. The beast was heading straight for her.
Edward gauged the predicament at the same time. He ordered their best bowmen to position themselves for attack. Lionel and Edward led twenty soldiers forward, trudging as quickly as they could through the sea of snow.
But not quickly enough. The beast gained the wagon with preternatural speed. Lionel watched in horror as it leaped onto the wagon.
Edward ordered an immediate halt. He raised his arm. “Aim for the beast!” he ordered. “Loose arrows!”
A swarm of death screamed through the air.
Chapter 28
Clarysa opened her eyes, jarred awake by the quaking underneath her feet. Blinding whiteness stung her pupils. Something cold and soft trickled across her cheeks.
Snow.
As her vision acclimated, she absorbed other sensory details. Stiff limbs. Soreness in her back. Extreme cold. Her hands and feet had gone numb. Damp hair flicked with ice hung about her face.
This was no dream. Where am I?
Clarysa glanced down and noticed she wore her nightgown. But she’d been dreaming! Or had she?
She quailed. This predicament was no dream. Coarse ropes lashed her to a pole atop a rickety wagon. All manner of peculiar creatures surrounded her. Short, squalid men taunted her in some bizarre tongue as they stomped about the wagon. Some reminded her of the goblins she’d encountered in Dungeon Forest. They waved banners with grotesque animal shapes and indecipherable runic scripts scrawled upon them. One of them spit at her.
Clarysa turned away in horror, only to discover that some of the creatures pulled at thick chains attached to the wagon. They were dragging it toward a dark fortress–Stellan’s castle.
She scanned the towers. Backlit by a yellow glow, a figure stood at a second floor window. Patrulha? No, it wasn’t her. Clarysa squinted, and then cried out in recognition. The figure bore a strong resemblance to the woman from her dream.
Where is Stellan? Why doesn’t he come? Clarysa’s insides coiled with fear. Maybe these horrid things captured him–or worse!
She fought to loosen her bonds, but her deadened limbs simply wouldn’t cooperate. Clearing her throat, she tried to scream, but only feeble whimpers escaped. The garish voices of her captors savagely mimicked her.
What’s going to happen to me?
As if to answer her thought, a dark haired beast towering seven feet tall burst through the castle gate. Muscles bunching, it bolted across the snow-packed earth. Once in range of the wagon, it immediately launched itself toward her.
Chapter 29
Stellan burst through the castle gate.
He spotted the wagon approaching. Nostrils flaring, he caught the scent of the figure upon it. Clarysa! She was tied to a pole, looking battered and dazed. What had Sada done to her? Clarysa would freeze to death if he didn’t reach her in time.
Roaring, he jumped onto the wagon. It creaked in protest under his tremendous weight. Stellan gazed at the pale, fragile woman he loved. Bruises plastered the exposed skin of her arms and neck. Grit smudged her nightdress. Distraught, he tried to call her name, but only the harsh sound of snapping jaws came. With his heightened senses, he could smell the fear in her. Clarysa stood frozen, staring up at him in abject terror.
Don’t be afraid! It’s me! He reared up on his hind legs, batting away at the spears and fists of the creatures surrounding the wagon. Stellan became aware of shouts ringing through the air. A commanding voice spoke.
“Aim for the beast. Loose arrows!”
The hiss of angry spikes tore through the air. Stellan ignored the incoming volley. One thought dominated all others–save Clarysa.
He shielded her with his body and then shredded the ropes trapping her. Several arrows pierced his back, halting his progress. Stellan roared out his pain. His blood poured in torrents down his back, filling the air with a coppery odor.
Lionel ran toward him, leading a contingent of soldiers all bent on rescuing Clarysa. Already
