As we rolled out our packs, I glanced at the water, watching the fairies’ lights reflect off the dark, glassy surface. Raj walked toward me and placed his sleeping roll on the ground next to mine.
“Mind if I sleep beside you?”
“Of course not.”
“Good.” He unrolled his blanket and spread it over the ground. Perhaps I should’ve been wary of his nearness. Was it proper for him to be so close? But here in this place—a place of magic—those worries didn’t seem to matter. Besides, with Drekken and the wolf so close, it wasn’t as if anything improper could happen. Not that I wanted it to happen. Not at all. Right?
In truth, I wanted him to kiss me again. I wanted it so badly, I could hardly comprehend it. But since he learned that his father had died, he’d been distraught and distanced, and the only thing I wanted right now was to be able to comfort him.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as he settled beside me.
“As well as can be expected. I’m grateful for this journey. It keeps me distracted from thinking too much about my father.”
He unsheathed the knife from his belt, its red jewels glittering faintly in the firelight. “At least I have this to remember him by.”
“Yes.”
“He was the best man I’ve ever known. He treated my mother well—never raised his voice at her once. I don’t remember him ever being angry. I wish I could be more like him.”
“You’re more like him than you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a good person. You’ve got a kind heart.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“It’s the truth.”
He sighed, looking at the stars. “What do you know of this place where your aunts live? Have you been there?”
“I only know of what my mother told me. My aunts live in an ice palace. It’s supposed to be very beautiful.”
“What can you tell me about your aunts?”
“I’ve met them only briefly. They visited Varlocke’s castle when I was younger. Their names are Neleia and Gwynna. They were nice enough to me, fawning over my hair and giving me sweets. They even gave me a new dress with a blue ribbon. But they didn’t get along with the castle staff. They killed the page boy with a mortis spell for misplacing their trunks. They laughed as he gasped for breath and died. After that, they never came back to visit again. Not that anyone wanted them to.”
“They sound like monsters.”
“They are—but they’ve been alive a long time. They don’t think like us. They don’t value life the way we do.”
“Do you think we’ll survive this?”
“I hope so, but you knew how I felt about this journey from the beginning. We’ve managed to make it this far, so maybe there’s a chance. But I won’t deny that my aunts scare me. They have no concept of right and wrong. They only do what’s best for them. If they decide to kill us, nothing we can do will stop them.”
“Then let’s pray they don’t decide to kill us.”
“I agree.”
He reached out and placed his hand atop mine, his skin warming me. “When we get through this, I hope we’ll have a future together.”
Future? What did he mean by that? I didn’t want to read too much into it, so I decided to act as casually as I possibly could. “I hope so too.”
A chill breeze rushed past, so I pulled my blanket up to my chin. Raj released my hand, and that faraway look returned—an expression of sadness, as if thoughts of his father had returned once again.
He turned away from me, so I lay staring overhead, at the boughs of the trees swaying in the wind, wondering how we would manage to convince my aunts to not only let us live, but also help us.
I hadn’t admitted it to Raj, but I’d remembered what else my aunts had done while staying at Varlocke’s castle—and of what they’d told me. Something I would never repeat to anyone.
I went to sleep listening to the waterfall, hoping its calming sound would chase away my nightmares.
16
Morning sunlight shone through the tree branches as we mounted our horses. I hadn’t slept well. Despite Raj’s presence beside me, nightmares of my aunts had plagued me. I wasn’t ready to see them again—or ever.
The reality of seeing them began to set in. For some time, I thought perhaps we’d never reach their mountains. In all truth, we should have been dead by now. I almost preferred death. Raj had no idea of the danger we were about to face, and I was certain I hadn’t warned him well enough. But what more could I tell him? We couldn’t turn back now. We had no choice but to move forward.
We rode away from the waterfall and followed the stream until we were able to cross. I lamented leaving the peace of the clearing where we’d slept. After we started up the mountains, I wasn’t sure where we would find shelter again.
The air turned cooler as we climbed up the slopes. We found a narrow trail and followed it. Despite my fears, the scenery took my breath away, and all I could do was stare at the soaring granite cliffs, dramatic waterfalls sparkling in the sun, and flocks of chattering fairies as they flitted through the air.
As we climbed higher, the greenery faded, replaced with patches of snow. We crested a steep hill and rode to a ledge overlooking the jagged landscape punctuated with large boulders and snowy plains. Far on the horizon sat the jagged line of the Ice Mountains. Wedged between the cliffs was a glittering blue jewel, merely a speck from this perspective.
“That’s the palace,” I said, pointing.
“Are you sure?” Raj asked.
“Yes, I’ve seen paintings of it. That’s got to be it.”
“Then that’s good. It means we’re close. A few more hours of hard riding and we should make it before nightfall.”
“Yes. Good.” Although I wasn’t sure I could fully
