Hard Frost- Depths of Winter

by Thia Mackin

  “Shoot immediately. Don’t wait for the door to close,” she warned.

  Then she turned the handle and pushed it open. Obeying, knowing that her Prophecy probably told her the reward outweighed the consequences, I immediately sighted and fired. As the shot echoed through the room, the door behind me clicked closed and his scream of pain followed.

  “Hello, Abshoc,” I greeted in English, remembering the book he’d read in the barracks. Taking another couple limping steps forward, my eyes followed as he grabbed his shoulder to staunch the blood.

  “What is this?” he growled, the chair scratching across the hardwood floor as he pushed it backward to stand. His English was heavily accented, but I understood perfectly.

  “Justice.” The second bullet ripped through his left deltoid, hopefully clipping his rotator cuff.

  “What the fuck!” The pain must have been excruciating, yet he turned his body as I moved to keep me from sneaking up behind him. Despite my obvious hindrance, his eyes held fear. Something beyond my center enjoyed it.

  “Funnily enough,” I growled back, “I wondered the same thing when the caravan was attacked by a force many sizes larger and our leader was nowhere to be seen. It became clear to us, though, that the raiders had inside information. They searched for something, and somehow, they knew how and where to hit. Every. Time.”

  When he grinned, his teeth were covered in blood. The shots weren’t anywhere near his lungs, so he’d undoubtedly bitten his tongue to distract him from the pain. “The only surprise was how well you all fought.” He spit on the floor. “Should have only taken one battle. Then no one would have seen the pattern.”

  “What was worth so many lives?” I questioned, skirting the edge of the table with barely a hitch in my step so he was fully visible. Both his arms hung limp as blood dripped from his fingertips. It reminded me of the blood that ran down Atkoy’s arms as I had released him to Triswon, of the drops that fell from my boot as I sat on Karyn’s table.

  “Gold,” he answered. “More than long-lived mercenaries like us typically see in two lifetimes. Money I can split with you now if you let me leave.”

  The expression on his face left no doubt that his offer was sincere. He would pay me dearly to let him walk away. If we’d been outside, I’d have spit on him. “Atkoy. Kyerzan. Pwein. Harica. Abinaleh. Romtal.” I recited the names of those I’d personally witnessed suffer or die for his greed. Plus, dozens whose name I did not know. “No amount of money can erase the sins against them. However, your death will balance the scales.”

  “You said justice. This is vengeance,” he argued, turning his head as I moved closer.

  The corner of my mouth tilted upward. “Perhaps a bit of both.” I’d already admitted as much to myself, might as well extend that truth into the universe. “But I can live with that.”

  He chuckled, and I noticed his fingers twitch. The muscles were healing. “Too righteous to accept a bribe, but shady enough to murder a man in cold blood.”

  I stood before him, face to face, and pressed the gun to his forehead. “You aren’t a man, and the blood of a verhaszqramigra is always cold.” As I pulled the trigger, the only thing I felt as his body fell was recoil.

  Inhaling, I removed the bullet from my pocket and slid it back into the magazine, careful not to touch the barrel and burn myself. When the door opened, I aimed quickly but hurriedly pointed the gun at the floor as Triswon entered with my cane in his hand. Safety on, it slid into the holster.

  “You good, Snowflake?” he questioned, searching me over as though looking for injuries. His fingers smoothed across my forehead, wiping at the droplets of gore the final shot had sprayed.

  “I’m going to get a bucket and mop,” I answered, noticing the growing pool of blood beneath the body. Still far away, buzzing warned that my center had been shaken. I needed to hurry before emotions caught up to me.

  The big man bear-hugged me, lifting me a foot off the ground. “Not tonight, you won’t. You go back to that man our Elie says you have, take a shower, and let him hold you. You can Gate from this room.” I opened my mouth to argue that I could help or maybe that Rankar wasn’t there. However, he shushed me and pressed the cane into my hand. “If the only way the blood of the man who nearly killed my Snowflake will soak my hands is if I clean it off the floor, then I will scrub the last drop from these boards. You took the shot. I won’t let you take this, too, little one.”

  I swallowed, swaying slightly as my boots touched the ground. His big hand on my shoulder and Mycal’s stick in the other steadied me. “Triswon, I love you. Tell Elie that I love her, too?”

  He smiled, the familiar grin of approval he reserved for me. “We both love you, too, Snowflake… You did the world a favor this evening.”

  I nodded, pulling the energy to open a Gate back to the Sirach ranch. Just before I stepped in, Triswon hefted the demon’s body over his shoulder and Gated from the room. My feet carried me out and into the downstairs bathroom. Immediately, the blood- and flesh-splattered clothing began hitting the floor.

  The slide out of my center was sudden, occurring the exact moment the water hit my face. Suddenly, tears streamed down my cheeks, but I blindly searched for the body wash Karyn made me.

  “Kinan, how are you?” her voice called through the door. Attuned to the wards, she had felt my return and worried about her patient.

  I hiccupped, cleared my throat, and tried to reassure her. “I’m fine. Sorry to wake you.”

  After a minute of silence, I assumed she’d believed me. With a handful of body wash, I started at my hair and face before scrubbing down. The suds burned my eyes, undoubtedly fueling the tears. Then the extra shielding around my injured leg dissipated, and I fell. The crash echoed like a gong in my head as the pain ricocheted from my toes to the place behind my eyes and back down.

  “Gods, Kinan, are you okay?” Rankar questioned, kneeling half-in the running shower. His hands rubbed from my shoulder to my elbow, his concern so strong that it reverberated in my heart.

  Suddenly incapable of speech, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close enough to bury my face against his neck. Sobbing so hard that my entire body shook, I didn’t peek as he turned off the water and lifted me dripping from the tub. Holding on was too difficult, took all my strength.

  The energy of a Gate raised the hairs on my arms. Then he set me on the corner of the mattress, stripping his clothes off just as my teeth began chattering. “Under the covers,” he ordered, but I shook my head. “Please?” He tugged back the comforter, holding it up.

  “I-I’m d-damp,” I argued, moving to stand. The droplets of water enhanced the chill in the air, and I didn’t want to make his entire bed wet.

  My leg quivered threateningly as I stood, but Rankar was there. My hand on his shoulder steadied me as he used a clean t-shirt to pat me dry. “Now you’re not. Will you let me warm you now?”

  I swallowed, looking into his warm brown eyes. The emotion there was so strong, disquieted. I had scared him. “Hey.” My hand lifted to his cheek. “I’m okay.” The tears escaping the corners of my eyes were probably due to the soap earlier.

  His hand brushed my cheeks as he shook his head slightly. “I don’t think I am,” he countered, leaning his forehead against mine. “Please let me hold you for a bit.”

  His thumbs caught each ice-cold tear, his Gift heating my cheeks. I needed this man, and I never needed anyone. The only thing more terrifying than that realization was the thought of what I’d do without him.

  Breaking contact, I crawled into his bed. My limbs shook despite the comforter. Then he lay beside me, and I curled as close as possible, climbing partially on top of him. His arm wrapped around my waist and anchored me to him. His other hand continued to stroke my exposed cheek, drying the tears nearly as fast as they fell.

  Minutes or hours passed, it was difficult to tell. My eyes burned, and a yawn escaped. Between the emotional and adrenaline drops, I would sleep. “Rankar?”

>   “Hmm?” His thumb moved slightly against my cheekbone.

  “The man who betrayed us… He’s dead now.” A hiccup escaped, remnants of the crying.

  A long moment passed. Then his arm tightened around me, and his lips touched the top of my head. “Good.” The grim satisfaction and pride washed over me, leaving me content.

  I swallowed and exhaled in relief, allowing sleep to claim me. If the man I loved didn’t think I was shady, I’d learn to live with this.

  A chill swept across my chest, and I woke up on a shiver. Immediately, the comforter flew back over me. I found Rankar watching me as my eyes adjusted to the darkened room. “Sorry.” Though his expression wasn’t clear, sheepishness filled his voice. He hadn’t been sleeping, because he rested on his side with one hand under his head. Rankar might sleep on his back while I draped over him, but he never slept on his side.

  “For?” I rolled from my back to face him.

  His fingers found my skin beneath the covers, and I closed my eyes as warmth radiated out from the touch. “I wanted to look at you, reassure myself you are okay. I never meant to wake you.”

  Scooting until the distance between us disappeared, I ran my hand up his side. “Gods, Rankar, I’m supposed to help you sleep. Not keep you awake or give you different nightmares. I’m so sorry.”

  He smiled softly. “Not everything can be your fault, Kinan. Deserters and betrayers don’t deserve to live, and if we both apologize every time our jobs take us into danger, we’re going to spend the rest of our considerable lives saying we’re sorry. The important thing is that we each do our damnedest to come home safe to the other. Deal?”

  I nodded, cuddling closer to his warmth. The thought of him in danger sent a shiver through me, one only he could abate. Despite all my wiggling, nothing else moved. Neither of the drakyn was in bed, which led me to look around the darkened room. The clock on the nightstand read three o’clock, meaning Rankar needed to be up for work in just over two hours. “We’re still at your parents’?”

  He exhaled. “Yeah. Mom would have worried all night. Dad, Hypnos, and Thanatos are downstairs in the kitchen with her. She’s probably made enough meals to freeze for half the people of Asez.”

  I winced. “I should go apologize.”

  Rankar sighed. “You don’t have to do that, but we should maybe make an appearance so Dad can convince her to go to bed.”

  We both dressed in silence and walked barefoot down to the kitchen. Sure enough, the scent of coffee mingled with a dozen other smells. Mycal was speaking calmly in Welsh to his wife; enough of the words translated after my two months that I knew he’d been discussing politics but not enough that I had any idea what he was saying about them. Karyn stirred something in a pan on the stove, and both drakyn curled together on top of the refrigerator.

  Mycal paused as I stepped into the kitchen with Rankar right behind me. He quickly checked me over, probably looking for an injury that would cause such a commotion in his home. “Hello, Kinan.”

  “Welcome home, Mycal. I’m sor—” Rankar’s fingers touched my elbow, and I leaned harder on the cane. “So glad you are home.”

  Karyn placed the pan on the back burner, dusted her hands, and turned to us. Her gaze also traveled from my head to my toes and back up. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes held concern. Godsdamnit, Kinan.

  I crossed the space and bent to wrap her in a hug. Immediately, she returned the gesture, her tight squeeze belying her small stature. The longer it went on, the more relaxed she became. Then she released me. “Any pain in your leg?”

  Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about it since I fell in the tub hours ago. “No. None.”

  She snorted and headed to the table to sit beside her husband. “Not to pry, but was the friend who sent the missive Eliecha Bhinj?”

  Rankar poured us both cups of coffee and gestured for me to take a seat. Leaning the cane against the edge of the chair, my thoughts circled through how much I should tell them.

  “I should have sent you to her sooner. If any healer could counteract the anti-energy and speed up the healing, it would be her.” She smiled. “The good news is that your limp is much less pronounced, and you’re likely able to walk unassisted if you don’t overdo it. That limp will stay with you a bit, but the strengthening exercises will eliminate that, as well.”

  My mouth gaped, and I remembered the electrical feeling of Elie’s hug. Still… “Thank you, Karyn. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

  Mycal scooted out his chair and stood. “Let’s get some rest.”

  We stood awkwardly, unable to help, as Karyn divided up the food from the pot and placed the containers in the freezer. Rankar set the cups in the sink to take care of in the morning. Finally, we all four headed up the stairs, two by two. Before climbing into bed, I leaned the cane in the corner, just in case I needed it again.

  Chapter 19

  “Whoa,” I soothed, holding on to the gelding’s halter. Dammit. From the house, his limp had been noticeable. Up close, Chevelle’s knee had swelled to twice its normal size. Snake bite. A quick examination assured me he’d only been bitten once—and not on the muzzle—but the amount of swelling warned that venom had been injected.

  Looking toward the house, I grimaced. If Karyn or Mycal were home, either of them might be able to take care of it how the horse’s owner preferred. When Romtal had been bitten, we’d Gated to Bretinoc’s and he’d been stood in a bucket of ice. Some anti-inflammatories, antibiotic therapy, and observation to monitor the tissue for infection or necrosis had him as good as new in a few days. However, neither of the homeowners would return for at least half a day. Problems could set in before then.

  “Asez will have a veterinarian on staff, right?”

  His huff sounded like a yes, so I used the whistling trill that Rankar had taught me to order the mount to open a Gate into the compound. Immediately, it snapped open in front of us, and we walked through, both our gaits uneven. Two armed guards awaited us on the other side, and I nodded hello without moving either of my hands.

  “My name is Kinan, and this is Chevelle from the Sirach ranch. He needs medical attention.”

  They shared a look, and one fell into step ahead of me and the other behind. A green drakyn with a red collar launched from the first man’s shoulder with a verbal order to “find Master Cavallo and bring him to the infirmary stable.” Then we arrived at a barn with a plaque over the door that declared it as such.

  “Wait here,” the second one ordered, moving back toward the door as his partner disappeared completely.

  ::Here!:: Hypnos shouted, gone again before I saw hide or scale of him.

  “People come and go so quickly here,” I observed to Chevelle, patting his neck reassuringly. “Someone will be coming for you quite soon.”

  “Aye, I’m here. So what’s the matter with the boyo?”

  The mental fortitude it required to not jump should have earned me an award. Instead, I moved slightly to the side and pointed to the injury. “Just above his right knee, looks like a venomous snake tasted his forearm. He was put to pasture about ten this morning, and I noticed his limp about twenty minutes ago. So the bite is probably less than two hours old. If you tell me where the ice is kept, I’ll get a bucket of ice water for him.”

  “And who might you be, Gating here with an Asez horse and without an Asez badge?” the dark-skinned demon questioned, crouching down to study the wound. The hint of a Scottish brogue made me concentrate harder on his words than normal. His movements, though, were practiced and deliberate as he examined the horse, much smoother than any human whose black hair, well-kept beard, and mustache were that peppered with gray should be. He never paused as his dark brown eyes lingered over me.

  “Kinan!” Rankar called from the stable door as Hypnos appeared over my head and winged down to my shoulder.

  “Erm—I’m Sarki Kinan, a friend of the Sirach family staying at the ranch. This is—” I began, hand stroking the hors
e’s shoulder.

  He grinned. “The horse I know. A couple of my hands are on the way with supplies.” He stood, about an inch taller than me. “We’ll have the boyo good as new sooner than later.”

  From the corner of my eye, I watched Rankar’s approach. Somehow, each step he took made the room slightly warmer. His hand lifted to touch me but dropped back to his side as he greeted Master Cavallo—Rendle, he called him—and checked on Chevelle. When he moved in front of me to peek closer at the bite, I rested my hand against the small of his back and sighed inwardly. How long since he’d left the house this morning? Only a few hours, but it felt like weeks.

  The hostlers arrived. I stepped away from the group to give them room. After a few moments, it became obvious we weren’t needed. Rankar drew me toward the exit, and we walked side by side toward the compound itself. Hypnos, likely bored with the pace, launched into the air and disappeared.

  “Sorry,” I murmured when we were far enough away no one could overhear.

  Rankar glanced at me quickly as he opened the door to the main building to allow me entry. “For what?”

  I waited for him to fall into step with me again. “Embarrassing you. Your mom and dad aren’t home, so I wasn’t sure what to do with Chevelle. If I’d known that it would cause so much attention…”

  Rankar chuckled softly. “Kinan, Rendle already knows we are together. I’m not ashamed of our relationship. Also, good thinking to bring him here.”

  He opened another door, motioning me through. The tingle of his wards welcomed me. A desk, a couch, and a couple chairs caught my eye before the snick of the lock brought my attention back to Rankar. Then my back hit the wall as he stepped into me. Arms wrapping around his waist, my fingers tugged at his shirt; I hummed my appreciation as the warmth of his skin seeped through my palms. Then his mouth covered mine, teeth tugging on my bottom lip.