by E. Latimer
"Maybe your tiny friend did, then. I don't care." He stepped farther into the room, which made alarm bells go off in the back of my mind. He wasn't here to return a sweater. Did he think I was an idiot? But the Viking twins were by the door. I was safe.
"What do you want?"
Leif darted a look over one shoulder. He probably wasn't stupid enough to run me through with his sword right then and there. Probably.
"Look, I know we didn't get off on the right foot. I hated my sister. But...you're not actually her." He smiled—a thin, tight expression, but still shocking.
I blinked at him. Was Leif trying to be nice?
"You're not Amora, but my mother thinks you are. She's still going to force you into battle." He took another step closer, and I forced myself not to flinch. "I know you don't want to do it. You're just human. You won't survive."
And there it was. He was trying to scare me. "Get to the point, Leif."
He shrugged. "You can say no. You know that, don't you?"
"What?" I frowned.
Saying no wasn't really an option. I'd seen the queen when she was angry. I shook my head, mentally berating myself. There was no point in getting caught up in this. I wasn't going to battle anyway. Tomorrow, I was going with Loki. None of this mattered.
"Just step down," Leif said, and he paced forward.
It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but I stood my ground. The Viking twins were right outside if I needed them.
"Step down from battle. From the throne. You don't really want to be queen. I can see that."
I folded my arms across my chest and gave him a level look. “You don’t know anything about me.”
His face went dark, and his mouth twitched as if he were barely keeping his temper under control.
This wasn't a friendly visit. I doubted there was such thing with him.
The scowl was back in place now, his mouth twisted in a snarl. The façade was gone. “You will step down, or I will force you to step down."
"What are you going to do?" I was baiting him. I knew that. "Stab me with your sword in the middle of the palace?" It was incredibly stupid on my part, but the fact that I was leaving tomorrow night made me a little bolder.
Leif couldn't stab me in the middle of my bedroom, with the doors open, and he knew it. The sweater had been a cover for him to see me. People would know he'd been here.
His hand twitched, and he growled, but he didn't go for the sword. "Step down. Tell my mother you don't want the throne."
Knowing that it was stupid but too pissed off to stop, I arched my eyebrows and said, "No. Maybe I like the idea of being queen. Did you ever think of that?"
If he knew me, he would have known I was bluffing.
Leif's face began to turn bright red. His hands shook, and he took one faltering step toward me. My chest grew tight, and I breathed in sharply, my hands twitching upwards, the cool sensation already buzzing in my arms.
"You try something," I whispered. "I'll freeze you like I froze Gunnar."
He curled his hands into fists, and for a second, I thought he might hit me. Instead, he stepped back and gave me another ugly smile. "You've become overconfident. That can get you killed." Then he turned and stomped out the door.
Watching his back as he strode away, I pictured myself snatching one of the perfume bottles off the vanity table and flinging it at his head.
He slammed the door behind him, so loudly that it made me jump.
Then it was silent, and for a long while, I stood in the center of the room staring at the white sweater crumpled on the icy floor.
Chapter Forty-One
Charlotte stumbled in when I was in bed and half asleep. She smelled of wine, and she crashed into the bedpost and cursed before flopping into bed with all of her clothes on. I snorted and turned over, jamming one of the decorative silk pillows over my head.
I’d fallen asleep while waiting for her. And now, she was stumbling in drunk, waking me up. Probably waking half the palace up with all the noise she was making. And since when did Charlotte like wine anyway? Sighing, I nestled deeper into the comforter and tried to ignore her as she moved around beside me.
Finally, she stopped and I drifted back into dreams.
Seconds later—or was it hours?—I came out of the fog of sleep, blinking blearily at a crack of light that had appeared on the carpet. Had Charlotte left the door open? A shadow flickered past the light, and instantly, I was awake. Was Charlotte stumbling around in the dark again? I slowly turned my head, and my skin prickled with alarm. There was a lump in the bed beside me. Charlotte was still there.
It had to be the Viking twins. But why would they have opened the door or be walking around in the front of it like that? Erik had freaked out at them yesterday, so maybe they were messing with me now. Some kind of weird revenge.
Soft footsteps made me freeze, and then dread settled over my entire body like a lead blanket. Pinning me to the bed. Paralyzing me. Someone was in the room.
I couldn't even turn my head, since it would give away the fact that I was awake. The footsteps drew nearer and then paused. I could make out a silhouette even without any light, a concentrated patch of darkness that moved and blurred in front of my eyes. There was someone there. Standing over me.
My heart jackhammered in my chest, thumping so hard it hurt. I couldn't breathe right. The shadow had reached into my chest and seized my lungs. Did I keep pretending to sleep or scramble up and run for it?
Do something. Anything but lie here and die.
It was like sleep paralysis had seized me. The weight of the bed shifted, and something heavy came down on my stomach. I jerked upright with a shriek, and something covered my mouth—a hand, smothering and heavy, pressing down on my face. I thrashed, my body kicking into panic mode, writhing under the weight of the dark shadow.
Someone whispered in the darkness, "Be still. It will make things a lot easier."
The weight on the bed shifted again, and something thin and cold pressed against my throat. Hot, white pain seared my neck, cutting my scream off.
"It's not personal," the voice said. "Me, I think you could be far more entertaining, but this was how he wanted it."
The light flicked on, flooding the room, blinding me.
My attacker’s features were blurry, but I could make them well enough. Straight, blond hair, dead eyes. Gunnar sat astride my hips, leaning forward, pressing something against my throat. Another fuzzy specter loomed behind him.
There was a crash, a grunt, and then Gunnar lurched forward, falling across me. His forehead nearly knocked into mine. The pressure at my throat disappeared, and I gasped frantically, struggling to push him off.
My vision gradually cleared. Charlotte stood beside the bed. Her eyes were huge and dark in her pale face, and she clutched the neck of an amber bottle. She wore a man's white sweater as a nightgown, which was completely soaked in purple-red stains, and the room was starting to fill with the smell of wine.
"Wow," she said, swaying a little on her feet. "I think I'm done drinking."
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then I tried to sit up, blinking tears back, heaving Gunnar the rest of the way off me with a grunt of disgust. His limp form tipped over the edge of the bed and flopped to the ground.
"Where the hell are those stupid Viking twins?" My voice was hoarse, and my throat burned viciously. Talking was so painful that it made the tears flood back.
She stared at me blankly, and I gestured at the open door and the hallway beyond it, which was completely empty.
Charlotte rubbed her temples, staring down at Gunnar. "It looks like he has friends in the elite guard."
That made sense, since Gunnar himself was one. That meant the Viking twins had let him into my room. That they were working for him. How much of the elite guard was compromised? This was something Erik and I would have to talk about very soon.
"Leif sent him." I winced and cautiously rubbed my throat. My hands were sha
king—no, my entire body was shaking—and wouldn’t stop.
Charlotte pursued her lips and stared down at the still form of the assassin. Blood was starting to pool under his head now.
"He's bleeding," I said nervously.
Charlotte's eyebrows shot up. "He just tried to kill you."
"I know... I just..." It was too painful to try to explain, and besides that, I didn't know how. This couldn't happen. I couldn't leave a trail of bodies behind me wherever I went.
"The thing is"—she glared down at him—"he didn't even care that I was sharing a room with you. He didn't even remember I was there." Carefully, she reached out and poked him with one foot.
I flinched, but Gunnar didn't move.
"And that's what you get for pretending people don't exist. Asshole."
I glanced over at the door, my hand still on my throat. "We should go get help, but what if the Viking twins are out there? They're on his side."
She plucked something off the covers and held it up. It dangled from her fingers and caught the light. A long, thin wire. Shuddering, I traced a trembling finger over the indent in my throat. I could feel it clearly.
Charlotte winced. "Yeah, you have a pretty bad mark there. That should prove it."
"Prove what?"
"That we had to knock him out, even if he is dead."
"What..." That was all I had time to say, because Charlotte took a huge breath and let out an ear-splitting scream.
I jerked in surprise at the sheer volume and pitch, clapping my hands over my ears in shock. It seemed to go on and on, and I wondered how on earth she had so much air in her lungs. Finally, just as she stopped to drag in another breath, the sound of thundering footsteps echoed down the hall. I braced myself, my fingernails biting into my palms. At least we didn't have to go searching the hallway for help.
Figures appeared in the doorway, silhouettes against the darkness.
"Amora? What's the matter? Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Instinctively, I reached out to clutch the bedpost.
Guards poured into the doorway—three men and a woman. They spotted Gunnar sprawled on the floor, and all of them looked shocked.
The woman, a tall Amazon-like jotun with gray-blue eyes, strode over and grasped my shoulders gently. "Are you all right?"
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not." Her fingers brushing my throat, making me cringe. "Gods, he nearly had you." Spinning around, she barked at her companions. "Ake, go report to the queen immediately. Notify the commander."
"Yes, ma'am."
She turned back to me, her eyebrows creased. "Where are your guards, Your Highness? How did he get in?"
Her concern was making my eyes fill with tears all over again. All the blood had drained from my face, and the room tilted wildly when I shook my head.
"I don't know. They just vanished. He said...he said someone had sent him." I bit my tongue just short of telling them that I knew that it was Prince Leif. I had no proof of that—he hadn't even said Leif's name.
Bastard son or not, it was probably dangerous to go around accusing royalty.
"He didn't say who had sent him?" the woman said.
I shook my head again, and her face fell.
Footsteps pounded in the hallway, followed by a voice, ice cold and filled with fury.
"Where is he? Show me."
Chapter Forty-Two
The guard holding my shoulders quickly released me, snapping to attention. I went stiff, slowly turning around. A tall figure was silhouetted in the doorway—the queen. She was dressed in a long, white nightgown and somehow, she still looked like a queen. Her hair flowed lose around her shoulders, and her smooth-marble features were twisted with fury.
"Pick him up." Her voice was bitterly cold. I'd never heard anything so terrible.
Beside me, Charlotte shuddered. The guards rushed to obey, two of them dragging Gunnar off the ground, holding him up between them. His limp form sagged forward, bent almost in half, his hair dragging on the ground.
Abruptly, the queen turned away, gliding over to me. "Amora, my heart. Are you all right?" She placed one cold hand on my bare arm.
I had to work to repress a shiver. Then her eyes dropped down to my throat, and I could feel them burning into my skin. On my arm, her fingers grew bitterly cold.
"He tried to kill you. He almost succeeded."
"I'm okay.” My voice was a dry rasp. "Charlotte saved me."
For once, the queen looked directly at Charlotte. Her blonde eyebrows arched. "You?" When Charlotte nodded, glancing at her feet, the queen smiled. Even her smile was cold though. "I will see that you are rewarded."
My throat was on fire, but I forced myself to speak. "Gunnar said something while he was... Well, he said someone had sent him. He didn't say who."
Queen Eira's lips pulled up at one side. More of a snarl than a smile. "Well, he'll have to be convinced to tell us, then."
"Your Majesty." The gray-eyed jotun woman spoke up. "He wakes."
Instantly, everyone's attention was on Gunnar. The assassin lurched forward with a groan, but the guards held him fast. After a moment of painful effort, he straightened himself up, his eyes fluttering open. Blood crusted the side of his face, and his straw-colored hair hung in front of his eyes as he blinked around the room, dazed.
I jumped as the queen swept forward and seized him by the throat, ripping him away from the guards. Gunnar’s eyes snapped open wide as she slammed him against the wall.
"How dare you betray your position in this court." The queen’s pale face was an inch from his. "Who sent you?"
Gunnar's eyes darted to my face and widened. He hadn't succeeded in his mission, and now, he was in Queen Eira's hands. Not a good place to be.
He shook his head, and kept his lips clamped shut, a muscle jumping in his jaw. He wasn't going to betray Leif.
The queen hissed angrily in his face, and I watched in horror as ice began to creep up from her fingers, encasing his neck, climbing up onto his face, and coating his cheeks. Gunnar’s eyes widened, and his entire body shuddered.
The queen spoke as the ice consumed him. "You will tell me what I wish to know." Each word was laced with venom. "I’ll force it out of you, and I will enjoy every minute of it." She looked sideways at me. "Would you care to join me, Amora?"
Her blank expression sent cold dripping down my spine. She had no qualms about torturing someone.
"I...think I'll pass. Thank you." I rubbed my throat. "A little shocked still."
"Of course." She nodded at the gray-eyed guard. "Post extras at her door tonight. Get the commander himself to stand guard, since his men clearly can't be trusted." She yanked her arm back with a cracking sound, and the ice creeping up Gunnar's neck shattered, showering the ground around him. He gasped in relief as the queen pulled away.
She gestured imperiously at the watching guards as she moved out into the hall. "Take him downstairs. I'll be there in a minute."
Gunnar didn't struggle or even move that much as they dragged him away. He just fixed me with that dead-eyed stare, and right before he disappeared around the corner, I could have sworn he smiled at me. It made me skin crawl.
I let out a shaky breath, leaning against the doorway for support.
The queen frowned. "Are you sure you're all right? I can get one of the healers to attend to you."
"I'm okay." I straightened up and gave her a tight smile. "Thank you. I just need to lie down."
"Of course, child." She placed her cold fingers on my cheek. "Erik told you about my plans, yes?"
Her plans. Of me leading everyone into battle in two weeks. I swallowed hard and nodded, not daring to speak. If I opened my mouth, my own plans might come spilling out. Somehow, I would end up telling her that I was running away. Then the winter storm of her rage would be directed at me.
"Excellent." The queen dropped her hand from my cheek and smiled serenely. It was like her fury had melted away into nothing. "Try to get some slee
p now. I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Amora." She swept down the hall, leaving me feeling like I'd swallowed a brick.
Sweet dreams. Yeah, right.
Charlotte's voice drifted out of the darkness of the bedroom. "Coming back to bed?"
I looked left and right down the hallway. It was silent and still once more, save for the two guards who had stayed at my door. Probably waiting for Erik to arrive.
No one could get in again, but still. I seriously doubted I would be doing much sleeping. I padded across the floor and slipped into bed beside her.