Frost

by E. Latimer

  There was sudden movement on the monitor next to his. Someone shot out of the darkness and crashed into the bars. His blond hair hung limp and greasy in front of his face, and there were huge, dark circles under his hollow, blue eyes.

  "Shut up!" he screamed. "Make him shut up! He never stops talking!"

  Gunnar. A smile stole across my face. I couldn't help it. Loki was obviously just talking to piss Gunnar off.

  "Or a roast." Loki didn't seem to notice that someone was screaming obscenities at him. "Yeah, that would be brilliant. Or even a cheese sandwich. I wouldn't mind a cheese sandwich. Do you eat cheese here, or you against having fun in general around these parts? You can't possibly have any fun without cheese."

  It went on. The guard at the computer station groaned and dropped his head into his hands. It seemed this had been going on for a while now.

  Beside me, Charlotte shifted, suddenly digging her nails into my arm. I turned around to hiss at her and found myself staring down the blade of a very long broadsword.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  My hand tightened on the hilt of my sword. There was no way I could get the blade up in time. We were screwed. To my surprise, the shadowy figure behind the sword put his finger to his lips.

  "Sorry. I didn't realize it was you." When he leaned forward, the light fell across his face, and I recognized him. His blue eyes and scruffy, blond beard. Finn, Lady Edda's guard boyfriend. "I'm guessing you're here for your fire jotun?"

  My fire jotun. That made my pulse jump. I nodded silently.

  "Didn't think he was attacking you." The guard grinned. "I still owe you for saving my Edda. Run down the hall and hide in the forked passage. I'll get rid of this buffoon for you. It's almost time for my shift anyway."

  We thanked him profusely and then ran back as quickly as we could, darting into the left passageway. Gradually, the sound of stomping boots echoed down the hallway, and a tall shadow passed by, made long and stretched by the flickering torchlight. I peered out, waiting until he’d rounded the corner.

  "Okay. He's gone. Let's go."

  We walked back to the big monitoring room relieved to see that Edda's boyfriend was the only one there. He was leaning back in the computer chair, his feet propped up on the desk.

  "One of you will have to hit me," he said as we entered.

  I blinked. "What?"

  His face was serious. "There are no cameras in here, but the cameras in there will catch it all. Since I'm not going with you, I'll need an excuse. And I need it to look real.

  "Okay. I'll do it," I muttered. I braced myself, my muscles tense.

  It wouldn't be much different than hand-to-hand practice. I'd swung at Leif before. How was this any different?

  Finn stood up. "Try to get me square in the face. I want some bruising in case anyone is suspicious."

  I took a deep breath and drew my arm back, curling my fingers into a fist.

  Okay. Pretend he's Gunnar.

  It wasn't hard. His voice was drifting down the corridor. "I said shut up. Do you know what I’m capable of doing to you, boy?”

  I pictured Gunnar's face instead of Finn’s. Gritting my teeth, I swung. My fist connected, sending pain jolting through my hand and up my arm, stinging my knuckles. Finn staggered back with a grunt, holding his nose as dark blood gushed past his fingers.

  "I'm sorry!" I cried. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

  "No. That's sort of the point." His voice was muffled, and he staggered back another step and then promptly sat down on the floor. "You'll need these." He thrust his keys up with one hand, still holding his face with the other.

  "Keys." Charlotte snorted. "This place is totally archaic. I was expecting a punch code or something."

  To my relief, the blood seemed to be slowing down as Finn clutched his face.

  "Are you going to be okay? Should I get a cloth for you or something?" I asked.

  He wheezed with laughter and then winced. "Sweetheart, I can't very well tell the queen you punched me out to save your boyfriend and then went and got me all patched up. Now, go."

  "Okay." I backed away, chewing my lip hard enough to hurt.

  Charlotte jingled the ring of keys in my face. "Let's go. We don't have time to stand around and chat."

  We entered the hallway of cells. My pulse seemed to permanently reside in my ears now, and my entire body shook with each breath. I was hyperaware that, as we walked down this corridor, we were on camera.

  It didn’t matter. When they found Loki gone, and Charlotte and I missing from our bedroom, it was going to be obvious what had happened.

  We passed the first cell, and I glanced in and went cold. Gunnar sat in the middle of the dirty cement floor, staring through the bars. When he spotted us, his eyes narrowed. Dark bruises had bloomed on both sides of his jaw, and his left cheek was split open and crusted with dried blood. The queen's handiwork. I could picture her doing it too, and I grimaced and started to turn away.

  "You. Why are you here?" He sat perfectly still, like a statue, his eyes following me as I walked past. When I didn't reply, he tilted his head to one side. "How's the throat?"

  Hot anger seized me, and I stepped forward and thrust my katana through the bars at him. He didn't flinch, but he did lean back slightly.

  "You two share a temper in common, at least."

  He meant me and Leif. Something in my jaw twitched as I ground my teeth together. If I had the power to melt the bars away, I would have run him through right then and there.

  "Has Leif come to visit you?” I asked. “Oh, look. There's a dead rat in the corner. I suppose he has."

  "Come on." Charlotte tugged on my arm. "We don't have time for this. Let's go."

  "Where are you going, little pet?" Gunnar's voice echoed down the hallway after us.

  This time, I ignored him, too intent on finding Loki. Most of the cells were empty and dark. Some had piles of hay for beds in the back; some had nothing but cold, hard cement and a burlap sack or two.

  "This place is barbaric." Charlotte shuddered, rubbing her hands over her arms. "I can't believe the queen would send people down here."

  "I don't think there's much she wouldn't do," I said grimly.

  A voice rang out down the hallway. "Megan? Is that you?"

  Loki's voice. Even in these circumstances, it sent a shiver of anticipation through me.

  "Loki, we're coming!" I ran the rest of the way, and Charlotte tossed me the keys as I went. I caught them awkwardly, almost tripping in my haste.

  Loki's cell was just around a bend in the corridor. He was still pressed against the bars, and his dark curls were messier than usual, like he'd been running his hands through them. One of his eyes was purple and black.

  My stomach twisted. "Who did that?"

  "One of the guards. It doesn't matter." His hand shot out, fingers curling around my wrist. His skin was hot on mine. "I'm so glad you're here." Loki’s grin was huge in spite of how painful his face looked.

  My hands shook as I scrambled to find the right key, trying several in the lock.

  Charlotte leaned over my shoulder and pointed at a rusted key with a curled top. “That one. It looks old and rusted. And these cells look like they haven't changed the locks." She looked disgusted as she peered around. "Or anything, actually...in a very long time."

  I plucked the key and thrust it at the lock, and it sank in with a clunk. "Yes! It works.”

  Loki shot through as soon as the opening was wide enough, crushing me in a bear hug, and I awkwardly held my right hand out so I didn't run him through with the sword.

  "I knew you wouldn't let me die!"

  I pulled back a bit and gaped at him. "That's why you were so calm? You were waiting for me to rescue you?"

  His arms tightened around me. "I was counting on it."

  It felt like my heart had stopped. "Holy crap. No pressure or anything."

  "Cool sword, by the way." He released me and turned to Charlotte. "Hey, thanks for busting me out of t
here."

  "No worries," she said. "But let's get out of here fast. We have to go. And I mean now."

  We passed Finn on the way out, and Loki stooped down to give him a wave. "Thanks, mate. Wow, you look rough."

  "Thanks a lot." The guard gave him a thumbs-up, shut his eyes and eased himself back down on the stone floor. "Good luck."

  We traveled quickly through the passage and found ourselves at the bottom of the steep staircase that led to the training room, where Charlotte and I grabbed our pillowcases again. I heaved mine over my shoulder and took a deep breath before ascending the stairs to the main part of the palace, my grip tight on my sword.

  "Here we go."

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  The palace was silent, and every step we took seemed to echo off the walls of the icy passageway. The grip of the katana was warm in my hands, and it was the only thing that kept me moving forward.

  Loki led the way, taking us deep into the servants’ quarters, and I fixed my eyes on the back of his curly hair. In the few days he’d played servant, he must have memorized the palace layout, because he took every turn with absolute certainty.

  When we finally stopped in front of a wide set of double doors, he turned to face us, keeping his voice low. "This leads us out into the courtyard. There'll be guards at the exit. I need one of you to distract them. Make them walk toward you. I'll take one out, but someone will have to take out the other."

  Charlotte's arm shot up like she was answering questions in math class. "I'll be the distraction."

  "Okay good." Loki gently gripped my arms. "Are you ready? When the guard goes for Charlotte, you need to make sure he stays down."

  I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

  "Ready?" Charlotte placed both hands on one of the doors.

  We both nodded, and she pushed through, and I peered around the doorway after her.

  Even though it had to be the early hours of the morning, it wasn’t pitch black. The moon reflected off the snow, bathing everything in dreamy silver light. It didn't look real.

  Maybe this was all another dream.

  There were two guards. The one on the right stood ramrod straight, but the other slouched to one side, leaning on his spear like he was bored. His helmet was on the ground by his feet. That was the guard I had to take down.

  Charlotte jogged past them, her footsteps crunching in the snow. Both guards swung around, their spears pointed in her direction.

  "Hi!" She gave them a bright smile and held her hands up. "No need to point those things at me. Just out for a late-night stroll."

  They were both facing away from us now, and Loki crept forward. I mimicked his pace, wincing when the snow creaked softly under my shoes.

  "Put your pointy sticks down!" Charlotte said loudly.

  Three feet from the guard.

  Two feet.

  One.

  I raised my katana and flipped it around, my hand clenched tight around the hilt, my eyes fixed on my target. My guard was shorter than the other one, with close-cropped white hair. In all likelihood, he was probably an okay guy, and now I was about to bash him in the back of the head.

  I wasn’t sure I could do it.

  He must have sensed something, because the guard started turning, and I swung the butt of the sword down in a nervous rush. There was a horrible crack as it hit his temple, and the impact jolted my hands and shot up both arms.

  The guard slumped forward, facedown in the snow, and lay still. A dark spot bloomed above his left ear, soaking his short hair.

  Loki and his guard were still tussling a little ways off, rolling around in the snow, exchanging punches. But I couldn't tear my eyes away from the growing dark patch on the guard’s temple.

  I did that. My fingers felt numb.

  The movement beside me stopped, and I heard Loki swearing.

  Charlotte was suddenly beside me, crouching to place one hand on the guard’s neck. She stood and grabbed my arm. "He's fine. He'll just have a headache in the morning. Let's go."

  Loki joined us, the guard’s short sword tucked into his belt. He cradled one arm, and for a moment, my numbness was overridden by concern. "Are you all right?"

  "I've had worse." His smile was more of a wince.

  We crossed the courtyard, and I turned back once to look up at the towering ice palace. The windows were silent and dark. They looked like accusing eyes staring down at us, daring us to try to escape.

  Snow began to fall softly, made bright by the silver quality of the night. Up ahead Loki's breath rose like clouds of vapor above his head, and Charlotte shivered and zipped her jacket up further. Her breath came in silvery mist as well, though less than Loki's.

  Mine didn't show up at all.

  Once we'd crossed the courtyard, we ran into a new problem. One I hadn't even considered until now.

  "The drawbridge," Charlotte whispered. She pointed one shaking finger straight ahead, and my heart sank.

  To the untrained eye, it looked as though the palace were completely surrounded by a solid wall of ice. We knew that the drawbridge was right in front of us, blending so seamlessly with the rest of the wall that it appeared there was no way out.

  The only indication there even was an exit was the tiny ice hut beside the wall. The hut was lit from the inside, yellow light shining out of one tiny window. The gatekeeper's house.

  "We're idiots," I whispered. "We didn't even think about that."

  "What was your plan once you got here?" Loki said. When I just stared at him, he blinked. "You don't have one."

  “What.” Charlotte threw her arms up. "It's our first time escaping an ice fortress, give us a break."

  "Okay, small setback. Not to worry. You two stay here." Loki headed for the hut, drawing his sword and knocking once with the pommel before concealing it behind his back.

  The door opened, and a half-blood with short, straw-colored hair peered out. His eyes widened when he saw Loki.

  Loki murmured something, and the man raised his hands, backing slowly into the lit room until he was out of sight. Loki followed.

  After a few tense seconds, a huge rumbling sound followed, making Charlotte and I jump. The ground was vibrating.

  A huge section of the wall dropped away, revealing the ice-blue waters of the moat and the vibrant-green pine trees beyond the palace walls. Excitement swelled in my chest. The forest signified freedom. It was so close I could almost touch it.

  Loki shot out of the hut. "Go, go, go! It’s not a secret escape anymore!”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Charlotte grabbed my hand, and we ran.

  The crisp night air burned my lungs as I sprinted forward, and snowflakes whipped past, peppering my face. Running through the snow was a little like running in my dreams. I was sprinting as fast as I could, running so hard my legs burned, yet somehow, it wasn't fast enough.

  Behind us, a shout went up, and I glanced over my shoulder.

  The moonlight illuminated a silhouette running across the snow toward the palace, arms waving. The keeper of the drawbridge.

  Loki was right. Soon, everyone would know. The queen would send soldiers after us.

  Loki could have easily outrun both of us. Instead, he hung back, looking over his shoulder. Finally, we were over the moat, heading toward the tree line.

  "So far so good.” He was barely breathing hard. "It will take a while to alert the guard. We have a head start. Of course...they'll have horses."

  Horses. I tried to run faster, but it only sent sharp jabs of pain through my leg muscles, and I was pretty sure my lungs were about to burst. They had horses. How were we supposed to outrun them? It was impossible.

  We made it into the shelter of the trees. Maybe we could hide somewhere.

  Deeper into the forest, the snow was up to my ankles now, and I cursed under my breath. My thigh muscles were burning, and I prayed that the drifts didn’t get any deeper.

  I had to blink flakes from my eyelashes, and as Charlott
e ran ahead of me, past one of the fir trees, a branch snapped back, whipping me in the face.

  I swallowed a cry of pain and pressed forward, my cheek burning. The snow was getting deeper, spraying up as we threw ourselves forward. Each time I dragged another breath in, it pierced my lungs like shards of glass. Cold air slapped my cheeks, and pellets of ice blinded me. It felt like we’d been running for forever.