Pride swelled for a moment in Traven’s heart. He was the first human to kill such a beast. Traven’s grin faded as the Hero realized that the dead Griffin had sacrificed itself to lure Pale and Traven away from the Ice Princess.
Glacial’s scream echoed off Traven’s ears. A Griffin batted its paw inside the rocky crevice where the Hero had hidden the Ice Princess. Charging the beast, Traven drew his sword above his head and slashed across the Griffin’s back.
Enraged, the beast turned on Traven, knocking the Hero backwards, sprawling down the rocky ledge.
Before Traven could get his footing, a fourth Griffin attacked from the side. Only Pale’s quick maneuvering and snapping jaws kept the beast from the Hero’s throat. Even though only half a dozen Griffins had attacked the herd, Traven and the Hero were grossly outmatched. The Ice Princess drew the beasts like a lodestone. Traven could not take a breath before another launched an assault.
Struggling to his feet, the Hero scaled the slick stone and fought off another creature. From the corner of his eye, Traven noted that the rest of the group was fairing no better. Miss Emmert was cornered by two Griffins on the other side of the valley. Her magick sparked and crackled, but the beasts were agile and wary of coming close enough to the woman to suffer any damage.
The Centaurs were admirable fighters, but the Griffins had struck with blinding speed. Many of the Herd had been injured in the initial assault. It was only by blind luck that Glacial had insisted upon waiting for Ornery near the tumble of rocks. Traven, Pale, and the Ice Princess had some shelter during those first few minutes that the Centaurs out on the valley floor had not.
Traven lunged and sliced as best he could. Mount Shrine had not prepared him to battle foes that took wing. The Griffins moved in such a way that it was nearly impossible to keep up the offensive. The Hero was reduced to hacking a small circle of safety out for himself and the Princess.
Pale was slightly more imaginative and had taken to launching himself off the rocky outcroppings and landing on the Griffin’s back. The wolf had not succeeded in killing one yet, but the tactic kept the creatures off-balance.
A scream that froze Traven’s blood arose behind him. Turning, Traven felt a wave of panic. The damn beasts had dislodged the overhanging rocks and now batted at Glacial like a mouse in a box.
“No!” the Hero yelled as he flung himself towards the Ice Princess. Pale joined him, but they were too late. One of the Griffins snatched Glacial’s dress with its paw and lifted her from the circle of rocks. The princess flailed and kicked, but could not free herself. Claws encircled Glacial’s tiny waist. In unison, the Griffins took wing and flew off, the Ice Princess in their clutches.
“Glacial!” Traven screamed as he raced over the rocks, but it was to no avail. The creatures were well away. “No,” Traven whispered to the retreating figures.
Anger surged again as he scrambled over the rocks towards Miss Emmert. The rest of the Griffins had fled after their brethren.
“We must give chase!” Traven shouted as he found Lauger unharmed.
“Nay, Hero. We must plan first,” the woman said, still panting.
Traven ignored Miss Emmert and searched for his tack. Those beasts could be feasting on the Ice Princess right this moment. They did not have a single instant to waste. Miss Emmert grabbed his sleeve and forcibly turned Traven towards her.
“Open your eyes, Hero! This was no random attack.”
He cared for none of Miss Emmert’s lectures.
The Ice Princess was in mortal danger, and Traven would not abandon her. “Let me go, woman. I will not allow the Griffins to dine on Glacial this night.”
Gripping his sleeve more tightly, Miss Emmert kept him from leaving. “They have kidnapped her, Traven! Kidnapped her. They mean to take her to the Icy Throne!”
Traven jerked his arm free, but the woman’s words gave him pause. “That makes no sense.”
Miss Emmert’s stare held the Hero more firmly in place than her grip ever had. “They seek to give Winter exactly what he lusts for. Power. Complete, annihilating, power.”
***
Crystalia plopped down hard onto her bottom. The force of Miss Emmert’s words sapped all of her strength. She knew the woman’s words were true. It was all spelled out on her palm.
Just like the time Crystalia was buried in Quicksnow, her lifeline was wavering. The line that normally wrapped around her hand, indicating a long and prosperous lifespan, was now broken and disconnected. Despite the fact that her body seemed completely safe and secure, Crystalia knew that grave danger lurked in the very near future.
Traven still fussed and fumed with Miss Emmert, but Crystalia could already sense the fire was out of the Hero’s argument. He was reluctant to admit the truth, but admit it he would.
“Even if you are right, we must follow! We cannot allow them to complete the Sacrifice!” Traven’s cheeks were red, and his fists clenched tight.
Miss Emmert’s words were equally urgent. “You are right, but we must rally a force. If we use the Centaurs’ speed, we might be able to scale the —”
“We will never make it in time! They are on wing! We must leave now!”
Crystalia could feel the truth in Traven’s words as well. She knew of the Centaur’s amazing swiftness firsthand, but they could never reach the Icy Throne before the Griffins.
Staring at her palm, Crystalia realized all was lost. Glacial would be sacrificed, and Winter would use the power in The Bride’s spilt blood to level this world.
“Too bad, really. I was just starting to enjoy being alive again,” Corpse said as he reached Crystalia’s side.
Would this dead man never leave her alone? Crystalia would like a bit of solitude if these were the last few hours of her life.
***
Ornery whooped at the evening sky. He had never had so much fun — never.
His father had led them deep into the surrounding mountains. Earlier in the day, Dimitri had allowed Ornery to scale the steepest cliffs, testing his new skills. The sheer faces were so slick and treacherous that Ornery almost wished Miss Emmert had been there. His mother never would have allowed him to climb those walls.
There was more than one time that Ornery had felt that he could go no farther and shook with fear, but all he needed to do was turn and see his father look up at him with such pride and joy, and Ornery would keep climbing.
They had wandered too far and were very late, but Ornery would not mind the tongue lashing from Miss Emmert. It had been the singular most perfect day of his life. His father had talked of their family and all the plans for the future.
For the first time, Ornery felt a part of something. He was somebody. Ornery hoped the feeling never faded. And it never would, as long as he was near his father.
There was something about Dimitri that made you feel special just by being in his presence. Now, Ornery could understand some of what Miss Emmert was trying to share with him back at the Fold. He could now understand a bit better how she could have acted so rashly — his father had that effect.
Ornery’s attention was drawn back to Dimitri when Ornery realized his father had stopped talking. Shifting around, Ornery tried to peer over Dimitri’s shoulder. Ornery’s legs had tired on the descent, and his father had carried him down the mountain.
As hard as Ornery tried, Dimitri would not allow Ornery to view what lay ahead. “What’s wrong?”
“Son, close your eyes.”
Close his eyes? Something must really be wrong. Ornery shoved his way around. Immediately, Ornery wished he had obeyed his father. Two fillies lay dead on the snow. Their blood tainted the pristine white of the drift.
Tears choked Ornery’s throat. They had passed these two foals just an hour ago. The two fillies had been playing chase-the-tail with their mare. A few steps farther, and they found the foal’s mother. Her belly was laid open, intestines spilling onto the ground.
“Hold tight!” Dimitri shouted as he charged forward.
Ornery clutched his father’s mane as they made their reckless descent. They moved so quickly that Ornery could only make out blurry landmarks. Miss Emmert had not exaggerated his father’s speed. Ornery could not imagine taking this flight while in the throes of labor. His mother had more stamina than he.
The slaughter got no better the closer they drew near the caves. Konrad, the one-armed soldier, lay dead next to Nutmeg. Ornery wanted to throw himself from his father’s back, but Dimitri sped past the bodies. Their concern needed to lie with the living.
“Mother!” Ornery shouted as he spotted Miss Emmert on the far side of the valley. His father increased their pace to the point Ornery feared even a single stumble would kill them both, but Dimitri did not falter.
“It was the Griffins. They have seized Glacial,” Miss Emmert reported to Dimitri as she pulled Ornery into a hug. Her hands were wet with blood from those she was tending.
“Nutmeg is dead!” Ornery sobbed into his mother’s arms.
His father trotted past them. “We must gather the survivors and strike north.”
“Crystalia!” Traven shouted.
Ornery spun around to watch the Snowy Maiden trudge across the snow, out into the open. What was she thinking? Crystalia was now completely vulnerable to attack.
***
Crystalia’s shoes were soaked through. She was so agitated that her body was melting the snow as she walked. Why she was slugging out into the open was still a bit of a mystery to Crystalia. The moon had risen and called to her.
The words were so very soft that Crystalia had to strain to hear them. They had drawn her out into the valley. She had been quite certain that this was the thing to do, but now that her toes were all wet, Crystalia was not so sure.
One never noticed how many faces the moon had, until you really looked at her — looked at her like Crystalia was looking in this moment. The moon’s words became more clear in Crystalia’s mind. But instead of instructions, the moon made demands. It insisted that Crystalia choose.
“Choose what?” Crystalia asked the moon.
“Do you accept your title? Are you truly the Snowy Maiden?”
Crystalia had to turn away from the silvery face. She would prefer not to answer that question. What else did the world expect of her? Had she not already given enough?
As the silent moments passed, Crystalia could hear people calling her name, but she did not care to reply. The Snowy Maiden had learned that one did not interrupt the moon.
“I do not know,” Crystalia finally answered. “You all call me by that title, but it does not feel like me.”
“What do you feel like?”
For a heartbeat, Crystalia had no answer. She was so very jumbled up inside that she stumbled over her words. “I feel like going home.”
The moon’s surface shimmered all silver and white, smiling down at Crystalia. “Do you think it would be the same? Is home where you really want to go?”
Deep in heart, Crystalia knew it was not. Last Hitch was so very far from here and from the person that she had become.
Even now, Glacial’s absence put a strain on Crystalia’s heart. The bond had practically been forced onto her, but now the girl did not know how to live without it. A part of her ached so deeply for the Ice Princess that Crystalia feared she might cry.
“I want to save Glacial,” Crystalia blurt out.
“The entire world might appreciate your efforts.”
“Then how do I help? The Griffins are too far away. We will never be able to catch them.”
The moon did something close to a shrug. “The Snowy Maiden is undeterred by such concerns.”
Crystalia wanted a clear answer. Was that too much to ask for? Why could the moon not be more helpful?
“Why the riddles? Why can’t you just tell me what to do?”
“Because I do not know. That is why you are the Snowy Maiden, Crystalia. Only in your heart are the answers to such questions.”
Staring down at the blood-splattered snow, Crystalia was certain the moon was wrong. She carried nothing but pain and sorrow in her heart. There was nothing there but fear and sadness. Tears sprang to her eyes and they could not be denied. Everything Crystalia loved, everything she cared for, was going to die because her heart was barren.
“See with the Maiden’s eyes,” the moon said before she turned her face.
“I don’t know how!” Crystalia cried to the now-ordinary moon. “I don’t know how,” she sobbed.
Tears cascaded down her face as Crystalia searched the skies for an answer. Movement caught her eye in the far off distance. Crystalia blinked a few times as the tears enhanced her vision. She could see as far away as the farthest peaks. Swinging to the east, Crystalia spied the Griffins flying steadily to the north. How she wished her body could join her vision and take flight, but she could not.
“Crystalia! We’ve got to take cover!” Traven shouted as he tried to drag her from the snow.
She ignored the Hero. He had good intentions but was wrong. They needed to be out here, searching for a way to follow the Ice Princess. Traven grabbed her arm, trying to haul her away, but Crystalia sent a flash of intense heat down her shoulder and into her fingers.
The Hero let out a yelp and dropped her arm. Crystalia paid him no heed. She could sense the deep rhythmic pulse of the earth now. Each snowflake seemed to speak to her. Far away, the wind whispered secrets and teased the girl for her slow wit. Crystalia would not have Traven shatter this rapport.
Slowly, the Snowy Maiden scanned the horizon, crying all the while. Crystalia was not sad any longer, but joyful. She had not seen the true beauty of winter until now. The mountains were breathtaking with their blankets of white.
Even the dark clouds that brewed and threatened to the north had a splendor all their own. To the northwest, the mountain range broke into shattered crags. The bare rock jutted up into the sky like a challenge to the gods.
Crystalia blinked. Was there movement on those cliffs? Attuning her vision, she searched the rocky face. Holding her breath, Crystalia could not believe the beauty. There, on those jutting ledges, were six Arctic Eagles.
It was these magnificent birds that the Prince of the North had chosen to grace his seal. Crystalia could understand why. These huge birds were majesty incarnate. Their pristine white feathers were glossy in the twilight. The eagles’ beaks were long and hooked, ready to meet any threat, but for now the birds were roosting, grooming one another as the night descended.
The nearest bird’s feathers were ruffled by a fierce wind. Casually, the eagle fluffed its coat and shook out the cold. With its beak the raptor smoothed his feathers back down. Even this small task revealed the eagle’s glory. Crystalia did not think there was any action the bird could take that the Snowy Maiden did not find enchanting.
The largest of the birds swiveled its head in Crystalia’s direction. Against its snowy white body, the eagle’s kohl-black eyes seemed to leap out at Crystalia. It blinked once, and Crystalia knew that these were the allies she needed.
“Please. We need your help,” Crystalia cried out, but the bird did not take notice. “Please.”
No matter how hard she tried to project her voice, the eagles could not hear her. They were too far away.
“Crystalia!” Traven had her again by the shoulders and was shaking her. “Stop this nonsense!”
Impervious to the Hero’s scolding, Crystalia’s eyes dried. The time for crying was over. She knew the eagles were the key, but how to unlock their cooperation? Her mind circled around the issue.
She knew of the Arctic Eagles, but not much. What would lure them to her side? If she truly was the Snowy Maiden, they would surely answer her bidding. Would they not? It was just a matter of contacting them.
“Traven. Is there not a song about the Arctic Eagles? Did not Laureates sing of them?”
The Hero stared at her as if the girl had just spoken a foreign language, but she had not. Crystalia could remember brief snatches of a
ditty, but could not remember the words. It was Crystalia’s turn to grab the Hero by the sleeve and shake him.
“Hero. The song!”
“Crystalia, please. I know this has been traumatic for you but —”
Turning away from Traven, Crystalia sank to the snow and began singing. The Snowy Maiden was not even sure if it was the correct words or not, but she sang. The wind invited her to join in its melody. Perhaps it would be kind enough to carry her message to the Eagles.
If she truly was the Snowy Maiden, now would be the time for her to prove it.
***
Traven stared at Crystalia in complete frustration. Could this girl never focus on the problem at hand? Once the Snowy Maiden’s voice climbed an octave and her song rang out across the valley, the Hero paused.
Was it the girl’s voice, or the way her blue skirt poured over the snow that made Traven hold his breath? He feared exhaling and ruining the moment.
Before him was not a small-town girl any longer. Her features lost their insecurity and bashfulness. Crystalia’s eyes were closed as she lovingly brought forth her song.
Miss Emmert joined them. Instead of helping Traven get the girl to safety, the woman also lowered herself to the snow and picked up the melody. Miss Emmert nodded for the Hero to raise his voice in union. Traven could not sing. The women’s song was a complex one that he could barely follow with his ears, let alone his lips. But join in, he did. Ornery kneeled beside the Hero, adding his baritone to the music. The boy seemed as surprised at the quality of his tone as Traven did.
It was as if their voices were single threads being woven together into a fine filament. Traven could feel the song in his very bones. Yet something was not quite right. There was a dropped note occasionally. A slight fraying of their musical tapestry. The Hero turned to see Corpse standing outside their circle. Traven waved the dead man over.
7 Folds of Winter Page 46