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Kai’s shoulders drooped with the defeat. “Should I try again?”
Rakel squeezed his hand. “It’s fine, Kai. We just needed to be sure. You can go outside with the rest of the party—follow them back to camp.”
“Okay!” Kai darted forward and grabbed his dagger. He sucked his neck into his shoulders when he neared the mirror, then bolted outside.
Rakel stood, frowning at the mirror as she tugged on her magic.
Technically they were no longer on Verglas land, so she wasn’t sure her magic would come, but it did. It streaked to her side, although it took a while to build up.
Take my power, and you will be above all others.
Rakel smirked. As if I would return to such a lonely lifestyle.
Farrin was at her side, radiating warmth in spite of the biting cold of the cave. “General Halvor says they’ve cleared the path. We’re the last to exit, and then you can use your magic. Can you still access it?”
“Yes.”
Farrin nodded. “Are you ready?”
Those you hate, I will hate too…
Rakel set her shoulders. “Yes.”
Farrin offered his arm, which Rakel took. Together, they left the cave and climbed their way up a path an earth magic user had created. It took them to the safety of the neighboring mountain.
“Is everyone accounted for?” Rakel asked.
Oskar helped Kai adjust his scarf. “Everyone in our party is here.”
Halvor snapped off a salute. “Proceed when you are ready, Princess.”
Rakel smiled and pulled on the magic she had been building. She felt for the snow and ice embedded in the mountain, finding the pieces wedged into the rocky core. She yanked the ice out, making the mountain crumble.
A nudge from the earth user, and the side of the mountain collapsed in on itself. Clouds of dust and snow puffed up in the air, but Bluff summoned a brisk wind and blew it off, letting Rakel inspect the aftermath of the avalanche-landslide. The lower part of the mountain was indiscernible among the ruin. The mirror was buried under layers of ice and rock.
“Gerta’s gonna die when I tell her what she missed!” Kai whooped.
Rakel inhaled and stretched her arms above her hands, the last burden lifted from her shoulders. I might not have been able to destroy the mirror, but with Verglas standing between it and freedom, I have boxed it in and buried it. Even if it is ever discovered, it will be generations until it is unearthed, and that will give us magic users time to prepare for it.
“Well done, Princess.” Farrin spoke with a slight lilt to his words and a quirk to his lips that gave him a teasing air. “You’ve saved your country—and now the world.”
Rakel grinned. “We’ve saved it. No matter how powerful a person is, they cannot stand alone.”
Across the clearing, Oskar raised an eyebrow. “Not standing alone? Is that what you call single-handedly killing Tenebris and pushing your powers into Verglas?”
“I apologized for that, Oskar,” Rakel protested.
“With all due respect, Princess, you did not,” General Halvor said. “You said you regretted that you did what you had to do.”
“At least Phile is on my side,” Rakel sighed.
“The support of the guildmaster of a gang of thieves is not the best of recommendations,” Oskar said. “And be warned: if she is indeed off stealing you a belated birthday gift, as she promised, and almost starts another war, it will be your duty to sweet-talk the irate ambassadors that arrive.”
“When will Phile come home?” Kai took Rakel’s hand when she offered it to him.
“That is difficult to say. She may be back by the time we return.” Rakel smiled at Farrin when he draped an arm around her waist.
Farrin dropped a quick kiss on her lips, making Kai wrinkle his nose in disgust. “I don’t think she will be,” Farrin said.
“Why not?” Rakel asked.
“She said she was going to steal books for you so you could start a magic school—as you and Ragnar discussed,” Farrin said.
“Books? That would be helpful. However, we’re a long way from establishing a school. Verglas will need to recover from the war before Steinar can spare us the funds to build us a building,” Rakel said.
General Halvor checked a supply pack. “I thought he offered the use of the palace.”
“He did, but it would feel improper,” Rakel said.
Oskar rolled his eyes. “Princess, a great portion of the rebuilt palace is all but a monument to you. Use the palace; no one will care.”
“There’s a storm coming in from Kozlovka,” Bluff announced. “I can hold it off, but we should probably prepare to camp soon.”
“Return to formation, and begin the climb down. We need to camp with the reindeer and ponies,” General Halvor said.
“Yes, sir!”
Kai pulled away, eagerly catching up to Frodi—who began to mold his fiery powers to warm up the party. Rakel watched him skip ahead with a smile.
“I should apologize,” Farrin said.
Rakel blinked. “For?”
“I once accused you of being an idealist,” Farrin said, giving her a sad smile. “I was wrong.”
Rakel smiled. “No. The world can be a place as dark as you thought—you have lived it, as have I.”
“It can also be beautiful and brimming with goodness,” Farrin said.
“Yes,” Rakel agreed. “It’s like winter—deadly and filled with wonder.”
Farrin chuckled. “Indeed. And you have done a wonderful job to make it more beautiful. Lead on, Snow Queen.” He squeezed her hand as he held it.
Rakel gave him a sly smile that would have made Phile proud. “Only if you watch my back, Farrin Graydim.”
He smiled. “Always.”
The End
For free Snow Queen short stories and bonus scenes, visit kmshea.com
Afterword
Thank you for reading Snow Queen: Sacrifice! I hope you thought it was a great ending to Rakel’s story. If you would like to be notified whenever I have a new book out, please sign up for my newsletter. It’s released every month, and contains information about contests, new freebies—like short stories and extra scenes—free books, and reader opinion polls.
If you loved Rakel’s world, please check out my other Fairy Tale adaptations—each novel is a stand-alone story, but they all take place in the same world—centuries after Rakel’s stand—and can be read in any order.
Finally, thank you for your support and encouragement. I am proud to say I have the best readers. Therefore, it is my dearest wish that Rakel and her friends made you laugh, and warmed your heart. Thank you.
Other books by K.M. Shea
Life Reader
Red Rope of Fate
Princess Ahira
Robyn Hood:
A Girl’s Tale
Fight for Freedom
The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center:
My Life at the MBRC
Farewell to the MBRC?
The Lost Files of the MBRC
King Arthur and Her Knights:
Enthroned
Enchanted
Embittered
Embark
Enlighten
Endeavor
Three pack (Enthroned, Enchanted, Embittered)
Timeless Fairy Tales
Beauty and the Beast
The Wild Swans
Cinderella
Rumpelstiltskin
The Little Selkie
Puss in Boots
The Snow Queen:
Heart of Ice
Sacrifice
About the Author
K.M. Shea is a book lover, champion web surfer, and all around geek. She is a fulltime independent author, and lives in the quaint Midwest with her beloved companion, Perfect Dog.
Follow K.M. Shea on Twitter: KM_Shea
Visit her blog: www.kmshea.com
Visit her Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005ANPMZU
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Arrivals
Chapter 2: Raiders in Begna
Chapter 3: Confidence From the Enemy
Chapter 4: The Mirror
Chapter 5: Mobile Magic
Chapter 6: Strategies & Siblings
Chapter 7: An Unexpected Development
Chapter 8: On the Subject of Poaching
Chapter 9: Vows to Verglas
Chapter 10: New Beginnings
Chapter 11: Fun With Phile
Chapter 12: The Beauty in Magic
Chapter 13: To March South
Chapter 14: Concealed Tactics
Chapter 15: The Purity of Love
Chapter 16: Restoration
Afterword
About the Author