Icebound (Legends of the Shifters Book 2)

by J. B. North

  "From what you and some of the others have told me."

  "They may wear funny clothes and paint their faces, but they are not savages," she said. "They're unhappy that we've taken up residence on their island, but they are not unreasonable. As long as we stay on our section, they won't cause any trouble."

  "Only because they know August is one of us," Erik said, still unwilling to change his way of thinking. "They know that he can freeze every one of their villages if it comes down to it."

  She shook her head. "Whatever you say.” Then, she turned to me and grimaced. "We're only building you a shelter to keep you in," she said through bared teeth. "Otherwise, we'd let you sleep on the rock, exposed to the cold winds."

  I looked away, thinking it best not to reply. I only looked back up when I heard more footsteps coming closer. There were two women and a man bringing over wooden beams, rope, and a stack of palm fronds.

  "Is this the last of it?" Aryl asked.

  The man nodded as he set an armful of things down on the rock.

  She rubbed her chin. "We'll have to get August to take us back out tomorrow. I don't like being out of supplies."

  The man started to set up the beams, fastening them together. The women waited to the side until the frame was built, and then started weaving the rope from beam to beam, creating a net that would hold each of the large leaves in place. The little hut took less than an hour for them to make.

  When they were finished, Aryl kicked my shin and pointed to the shelter. "Get inside," she said, her dark eyes narrowed. "And be thankful. August could have just let you die in the ice dome. I know I would have."

  I dug my nails into the skin of my palm, trying to calm myself. I had already caused enough trouble without having another riot right here where people could see.

  I ducked my head and crawled into the small shelter. There was no pillow or anything to rest my head on. The rock was hard and bumpy, but I was still glad to be somewhere other than the ice cage. Aryl let me get situated before she slammed the door.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” Erik said to me from outside. “You’re powerless here.”

  I hugged my knees to my chest and rested against the wooden frame. It moved backward a little. “Stop moving,” he snapped.

  I scoffed. “You know, I don’t get the point of this,” I said, peering out through the cracks. “How is this shelter supposed to keep me in?”

  “You’ll stay in there if you know what’s good for you,” he said.

  I stayed quiet for a moment, and then adjusted into a cross-legged position. “And what do I do if I have to…relieve myself?”

  He sighed. “Then I’ll get Aryl or one of our other strong women to escort you into the caves where all the rest of us go.”

  “Okay,” I said, an idea forming in my head. “Well, I have to.”

  He groaned. “Why did I get put on babysitting duty?” he muttered under his breath.

  “Aryl!” he shouted. I heard the woman’s footsteps, and peeked out to watch her come closer. Erik explained my predicament and Aryl griped about it just as much as he did.

  Then, she opened the door. “Get out of there, girl. Let’s make this fast.”

  I crawled back out and stood up. She reached forward to grab my arm, but before she could get a grip, I darted away, sprinting as fast as I could toward the edge of the cliff, where I heard the sound of rushing water. Behind me, there was shouting and running footsteps, but I didn’t care. I leapt from the edge, only hoping that I didn’t land on the rocks.

  Down, down, down I fell, and just when I thought I would plunge into the water, my descent suddenly stopped.

  I was floating in midair, still shaking with the adrenaline of the fall. A mix of questions flew through my head, but it only took one answer to still them.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” said Roselle.

  -Chapter Twenty-eight-

  “Please, Roselle,” I said, staring at the invisible point where I’d thought I’d heard the voice. “Please just let me drop.”

  “Pull yourself together,” she whispered fiercely.

  I didn’t have time to say anything more since she’d already lifted me to the top, where not only Erik and Aryl stood, but just about everyone in the gap. August was pushing through them to get to me.

  “What happened?” he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  “She jumped off the cliff, sir,” reported Erik.

  “Using her bodily functions as an excuse to make a run for it, I might add,” said Aryl.

  My face reddened.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “For goodness sake, woman. Why would you do that?”

  “My brother,” I answered.

  “Your brother?”

  Roselle, who had taken her visible form again, cleared her throat and spoke up. “I assume she wants to break him out of prison.”

  I looked back at August, and for a moment, I thought I saw understanding in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by annoyance. “And you thought that suicide would help him somehow?”

  “Believe it or not, I heal quickly when I’m out of your range,” I said. “Even if I accidentally hit the rocks, I would’ve been fine moments later, and then I would be able to leave.”

  “You would only be fine if I let you be fine. The river below is in my range. But assuming you escaped, then what would you do?” he asked.

  I shrugged. I didn’t really know. I didn’t want to hand myself over to King Ciaran so that he could work his blood magic on me, but at the same time, I didn’t have a much better plan than the first time I’d tried to storm the castle on my own.

  August looked around at his people. “As you were,” he commanded.

  He took me by the arm and pulled me out of earshot of everyone but Erik, who followed us. “If you’ll stop acting unreasonably, maybe we could work out a deal.”

  I crossed my arms across my body. “What sort of deal?”

  “If you become an asset to us, I’ll help you find your brother.”

  The deal seemed almost as bad as what King Ciaran was offering. Joining the enemy, joining a man that the prophecy said I was supposed to defeat. However, at this point, I had no other choice. I was at his mercy.

  With a nod of my head, I replied, “Fine. Deal.”

  He pointed to the shelter that had been made for me. “Then go where you’re supposed to.”

  Reluctantly, I did as he said, and got in the shelter before shutting the door behind me without having an escort. "Watch her, Roselle," I heard him say. "And Erik you stay with them. This shouldn't be hard."

  I folded my arm under my head and listened to the chatter of the people outside. The voices sounded angry at first, but as time passed, they got less so. Soon, I began to hear laughter, the lighthearted shouts of children, and their parents calling after them when it came time to eat. Just the smell of whatever they'd cooked made my stomach rumble. I tried to ignore the feeling of hunger. When I had my power, hunger rarely plagued me, but being without it, I was a whole lot more vulnerable than before.

  I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, hoping it would ward off the uncomfortable feeling, and it did.

  But then I woke up with the same pain and a parched throat. Darkness had crept up on me while I slept, but I still could smell food. I felt around the rock floor of the shelter, but there was nothing. No food, no water. I stayed awake for a while, listening to the sound of people winding down for the night. I figured I would chance peeking out of the shelter to see who I could ask to escort me to the caves. Through the leaves, I thought I saw Aryl and some other woman sitting with their backs against the stone wall, whispering among themselves so quietly even I couldn't hear it.

  "Hello?" I said.

  Aryl stopped in midsentence and turned to me. She pushed herself to her feet, eyes glinting. "Well, now, look who finally woke up. What is it?"

  “I need to go to the caves.”

  She leaned down closer to
the cage and lowered her voice. “If it were up to me, you would live with yourself and your filth in there. I’m only letting you out because I know that August would disapprove.”

  I heard a lock click the door opened. I tried to crawl out, but she pushed my head back inside forcefully.

  "Ah, ah, ah. Hands first," she snarled.

  I didn't want to make the wait any longer, so I stuck my hands out while she roped them together tightly, pinching my wrists. She kept a tail of the rope for herself and dragged me out, keeping up a fast pace even though my muscles were still getting used to walking after being cooped up in the shelter for so long.

  On my way to the tunnel entrance, I saw August from afar, talking and laughing with an older woman. Everything that he seemed to be went against everything I thought I was going to do. I was supposed to destroy this man who seemed so kind and perfect, whose own plans aligned with my own more or less? It just didn’t seem right.

  While I watched, he glanced at me and the smile left his face. He said something else to the old woman and turned away, heading back up the stairs to his igloo, all the while with a dark expression cast upon his features.

  * * * * *

  I spent five days in that cramped shelter, receiving only one meal and a pitcher of water a day. If I needed to go to the caves, my hands were always roped first and I had an escort. The only way to pass the time was to watch the village through the cracks. Sometimes I would see August out there, talking to people, helping with various tasks. Other times I would only see his dragon form flying to and from what I suspected to be hunts, most of the time with people on his back.

  He never talked to me again, which made me angry. We had made a deal that if I cooperated, he would help me rescue Kurt. I wondered if he was waiting for me to break so he could go back on his deal.

  After five days, I was beginning to grow restless. Why were we wasting time? If we didn’t act now, the war would start. And if he didn’t let me out soon, I would attempt to escape again. I could already tell that Aryl and Erik and the other guards were getting more careless each time I went to the caves. I decided on the fourth day that I’d had enough, that I’d try to escape the next day after they brought me my meal.

  Then the fifth day came. I waited in the shelter, expecting my meal at noon, but as I watched out the crack, the cook never came with the tray. I was beginning to worry that they had forgotten to prepare me something and I’d have to leave on an empty stomach. After a few more hours with nothing, I suddenly saw August emerge from his staircase. To my surprise, instead of conversing with his people, he made his way straight toward me.

  I straightened my dress, wide eyes staring through the cracks in anticipation. August motioned for the guard to open the door and let me out. I was embarrassed that I was covered in filth and probably smelled terrible, but I didn't know why it mattered. He was the one keeping me this way.

  Once I was out and had dusted myself off, he said, "I bet you're wondering when we are going to leave for the castle."

  I nodded wordlessly.

  "We've decided to go next week, as long as preparations are put in order on time and everything goes well," he said.

  In other words, he was telling me to behave myself.

  "Since you've stayed in that shelter for five days without fighting, I've decided to give you a little freedom. You'll be staying in Roselle's tent. She volunteered to keep you."

  I smiled, relieved. "And will I still have guards with me everywhere I go?"

  "Do you want help rescuing your brother?" he said.

  I nodded hesitantly.

  "Then no, you won't have guards. But if you do something irresponsible or destructive, I’ll be forced to put them back in place, and I fear that your brother might stay in prison until everything is over."

  I narrowed my eyes. "Then you can trust that I will be on my best behavior."

  "I believe you," he said, and then he turned and walked away.

  Aryl followed after him, and I was left alone, facing a whole community of people that probably would've rather seen me hung up in the stocks.

  I walked through the crowd, feeling small and defenseless more than I felt free. Instead of the hostile glares five days before, the people either ignored me or frowned as I walked past. After such an uproar on the first day, I was surprised that no one acted out against me. Maybe as I watched August walking around and talking to everyone, he’d mentioned the plans concerning me. Among the shelters, few of them were tents. I was lucky that Roselle’s was the first one I came across.

  Unlike the other people, who dressed warmly, she’d shed her coat and rolled up her sleeves as she stacked wood from a makeshift wheelbarrow against the wall beside her tent.

  “Shouldn’t the men do all the heavy-lifting?” I asked.

  She looked up at the sound of my voice. “He finally let you out, huh?”

  I nodded, looking down at my dirt-covered dress.

  She went back to stacking. “As for the wood, it’s up to everyone to do their own share in the gap. The men are the ones that go out and get it, with August’s help, of course.”

  “Sounds like all of you depend on August too much.” I paused. “What if he died out there? You would all be stuck.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I’m the backup. If I see anyone fall, I catch them. If anyone has permission to get out, but August is busy, I take them up to the top of the cliff.”

  I felt stupid for not thinking of that before. “Right.” I paused. “August said I’ll be staying with you.”

  “I know,” she said with her back turned. “Despite all that’s happened, I still count us as friends. But there’s one condition.” She hefted the last log onto the pile and turned to me.

  “A condition for our friendship?” I asked.

  She set her mouth into a firm line. “You have to stop finding ways to hate August. I don’t know what you’ve been told, but he’s not a bad person. He’s a good leader…a kind leader. All of us would follow him into battle if he gave the word.”

  She watched me, waiting for an answer.

  It was an inward struggle, but eventually I said, “August and I worked out a deal, and I intend to keep my end of it… But I don’t know if I can ever trust him.”

  She gave a nod. “That’ll work.” She shrugged her coat back on and pulled aside the fabric of the tent. “Welcome home.”

  -Chapter Twenty-nine-

  I woke up to hushed whispers outside the tent, even though the sun had not yet risen. I turned my head, and my eyesight focused enough to see that Roselle was not in her bed. Of course not. I recognized her voice outside, along with a deeper, masculine voice that also sounded somewhat familiar. He was talking so softly that I couldn’t exactly place it.

  “…that isn’t right. You should have told me from the start,” said Roselle.

  “I didn’t know—”

  Roselle cut the man off. “Didn’t know what? You were leading me on, for heaven’s sake! I was the one in the dark!”

  “Roselle, calm down. You’ll wake up the girl,” he said pleadingly.

  There was a moment to silence, and then I heard a sniffle. “This isn’t fair. We’d made plans.”

  “I know,” he said. “And you can’t imagine how much I wish we could go through with them.”

  Another pause. “You shouldn’t have let it…shouldn’t have let us…get this far,” she finally said. “I’d thought…well, never mind what I’d thought.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know that she…”

  “I don’t want to hear your apology, Erik,” Roselle snapped, and then whipped the tent flap aside.

  I closed my eyes quickly and evened out my breathing, hoping she didn’t notice that I was awake. She settled down on her mat, and for a moment, all was quiet…until she took in a shuddering breath. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just laid there, listening to her sob quietly.

  After less than a minute, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Rose
lle?”

  Her sobs quieted.

  I let a few seconds pass before asking, “What’s wrong?”

  She sighed shakily and rested her head back on the mat. “I might tell you in the morning… We both need our sleep right now.”

  “If there’s anything I can do—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Ivy,” she barked.

  I went quiet, but I had my own suspicions. It sounded as if Roselle had been involved in a relationship with Erik and some woman stood in the way.

  I settled back down and gazed up at the tent canvas until I finally fell into a restless sleep.

  * * * * *

  The next morning, I awoke to find Roselle missing. I threw aside the covers and padded outside, squinting as I looked around the gap. A cart of firewood rattled across the stone in front of me, pushed by an old woman I had seen August talking to a couple times before.

  “About time you got up,” she grumbled. “Why don’t you help me with this wood?”

  Without complaint, I took the handles from her, deciding that talking to Roselle would have to wait until later. The woman led the way at a snail’s pace. We ended up making three trips back and forth from the firewood pile and by the end, my hands were covered in splinters and I’d bruised my foot when I accidentally dropped one of the heavier logs. Without my healing power, small things like that were starting to bother me.

  After leaving the old woman, it wasn’t long before others started to ask for my help. I swept and tidied several shelters, assisted a man whose shelter needed repairing, and dug up potatoes from the garden, and still, there was no sign of Roselle.

  At lunchtime, I sat with my earnings of the morning—a bowl of thin vegetable stew—when she suddenly appeared in front of me. I flinched and soup sloshed over the edge of the bowl onto my dress.

  “Roselle!” I said as I tried to wipe the soup out of the fabric. It wasn’t as if I could change into something else now that August controlled my shifting ability.

  She managed a small smile. “Sorry. It’s a habit of mine.”