Heart of Ice (The Snow Queen Book 1)

by K. M. Shea

  “Oh, soften up. We’re friends! That’s what friends do in times of war—or when they’re training to rob a king.”

  “I am not going to rob a king!”

  “That’s fine, as long as you practice daily with me.”

  Rakel was filled with the mad desire to reach out and strangle the frustrating thief. Phile, as if she knew her thoughts, gave her a sly smile and winked. “We’re going to have such a beautiful relationship, Little Wolf.”

  Disarmed by the affectionate nickname, Rakel stared wide-eyed at her. Eventually a small smile cracked her features. “If I am a wolf, you are a weasel.”

  “An ermine would be a kinder term, and no, that’s Oskar—though at first I wanted him to be a marmot. Marmots are so cute!”

  “Why not a marmot, then?”

  “Because he’s too cunning. The night I arrived, he cross-examined me so thoroughly, that handsome captain of yours had only a single additional question for me. Talk about protective. Now, throw some snowballs, Little Wolf! It isn’t long until breakfast, and I at least want to begin the long tradition of glorious practices.”

  Rakel hesitated to show her magic for a moment. I should…no. She called my magic beautiful, and she feels genuine. She pushed aside her nagging fears of worry and judgment and threw a snowball into the sky, making Phile whoop with joy.

  “Makes me sick, seeing her walk around. As if she was like us!”

  Rakel hesitated in the shadow of a temporary building.

  “Not so loud, Unnr. Someone might hear you!”

  “And who cares if they did? She looks evil, with that bone-colored hair and them dark eyes. Must have broke our queen’s heart when she realized she gave birth to a monster.”

  The voices drew closer, but Rakel found she couldn’t move. The words held her like a hunter’s trap.

  “She’s reclaimed a number of villages and outposts.”

  “Because Halvor and that attendant hold her leash. Mark my words, one of these days she’ll turn on them and ravage us all. And then where will we be?”

  “That pants-wearing Baris girl, shameful as she is, could off her if that happened. And the monster spends most of her time surrounded by young, capable soldiers—they could put her down, too.”

  “Beauty does tame the beast,” snorted the abrasive woman. Several other ladies joined her chuckle.

  “Unnr!” another woman scolded, although she also joined the laughter.

  When the village women—four of them—turned the corner and found Rakel standing square in their path, they fell silent. Three of them shrunk with fear, but one woman—a tall, gruff female—puffed up like an angry cat.

  No one said anything, although the cold wind tugged at their clothes and wraps.

  Rakel clenched her teeth to keep her chin from trembling as she stared at the village women. Her magic stirred angrily, but she pushed it down, instead trying to recall the captivating warmth Gerta and Kai gave off when they hugged her. She forcibly turned her stiff body and started to walk away.

  “Do you think she heard us?” one of the women whispered.

  “Only proves I’m right. She’s more animal than human.”

  Rakel forced herself to keep walking. She didn’t think of where to go; she just wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

  Must have broke our queen’s heart when she realized she gave birth to a monster.

  Rakel’s throat ached, and her magic thrummed at her fingertips as the woman’s words rambled through her mind like a bad dream.

  “Rivers flood your home, Oskar! You’re doing this on purpose.”

  “Of course not! That would be pretty despicable, don’t you think?” Oskar’s voice was warm, jovial, and heard easily above the grunts and thuds that accompanied training.

  Rakel made her way to the practice field numbly—hoping her curiosity would drown her thoughts—as Oskar, Aleifr, Snorri, and Knut drilled the villagers who had volunteered to fight.

  Oskar was in a display sword match with Aleifr, and it sounded like he was getting the best of the younger man.

  “But even if I was intentionally aiming for that spot, if a person hits you in the exact same place for eight consecutive matches, perhaps you should pause and think. Do you have a deficiency of defense in that area?” Oskar asked.

  “I don’t! You just focus your strikes there,” Aleifr complained.

  “Nonsense! I would never do anything so cruel. Well, if you don’t believe it’s a problem with your form, maybe it is what you eat. Do you have a mineral deficiency?”

  “A what?”

  Whack!

  “Oh, look at that. I’ve won again!”

  “OSKAR!”

  “Point,” Snorri said—the equivalent of a forceful yell for him.

  Knut raised a finger and addressed the recruits. “Oskar just demonstrated a time-tested tactic: distraction. A distracted enemy is an enemy half-beaten. Of course, the enemy will be much more difficult to divert than Aleifr. He has a mineral deficiency, after all.”

  “I do not!”

  The pain in Rakel’s heart eased a little as she watched the light-hearted exchange. She almost jumped when Oskar spun around and spotted her.

  “Princess, welcome to our training grounds—though I must beg you forgive the foul-smelling swine for their odor,” Oskar said with a bright smile.

  “You are one of the foul-smelling swine, Oskar,” Knut said.

  “I didn’t know you were so well versed in combat,” Rakel said.

  “To call me well versed is generous, but I do have a decade or so of practice.” Oskar admired his wooden practice sword, and then tossed it to a villager.

  “Was it required for your post as attendant?” Rakel asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer to that question.

  “Not at all. It was sheer boredom that propelled me to first pick up a sword. Once I ran out of books to read, I had little else to do besides join my cohorts in their practices.”

  “I see,” Rakel said. The new recruits watched her with big eyes and drew closer to her. She cleared her throat and said, somewhat awkwardly, “I thank you in advance for your service.”

  “Oh, it’s our pleasure, Princess!” A big man—the blacksmith of Vefsna—said.

  “It’d be a poor reflection on us if we sent ya into battle alone all the time,” another recruit from Namsen chimed in.

  Rakel was so shocked by their manners—a big change compared to her poisonous encounter with Unnr and her friends—that she could only stare at them, baffled by the unexpected kindness.

  “Princess!”

  “Princess Rakel!”

  Gerta and Kai performed half-hearted bows and then scrambled for her hands. “Princess, Phile says she needs to see you, ‘immediately,’ ” Gerta said.

  “Did she say why?” Rakel asked. Seeing the Robber Maiden was a double-edged sword. Rakel’s unwanted practice sessions with Phile had taught her that Phile was skilled in combat and an asset to bring when raiding villages; however, her small talk was mortifying.

  “She said, ‘it is greatly important to your mission, and you must come with an open mind and an eye for art,’” Kai recited.

  Irritation flooded Rakel, causing the air around her to drop in temperature. She just wants to search for the most handsome man in the camp again. “Come, Gerta, Kai. Let’s see what your grandmother is doing.”

  “What about Phile?” Gerta asked.

  “She’ll survive.”

  “Gerta, Kai! You found her!” Phile shouted. “Your timing couldn’t be better. We have important business to discuss.”

  Rakel sighed. “Phile.” She greeted the Robber Maiden with a stiff nod.

  “Don’t you give me that. Come!” Phile said, throwing an arm over Rakel’s shoulders.

  The nonchalant gesture almost made Rakel stumble and fall. Besides Gerta and Kai, no one touched her, so the unexpected contact felt strange, but very warm—much like Phile herself.

  “What are
you doing?” Rakel asked as Phile dragged her away.

  “Taking you away so we can discuss our business. Thank you, children, for finding her!”

  Recalling Phile’s usual definition of “business,” Rakel pressed her lips together in disdain. “We cannot possibly have anything to discuss.”

  “Of course we do.”

  “I think I’ll come with you,” Oskar said, falling in line.

  “We are, too,” Gerta decided.

  Kai launched himself at Oskar’s back. “Yeah!”

  Oskar coughed and veered unsteadily until Kai clambered into a more secure position on his back. “So a friendly outing, is it? Where are we going?” Oskar asked.

  “To the barracks,” Phile said. “There’s a soldier who has a gorgeous—”

  “There are children present,” Rakel hissed.

  “Naughty princess! I was going to say dagger. I wanted to compare it to my own lovely,” Phile said, her hideous dagger appearing in her hand, which happened to be uncomfortably close to Rakel’s throat.

  Oskar eyed the unusual dagger. “Exactly where did you purchase…”

  “Foedus,” Rakel said.

  “Yes, Foedus,” Oskar finished.

  “Foedus was given to me by an old man who told me—with his dying breath—to avenge his daughter’s death at the hands of a pirate,” Phile said in a hushed tone.

  “You told us your father brought it over the Chronos Mountains in a camel caravan for you when you were little,” Kai said.

  “Right. Back to the dagger!” Phile said, ignoring the implied accusation. “If I can squirm the maker out of him, I’m confident I can steal one for myself.”

  “Couldn’t you just buy it?” Rakel asked.

  “Where’s the fun in that?”

  “Stealing is wrong,” Gerta announced, “as is lying.”

  “Right you are, youngster,” Oskar said.

  “I particularly want you to see the dagger, Rakel. I think you’d look flashy with a similar weapon,” Phile said, dragging Rakel towards a temporary pole building. “It could be a sign of our friendship.”

  Rakel saw her chance to place some distance between her neck and Foedus when she spotted Captain Halvor making his daily rounds. “Captain!”

  The captain reviewed the unusual group, his eyebrow raising. “Princess. Animals.”

  “It’s better than swine, I suppose,” Oskar said.

  Rakel shrugged Phile’s arm off her and once again stood with humble poise. “Don’t you think it is time we discuss our next move? Since occupying this encampment, we have recovered two additional villages. What village is next?”

  Captain Halvor again studied Rakel’s company.

  Please. Please join us. In spite of her propensity to ogle the captain, Phile seemed to hold him in great respect and would curb her mischievous tongue and—more importantly—refrain from carelessly swinging Foedus around in his company.

  “If you will enter my quarters, we can discuss it,” he said.

  Relief invited Rakel to relax the stiff set of her shoulders. “Of course. Gerta, Kai, I apologize, but I must ask you to wait outside.”

  “Do we have to?” Gerta asked.

  “Yes. This is not a conversation for children.”

  “We’re almost grown up,” Kai grumbled.

  “I hope not,” Rakel gravely said.

  “Will you play with us then, Phile?” Gerta asked.

  Phile crouched in front of the children and gave them a lopsided smile, making her white teeth flash against her olive skin. “While the sentiment that I have not grown up is charming, I also must attend the meeting—I help with battle tactics and information gathering.”

  Gerta and Kai, not quite taking Phile’s word, looked to Rakel, Oskar, and Captain Halvor for confirmation.

  “She’s right, children. Phile is nearly one of the princess’s inner circle,” Oskar cheerfully said.

  “I do not have an inner circle,” Rakel said.

  Phile brushed off her knees and stood up “Sure you do! We’re the ones you trust.”

  That is not entirely decided. Rakel turned back to Gerta and Kai. “I will find you when the meeting has finished, and we can feed the reindeer. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Princess,” they sighed.

  “Come on. If we help Grandmother, maybe she’ll tell us a story while we wait.” Gerta led the way with Kai moving in her shadow.

  Rakel dusted off her wool skirts and slipped inside after Phile and Oskar.

  The captain—a man of sparse desires—shared his quarters with Oskar—who was prodigiously clean—so their room was neat and in better order than the library in Rakel’s ice-castle. It possessed several wooden chairs, a table, and two perfectly made cots.

  Captain Halvor unrolled a detailed map of the area and lay it out on the gouged, rickety table. “The princess has managed to efficiently and effectively free a number of small encampments. She has secured us extra supplies and soldiers with short battles and no losses; it’s a wonder.”

  Rakel studied him through narrowed eyes. “However?”

  “It is time we take on a bigger target,” he said. “If Ostfold is our end goal, we will not survive by merely freeing rustic villages. We need a fortified town in a strategic location that will help us regain the capital.”

  “It’s a good strategy. What location did you have in mind?” Phile asked, flipping Foedus across her knuckles.

  Captain Halvor pointed to the map. “Glowma.”

  “Why Glowma?” Oskar rubbed his chin and considered the map. “It’s a large trading town, and it does have walls, but I don’t think many Verglas soldiers are being held captive there.”

  “It’s not a strategic location for us; it’s a strategic location for the Chosen,” Rakel guessed as she stared at the map.

  Captain Halvor nodded in approval. “It’s their closest fortification to Ostfold. If we take it back first and hold it, their troops will have to come much farther to reach us when we reclaim the capital.”

  “This battle will be different and, I am sad to say, more difficult than our previous skirmishes. The scale of the city is much larger; a greater number of Chosen soldiers are stationed there, and there will almost certainly be more magic users. The princess will have to be careful if we want to leave the city standing. It might hinder the use of her magic,” Oskar said.

  “We have enough of a force that we can support her, and I’ll dispatch scouts to map out the city and find strategic locations,” Captain Halvor said.

  “Excellent! I volunteer to go,” Phile said.

  “As predicted,” Captain Halvor said. “You, Snorri, and Aleifr will infiltrate Glowma as a team.

  “No,” Phile said.

  The captain blinked. “No?”

  Rakel was also surprised. “Why not? Normally male company is enough to swindle you into any task.”

  “Perhaps, but for this trip, you must come with the other scouts and me.”

  Rakel stared, dumbfounded. “Me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Absolutely not,” Captain Halvor growled.

  “While I appreciate that you are trying to involve the princess, her skill set lies more in offensive action than spying,” Oskar delicately said.

  “She doesn’t need spying abilities. She’ll be with me.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” Captain Halvor said, the ridiculousness of the Robber Maiden’s request pulling more words from him than normal. “If the princess is captured, we will not be able to amass a rescue. She is our army, our sword, and our shield. Without her, all will be lost.”

  “Then I’ll just be sure not to lose her,” Phile said.

  “There is no reasonable argument for taking the princess with you, I’m afraid,” Oskar said.

  “None,” Captain Halvor echoed.

  “Of course there is. She needs to learn the layout of the city,” Phile said.

  The revelation hit Rakel like an avalanche—not because Phile was right, but
for other, more troubling reasons.

  “All that means is that you’ll have to take extra care to scout well,” Oskar said.

  “That is the duty of the scout,” Captain Halvor dryly added. “You’ll be going with Snorri and Aleifr, or I’ll pull you from the task.”

  Rakel flattened her lips and considered the argument. “Phile does raise a valid point.”

  “Princess?” Captain Halvor sounded scandalized as he swung his gaze to her.

  Rakel settled her shoulders and said, in a very quiet voice, “I’ve never been anywhere near a city.”

  Everyone was silent for several long moments.

  “I don’t know what sort of layout they have or what kind of things are in them,” she continued. “I was able to get by with the villages because they are so small I can see the entire thing at a glance. But a city with walls? I can’t even begin to think of what the streets resemble.” Her voice faltered, and she fell silent.

  Phile’s shoulders heaved. “The exile—it was that bad? You—” she started and stopped. She shook her head and glared at Oskar and Halvor. “And you two just stood by and watched?” She spun around and left the room, slamming the door shut with enough force to shake the temporary building.

  Rakel watched her go, shifting uncomfortably.

  “Fret not, Princess. She’s not mad at you,” Oskar sighed.

  “Surely she’s not mad at you,” Rakel ventured.

  “Partially, and I can’t say I blame her for it,” Oskar said.

  Captain Halvor shuffled his maps in silence for several awkward, weighty moments. “I’ll go with them. Phile, Snorri, the princess, and I can scout Glowma,” he said.

  “You may as well include me. I can’t let you have all the fun,” Oskar said. His smile was worn and thin.

  “I apologize that it’s necessary,” Rakel said.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, Princess,” Captain Halvor said with a surprising amount of feeling.

  Rakel awkwardly nodded and rested her hands on her skirts. “Will that be all for this meeting? I assume this means you’ll be forced to adjust your plans.”

  “I’ll need a few hours. We can discuss the changes with Phile tonight,” Captain Halvor said.

  “Very well. Thank you, Captain Halvor, Oskar.” Rakel looked to each man in acknowledgement and then burst from the room, fleeing the dreary atmosphere. Her abrupt exit from the building sent several soldiers lurching away. When they uneasily eyed her and offered her stiff bows, Rakel drew up her shoulders and chin, clasped her hands together, and held them in front of her as she glided away.