by Krista Walsh
“We have no idea where to find these people,” he said. “Even if they’re in Andvell, we don’t know where to start looking. If the Robers know anything, they’re not saying. They’re more determined to get me dead than anything else.”
Venn leaned forward. “The only reason we didn’t find them is because we didn’t know we were supposed to be looking. Now we do. Trust me, we will find them.”
She must have noticed Jeff’s skeptical expression because she sighed and settled back against the bed-post, crossing her arms. “These guys are followers of Raul, right? That means they have to be at least half as bat-shit crazy as he was. And we know they’re casting a ridiculous number of spells. Probably the ones that keep sending dead dogs after us. In my experience, crazy people casting a lot of magic are really bad at one thing. Hiding.”
Chapter Sixteen
Jeff wouldn’t go so far as to say he was convinced, but he was encouraged enough to fall asleep once Venn left, a sleep that was mostly uninterrupted until a servant came and knocked on his door the next morning.
Strange dreams had pursued him, filled with the faces of walking dead soldiers, and Cassie’s screams as a vortex swallowed her up, Jeff running forward to rescue her but never able to get close enough. He woke up slightly disappointed that the Sisters hadn’t come to visit him again in his dream, maybe with a better idea of where he should start looking to stop this threat to their existence. But apparently they were happy to remain silent and let him work out the problem on his own.
Ah well. It was their forest.
He gave his leg another dose of the various salves, relieved to feel less pain and more soothing effects. He would have to remember to send Corban a thank-you note when all was said and done. Maybe some cream tarts.
Dressed and packed, he met the others in the entrance hall. Ariana had joined them, looking lost in thought with a furrowed brow and slight downturn of her lips. This morning, she had donned an outfit befitting her state: a rich blue gown cinched tightly at the waist, silver-embroidered sleeves hugging her arms and coming to a point along the backs of her hands. Her hair, the curls tamed from yesterday, was pulled back behind her ears and tied with silver ribbon.
“Good morning,” he said, not sure how to greet a princess who didn’t want to be treated as a princess.
She roused herself from her musings and graced him with a bright smile. He noticed a small chip in one of her front teeth, the uneven edges worn down to suggest a long-ago mishap. It offered a roughness to her otherwise regal demeanour, giving away her desire for freedom. He remembered the first time they’d met, on the road late at night as she tore back to the palace after seeing Raul. He understood the appeal for Jayden, and why the sight of her might have brought up some unhealed wounds in his friend.
“Morning,” she said. “Ready to go?”
Jeff patted his satchel. “All my this-worldly belongings are with me. Most of them to prevent me losing my leg or getting dead. I lead an interesting life.”
He thought he caught a glimpse of jealousy behind her brown eyes, but it cleared quickly and she chuckled. “Try to stay safe out there. I’m sure your girlfriend would appreciate it.” Her smile faded. “I hope you find her.”
Jeff forced a smile in return. “Thank you. I hope so too. And thank you.” At her confused expression, he added, “For coming to get us. For helping us to see Queen Ansella. I never got a chance to ask the first counsellor what put those ideas of me in his head, but he would have stopped us from getting this far.”
Ariana pressed her lips into a straight line. “Mother is going to have to have words with that man. He’s as loyal as they come, I will never doubt that, but by the gods he likes to cross lines.”
She looked over her shoulder and shifted her gaze around the room to make sure they were alone, and then took Jeff by the arm and guided him into the corner.
“After he made such a fuss about you to Mother, I might have slipped into his room to find out what he was on about. Any chance for me to butt heads with him and you can be sure I’ll take it.”
She and Jeff shared a conspiratorial grin before she continued.
“In his desk, I found a letter. I don’t know where it came from, but my guess would be the group that’s trying to kill you. Maybe they figured if they couldn’t succeed, they could convince Basten to have you locked up and do it for them.”
Jeff felt his heart speed up at the thought of someone sending letters about him—especially letters that could get him killed—and leaned closer. Ariana’s brow knitted and her gaze drifted upwards as she tried to remember.
“It mentioned that you were back in Andvell, and that you wanted to finish what you started the last time you were here. They asked if it didn’t seem strange, your arrival always coinciding with some of Andvell’s greatest threats in this century.”
Jeff had to admit the letter made a valid point. But so far everything he heard was what Kariel already knew.
“There had to be something else,” he said. “Something that would push Basten to send out a letter of warning about me? We were almost turned out of Kariel’s Keep because of his concerns.”
Ariana nodded. “I can imagine Basten would have concerns. Whoever wrote the letter knows where you come from, knows the control you claim to have over this world. They pointed out that if you were right about your power over Andvell, that you created it and everyone in it, it means you created Raul. You didn’t just follow him, you controlled him. And given the chance you would do it again. The note ended with a warning that if Basten didn’t take immediate action and make sure you were stopped, the group behind the letter wouldn’t rest until my mother was taken down and the country pushed to war.”
Jeff sagged against the wall, feeling faint as the blood rushed out of his face. “I guess I understand his distrust of me, then. In that perspective.” His mind reeled with the words, but he forced himself back together and met Ariana’s gaze. “Do you believe it, Ana?”
The brown eyes, filled with warm honey-toned flecks, searched his. After a moment they softened, and she shook her head. “No one willing to risk as much as you could be behind the trials you face. I’ve met men with hero complexes. Basten has tried to get me to marry one or two of them. They like to create problems they can solve. They don’t face almost certain death to do it. I like you, Jeff Powell, and I trust you. My mother trusts you. And because of that, I sincerely hope you find a way to stop what’s happening and get what you want in time.”
Jeff breathed a sigh of relief, which caught in his throat as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his cheek.
An abrasive cough sounded behind them, and they both looked up to see Jayden and Jasmine in the doorway, one with the appearance of an ominous thundercloud, the other amused.
“So glad you made it downstairs in time, Author,” said Jayden flatly. “I’d hate to have to leave you behind.”
Jeff stepped away from the princess to stand next to Brady, who had come in behind the siblings, hoping Jayden would feel less inclined to hit him if he had to go through the counsellor first.
Ariana smiled at Jayden’s reaction, but Jeff could see something else in her eyes. A deeper emotion she was striving not to show in front of her husband.
“Mother wanted to say her farewells in person, but matters of state keep her away,” she said, drawing her shoulders back. “She left word that you’re to be provided a sled to return you to Feldall’s Keep with haste. Your horses can follow faster without riders to burden them. The horses we’ll lend you were bred to face the worst winter weather, and we would appreciate it if you send them back in the same condition they’re in now.”
Her smile turned humourous, breaking the veneer of seriousness. “That last bit was from Basten. He would’ve come to say goodbye as well and leave orders of his own, but Mother expressly forbade it. She didn’t want him to be the last memory you had of your visit here.”
Brady chuckled. “We appreciate both gest
ures. I promise, as soon as we arrive home, we’ll ensure safe return passage for horses and sled.”
“I have no doubt. I wish you the best of luck. Stay safe.”
She directed the last words towards all of them, but Jeff noticed how her gaze lingered on Jayden, saw the flash of fear that maybe she would never see him again. Or maybe that interpretation was all in his head.
The warrior nodded in response, no sign of warmth in either expression or posture, and Jeff wanted to hit him over the head with his satchel. Jayden could be so obtuse. He saw Jasmine roll her eyes and knew he wasn’t alone in his opinion.
They stepped outside into the chill of the morning, and Jeff hunkered down under his coat. Venn walked up beside him, pulling her black toque down over her ears. “If we get home before the next storm hits, I’ll be a happy girl.”
Jeff sniffed. “When we get back to our world, you should get a job as a meteorologist.”
Venn offered an enigmatic smile in reply, which Jeff didn’t have a chance to decipher before the distraction of departure put it out of his mind.
The sled reminded Jeff of a fancy hayride wagon, all polished wood and smooth blades. The driver’s bench sat two, with another bench behind them for anyone who wanted to sit. The floor of the sled was covered in blankets, big enough for four people to stretch out comfortably for a long journey. In almost no time at all, they set off down the road, gliding over the snowbanks as though they were in a ship over smooth waters. Behind them, Swish and the other horses kept up without issue, unburdened except for the tethers to the sled.
Brady and Jasmine sat in the front, Brady with the reins and Jasmine keeping an eye on their surroundings.
“No surprises this time,” she said.
Jeff thought how nice it would be if she were proven right.
Brady estimated it would take them less than three days to make it back to the Keep with the speed of the sled.
“Barring any unexpected—”
“Don’t jinx it,” Venn interrupted. She kept her sharp gaze in any direction Jasmine couldn’t watch.
Able to cut across fields, they bypassed Kariel’s Keep—much to Jeff’s relief—and spent the first night camped in the woods, the horses bundled up against the wind and cold, the back of the sled transformed into a tent. The space was cramped, but warm, and they made it until dawn without any worse mishap than Venn’s restless sleeping and Jayden’s snores.
At first light, they set off again, leaving the safety of the woods for the open fields.
“Wouldn’t it be better to stay hidden?” Jeff asked, staring longingly at the shield of the trees. “Anyone can see us from miles away.”
Jayden cast his gaze behind them. “And we can see them. We’ll move faster this way, so it’s worth the risk.”
Jeff felt naked and vulnerable, but he wasn’t about to disagree with anything that got them to Maggie that much faster.
As the second day came to a close, and Brady and Jayden began to discuss where they should spend the night, no forest cover nearby, Venn tensed beside Jeff.
He froze in response, automatically alert for something horrible.
“What?” he asked.
“I saw something,” she said, eyes squinted into the distance of the trail they’d left.
The horses didn’t act worried, which eased the worst of Jeff’s concerns. After everything Swish had seen, the gelding had become astute at picking up on danger nearby. But right now, he seemed interested only in the feedbag draped over the back of the sled.
“Tell me, Venn,” said Jasmine. In the front, Brady and Jayden turned around to add their gazes to hers.
“I don’t know, but it’s moving towards us.”
Jayden nodded at Brady. “Hide the sled over behind that snow dune.”
He jumped into the snow and crept behind a second tall bank, the snow having piled up in pillowy waves from the blowing wind, Venn close on his heels. Brady did as he was told, directing the horses behind what appeared to be a snow-covered haystack from what Jeff could make out.
Jasmine gathered the horses together, shushing them with apples out of her pocket, food provided by the queen for their journey, but much better serviced to keep their present position hidden.
Jeff peered out around the haystack, hoping whoever it was would lose interest when he lost sight of his quarry. But he doubted it. The double tracks in the snow would lead the person right to them.
As the shadow came closer, Jeff saw it was a solitary figure. No wolves chased after him, no robe over his head. Just a brown woollen travelling cloak, pulled low over the person’s face against the wind. The horse was a black mare, marked over the nose with a white star.
Behind the next haystack where Jayden and Venn lay in wait, Jeff saw the warrior tense, his expression pass over from surprise to confusion, and finally to anger.
As the rider approached, he jumped out from his hiding place and grabbed the horse’s bridle. The rider shrieked as the horse tried to get away, and grabbed onto the reins to keep her seat.
“Jayden Feldall, what is wrong with you? Are you determined to see me thrown from my horse and killed? Is that what we’ve been reduced to?”
The rider slid back her hood, and the face of Ariana glared down at him.
Stunned, Jeff felt his jaw drop down to his wounded leg, and he latched onto the haystack to stay upright. All of these shocks weren’t good for his heart.
“What in the nine gods’ names are you doing here?” Jayden demanded.
Ariana straightened her spine and squared her jaw. “I refuse to be left at home to stare out the window while my country is in danger. Mother may be satisfied with sending other people to resolve her problems, but that’s not the ruler I intend to be.”
She dismounted, sinking into the snow up to her calves, and Jayden made a grab for her arm.
“Do you know what your mother will do if she finds out you followed us? She won’t hurt you, not the only heir to the throne, but the people who didn’t send you back? We would be in disgrace of the Court. If something happens to you? It’s our necks on the line, Ana. Not yours.”
She jerked her arm away. “Whatever you say, I’m not going home. Either I come with you, or I go off on my own. And what would Mother say to you then, knowing you’d turned away the princess of Andvell to fend for herself?”
The two stood toe to toe, Ariana not appearing to any less advantage for being half a foot shorter than Jayden. Jeff felt the tension even three metres away, and expected the snow between them to melt straight to the grass.
It was a game of chicken, each waiting for the other to give into reason: Ariana to return to her mother and save herself and her reputation, and Jayden to accept she was just as stubborn as she claimed. Neither would back down.
“As much as I wish you two could sort your differences out here and now,” Jasmine spoke up, taking a step towards them, “might I recommend we take this conversation to a less out-in-the-open spot and work it out there?”
Ariana stormed away from Jayden without further discussion and jumped into the back of the sled. Jayden remained where he was, hand clenched at his side, his left eye lined with frustration. After a moment he released a growl and climbed into the front next to Brady, keeping his back to the group.
Jeff, Venn, and Brady kept silent, none of them daring the wrath of either lord or princess. Jasmine taking the perch behind the driver’s bench, and Jeff and Venn arranging themselves around Ariana on the floor of the sled, the ride continued with an awkward tension no one wanted to be the one to break.
As the sun began to set, a small patch of wood appeared in the distance.
“Not perfect,” said Jayden, and somehow Jeff felt the words were directed to everyone except Ariana, “but it will do. Hope everyone’s prepared to be extra cosy tonight.”
“I think I might brave the snow,” Venn mumbled under her breath so only Jeff could hear her.
“I might have to join you,” he whispered bac
k. “Could be the only way some of us wake up alive tomorrow.”
Venn smirked and for a moment the tension eased. Then a shadow passed over the sun. The sled lurched forwards, and Jayden let out a yell.
“What the—Brady, what the fuck?”
Jasmine turned to kneel on the bench behind her husband, resting her hand on his shoulder. Brady craned his neck upwards, saying nothing, and Jasmine mimicked him with a gasp.
Jeff raised his head slowly, guessing what he might see. Above their heads, a great beast flew, vast wings extended, tail waving against the current of the wind. It released a piercing cry that turned Jeff’s blood to ice, the muscles in his entire body tensing, his leg throbbing.
“I didn’t realise Talfyr had recovered so quickly,” said Venn, her voice trembling in spite of her brave attempt at stoicism.
But Jeff saw what Brady already knew, the reason the counsellor had frozen in his seat.
The scales glinting in the sunlight weren’t the iridescent green that had become so familiar.
They were blue.
Brady’s knuckles turned white around the reins. “That’s not Talfyr.”
Chapter Seventeen
They watched the dragon circle three times overhead, braced for the worst: for the beast to catch sight of them and decide they would make a tasty evening snack.
After the fourth time, it flew off, leaving horses and humans unscathed.
Jeff remained stiff until Brady thought it safe to flick the reins and push the horses onward. It took a while for the beasts to listen, the queen’s horses not as used to dragon sightings as the Feldall mounts. Jeff reached out to pat Swish’s flank as the gelding sped up to ride beside the sled. His eyes rolled, his feet stamping in the snow, but he hadn’t tried to run.
“Proud of you, buddy,” said Jeff, if only to say something and leave the fear behind him. Once he was sure his voice could come out without shaking, he called to Brady, “What does it mean?”
But Brady was lost in his own thoughts and didn’t appear to hear the question. Jasmine squeezed his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Brady roused himself enough to give her a hint of a smile, but still didn’t speak.