A Frozen Heart (A Blood War Novel Book 1)

by Alia Johnson

  Dede distracted her again, almost tripping over her own feet. She reminded Odesha so much of Evie, it hurt. There was no way to know if Evie had survived the orik attack. While she watched the children play with the ball, fighting over whose turn it was, Dede decided to take her turn and kicked the ball too hard. It landed on the back of a naked yeti, her privates only covered by a hanging blue triangular cloth. The liquid spilled from her cup onto her arm after the ball smacked her. Her long, dark gray hair was littered with large beads. The naked yeti turned to Dede, after she righted herself. She yelled in admonishment, the anger clear on her face. Dede instantly began sobbing, her small shoulders shaking in distress at being yelled at by the older yeti, unable to even choke out an apology.

  Dek noticed the commotion and shouted, “Sashi!” The yelled word must be the new yeti’s name. Not a favored one of Dek’s then. Odesha gripped her knees tightly, worried that the young yeti would retaliate on Dede and worried what her own reaction would be if she did attack. The little girl had found a place inside her heart somehow. Maybe it was Dede’s innocence or the way she gave her that small hug when she didn’t even know her, but something inside of Odesha wanted to protect that little girl.

  Sashi rolled her eyes at Dek. She sipped at her cup, not caring that Dede was crying at her feet still, when she caught sight of Odesha on the ice cap watching the spectacle. Sashi’s eyes traveled down Odesha's body. She turned her nose up, sneering, clearly dismissing Odesha's presence. Brother would’ve had her tongue removed if Sashi had dismissed a princess like that in court, but Odesha reined in her temper at the clear dismissal. Seeing Dede trying to wipe her own tears while she tried to run after her friends turned Odesha's stomach. Dede was a resilient little yeti, Odesha would give her that much. Sashi must be of high importance in this group to assume she could yell at Dek’s daughter. She would have to watch her step around that one.

  Another yeti stood by Sashi, not getting involved with either side in the conflict. The way she stood, hunched over, trying to shield herself from being noticed, caught Odesha’s attention. This yeti had light blue fur on her body. It softly framed her face. Her light brown eyes watched the spectacle carefully. Her shyness was apparent when she bowed to Dek in respect. Dek seemed to like this yeti more when he smiled at her. So, it was just Sashi he didn't like. Some members of the tribe began to approach Odesha under the watchful eye of Fanni, but when they tried to touch her hairless legs or face, Fanni pointed them away. Odesha tried to keep calm, giving the yeti a blank expression when they attempted to speak. She shook her head or kept her eyes downcast, unsure of how to tell them she couldn't understand besides a light shrug. The yeti lost interest when she showed no reaction to them.

  Odesha turned her attention to the fire. The flames crawled up the trees the yeti had gathered from the orik forest. She hadn't been around a fire in a long time, having stayed in the castle. Floating around the castle with no purpose, she was just a paperweight taking up space, until the salt mines. Father was determined to figure out where the profits were going. It was her job to find out the cause and deliver punishment. Odesha was determined to help Antiqua before she joined the gardens, and to find a way back home. The guards would surely be searching around the mountainside for her, but she had seen the distance the orik had traveled. They wouldn’t be able to reach her. She would find a way to get past the orik forest and help her people, even if Gamble was hiding the truth from her, but she couldn't see the sweet man taking the money for himself.

  A rough group of men talked with each other around the animal that had been cooked, while others cut pieces of the meat, distributing them among the people on clay plates. Many young tribe women tried getting the men’s attention. They helped to supply the plates, sharing a word or two with the men. At the men's backs were thick capes coated with feathers like what Dek was wearing. Odesha was positive they contained hidden weapons as well. Scarred metal plates adorned their body in different shapes. Their size was comparable to Dek's, their presence foreboding and strong as their muscles rippled in the firelight. Some had long hair twisted in intricate knots, others short hair. Their colors came in a variety. Gray, blue, and brown sprinkled throughout, but there was one difference that set them apart.

  These men were warriors. Hunters, whispered through her mind. They must have killed this beast to feed their people. Taking a deep breath, a memory filtered through her mind. The musky smell entered her nose, reminding her of the smell from the orik nests. It was hard to forget. The only thing these men were missing was the decorated feathered head. Odesha tugged on Fanni's hand, who was still standing next to her after dismissing another yeti trying to speak with her, to get her attention. Odesha had been so distracted she hadn't noticed.

  When Fanni turned with a questioning look, Odesha pointed towards the men and flapped her arms slightly like a bird, lifting her shoulders questioningly. She wanted to know what those men had to do with the orik.

  Fanni glanced toward the men and pointed toward the animal on the spit, bringing her fingers together. So, the food was becoming scarce here.

  Fanni flapped her arms. She brought her arms together and ran in front of Odesha pretending to drop the nonexistent burden she carried. The orik dropped the prey. Fanni hid her face. She jumped up suddenly and pretended to grab something off the ground, running in place, her hand miming eating

  “Bulvo,” Fanni stated. She grabbed at her back and pretended to sword fight. Bulvo meant hunter. The hunters were tasked with retrieving the prey for the tribe. The responsibility must fall hard on their shoulders, especially if their food source was dwindling. No wonder Dek looked so tired. Odesha nodded her head, understanding. She had been halfway right after all. The orik brought food to their young, the yeti took the food from the nest. These people were close to starvation if they couldn’t find any game on the ice and had to venture into the orik’s nest.

  With the dangers of the orik forest, the tribe wouldn’t be able to cross into Antiqua. Looking at these people in a new light, she could see why they celebrated this feast. This had to be rare to have this amount of food. Cooking and preserving it would be their best option, but they still had to feed their people first. She thought it had been strange the baby orik were following her from their safe nests, but now she realized the feathered bundles weren’t orik. The yeti were trying to save her, to bring her here to the tribe. Odesha just couldn't understand their language enough to thank them. Her heart swelled with gratitude and she placed her hand over her heart. Odesha nodded to Fanni, trying to tell her she knew what they did for her. Fanni smiled enthusiastically, rushing off when Dek called her name. Odesha had much to think about. Her premature assumptions had been unfounded, but she would keep learning from the mistakes she made.

  Hearing a loud cough, Odesha turned around to find a disheveled hunter on his knees in front of her. He was eye level with her he was so tall, holding a clay plate gently. A large slab of meat was on top of it in offering to her. Shorter than Dek, with light blue fur, his face looked thoughtful as if he was trying to figure her out. He wasn't intimidating with his blue-eyed stare, thankfully. He was calm and being patient with her. She hadn't had the chance to speak with a hunter yet and wanted this chance now.

  Pushing the plate towards Odesha, he grunted, “Yemi.” He mimed eating with his clawed hand, while his long ears rotated to hear her reply. Yemi meant eat. He could be one of her rescuers and she didn't want to offend him. She placed her hand over her heart and nodded her head to show her thanks, staring into his eyes, showing him her seriousness, and reached for the plate slowly to not scare him away.

  “Boni,” he grunted out. Odesha blinked her eyes trying to recognize the word. It was close to Bulvo, but he had said it slightly different.

  “Boni?”

  He nodded his head, gestured to himself, and repeated, “Boni.” He pointed back to her and waited for her name.

  “Odesha.”

  This took a bit for Boni to say,
but when he did, she nodded in approval and showed him her strained smile. Boni stared at her longer, the curiosity shining bright in his eyes. What was he looking for? Deciding to try a new word she’d learned to break the tension, she cleared her throat and said, “Boni, bulvo?”

  She tried to string words together to learn their language faster. The grunting part she was still perfecting but it sounded better with each try. He seemed startled at her use of his language, but he reached to his hidden sword under his cape anyway, nodded his head, and brought it forth for her to admire. It was long and made dully, as if crafted with a crude weapon, but the end was sharp. The handle was made of animal hide and thick cloth tied together.

  He turned slightly to the animal roasting, pointing to the large group of large males she had noticed earlier and grunted, “Bulvo.”

  She heard a soft whistle in the distance, and it startled him so much he almost fell over. Before she could reach out and catch him, he stood quickly and ran off toward the sound without another word.

  Odesha glanced around to see if anyone else was watching the strange encounter and noticed Sashi and her friend staring at her. When Odesha looked at Sashi’s friend, she looked miserable. What had caused that reaction? She watched the interaction between the two, trying to figure out their words and gestures, but still couldn’t understand. Boni made it back to the large group of men. Sashi's friend’s eyes were trained on him the entire way. He leaned in to speak with someone in the back of the group she couldn't see. Odesha tried shifting her body to get a better angle when the crowd parted.

  And Odesha noticed him.

  The tallest yeti she had seen yet stood watching her on the other side of the fire. His aqua eyes stared straight into her own. They burned with an inner heat. His body, sculpted with hard, lean muscles, made her want to bite each area to mark her territory. Bite? Great Freyja, she had never wanted to bite someone before. Boni stood on tiptoes to speak in his ear. A giant yeti among the ice. This was the hunter.

  And the queen’s frozen heart sparked with life.

  The hunter’s golden locks threaded with white were braided down to the middle of his back, free of beads. His feathered cape flowed behind him in the breeze, while his scarred front plates glimmered in the firelight. Odesha's eyes kept holding his as her chest thumped with the beating of her heart. White hair swirled in the hollows of his chiseled face. It made her have the urge to feel the texture. She slowly licked her lips, drawing his hard gaze to her mouth. Somehow his expression turned even more carnal and her insides clenched in response. Her hands on the clay plate began to shake. She tried to hold it more tightly so he wouldn't notice her reaction. The hunter's gaze traveled down her body, seeing the uneaten meat in her hands. The sharp eyes cleared of lust and slid to Boni. While he talked to Boni, she continued to stare at his strong, sharp teeth like a lovesick fool.

  Fool! That's what she was. Remember mother's warning, she scolded herself. Or she would fall like her. To her own death. Several females giggling broke her from the trance she was in. Odesha tore her gaze away. Her vampire half was coming out as her mind screamed at her to sink her claws in and mark him, but that was impossible. She couldn't be fated for a yeti… Right?

  Kunchok had ordered Boni to bring meat to the pale creature he had hunted in the forest. Boni hadn't questioned him, Kunchok's word was law and Boni hoped to gain favor with the lead hunter. Boni had reported the creature was smart, learning their words quickly. The kindness she showed had surprised Boni, reporting that finding with a smile. Kunchok had been intrigued with her since he had first seen her, running swiftly through the mangled trees. Her scent had about taken him to his knees, the fresh smell causing his heart to beat wildly, something he had never felt before. It surprised him the cold didn’t bother her since she didn’t have fur like his people. He would watch her closely to make sure she wouldn’t a threat. To him or his people. The gathering had made him cross. He had warned Dek that they couldn’t afford to keep eating large portions of the meat the hunters gathered. There wasn’t enough food and it was Kunchok’s job as lead hunter to provide. He had to work twice as hard to keep the stores full. Dek’s excuse was the tribe needed to celebrate or tensions would increase and the council would become involved. Kunchok wanted to see them get involved, he dared them to. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with their politics.

  Chapter 7

  Odesha ducked her head in distress to hide her face. The lust in her eyes would easily give her away. They shined like diamonds casting out a beacon in the darkness. Strong emotions caused the iris to change, glinting like silver shards. Odesha prayed the firelight hid them. That he thought it was just a trick of light. Distracted in her own thoughts, she missed the danger approaching behind. The smells were diminished from her senses, the low footsteps approaching were all secondary to her own turbulent thoughts. The childlike screams filtered through her ears. It took her back to the terror she felt the day she tried to save Evie. She almost thought she was back in Antiqua reliving the horror, but the fire continued to burn brightly in front of her. She shook herself out of her surprise, knowing she was still on the other side of the mountain.

  Something else was coming.

  A furred, giant beast sprinted towards the group of children Dede had been playing with.

  It resembled the cows seen grazing on the open hillsides in Merdi, but the sharp tusks stood taller than its snout. The unseeing white eyes rolled in its head. Small tracks of blood flowed from the corner of its eyes, creating a sinister appearance. White foam poured from its mouth. The sick bull charged towards its prey. A loud war cry boomed, making her shiver in its intensity.

  The hunter raced toward the children, but he wouldn’t make it in time. The children would fall to those giant hooves first; they were on the end of the clearing leaving their forgotten ball behind. They scrambled to reach safety, their small feet tripping over themselves in the snow. One of them caught her eye—Dede! She struggled against the snow to reach safety, but she had been the one retrieving the ball she had kicked too far.

  Dek and the hunters rushed towards the children, weapons drawn, but they were no match for the great beast’s stampede. Odesha had ended up in the wrong place, but maybe it was for the best. She could save Dede from a horrible death, but she couldn't save them all unless…

  Odesha braced herself, knowing her decision to interfere could change their fate and hers. It could mean her own death when they found out what she could do. But there was no hesitation in her choice.

  Odesha’s mind was decided. Holding her hand outstretched, fangs extended, nails sharp, she called forth the magic. She felt the power she had neglected slither through her. Its icy balm soothed her. When she recognized the ice and pushed it outward, shaping what she wanted to create, her breath fogged, her mind cleared. Odesha formed a spear of ice, sharp and deadly in the firelight. She had thought in the beginning if she quit using the magic it would fade from her heart, but it never did. It grew. Sprinting with untraceable speed, she raced forward to place herself between the beast and the children. Crouching in front of the group of children that clung to each other in fear, she kept her eye on the beast barreling down with all its strength towards them. The giant hooves shook the snow. Its rotten stench was overpowering, as the breath burst from its frothing mouth. Odesha flashed her fangs at the beast in challenge. She wouldn't fall here, that wasn't her destiny. Her life was her own and she had a choice. Odesha adjusted her aim, pulling her arm back to prepare her throw and let loose a war cry, channeling all her strength to hit her target.

  The spear sliced through the air and crashed through the eye of the beast. The beast gave a great bellow, the horrid stink of death leaving its mouth. It threw its large head back, the earth shuddering when it crashed on its side. The body slid across the snow coming to rest close to Odesha. Its tongue hung from its mouth and with one last exhale, the beast's life was over. The silence of the yeti seemed to last ages, when it only lasted seconds, whil
e they processed what happened. The children whimpered in shock, eyes wide, and mouths even wider. They stared at Odesha standing bravely in front of them shielding them from the monster. The speed she had moved was only a blink of the eye to them. They were astonished at the strength in this stranger. A stranger that was smaller and more delicate looking than them.

  The group of adult yeti closest to the children finally reached them. They screamed in terror at the near loss, frightened at what they would find. Parents and children embraced, and the hunters circled the fallen beast to check to make sure it was dead. The beast was enormous. Long hanks of fur covered its body. It was made to survive in the deep ice in the coldest weather. This may be what the tribe had hunted before they started going to the orik nests, before food became scarce. Dek scooped Dede up tightly. Fanni fell to her knees, embracing Dek's legs, crying. They were overwhelmed with terror. They had almost lost their only child. Odesha had a sudden feeling of pain while standing there watching everyone have their reunion and celebrate their life. She had no one to celebrate with. Here or Antiqua. Maybe being frozen alone was more painful than what the fire could bring, she mused.

  In front of the fallen beast, stood the hunter that had caught her eye earlier. He took charge of the other men and growled orders. He led the tribe, while Dek continued to be distracted with the brush of death his family had experienced. The hunter's large ears swiveled to check for more hidden threats. Not finding any, he moved to check on the families that embraced their small children tightly to their chests. He cared for the people, that much was obvious. And the people cared for him. The children felt safe with him around them, their tears clearing from their faces when they saw he was near.