by Lily Thomas
Up the wooden ladder, Jasmine went. Once up there, she found a comfortable place in a corner. With a sigh, she cracked open her book and began to read.
Jasmine woke to a piece of straw tickling her nose, as her breath gently moved the piece of gold back and forth. With a slight huff, she blew it away from her face and sat up, stretching her arms above her head.
The nap had definitely done its job in relaxing her mind and body. She picked up her book from where it dropped onto the hay when she’d fallen asleep. As she prepared to leave the rafters, she heard some familiar voices below her talking in a hushed tone.
Slowly, she crept over the hay to the edge of the rafters to peer down at the heads of the two men who were talking together. She wasn't surprised to see Keir and Lord Gothar whispering, but as they continued to speak, she began to feel some disquiet about their topic of conversation.
“What do you plan on doing with Adorra?” Keir asked as the two men walked further underneath the rafters, causing Jasmine to lean out over the ledge so she could better hear their conversation.
“I’ve decided I will go through with the wedding.” Lord Gothar gave a brief pause and then continued. “Then on our wedding night, I will offer her a glass of wine, which I will poison.”
“How do you plan on not being a suspect?”
By now Jasmine was running through how to convince her sister about the conversation she was overhearing. Adorra would find this all too hard to believe. Even Jasmine found it hard to grasp. She may not like Lord Gothar, but she never dreamed he would conspire to kill her sister.
“I will act like a distraught husband, of course. No one will know. It will be a mystery, but things like this do happen; not often, but they happen.” He rubbed his hand over his clean-shaven jaw. “After she is dead, I will get all the land and money that comes with marrying her. Then I can marry a woman of my choice and have the added benefit of marrying off her younger sister to form powerful ties to men who are closer to the king.”
Keir smiled at him, exposing his yellowing teeth.
The men moved farther away, and Jasmine leaned half her body over the wood edge to be able to peer down at their backs.
Then the unthinkable happened. Within a split second, she heard a creak and tried to back away from the edge, but she was just a bit too slow. The wood tilted slightly, and the straw dumped her onto the ground below.
She landed with a hard thud, knocking the breath out of her lungs and smacking her head against the floor of the stables. She raised a hand to the back of her head, as she curled in around herself in pain.
Jasmine was just barely able to hear the shocked voices as she lay dazed. Unable to rise to her feet, she watched the men approach.
When their surprised expressions turned to calculating gazes, she could tell she was in a predicament, but she was unable to battle the pain and unable to help herself by moving. She struggled to regain her breath.
Lord Gothar bent down, put one arm on a knee, and whispered to Jasmine. “You’ve ruined my plans to marry you off to aid my advancement, but I’ll figure out another way to gain the king’s ear.”
Her brow creased in confusion. She was having a hard time focusing on his words.
“Now I need to get rid of you before you share our little secret with your sister.” Then he turned to Keir. “Get rid of her and make it quick.”
“Umm… What should I do with her?” Keir asked, apparently unable to think for himself when given a task that wasn’t spelled out for him.
Lord Gothar waved a hand in the air.
“Knock her out and slip her something to keep her asleep. When it’s time for the evening meal, steal a horse and take her far into the mountains where her body will never be discovered.” He rubbed his chin again. “I will have to console her sister when she finds out Jasmine has gone missing.” He looked and sounded disgusted about the very idea. “We all have to make sacrifices, I suppose. Hopefully, this doesn't postpone our marriage date.”
Jasmine tried to say something, but all that came out was a jumble of confused words. Her fear spiked. Did she have a concussion? How was she going to get away from these two if she couldn’t get her body or her brain to work?
Lord Gothar stood and said absentmindedly, “I have to get ready for the evening meal. Hide her until you can take her into the mountains.” Then he left, leaving Jasmine to stare up at Keir, who still stood over her.
Jasmine attempted to use her eyes to plead silently with him. Surely not all men could be as heartless as Lord Gothar. To kill her sister! Jasmine knew in the back of her mind she could only hope she survived the next day or two so she could warn Adorra in time.
Keir smirked down at her. “Never liked your spirit anyways. I prefer a woman from the court, someone who is easily persuaded to do a man's bidding.” With that, his hand came down, and Jasmine gave herself up to the darkness.
A jumble of sounds entered Jasmine’s ears, but nothing made sense. There was the grunting of a man and the snorting of a horse. Rough hands heaved her over the side of what felt like a horse’s rear. Slowly, the thought eased into her brain that Keir was about to get rid of her as Lord Gothar had ordered.
Try as she might to wiggle any part of her body, she found herself unable even to twitch. Keir must have already drugged her. Heaviness overwhelmed her mind, as she thought of lying helpless in the cold mountains. She was going to die, and then her sister would die as well.
Even if the drug wore off while she was in the mountains, she still might not survive. She had no survival skills to speak of, and she was still wearing the thin dress from that afternoon. Hardly appropriate gear for the mountains.
Jasmine wished she’d spent less time reading and more time with the manor’s huntsman. There’d been plenty of chances for her to learn how to survive, but she’d never taken any of those opportunities when they’d been presented to her, like starting a fire for one.
Why hadn't she just gone to the library to read instead of going to the rafters in the stable? Then none of this would have happened. She might still have learned from another source about Lord Gothar's plans. Or maybe she wouldn't have, but Jasmine had to admit that the knowledge of Lord Gothar’s deception didn’t do her any good at the moment.
Her head lifted, and a liquid poured into her mouth. She tried her best not to swallow, but Keir clamped his hand down over her mouth and nose. She swallowed so that she could breathe sweet air again.
A few minutes later, Jasmine drifted back into a deep slumber. Throughout the journey, Jasmine drifted in and out of her drug-induced sleep.
Though her body was drugged, she could tell Keir was traveling into the mountains. The air around them kept getting colder as they moved.
How far would he take her? At this rate, there might be no chance at all for her to get back. Then both she and her sister would be doomed to death.
Jasmine raged internally. Her sister was a sweet woman, and she didn’t deserve to be at the mercy of Lord Gothar!
Unable to tell how many hours or days passed, Jasmine only knew the trip ended when Keir pushed her off the back of the horse's rump. Only the snow covering the ground softened her fall. So, he had indeed taken her far into the mountains, if the depth of the snow was any indication.
The horse's hoof steps grew fainter as Keir made his way back to the manor.
As the sound of his horse faded, Jasmine struggled futilely to move. Lying in the snow would mean her death. She had to get up, get moving!
She couldn’t budge. Her body stubbornly refused to respond, and the drug continued to keep her mind hazy, making it hard to focus. Slowly, the cold set in until the final blessed relief of darkness once again enveloped her mind.
Dryden had broken off from his men just a couple of hours ago to scout the border by himself. A lone rider was easier to hide than a troupe of warriors. If he ran into any humans, he’d have an easy time disappearing from view.
He set his horse at a trot, his black cloa
k fluttering behind him, his long silver hair flowing about his head with the force of the wind.
So far, he hadn't seen anything unusual by the border, which was improving his mood about the rock giants attacking Arcaern. He didn't need the rock giants causing him trouble.
Just as he was about to turn his horse around and head back to rejoin his men, something in the valley below caught his eye. Dryden leaned over his saddle and squinted against the falling snow.
It appeared to be a form lying in the snow. It was so small, and he knew no giants lived nearby, so he automatically knew it couldn't be a giant female or child.
Curiosity got the better of him. Slowly, he and his horse cautiously slid their way down the steep mountainside, being careful not to go too fast lest the horse's hooves slip in the deep snow.
He pulled his horse up once they reached the bottom of the slope and swiftly led the horse straight to the prone figure in the snow. As he approached, his eyes flew open wide, despite the driving wind.
It was a human female lying in the snow.
A few layers of material covered her slight form, but he could tell, by the color of her lips, that the scant covering was not keeping her warm enough.
Was she even alive, or had he stumbled upon a dead human?
Cursing himself for not simply turning around at the edge of the valley, Dryden dismounted his warhorse and bent down next to the delicate woman in the soft snow. He placed his hand on her chest and didn't feel even the slightest movement.
Next, he whipped off his gloves and moved his hand above her mouth to see if there was any possible life left in her. Nothing. Shaking his head, he was about to take his hand away when he felt the slightest exhale against the back of his hand.
She was alive, but for how much longer? And how had she ended up here, in Dryden’s mountains?
Dryden gazed around him. He could see a path through the snow, indicating that a horse had brought her here, relatively recently, but no signs that the horse had reared and thrown her. Instead, the trail came, and then went back in the same direction.
Had she been purposely left here? But why leave her here? The nearest human village was a day away at least.
He shook his head. This human female was none of his concern. There were more pressing needs he had to take care of. He slipped his gloves back on.
Dryden rose from his crouched position and walked back to his horse, mounted up, and started away from the mysterious woman. Then he turned and looked back, stopped his horse, and heaved a heavy sigh.
He may be a ruthless ice giant to the humans, but he did have a heart. He wasn't keen on the idea of letting her freeze to death.
Dryden dismounted, crouched beside her, and ran a gloved hand over her hair and jawline. She was pretty for a human. Her brown hair flowed out over the snow, and even though the cold had tinted her skin blue, he could tell her skin would generally be pale and creamy.
He shook his head and took a mental step back. It was one thing to save her, and it was another to call a human female beautiful.
After all the things her people had done to his, she was lucky he even wanted to help her. He knew more than a handful of giants who would leave her to die slowly rather than help a human.
There was still the possibility she might pull through, so he took off his cloak and wrapped her up in it. The cold would have little effect on him.
Very slowly and carefully, he slipped his arms beneath her, lifted her up, and tucked her close to his chest. She was so dainty and fragile. Dryden was nervous just handling her. It felt like one wrong move would end up breaking one of her tiny bones.
Once the two of them were safely astride his horse, he set off at a gallop. The forest flashed by them as Dryden tried to make good time getting her back to the camp his men had probably set up by now.
The horse's breath puffed into the air as Dryden pushed the stallion harder, through snowdrifts, over boulders, and fallen pine trees. As he neared the encampment, night fell over the forest, and all sorts of animals began calling out to one another with their eerie voices.
Dryden looked down at the human female. If she were to wake, she would be in an unknown world, with strange sounds, and in the arms of an ice giant. He could easily imagine her reaction. She would stare in shock, and then probably try to get away from him with screaming and scratching.
He wondered why he had decided to take her. Now it seemed almost laughably ridiculous of him.
Then he charged straight into the middle of the camp, and all his fellow warriors looked up and cast him curious glances as they spotted the bundle in his arms.
Making sure she couldn’t be seen, he dismounted and went directly to his tent, which had already been set up for him. He entered and laid her down carefully on his furs, covering her with a thick fur blanket.
Dryden left her in his tent. He needed to find Mathar. He had to tell someone what he’d done, and he needed to get some advice. Never before had one of them decided to save a human female… or any human for that matter.
Was he insane for doing this? And what exactly was he going to do with her now?
As soon as he left the tent, he grabbed the first giant to pass him. “Where is Mathar? I must speak to him right away.”
The other giant shrugged, unconcerned. “He went to patrol the border right after you left. He should be back soon.”
Dryden turned to go back into his tent, but just then Mathar rode into camp, dismounted in one fluid motion, and headed towards Dryden.
“About an hour ago, I saw a human rider. He was leaving our territory, but I still thought you would like to know about it,” Mathar explained in a rush. “He could have been a scout.”
“Where were you when you saw the rider?” Dryden asked as he looked back at his tent. Perhaps the same rider Mathar had seen had left the human on their land. It would make sense. They didn't have random humans tromping through their forests
“It was about a couple valleys away from here.” Mathar pointed in the general direction.
“Near to where I found her in the snow,” Dryden murmured to himself. It could be a coincidence, but humans didn’t travel into the snowy mountains. They weren’t built to endure the harsh cold, so it had to be connected.
“Excuse me? I didn't hear you.”
Dryden turned to look back at him. “There is something I must show you, my old friend.”
Dryden led Mathar over to his tent and then ushered him inside.
“Why am I going inside your tent?” Mathar asked, confusion coating every word.
Dryden pointed a gloved finger down at the figure within his furs, in response.
Mathar's eyes popped wide, and he slowly turned his head towards Dryden. “Where?” Then realization struck. “The human I saw leaving our territory, he must have left her here.”
“Exactly what I was thinking. I found her in the next valley over, lying in the snow. She was frozen half to death.” Dryden’s eyes skimmed over her form. She was looking a little better, but she still had a slight blue tinge to the lips.
“Why would you bring her here?” Mathar looked at Dryden like he had suddenly sprouted wings. “We can’t help her. When she wakes,” he waved his hands about, growing agitated, “She won't be able to deal with being a captive of ice giants. She will lose her mind and drive us all mad along with her.”
“Who said anything about being a captive?”
Mathar gave Dryden a look filled with exasperation. “That is what she will be. After she wakes, we won’t be able to give her back to her people. She might tell the humans, and then we would be brought into the war. The humans will think we took her. She must be killed. We can't have irritated human males charging in here to avenge their female. This was why we were here on the border, to make sure nothing like this happened.”
“Seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it?” Dryden hedged. He hadn’t rescued her only to turn around and kill her. He knew he couldn’t bring himself to slice a female’s thro
at, even a human’s.
“It is, of course, up to you what will be done with her.” Mathar took a last glance down at the human female, shook his head, and left the tent without another word.
Dryden rushed out of his tent. “You think it wrong for me to save a female?” Dryden asked as he caught up with Mathar.
“I think she is no female worth saving. She is yet another human. She probably would rather die than be saved by ice giants.”
Although Dryden felt the same when it came to humans, he still didn't want to leave her to die in the cold or slit her throat. The very image had him grimacing.
Perhaps he could explain he had found her in the mountains when she woke. Again, he wondered why he had decided to take the human female back to camp. Mathar was right. He should have left her. Would his conscience allow him to take her back to where he’d found her and leave her there?
No. No, he wouldn't be able to do that. He took her, and now he was bound to save her from the grip of death. He’d just have to make sure she didn't bring hell down on his people in the process.
“Have you told the men?”
Dryden shook his head. He wasn’t feeling like a king. He was feeling like a naughty boy who should have kept his hands out of the sweets.
“At some point, you will need to tell them, because you can't hide her forever.” Mathar walked away, heading for his tent and leaving Dryden standing alone in the cold.
Again, his second was right. There was no way Dryden could hide her from the other men. Tomorrow they planned on continuing their patrol, and she would be sitting right in front of him for the whole journey. His men would, of course, want some answers about her sudden appearance.
It would be understandable for them to be curious and maybe even a little vexed. Humans took land and killed giants whenever they ran into each other. There was no room for talking about a truce. The humans wouldn’t have any of it. Each side had mistrusted the other for too long.