Ice fairy .
We both stepped closer to the offending
splinter of ice. It was formed solid, nearly unbreakable, and
almost impossible to see coming at you. I shook my head. I hadn’t
even seen a fairy. I reached to pick up the icicle, disturbed by
how much it reminded me of the thin silver dagger that had all but
stabbed me, and Chevelle put a hand on my arm to stop me.
“ It’s not right,” he
whispered.
No shit , I thought, and then I realized what he’d meant. It didn’t
smell right. There was a nasty, acidic tang to it.
Poison.
Rhys and Grey were behind us now.
“ Are you well?” Rhys
asked.
They all waited while I took stock.
“Yes.”
Chevelle eyed my side; I hadn’t been aware
that I was holding pressure against it. I dropped my hand, daring
him to question it. He didn’t, instead dealing with the most
pressing issue. “We should return to the castle.”
For a moment, I considered going ahead with
our agenda, but that would just be stupid. I nodded.
He stared at me for a
moment. I stared back. He raised his eyebrows. Mine met the
challenge. He sighed. “Frey, would you like to ride back?”
Oh. I bit my lip as I called the horses to
us.
I stood silently watching my guard. Angry
words flew through the study. Curses. Violent threats. No one had
seen my attacker, a whisper of sound the only warning. No evidence
remained but the sliver of ice. It lay on the table in a sealed
container, frozen even now, in hopes that Ruby could discern the
toxin. I couldn’t breathe. I pulled shallow puffs through my nose,
anything deeper was a knife to my side. The ride back had nearly
killed me. I was fairly positive something was broken.
Unexpectedly, they broke up and headed for
the door. Chevelle lingered; I guessed he must have dismissed them.
As the last noises faded in the corridor, he approached me.
“ You’ve gone
pale.”
I nodded.
He smiled a little, glad I’d finally given.
“Come, then.” He walked me to my room and sat on the bed beside me,
pulling my shirt aside to examine the injury. I raised my head to
see, but as he pressed the skin, I fell back against the pillow
with a gasp.
“ Broken rib, I think.” He
restored my shirt and patted my leg. “Hurts like a
beast.”
“ The good news,” I wheezed,
“is I’ve barely thought about being assaulted again.”
He looked as if he might be sick.
Someone cleared their throat at the open door
and Chevelle’s hand on my leg tightened. “I’ve asked Ruby to tend
to you.”
I glared at him.
He smiled and stood, leaving me to a special
kind of torture.
Ruby had talked while she worked, trying to
distract me to ease the pain. I’d refused her concoctions and she’d
eventually left me to rest. But sleep wasn’t coming. I lay staring
at the canopy of the bed, building more and more anger as time
passed.
Council had killed my mother. Murdered her in
an attempt to suppress northern rule. Protection had been her blood
right. My blood right. They had intended to take me, had only
settled for my mind because of their own fear. No other threat
would have been strong enough. Junnie had stepped in and used their
superstition, their regard for the beast to quell their desire for
domination. They had trapped me, held me prisoner, and when I’d
finally been returned, I had been attacked again. In my own
castle.
I couldn’t know if that was
council as well, but the silver boy’s hair was too light, his eyes
too dull. He wasn’t of the north. And if council had never
displaced us, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have
been riding out to control uprisings, and I wouldn’t have been
attacked yet again. By
fairies . I bit down a growl.
“ I’ve brought you some tea,”
Ruby announced from the door. I sighed, and the movement brought
pain again.
She sat the cup on my table and took a chair
beside the bed. I continued staring at the ceiling, because it hurt
less to lie still. She didn’t ask how I felt.
“ While you were
We both stepped closer to the offending
splinter of ice. It was formed solid, nearly unbreakable, and
almost impossible to see coming at you. I shook my head. I hadn’t
even seen a fairy. I reached to pick up the icicle, disturbed by
how much it reminded me of the thin silver dagger that had all but
stabbed me, and Chevelle put a hand on my arm to stop me.
“ It’s not right,” he
whispered.
No shit , I thought, and then I realized what he’d meant. It didn’t
smell right. There was a nasty, acidic tang to it.
Poison.
Rhys and Grey were behind us now.
“ Are you well?” Rhys
asked.
They all waited while I took stock.
“Yes.”
Chevelle eyed my side; I hadn’t been aware
that I was holding pressure against it. I dropped my hand, daring
him to question it. He didn’t, instead dealing with the most
pressing issue. “We should return to the castle.”
For a moment, I considered going ahead with
our agenda, but that would just be stupid. I nodded.
He stared at me for a
moment. I stared back. He raised his eyebrows. Mine met the
challenge. He sighed. “Frey, would you like to ride back?”
Oh. I bit my lip as I called the horses to
us.
I stood silently watching my guard. Angry
words flew through the study. Curses. Violent threats. No one had
seen my attacker, a whisper of sound the only warning. No evidence
remained but the sliver of ice. It lay on the table in a sealed
container, frozen even now, in hopes that Ruby could discern the
toxin. I couldn’t breathe. I pulled shallow puffs through my nose,
anything deeper was a knife to my side. The ride back had nearly
killed me. I was fairly positive something was broken.
Unexpectedly, they broke up and headed for
the door. Chevelle lingered; I guessed he must have dismissed them.
As the last noises faded in the corridor, he approached me.
“ You’ve gone
pale.”
I nodded.
He smiled a little, glad I’d finally given.
“Come, then.” He walked me to my room and sat on the bed beside me,
pulling my shirt aside to examine the injury. I raised my head to
see, but as he pressed the skin, I fell back against the pillow
with a gasp.
“ Broken rib, I think.” He
restored my shirt and patted my leg. “Hurts like a
beast.”
“ The good news,” I wheezed,
“is I’ve barely thought about being assaulted again.”
He looked as if he might be sick.
Someone cleared their throat at the open door
and Chevelle’s hand on my leg tightened. “I’ve asked Ruby to tend
to you.”
I glared at him.
He smiled and stood, leaving me to a special
kind of torture.
Ruby had talked while she worked, trying to
distract me to ease the pain. I’d refused her concoctions and she’d
eventually left me to rest. But sleep wasn’t coming. I lay staring
at the canopy of the bed, building more and more anger as time
passed.
Council had killed my mother. Murdered her in
an attempt to suppress northern rule. Protection had been her blood
right. My blood right. They had intended to take me, had only
settled for my mind because of their own fear. No other threat
would have been strong enough. Junnie had stepped in and used their
superstition, their regard for the beast to quell their desire for
domination. They had trapped me, held me prisoner, and when I’d
finally been returned, I had been attacked again. In my own
castle.
I couldn’t know if that was
council as well, but the silver boy’s hair was too light, his eyes
too dull. He wasn’t of the north. And if council had never
displaced us, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have
been riding out to control uprisings, and I wouldn’t have been
attacked yet again. By
fairies . I bit down a growl.
“ I’ve brought you some tea,”
Ruby announced from the door. I sighed, and the movement brought
pain again.
She sat the cup on my table and took a chair
beside the bed. I continued staring at the ceiling, because it hurt
less to lie still. She didn’t ask how I felt.
“ While you were
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