“Would you like some more?” Kit’s voice was tight with emotions she couldn’t quite place.
But she nodded, and he promptly took the empty mug from her and left the room. As he walked, Nocturne couldn’t help but notice the hard muscles of his back rippling beneath his shirt.
To be honest, she was so full she was about to burst. But getting him out of the room was her only option, for she didn’t trust herself not to accept the invitation in his eyes that would lead to something she knew she would regret.
18
Even though she was afraid, Avalon barely showed it as she followed Hadrian through the forest.
The temperature dropped as they neared the Realm of Ice, and towering pine trees were soon spreading dappled shadows across half-frozen streams. She could barely keep up with Hadrian, the muscles in her legs pulsing with the need to rest. If only Butterscotch and Graymist hadn’t disappeared. She could use another set of legs right about now.
It bothered her to consider where their horses might be; they could’ve been stolen, but there was a greater chance they had been eaten. Food was scarce in the Realm of Ice, and parts of the Realm of Wind that lay close to the border were no different. The Crows preferred human and specific types of Fey meat, but if desperate would devour a horse in the blink of an eye.
Unable to hold back any longer, Avalon blurted, “What do you think happened to Butterscotch and Graymist?”
Panting with exertion as they crested a steep hill, Hadrian said, “What doyouthink happened to Butterscotch and Graymist?”
Avalon shrugged. “I hope they were stolen,” she said. “For riding. Not for eating.”
“There are plenty of horses, Avalon. We’ll get you a new one.”
“I don’t want a new one,” she grumbled. “I want Butterscotch.”
“Perhaps we’ll find Butterscotch,” he said as they started down the hill, weaving around trees that were gradually turning from lush and green to skeletal and glittery with frost. “But I don’t plan on walking on the way back.”
The sun was setting by the time they spotted the House of Ice far off in the distance, sparkling like a bloody jewel. The sea of snow before them reflected the sun’s rays, the flecks like shattered garnet. Once again strolling through the Realm of Ice, Avalon was struck with the sheer, magical beauty of the North. Sometimes it was so breathtaking she had a hard time believing it wasn’t really a set for a play, or something from a dream she’d once had.
As they neared the gate to the House, Hadrian fell back until he was beside her, matching his pace to hers. “We’ll wait until the lights in the Great Hall are off,” he said, each exhalation now visible in the bitter, pine-scented air. “Once the chandeliers have dimmed, it’s safe to assume the packs have retired to their chambers. We’ll have a better chance of slipping into the catacombs unnoticed if we wait as long as possible.”
“And what if we can’t find it?”
“You tell me.” Hadrian cut her a sideways glance. “You’re steering this ship.”
She slowed to a stop, and Hadrian copied. “What are you worried about, Avalon? I thought you wanted this. It’s not too late to turn back.”
“You’d certainly like that, wouldn’t you?” she muttered.
“Do you think you could remember the spots you skipped?” Hadrian was still under the impression that she’d stumbled upon the mask on accident. She wasn’t about to tell him of the ghost that had aided her in finding it.
She bit her lip, trying her best to ignore the nausea twisting deep in the pit of her stomach. The thought of seeing that ghost again…
Somewhere in the House, a clock chimed five o’clock, echoing far into the sleeping woods.
“Maybe,” she murmured. “But that place is a maze. It could take us all night to find it.” At that thought, her stomach audibly whined, reminding her of how little she’d eaten today.
Hadrian began walking again, snow crunching beneath his boots. “Then it’s a good thing it’s only sunset.”
“When did you become so eager?” Avalon huffed as she hurried after him, bundling her cloak around her shoulders.
“Since I saw how much this means to you.”
She glared at the back of his head, and he looked over his shoulder in time to catch her—and grin. “And because I’m eager to get you back to Hilsian,” he admitted.
She rolled her eyes. “And the truth comes out.”
He laughed, and Avalon hurried after him across the sea of sun-kissed snow.
~
