Page 223 of Winter Gods & Serpents

Everyone agreed and settled to spend the night in the Isline village, down one of the respite taverns that was still functioning. Caiden, Mal and I were to share a chamber due to the tight accommodation situation and Snow with Nia. Most of the soldiers and Elias had chosen the night guard duty, he was to stay another day in the village after we left in the morning as he was to head to the general’s camp. We were also still unaware of the Solaryan vandal numbers and we did not want to risk it. Out of everything my brain was still trying to understand Snow’s reasons to lie to me, it was not paranoia, I knew she had found something out.

Between the loud chatter and laughter of Caiden and Mal, my thoughts separated like grain, their distraction served well to annoy me. My father raised me as a soldier, amongst war and training camps where I slept, ate, trained, and spent most of my youth and the rest of my adult years. Their behaviour unconsciously bothered me, I was not used to it. Mal on the other hand, had never bothered to oblige to our father’s wishes, he did not have to, after all our father already had created his perfect soldier. Mal always challenged him, lived carelessly and freely enjoying both of the worlds he was living in, he fought and trained like a soldier, but he was also a young man who played, courted beautiful women, laughed, and enjoyed life, to him this was normal.

“You will raise whatever beasts grave in these mountains if you do not stop rumbling and shouting,” I threatened. It was almost the middle of the night, they had to stop at some point, that point I decided was now.

“Sensitive patience and ears Kil, have always been the worst trait of yours,” Mal added and I threw my hand in the air, my shadows hit him in the chest.

“Still, very low blow, brother,” he said breathlessly clutching his chest, but it did not stop Caiden and him from laughing.

* * *

By morning my ears had already been buzzing from them, but I had still managed to sleep a few hours despite all. Nia and Snow were by the horse stables with the rest of the soldiers already waiting for us.

My feet froze when Snow turned to me, her arm was tied in a white cloth hung around her neck, her neck tied in more bandage all around and a missive dark violet bruise spread all over her left cheek. Yesterday she had been so covered in blood the extent of her injuries had been hidden, she hid them from me.

She rose a palm to me. “Before you fuss around, it looks worse than it actually is. Can I ask if you can make this one go away, this is my good side,” she said playfully pointing to her bruised left cheek.

Her glowing suns tired and rounded in shadows of fatigue. “Did she not sleep, Nia?”

“Nope,” her friend answered.

I sighed. “I understand you won’t let me help you, but at least let her, you stubborn woman.”

She picked on her lips nervously. “I told you, I’ll let you help me.”

“And I told you, that would not work.”

Mal cleared his throat and both of our attention turned to him and the other two intently following our conversation. “The arguing has not stopped, I see,” My brother said somewhat amused.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Nia said, leaning in a wooden fence.

Ignoring their stares I concentrated my magic in her cheek where my hand was resting but my eyes never left hers, it took me merely seconds to bring colour back to her skin, there was almost no trace of the gruesome bruise.

“Where else?” I asked as she seemed to want to say something.

She looked around and motioned for everyone to wait outside. “Again, do not make a fuss. I have had it much worse, this doesn’t bother me,” she said, slowly unbuttoning her jacket, putting it away before lifting her white shirt. Another massive bruise forming between her stomach and her waist, what had they done to her?

My chest was beaming in fury, my hand rubbed my cheek over and over in frustration. “You should have let one of the fuckers for me to kill.”

“It’s fine.”

“It is not, my love, you got hurt under my watch. I let this happen to you. Had I insisted and come along—"

“Brave of you to assume,” she teased, lacing her fingers through my hair. “That I’d let you.”

She flinched a little when I rested a palm atop her bruise, again, it took me a while to understand she’d broken a rib. How did she hide it so well, all that pain? Why did she hide it from me too?

“Don’t sulk, Kil,” she said, smoothing her thumb over my forehead. “Wrinkles don’t suit you.”

“Don’t make me sulk, woman.”

“Already on your knees for her?” Nia asked, smiling amused as she walked towards us.

I planted a long kiss on Snow’s stomach before pulling her shirt down and her jacket over her shoulders, careful not to hurt her. “Further down if she would ask me. I would go further down.”

“Heavens spare, me,” she pleaded, making Snow laugh.

I took a deep breath, if she was still afraid and untrusting to open up to me I would take the first step towards the truth, one that I did not intentionally want to keep away from her, especially at this point.