Page 229 of Winter Gods & Serpents

“What are they?”

“Letters, to you, from…their king.” My heart begun furiously palpitating in anger, revulsion, and dark memory.

“Why are you giving them to me?” I said, handing them back to her.

“They were addressed to you. I think you should read them.”

Panic was seeping to surface. “Nia, it won’t change anything.”

“I know, I just want you to learn a piece of his truth.”

“You have read them?”

“I am sorry, I did not know what they were. I opened one and then before I knew I had read them all.”

“Why had he written to me?”

“It was directly after the attack, for three years after and the last was from five years ago.”

I looked at the stack of letters, and felt hate I’d let slip out fall back into place. “I don’t want them, throw them away.”

“Snow—”

“Throw them away or I will.” I didn’t want them, his words, his disgusting words. How dare he write to me? Apology, threat or whatever else he had dared and addressed to me, I didn’t care for it—I loathed it. Another sign of his apathy, another sign how he underestimated what he’d done to me.

The Highwall’s Zone of Peace grew in sight, my heart had gone numb, and I held my breath when the loud black steel cracked open on both sides. Adriatian land laid ahead of us as we finally crossed through to the warm sunlight that pierced their skies. My world felt like fading and my head became light, before I could lose my consciousness I let air enter my body once again, panting, and breathless I took in my surroundings. Every limb and thought of mine trembled when the Adriatian warm salted air brushed my skin and carried my hair in waves, when their blazing sun grazed my skin with heat.

My lungs expand without their volition and took regular paces of air, calming the stream of panic in my body. My attention turned to Cai who gave me a slight nod and mouthed, “Breathe.”

A group of Adriatian soldiers approached us in greeting, few ones I had previously met, Larg and Nesrin all there.

“Greetings, welcome back, Malik. Princess, welcome to Adriata. I’d like to formally introduce myself, I am Larg Orbrow, one of his majesties’ general.” The king would have heard of my good character from him first hand.

“Well, Larg Orbrow, aren’t you lucky, you will now have me all yours no longer to share with Isjord.”

He laughed deeply. “We are, believe me, we are.”

Was my head that tired or did I truly not get what he meant?

“It still isn’t too late to introduce me to your godson.”

He laughed again. “You are marrying him, Your Highness.”

It was then I lost my expression. He pursed his lips taking notice of his mistake before backing away and letting us pass through.

Adriata was just how Kilian had described it, warm, green, and full of life, one that Isjord missed greatly. How hard must he and Mal have had it to live in that cold wasteland coming from here.

A great massive dark watered river floated along the wide scenery, white thick whispering mist hovered all around us while we crossed it through a tall well-built stone bridge. I stopped and slid from Memphis to adore its view and study the strange mist Kilian had described as elhaar, their own version of zgahna.

“Get back on the horse, girl,” uncle shouted for the front and the others surrounded me in seconds.

My eyes were lost to the black silken water of the river to pay attention to them. The mist cleared, revealing the picture hidden below. Silver and gold flakes lit from inside it, shining through the thick black blanket of water. Night sky in a stream. Small water spirits floated inside furiously but stopped to gaze back at me from under it.

They broke the water barrier and jumped all around me, chanting in a melodic voice, “Princess, princess, is no princess. Eyes of gold, heart of steel. So ever beautiful, so ever unfortunate,” they whispered floating around me. Strangely, they spoke words I’d never heard from them. “It makes him happy, your smile,” they continued in unison, circling above my head. “It makes him sad too.”

I felt my heart swallow itself at their words and immediately my gaze begun searching for him, relentless.

A hand landed on my shoulder pulling my attention. “River Nyx, blessed by our goddess, for us to have night skies around even in Cyra’s light,” Mal explained, motioning his head for me to mount Memphis again. “I will bring you here first thing after the wedding, I’ll take you everywhere you wish to go.”