AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re a true prick.” Yet she couldn’t deny the wintry smell of his blood was enticing, and a part of her wanted to run her tongue across the ruby pearl. “And disgusting.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen me at my worst.” He chuckled, twisting his lips as he swept his gaze over her. “Your hesitation on the latter part speaks volumes. So, when you’re ready to explore howdisgustingI am, I’ll be ready.” He dropped the knife beside her supplies on the floor, then motioned at them. “Now, play with your trinkets. I have important matters to attend to.”
Eirah cursed him as he shut the door. But for some reason, he hadn’t put the dagger in her own heart for treason. Considering this and not understanding why he was prolonging her death, she sat on the floor and separated the items she’d been given into neat piles. If she couldn’t trap the king in something, like a block of ice, then perhaps the only thing left she could do for Saren’s safety, for her father’s, would be to let him sacrifice her. No. She couldn’t give up just yet.
After she set the last paintbrush in a small group, Eirah plucked up a block of wood and settled against the baseboard of the bed when a knock came at the door before it opened. Ulva walked in, carrying a glass of water and a basket of fruits and rolls, her hair in a low braided bun. “The king said you might need some water.”
Nowhe would give her something to drink... She hadn’t wondered why he’d only brought her rolls to eat the day before, not until after she’d had his wine.
“Thank you for this and the supplies as well,” Eirah said, taking the glass. She managed a few sips before she set it beside her. “He put blood in my wine last night. Did you know that?”
Ulva gazed down at her hands, not meeting Eirah’s eyes. “His Majesty tends to do that when searching for answers, but it will do you no harm.”
Eirah frowned. “I’m just a toymaker from Vinti. What answers could he possibly find with me?”
Ulva shook her head. “I’m not certain.”
“The king told me he’s tied to the land. Is that true?” Eirah ran the knife across the block of wood, slicing away thin slivers.
“He is, but I will not discuss more than that.”
“What about the sacrifices? Why does the king choose to make Vinti perform them every year when we’re struggling with animals as it is?”
“He has a good reason, one that everyone benefits from, and that’s all I will say.” Ulva sighed, then changed the subject. “What are you making?”
If it was such a good reason, then why wouldn’t anyone speak of why it needed to be done? “A doll,” Eirah finally answered.
“You’ll have to show me when you finish.” Ulva stood, her knees popping. “If you need anything, Kusav will take you wherever you need.”
Eirah nodded. She didn’t want to go anywhere in the castle, just stay in this room, alone with her tools, tools she wouldn’t be able to use against the king, only to make things. If she couldn’t see her father or Saren, then this was the next best option.
Over the next few hours, Eirah cut into the wood, carving out chunks, shaping a head, and forming a sphere. As she worked on the other body parts, her stomach churned once more, and she drank a few more sips of water, hoping it would make the nausea disappear again.
A clinking noise sounded against the glass door, and Eirah jerked her head up, excitement swirling in her chest. She ventured outside to find Adair resting in the middle of the balcony rail, a twig with berries in his beak.
“Another gift?” She grinned, taking it from him. “You’re too kind.”
He cocked his head, studying her with his orange eyes. A strange feeling pulsed within her, not her heart or her blood, but something else, something hidden as she looked at him in return. A tugging of sorts, yet before she could unravel what was happening, he darted off into the air, flapping his snowy-white wings across the light blue sky.
“Strange,” she whispered and shrugged it off.
Eirah went back into the room and sat on the floor, resuming her task on the doll while trying to figure out how to trap the Frost King. At the moment, she was too weak to overpower him, and even if she could get him on his back, Kusav was still outside the door.
As she made progress on the doll, she ate one of the apples and drank a little more water. She then cut, carved, and chipped away until the small figure was ready to be painted.
Picking up a long brush with a thin tip, she dipped it into blue paint when the door opened. She didn’t have to look up to know it was the king sauntering into her room.
“Yes, Your Majesty?” Eirah painted a blue eye on the doll’s face.
“I brought you a peace offering,” he drawled. “Since it looks like you don’t want to come downstairs to eat.”
“More blood?” she asked as she glanced up, noticing a glass in one hand and a steaming bowl of soup in the other. Morozko wore a simple white tunic paired with tight black trousers that accentuated his lean and muscular form a bit too well.
“We’re done with that, little bird.” He chuckled, kneeling beside her. “What are you fiddling with?”
Eirah looked at him from the corner of her eye, not knowing why he was sitting beside her and watching what she was doing. “I’m making another Morozko doll.” Her lips tilted upward as she dipped the brush into the black paint.
“Another?” he drawled. “Well, I suppose I am a fine specimen. Show me the other.”
