AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Elma undressed quickly, shedding only her cloak, surcoat, and boots. Tucking her ever-present knife underneath a pillow, she crawled beneath the blankets and tried to sleep.
She dreamed of blood and frozen crowns and a far-off city made of ice. And too soon she was pulled into wakefulness by the bustle of camp being packed up, of horses snuffling in the cold air.
It was time to cross the Hell Gate.
Twenty-Six
They broke camp just before daybreak. Elma was once again struck by the guards’ efficiency. She had never seen anything like it before — the gathering and stowing of gear, the sure and strong movements of her men. Did she look anywhere near as confident in her own actions, she wondered? Or was she stilted and unsure, a queen in name alone? Such thoughts hung heavy in her mind as the sun’s weak light crested the mountains, and she and her men began their ascent.
Despite the need for caution, the pass proved to be strangely quiet. The storm’s approach thickened the air and darkened the sky, but no snow fell, and the howling winds were so distant that Elma found the sound almost calming. She was glad to be outside the carriage, which jostled and made horrible noises as it went. Out in chill air, with the cloud-heavy sky wide above them, her heart lightened; fear couldn’t seem to find her.
She and her men spoke little through the pass. The way was treacherous, and Elma had no desire to clutter the air with pointless chatter when she was finding herself,shockingly, so taken with the landscape, the cold, and the wind. Without a cage of stone around her, Rothen was starkly breathtaking.
It took four hours to cross the pass. The road opened up to vast swathes of snowy hills and patches of scrubby trees, and beyond that, a seemingly endless bright expanse of blue-white.
“The Frozen Sea,” Elma breathed, relief filling her at the sight of it. A shiver teased her spine, and she knew it wasn’t from the cold. They had made it this far, but the most dangerous part of the trip was yet to come.
“Isn’t it lovely?” Rune asked, ever her shadow. He rode beside her, his hair catching in the wind and lifting about his ears, the fur of his cloak fluttering. Color marked his cheeks, and he looked so free and at ease in that moment.
“It’s arresting,” Elma replied.“Though I’m not sure I’d like to die there.”
“You’re in no danger of dying,” he said, half-smiling. “Not with me at your side. Not in such beautiful surroundings.”
Elma sniffed, her nose running from the cold. “You have a very romantic view of things.”
“On the contrary,” he replied. “But I happen to be in company that brings it out of me.”
Pulling up her hood to hide her blush, Elma urged her horse forward. She understood what this feeling meant, the soft warmth in her chest that spread out to her fingertips and hummed. She couldn’t afford to feel it. Rune could not be anything more than a dalliance. A distraction, a pleasurable ride. He was Slödavan. Despite the fragile thing between them, until a peace treaty was signed, he was her enemy.
Under no circumstances could she let herself fall for him.
They crossedthe Frozen Sea with precision. If they traveled too slowly, they would only be extending the time spent in considerable danger. But if they hurried, the sounds of their horses, the wheels of the carriage, would reverberate far along the ice.
The sea was loud enough as it was. Strange sounds rippled along the ice as they rode, almost as if the frozen water were singing. Every once in a while, there would be an echoing crack, the sound the ice expanding in changing temperatures, Luca explained. Elma knew she should have been afraid out there on the Frozen Sea, so cold and lonely their procession was on that flat expanse. Instead, she found she liked it. It was so unlike the closeness of the citadel. The sky seemed to stretch on forever above the endless ice, and Elma felt as if she were expanding to fit.
As day faded into evening, Luca called for a stop to set up camp. To sleep on the ice was dangerous, but traveling through the night would only make everyone tired, paranoid, and clumsy. Elma was selfishly glad. Her thighs ached from riding, and her stomach twisted with hunger.
A fire was built on the ice, which was far too thick and too cold to melt through. And when they were finished with dinner, Elma stood to leave her men to themselves once more. As she passed Luca, she touched his shoulder — an indication that he should follow. Dismissing Rune with a word, Elma led Luca away from his men, just out of earshot.
“What is it, Majesty?” Luca said, a line forming between his brows.
“I’d like a report,” she said, voice low. “On the journey so far.”
“There isn’t much to report,” Luca said, clearly choosinghis words carefully. “Nothing Your Majesty needs to worry about.”
Elma raised a brow.
Luca exhaled through his nose, a puff of steam gusting out in the frigid air. “The men are loyal to you and would never question their queen. But it is… unusual, this mission.”
“As it should be,” Elma said, chin high. “When was the last time Rothen sought peace in earnest?”
“As you say, Majesty.”
“Anything else?” Elma asked, trying to hide the small crumple of disappointment in her chest. Luca’s gaze was more distant than it had ever been, his stance more formal. But she was queen now, after all. And if they had ever been something close to friends, whatever connection they shared was all but gone in the face of duty.
“That’s all,” said Luca.
He turned to go, but Elma held out a hand, stopping him short. “Luca,” she said, the words hanging stubbornly on her tongue.Sayit, she thought.
