Keir had never known such cold.
He would rather face the maelstrom a thousand times over if it meant he could get out of this frozen mountain pass with its drifting snow he could barely move through and the sheer cliffs that rose so high on either side of the trail they blocked out the sky.
They’d been climbing for days, huddled close to Tierney and Veren to absorb whatever warmth they could give them with their strange magic.
He still couldn’t get over how easily magic came to her now. From within. Without the benefit of a totem to harness it. It wasn’t natural.
They began their descent that morning, and already they were making much better time than they had on the upward climb.
“We may reach the valley tomorrow.” Tierney shivered under the too thin layers of her shawl.
“I like the sound of a valley.” Bronagh’s teeth chattered.
“Don’t get too excited. It’s a frozen valley.” Gulliver huddled beside her. “Nothing but snow and more snow.”
“At least it will be flat.” Tierney’s eyes flickered with magic in a way Keir found fascinating.
That was a startling development Keir hadn’t expected. It was a little unnerving to look into her eyes and see such power shining within their depths. It was astounding that she and Veren could use their magic to keep them all from freezing to death and still have enough energy left over to climb a mountain. Granted, they both slept like the dead whenever they made camp.
“We have to hunt tonight, Veren.” Tierney trudged through the snow, her breath puffing out in white clouds. “We need a good meal if we’re all going to make it to the hunting lodge in one piece. Do you think we’ll reach the forests before nightfall?”
“I will hunt for something, no matter if we reach the forests or not,” Veren said. “Then, you can rest.”
“I can hunt.” Keir kept his eyes on the ground, making sure his frozen foot had solid purchase before taking another labored step through the thigh-deep snow.
“We don’t have proper weapons.” Veren panted as he helped Bronagh through the snowdrifts. “The only things to hunt in these mountains are the rare small stag or mountain goat you can find down among the forests. They’re hard to find and too fast for anything but magic to bring them down.”
Imogen nearly toppled over, and Veren tried to catch her, but he was weak from using too much magic in the pre dawn hours. Keir managed to grab her around the waist and settled her back on her feet.
“Thank you.” The captain’s daughter had grown quiet on their journey through the mountain pass.
“It will be nice to have something more than shriveled berries and nuts for supper.” The Grima queen’s voice was muffled by the extra layer of fabric she wore draped around her neck and covering her mouth. All three women had created scarves and mittens from scraps of fabric they’d torn from their underthings.
“I will need help with the butchering.” Veren sucked in a shallow breath. It was difficult to fill their lungs at this altitude. “I’m not sure I can manage that and the hunting without dropping wherever I stand.”
“I’ll go with you. We’ll haul the kill back to camp between us.” Keir rubbed his hands together to keep the blood flowing. “I’ll do the butchering while you rest.”
“Toby,” Tierney muttered.
She said his name often.
“Can you sense where he is?” Gulliver asked.
“Toby?” She turned glassy eyes on Gulliver. “Oh, yes.” She shook her head, something she did when returning from wherever she went when she searched for her twin. “We are out of practice. It’s strange.” She looked up at the cloudy sky that blocked out the sun and left them trembling in their frozen boots.
“He knows I am trying to make my way home, but I don’t think he can tell where we are yet. We are still too far apart. It almost feels like … he’s not in Iskalt.”
“Of course he’s not.” Gulliver snorted. He walked with his arms tucked inside his tunic and his tail wrapped around his waist. “Toby is more sensitive than Tia. He’s probably known for a while now where we were. My guess is he’s either in Eldur, searching for a way across the fire plains, or he’s in Gelsi with Brandon, scouring the Aghadoon library for answers. The one thing I know for certain is Toby is ten steps ahead of everyone else, and considering he’s the smartest of us all, he probably started heading right for us the moment he sensed our return.”
“I think he just said you’re thick-headed.” Keir wanted to laugh, but it was too cold.
“Oh, no, he’s right.” Tierney suppressed a giggle. “Toby is the level-headed one with a sensitive spirit. If he’d been with us from the beginning, we would have been home ages ago—even without the benefit of his stronger O’Shea magic.”
“I am anxious to meet this brother of yours.” Keir measured his steps to Tierney’s shorter stride. The day grew late, and she would be weary by the time they made camp. “Does he look like you?”
“He has darker hair and coloring, and he’s much taller than me. He’s gentle and kind.” A beautiful smile played around her lips. She loved her brother very much. “Honestly, he’s nothing like me. Or if he is, he is the best parts of me compounded a hundred times.”
“Then, I shall like him immensely.”
Keir sat by the fire, alone in the growing darkness. He’d never been so tired in his life. Weary to the bone, starving and freezing, he took it upon himself to see to their dinner while the others rested in their makeshift shelter.
They’d reached the shelter of the forests just before nightfall. It was a welcome change, where the snow wasn’t quite knee-deep below the canopy of fir trees. Iskalt trees looked a little weak and stunted to Keir, but he was used to the massive ancient forests of Vondur.
While Keir and Veren hunted, the others had gathered bundles of fir branches they propped against a craggy cliff to create a lean-to structure large enough for all six of them. They would sleep easy tonight, gathered together in the warmth of Tierney and Veren’s magic.
He could use a little of that right about now. He held his hands out to the fire.
“Smells wonderful.” Tierney came to join him. “Is it done yet?”
“I think the strange creature might be ready.” He turned the spit over the fire, checking the meat one last time.
“You don’t have goats in Lenya?”
“We do, but they are small and annoying. Not much use for anything. This animal is huge in comparison.”
“Mountain goats are a bit larger, but I’m hungry enough to eat this poor fella all by myself.” Tierney tugged her shawl around her shoulders.
“We’ll have to wait for it to cool off a bit.”
“Let me handle that.” She reached for the spit, pulling the creature from the fire with her bare hands.
“Watch out; it’s hot.” He lunged after her.
“Magic.” She waved her fingertips at him, her eyes swirling.
Keir shook his head with a laugh. “I’ll never get used to someone using their magic for trivial things. It seems like such a waste.”
“Our magic comes from within. There is no limitation for us except for the time of day—for most, at least. So, I’m going to use mine to block the heat of this scalding hot meat so I can get it in my stomach.” She tore off a big piece and passed it from hand to hand for a moment before she held it out to Keir.
“It’s ready.” She smiled, taking a big piece for herself. She made no hesitations, sinking her teeth into her dinner with a groan of pleasure.
“Yes, dinner is ready.” Gulliver came to sit with them, helping himself to the basic fare. “Delicious.” He nodded eagerly. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, dear succulent, juicy meat.” He held up his haunch of goat. “Thanks for this, Keir.” He turned to Tierney. “And thanks for the dome of heat. This is the first time I’ve been warm in days.”
“I’m just harnessing the heat of the fire so it stays with us longer.” Tierney shrugged. “We haven’t had a fire big enough to do that with yet.”
“Dome of heat?” Keir wasn’t sure what that meant, but it had grown a lot warmer since Tierney came to sit with him.
“My magic pulls the heat in close to us, trapping it so we stay warm. If we keep the fire smoldering tonight, I should be able to pull the heat into the lean-to.”
“Oh my goodness, it’s so warm over here,” Bronagh exclaimed as she entered the circle.
The others made their way over one at a time until they all sat around the blazing fire, stuffing their faces in silence.
It was the best thing Keir had ever eaten. Rich and flavorful, the roasted goat warmed his stomach and re-energized him.
“Did you do something extra with your magic?” He took another bite. Something about it seemed off. He’d eaten much of the roasted game on the trail, and it never fortified him quite like this.
“Maybe.” Tierney gave him a mischievous smile. “I figured we could all use a little zing in our steps for tomorrow.”
“You should conserve your energy. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“My magic?” She grinned, reaching for his hand. “I don’t think you realize just how different my magic is from what you’re used to in Lenya. I have done far more than keep a few people warm all day and night and make their food taste better. I’ll be fine.”
“Then, why do you collapse at the end of each day like you can’t keep your eyes open?”
“Why?” She looked around at their surroundings. “Did you forget I’m a princess? I don’t do hikes through snowy mountain passes. I do horses and sleigh rides with fur blankets and hot drinks. And for the last months, I’ve lived in a world where it’s sweltering hot all the time. I’m just exhausted from all the physical stuff, Keir. My magic doesn’t drain me like that, not unless I use way more than this. Please don’t worry about me.”
Veren came back from a trip into the woods, searching for some sort of plant he thought might grow near here.
“Look what I found!” He held up a fistful of an ugly-looking, shriveled green flower.
“Oh, is that what I think it is?” Tierney’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“What is it?” Bronagh asked as Veren set a large nutshell packed with snow on the rocks closest to the fire.
“Mountain jasmine.” As the snow melted, he crushed a handful of the leaves and added it to the water to steep.
Cupping his hands around the makeshift teacup, he heated the water with his magic. Taking a sip, he passed it to Bronagh.
“Oh, that smells lovely.” She took a sip for herself and passed it to Imogen. “It’s sweet and minty.”
Veren went to work on the second cup of tea as they finished the first one. It felt good to drink something warm and sweet after days of drinking ice-cold water from melted snow.
“With a good night’s rest, we’ll be ready for the hike down to the valley in the morning.” Tierney’s eyes shone brightly in the firelight. “We’ll be safe at my father’s lodge soon if I don’t get us lost. I think the hardest part of our journey is behind us now. Pretty soon, we’ll be wrapped up in diplomatic meetings, and we’ll have help heading to Lenya quicker than we can blink.”
Something about that statement left Keir feeling almost sad. Out here on the trail, they were just a couple of weary travelers. Their needs were basic. Food. Shelter. Water. Fire. Companionship.
Once they reached the lodge, he was no longer just Keir. And she wouldn’t be just Tierney. He would be representing Vondur, and Tierney would return to her role as the heir of Iskalt. Nothing would be simple for them anymore.
Keir wasn’t sure Tierney knew what a valley was. This frozen wasteland, with its fierce winds and unforgiving, bitter cold, was like no valley he’d ever experienced before.
Nothing stood between them and the elements but Tierney’s magical warmth. They made minimal progress across the frozen tundra. Huddled together, they moved slowly through what Keir could only describe as a howling blizzard.
He couldn’t see anything but the person to his left and his right. They held hands so they wouldn’t lose each other. But the wind made it impossible to speak.
Now and then, Veren brought them to a halt while he figured out which direction to follow. The first night on the open tundra, they had no fire, but Tierney created a bubble of warmth where they could rest without the snowfall and wind. They ate the rest of the roasted goat and slept fitfully before heading out at dawn for more of the same.
They were all running low on strength, and no matter what Tierney claimed, using her magic round the clock was taking its toll on her. If they didn’t reach the hunting lodge soon, she was going to collapse.
Keir held onto her hand, her fingertips nearly fused to his in the icy temperatures.
Bronagh struggled to put one foot in front of the other as Veren coaxed her along. And poor Imogen clung to Gulliver’s hand, shivering despite all Tierney did to keep them warm.
They were like sitting ducks out in the open like this. Keir wanted to ask if they should be worried about wolves when he heard barking and howling in the distance.
In their exhaustion, the last thing they could handle was a pack of wolves preying on the weak and injured. They wouldn’t make it through the night.
Keir vowed he would keep watch all night if he had to. This close to their destination, they couldn’t fail now.
“Toby!” Tierney cried, charging through the snow with renewed energy. “I’m here! I’m here!” She sobbed as she tumbled to the ground.
“Tia!” Keir rushed to her side, trying to pull her back to her feet. “We have to keep going.” He tugged on her arm but didn’t have the strength to pick her up. “Like you said, the hard part is behind us. This is just a walk across a field, right?”
She pointed into the white blur of the blizzard before them. “I’m here!” she cried out again.
Two bundled figures emerged from the snow.
“Who is that?” Was he seeing things?
“It’s him.” Tierney sank back down to her knees and fell into the snow.