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ERIK AND KAI RETURN a week later.
Bae lumbers into the clearing as I drape damp sheets over a blanket covering a low tree limb. Erik and Kai straggle behind him, their clothes caked with dust and dried mud. They look like they’ve been traveling for months.
I raise my hand in greeting. “Welcome back. You bring good news, I hope.”
“News, yes, but ... ”
“But what? If you didn’t you find Gerda and Anders, why have you returned?”
“We have news. I’m just not certain how good it is. Give me a moment, would you?” Erik strides to the pump and works the lever until water gushes out. He sticks his head under the spout.
“We’ve been on quite a journey.” Kai looks abashed as Erik swears and shouts, “Cold as ice!”
Erik straightens, slams down the lever, and steps away from the pump. His red hair is plastered against his skull and the dripping water leaves pale trails in the grime coating his face.
I toss him a towel. “It’s a bit damp, but since you’re soaked, it should do.”
He grunts and wipes his face clean before rubbing at his hair.
The door to the cottage flies open. Luki dashes out and heads for Kai, yipping and running in circles. Thyra crosses the clearing in several long strides before pulling up short before Kai.
Sephia waits in the doorway, her arm around Christiane’s slender shoulders.
Luki butts his head against Kai’s leg and howls once before loping into the woods, where Bae has already disappeared. Looking for food, no doubt.
“So you are back.” Thyra reaches out and plucks a twig from Kai’s dark hair. “Did you fall into a bog?”
Kai’s hand shoots up and his fingers encircle her wrist. “A bog, a stream, and two forest pools. We also tumbled down a steep ravine and climbed the side of a mountain. But we’re just fine, thank you very much.” He pulls her toward him, until they are standing toe to toe.
“That’s good.” Thyra uses her free hand to trace a line from Kai’s temple to his chin. She taps one finger against his rigid jaw. “I did worry a bit.”
“Did you?” Kai reaches up to trap her moving fingers with his. “I mostly did a lot of thinking. I considered all the elements of a certain equation.”
Thyra stands absolutely still. “Oh? And what answer was revealed when you completed this inquiry?”
“This one,” Kai says, and leans in to kiss her.
I turn my head to focus on Erik’s wide grin. “Now—what did you find out? Where are Gerda and Anders?”
He runs the towel roughly over his face. When he pulls it away, his expression is somber. “At Rask’s fortress. He owns a great stone pile of a house up in the mountains, hidden in the forest. We were able to walk the perimeter, but there was only one gate, and we couldn’t get past it. Fortunately, Bae was able to wander in when Rask rode back from wherever. Bae managed to catch a glimpse of Gerda and Anders through some barred windows before he was chased from the enclosure by that great bird we saw at the fire. It didn’t raise any alarms, so I guess Rask doesn’t take much notice of a wild reindeer roaming his property.”
“Which tells us he is not as perceptive as he may think,” Sephia says. “We can save the details for later. You need to clean up and rest.”
“Yes, you both require a change of clothes.” Thyra’s voice is merrier than I’ve ever heard it. She presses close to Kai’s side, leans into his shoulder, and sniffs. “Definitely.”
Kai laughs and tightens the arm he’s draped over her shoulders. “I can strip right here if you wish. I certainly don’t want to taint Sephia’s cottage.”
Thyra widens her gray eyes. “Kai Thorsen!” She pops him in the side with her fist. “Behave yourself. There are actual ladies present.”
Christiane giggles, but the bright sound devolves into a hacking cough. Poor Christiane. Although her leg is healing, I’m afraid the smoke she inhaled from the fire has permanently singed her lungs.
Sephia pats Christiane on the back. “Enough nonsense. Come inside, Thyra and Varna. I will provide these young gentlemen with some robes, so they can stroll to the river to bathe and tote back their dirty garments. Wearing the robes,” she adds, wagging her finger at Kai.
He grins and gives her a little bow.
I pick up the willow laundry basket and carry it inside as Kai and Thyra share another passionate kiss.
“It’s romantic,” Christiane says, as Sephia helps her to the armchair. “I just hope when Anders and Gerda return ... ” Her rosebud lips tremble. “They will return, right, Sephia?”
“Of course.” Sephia arranges a blanket over Christiane’s legs. As she turns to head for the wardrobe I catch her troubled expression.
“We’ll go fetch them, now that we know where they are.” I perch on the edge of one of the hard kitchen chairs. “I mean, with Sephia’s help, and all of us working together ... ”
“We shall see.” Sephia shoots me a sharp look before crossing to the front door.
I tighten my lips. See? Nonsense We’ll go and rescue Gerda and Anders and that is that.
Sephia steps outside to hand the robes to Erik and Kai, and pull Thyra, who lingers on the stoop, into the cottage. “Come inside,” she tells the younger woman. “He has waited for you long enough. You can wait a few minutes.”
Thyra wanders into the center of the room, looking as if she’s not entirely sure where she is. When she lifts her head I notice a rosy hue tinting the skin over her sharp cheekbones. Her eyes are soft as spring rain.
She is more beautiful than ever. This is what love can do.
Yes, Varna, but you must possess some sort of beauty before anyone will love you. I slap my arm with my opposite hand. Stop this now. Do not think about yourself—think about Gerda and Anders and how to rescue them.
Christiane’s dark eyes fasten on me with curiosity.
“Fly.” I lightly swat my arm again. “Got it that time.”
Sephia lifts her eyebrows as she heads for the stove. “Tea is what we need.”
“They need food.” Thyra follows her. “I’m sure they’re starving.” She pokes around the shelves of the larder. “Is there any of that honey left? And the lovely bread?”
No matter how many times I have seen Thyra help around the cottage over the past week, watching her perform domestic tasks always feels odd. She should be sitting in some parlor, discussing the finer points of a complex theory with a circle of scholars, not slicing bread.
Slicing bread is what girls like I do. We wash clothes, polish woodwork, and take care of all the little, mundane tasks fine ladies need not consider.
You are mistaken, Varna. She is not a fine lady. She’s a girl from your village, even if she was once the Snow Queen.
Sephia leans in to whisper something in Thyra’s ear.
Two women who are not fine ladies, yet demand more respect than most that are. Because they are confident in themselves, happy with who they are, and don’t care what anyone else thinks.
No, because they have power, Varna, or had it once and still act as if they do. Because they know what power is, and how to wield it. I press my hands over my ears. It’s Sten Rask’s voice I hear, even though I know these thoughts are mine.
“Are you all right, Varna?” Lines pucker Christiane’s forehead. “I know you must be worried, like me. I’m so lucky to be here, with everyone taking care of me. All snug and safe, while Gerda and Anders ... ”
I stand, brushing off the pine needles clinging to my woolen skirt. “Don’t worry, we’ll bring them home as soon as we can. We’ll leave tomorrow, once the men have rested.”
Kai and Erik clatter into the cottage, wearing the odd robes Sephia provided. Their faces shine with scrubbing and their hair clings damply to their scalps. Although Erik tops Kai by a few inches and is bigger-boned, they are equally handsome. I walk to the fireplace and lean against the cool stones. Yes, and nice enough, yet they’ll never consider me as anything more than Gerda’s sister.
Sephia orders them to sit at the table and brings tea and a platter of fruit and cheese, while Thyra passes around the sliced bread and a ceramic jar filled with honey. The young men eat greedily, wolfing down two helpings of everything.
I wait until they finish eating before I cross to the table. Standing at one end, I tap my finger against the oaken surface. “So, when do we leave to rescue Gerda and Anders? Tomorrow? I know you’re tired, so I can pack for all of us, if you wish.”
Sephia and Thyra share a glance. “The truth is, we cannot make that journey yet.” Sephia turns back to the stove and fiddles with the lid of the kettle. “Thyra and Kai must warn Holger first.”
“No!” I shove the table. Erik’s cup bounces off and smashes against the plank floorboards.
Sephia’s face hardens like carved stone. “Yes, they must. I’ve sent several of my messengers and received no reply. They have returned with my messages unopened, unread. Perhaps my old friend sleeps, or rests in a state that prevents him from answering my missives. It is possible, given his age and the perfection of his spirit. Still, I must be sure. Holger is the guardian of the mirror and he should be warned. Thyra and Kai will take Bae and Luki and travel back to the lands Voss once held—the former kingdom of the Snow Queen. Only they know they way, and only they should travel it. The less who know the path to Holger’s cave, the better.”
I press my palm against my heaving chest. “We should rescue Gerda and Anders first.”
“Sit down, Varna,” Erik says.
I turn on him. “This is none of your business.”
“It is.” He pushes back his chair and stands to face me. “Anders is like a brother to me. I want to rescue him as much as you want to save Gerda.”
“It’s not the same.” I fight the urge to stomp my foot.
Erik moves closer and looms over me. “You’re acting irrationally. You need to take a walk or something. Cool your head.”
I stare up into his green eyes. That expression—so dismissive. “You are not my master, Erik Stahl. Or my brother or father or anything to me. You have no right to tell me what to do.”
Kai whistles. “Erik, my friend, I suggest you sit down.”
Erik leans in and grips my shoulders. “I have the right of someone who knows what’s best. Sephia, who has always been helpful and kind, says we must wait, that Thyra and Kai must warn this Holger person before we travel back to Rask’s fortress. I don’t like it either, but I will not throw a childish fit over something Sephia calls necessary.”
The eyes of everyone in the room focus on me. I lift my chin and meet Erik’s angry gaze with a fierce glare. “Childish? You are no older than me, and I’ve seen how you behave when something thwarts you. You’re just saying this to impress Sephia, even though she will never bend so low as to love you. You’re an ordinary man and she, as you have admitted, is far above anyone ordinary. You must find your perfect beauty elsewhere.”
Erik thrusts me aside. “Bah! Talking to you is like spitting in the wind.” He stalks to the middle of the room before wheeling around. “You talk about beauty as if it doesn’t matter, yet you’re more obsessed with appearances than anyone else.” He jabs his finger at me. “Well, let me tell you, Varna Lund, it would not make any difference if you were as lovely outside as Sephia. Because all that petty, childish anger inside would still make you ugly.”
I suck in a breath. Not make you. Still make you.
I won’t cry. Not in front of this boy. Never. I swallow and tuck a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
“That is enough, Erik.” Sephia steps between us. “Perhaps it is you who had better take a walk.”
“Perhaps.” He slams the door as he leaves the cottage.
“He’s upset about Anders,” Kai says.
I shoot him a sharp look just as Thyra elbows him.
“So no one is going to rescue Anders and Gerda?” asks Christiane.
Sephia sighs. “Yes, someone will. Soon. But tomorrow Thyra and Kai must travel to Holger’s cave.” She pats my rigid arm before turning to face the others. “I still have your furs, Thyra. You will need them for this journey.”
Kai frowns. “As well as boots and hats and mittens. And here I thought we’d left winter behind, at least for a little while.”
Thyra glances at Sephia. “I know Bae can still fly, but we have no sleigh.”
“I will provide one. You’ll find it in a little shed, at the point where you cross into the lands of eternal winter. You may leave Freya there and travel on with only Bae.” Sephia holds up one hand as Thyra protests. “Freya will be well cared for, I promise. She’ll be waiting on your return.”
Kai slumps in his chair. “I suppose there’s nothing for it. I don’t relish going back there, but if must, I must.”
Thyra places her arm over his shoulders. “We will go together. With Bae and Luki, just as we did before.”
“Well, not exactly.” Kai covers her hand with his. “Then you possessed the powers of a Snow Queen. Now we are both mortal, with no power at all.”
“Nonsense.” Thyra leans in to kiss him on the cheek. “We have each other. There is power there.”
Christiane claps her hands. “The power of love!”
Observing her bright face, I swallow my harsh retort.
Thyra and Kai rise from the table and follow Sephia to her wardrobe, where she uncovers winter clothes I don’t recall seeing stored in there before. Thyra and Kai stand side by side, their bodies almost touching, as Sephia fills their arms with hats and gloves and other garments they need for their journey.
They are traveling to a land that can kill with one blast of wind. Without any magic, except possibly the sorcery Thyra spoke of when telling the story of Gerda’s tear.
I don’t know if I believe in magic arising from love, but I believe if anyone could use such power, it would be Thyra and Kai.
And Gerda, of course.
I smile grimly. Really, Varna? Some sorcery of love? Surely you do not believe such a ridiculous notion.
Because even after hearing the tale of the tear, I doubt such magic exists.
Kai pulls one of the thick woolen hats over Thyra’s head, causing her curls to spring out from under the cap and halo her face. He says something about a daisy and they both laugh.
I hope it does, though. I desperately hope it does.
