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“Why,” Cadence asked and shivered, “is it so cold?”
I helped her up a particularly steep path. My breath added to the fog that surrounded us.
“We’re not sure which came first,” Freya said. Even her words were stilted from the chilled air. “The cold or the vampires, but this mountain has been lifeless for as long as I’ve been alive. It suits the vampires—the cold is good for preserving their meals and doesn’t affect them. Walking corpses don’t need body heat. It also slows anyone who dares traverse into their territory.”
Fear twisted my gut, but I didn’t let it show on my face. I couldn’t let doubt creep into Cadence’s mind now. It was far too late to turn back.
“Why didn’t we pack more clothes?” I asked.
“Because it wouldn’t make a difference,” Freya said. “The mountain is enchanted—by the vampires or something else—no matter what you do, those with souls will feel the cold. It’s why Arion remains unbothered.”
The cat purred to emphasize the point.
“What is he anyway?” I asked.
I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know, but I would talk about anything to distract myself from the cold climb we faced. I was grateful for Freya’s outburst earlier. It had broken the awkwardness between us.
“He’s my familiar,” she replied. “A demon bound to me on my sixteenth birthday to be my forever companion, protector, and fellow traveler. Those three roles are the reason for his three forms.”
“Demon?” I repeated.
I made a mental note to get on better terms with the creature.
Freya shrugged and continued climbing. “Think of him more as a spiritual entity. We can’t control what we are, cowboy.”
Fair enough. Rocks shifted under my feet, and I decided to focus on the task at hand rather than my possibly evil travel companion.
“Three forms?” Cadence asked. “I’ve only seen two.”
Freya looked back and grinned. “Yes. I don’t let his third one out very often.”
But you let out the saber-toothed tiger? I thought. I hoped I never met Arion’s third form.
We scaled the mountains in silence, other than the sound of our shallow breaths. The higher we climbed, the thinner the air became. My chilled feet felt like the rocks we climbed. Balancing became trickier.
“How far until we reach the castle?” Cadence asked.
“It’s at the top of the mountain,” Freya answered. I tried to find it, but all I saw were hints of rocks through the fog. “We’ll travel to the east and enter from the side. There’s an entrance to the dungeon there that few know about, so it’s less guarded.”
“How do you know about it?” I said.
Freya shook her head, but I caught a glimpse of the smile teasing the corners of her lips.
“My mother once had an affair with a vampire,” she said. “It was quite the scandal.”
“Have witches and vampires ever been friends?” Cadence asked.
Freya wiped sweat off her brow. It was a testament to our quick pace for her to be sweating in the cold.
“Our magic conflicts too much,” Freya explained. “While we both gain power from the living, witches create life and vampires destroy it. Many witches believe vampires should be eradicated entirely because of that. Some differences are just too hard to overcome.”
We walked for what felt like hours across the mountain. Freya told us that we couldn’t afford to stop. We had to reach the vampires’ castle well before nightfall—it would be the best time to look for the Bloodblade.
“They sleep throughout the day in the safety of their castle," Freya said, "then hunt at night.”
“Does the sunlight really burn them?” I asked.
With a gasp, Cadence slipped on a rock, but I quickly caught her. I didn’t dare look down at the rocky fall she would’ve suffered. Freya frowned in concern but shook herself and continued to climb.
