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CHAPTER ONE
It wasthe long dark before morning, and the wind whistled through the trees like a pack of wolves, howling. I curled in the thick blankets Karehl had wrapped around my shoulders when we stopped beneath a stand of tall fir. I had no idea where we were in the Bramble Fel Forest, or what time it was—it could have been midnight, it could have been near dawn.
After he had bound me, we had ridden long and hard, picking our way through the snows that battered us all night. The Snow Witch was nowhere to be seen. She had slowed her chase at the edge of the forest, turning in a different direction when Karehl—disguised as Sparrow—had led us under the cover of the trees. I flashed back, remembering the moment our path to escape had shimmered into view. Karehl was right, it hadn’t been there before, but appeared when we needed it most.
We huddled around the fire, sitting on a patch of ground that Karehl had cleared. He was sitting cross-legged, watching me with shadowed eyes. I didn’t like his gaze—it felt treacherous and possessive. Finally, even though I desperately wanted sleep, I decided to speak. I had remained silent till now.
“Where are you taking me?” I tried to keep my voice light, to avoid sounding accusatory. I didn’t want to aggravate him.
He just stared at me harder. “Best you don’t worry about that, woman.”
“The name is Asajia,” I said. I tried again. “Why are you out here, without your guards? I’ve never heard of a prince who goes anywhere without his guards.”
Again, he gave me a considered look. “You haven’t known many kings, have you?”
I frowned. “You’re aprince, not a king, if I understand correctly.”
Thatbrought a response.
He narrowed his eyes and this time, his tone carried a threatening undertone. “Not a king…yet. My wife was right, you don’t know your place.” He paused, then added, “You know, she wants me to kill you.” He said it so casually I almost missed it.
I glanced at the blade by his side. It gleamed, even within the sheath. So, had he disguised himself to kill me? That didn’t make sense. He could just send one of his men to do the job, if he wanted to make sure I was dead. It would be easy enough for any bounty hunter worth his profession to track me down. So, why the ruse and the illusion?
I chose my words carefully when I answered. “It was obvious that she didn’t like me. But the feeling is mutual. I don’t take kindly to being humiliated and threatened, especially when I didn’t ask to be included in the conversation.”
At that, he cracked a smile, barely visible against the firelight. “You’re feisty. I like feisty. It makes the chase so much more interesting.”
I gritted my teeth. “No, I’ve just had to learn how to protect myself. And I had to learn to do so without worrying about whether or not people like me.”
Karehl arched his eyebrows, but said nothing. He pulled out a small pack from beneath his cloak and withdrew a loaf of bread and a round of cheese. “Are you hungry?”
I didn’t want to accept anything from him, but I was no fool. In this weather, exposed to the elements, the last thing I needed was to grow weak from lack of food. I gave him a short nod. He cut a chunk of bread off the loaf with his dagger, then a thick slice of cheese, and tossed them in the snow, next to me. Even though my hands were bound, I was able to pick them up. I swallowed big bites of the food, hungry.
He ate, still watching me. “What was it you said you do?”
I swallowed the sweet, nutty cheese, grateful for the fuel. “Huntress. I’m a huntress. My father was a hunter and he taught me the bow and how to aim true.”
“Was?Is he dead?”
I didn’t want to give him any more ammunition than he already had, but I also didn’t want to make him angry by refusing to answer. “Yes. Both of my parents are dead.”
“So, there’s no one back home to wonder where you are.”
Again, I got the feeling he was searching for information to use against me.
I shrugged. “I have friends…” I let the words hang, as I forced a yawn. “How long are we stopping? Do I have time to nap?”
He glanced at the sky. “Sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you near dawn, and we’ll be off again.”
I wanted to press him, to force him to answer me as to where we were headed, but he was calm at the moment and I decided it was best to wait. I didn’t have the sense that he was going to slit my throat, at least not for now. He wouldn’t go through all of this just to kill me. So, though I had no clue what was going to happen, I curled up in the blankets, propping myself against a fallen trunk, and somehow, I managed to fall asleep.
It was shortlybefore dawn when Karehl woke me. He let me dart behind a bush to relieve myself, but—like his brother had—untied one hand only and kept hold of the end of the rope. I emerged, washing my hands with snow before I put my gloves back on. I was still exhausted, but he was adamant that we get a move on.
He tied my hands together again, leaving enough rope between them so that I could feed myself, then handed me more bread and cheese. After we ate, he boosted me back on Yaran—all without a word—and took up the reins. We started off, moving deeper into the Bramble Fel Forest.
I watched to the side, looking for the ice webs that indicated the Snow Witch’s presence. The forest around us seemed clear of them, but I didn’t trust anything concerning her. I had never heard of her a fortnight ago, and now I was terrified she might find us.
We rodefor two more days, with Karehl oddly reticent. While he still seemed as arrogant as he had back at the castle, he made no attempts to harm me. I was surprised how gently he treated me on the ride, although I knew he meant business when he told me not to try to escape. He neither harmed me, nor did he try to touch me. Although I was grateful for both, I had no idea what was going to happen. He wouldn’t discuss anything with me. We seldom spoke as we worked our way through the Bramble Fel. Finally, the morning of the third day we broke into another clearing.
