Page 14 of Shadows of Winter

“Your name?” the captain asked.

She’d already given it but blurted, “Kaylina Korbian,” as if she couldn’t wait to share. Then she found herself volunteering more. “My brother is Frayvar. My little brother. I thought Grandma sent him after me because she didn’t think I could do this on my own, but he ran away because he thought I needed help. I can’t let him be hurt or get in trouble because of my plan.” Again, she struggled, wanting to escape the big man holding her, frantic to have her freedom. Her blood scoured her veins as it flowed through them, hot and tingly. Something was affecting her so strangely.

She’d eaten a weird ball, hadn’t she? Memories from moments before flitted away, difficult to grasp, with the past coming to the forefront of her mind.

“What is your plan?” The man in front of her didn’t stir as she thrashed against the guy holding her from behind.

She spat at him. He tilted his head in time so that it sailed past.

“State your plan, Kaylina Korbian,” he said.

“To open a meadery using my family’s recipes and our honey—the bees on the islands forage on altered plants, you know, so it’s really good. One day, I’m going to be as successful as Grandma. And Grandpa too. He helps at the Spitting Gull, so he’s just as responsible for its success. Of course, he’s usually out with the bees or hunting or fishing to bring in fresh fare for the eating house. Frayvar helps Silana cook, and her kids are serving now too. Our cousins do the repairs for the place and keep out the riffraff. The whole family works at the Gull, and I’m proud of what they’ve made, but I blend in, disappear. I’m nobody there. And some days, it’s so hard to get out of bed and do the chores, to have people tell me what to do. I get cranky.” Her voice fell to a whisper as she continued, forgetting that men were watching her, forgetting where she was. Why was it so hot? And why wouldn’t the guy behind her let her go? “I don’t mean to be like that—I hate that I can’t control my temper and snap at people. Why can’t I be, I don’t know, happy? The way Silana is. Nothing ever fazes her. She’s so comfortable in her life and in the family and on the island, but I … I need something more and to be away from everyone, because I lose it sometimes. I feel trapped, say things I regret. It hurts them, and I hate myself later.”

Kaylina twisted again, needing freedom, needing the cool air from the window to push away the heat flushing her face, her entire body. A bead of sweat ran down her spine.

“Let me go.” Kaylina grunted under the restraint, more tension tightening her muscles. She shifted her weight and kicked out, wanting the man questioning her to stop. But she couldn’t reach him. “I need to go. I need to prove to them that I’m not a screw up, but I need my own place to do it. A meadery of my own. Or an inn. That castle place is perfect. We’re going to rent it. With some work, it’ll be amazing. I could share our family’s mead with everyone in the capital, our award-winning recipes. I could help my family without, without… I need freedom and a chance,” she finished with a whisper.

“Are you a spy?” the man in front of her asked.

“A spy?” Kaylina peered at him with confusion, trying to dredge an appropriate answer from her memory. She couldn’t remember why, but she had to say the right things, tell these people what they wanted to hear, even though they were imprisoning her. That grip. Why wouldn’t it let her go?

She thrashed again, some weird power giving her more strength than usual. For an instant, she escaped one of the hands grasping her, and she tasted her freedom. But an entire muscled arm wrapped around her torso, pulling her back, and she found herself pinned to a big man’s chest. She tried to jerk her head back, to thump him in the nose, but he was too tall. All she hit was armor. Leather armor. Black like a ranger. Wait, was he a ranger?

“Are you a spy?” the question repeated.

“No. I caught Mavari Bustinor spying on the Gull once. She was trying to steal Grandma’s recipes. Those sisters are always trying to get our secrets. Their parents run the Cock’s Crow, and they think they can get our customers, but their food isn’t anywhere close to as good as ours. And they serve that awful grog instead of mead. Even if they had our recipes, they couldn’t make them like Fray and Silana do.”

The man’s eyes lifted. “You still think she’s a spy?” he asked dryly.

“Ask her about Darringtar.”

“Do you know what happened to Lord Darringtar?” the man in front asked.

“I don’t know who that is.” Kaylina ducked, trying to pull away from the arm restraining her. This was worse than before. So hard and hot. Sweat bathed her face.

She squirmed, stomping a foot down on her captor’s, but it mustn’t have hurt him. His arm didn’t budge. A statue couldn’t have been more impervious.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“No, of course not.”

“Have you ever struck a noble?”

“No, nobles hardly ever visit the Vamorka Islands. Oh, wait!” A satisfying memory surged to the forefront of her mind, clearer than the rest. “I hit a ranger with a round from Grandpa’s sling.” She grinned fiercely before remembering something. “You’re not supposed to attack law enforcers, and definitely not rangers, but he was such an ass. He was going to kill Fray. I had to. He’s my brother. Even if they sometimes piss you off, family is still family. You have to protect family.”

The man in front of her looked up again.

“I chased the kid because he fled,” her captor said calmly, as if she weren’t squirming and trying to twist away from him. “I wasn’t going to kill him.”

“Chased him with your sword raised,” Kaylina spat over her shoulder. Then added, “Asshole,” again.

“She really likes you,” the other man said.

“As we’ve established. The squagar juice?”

“Yes. This has been a waste of time.”

“I apologize,” her captor said, the words clipped. He didn’t sound like someone who said those words often. “I’ll find Darringtar’s murderer before my squad goes back to the mountains.”

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