Page 2 of A Dream of Snow

“I always say a prayer of gratitude, but the hunters from my people save these prayers for those mighty creatures who guard the forest, for they are our guides, and we must honor the lives we take.” I glanced back as our entourage approached, waiting to load the elk on the sledge. Rylan gave me a look and I nodded.

As we rode off again, back on the hunt, I felt like I had proven my right to stay in the city, and that made me feel so much more secure.

Bran sat on my bed,his legs crossed. We’d been in Swelan for over two months, and our relationship moved forward steadily, but I hadn’t welcomed him into my bed yet. While I wanted him, I also wanted to make certain that he meant what he said. Too many women ended up alone with children they couldn’t provide for. And given the potions the witches brewed to stave off pregnancy were far from foolproof, I had no intention of ending up in the same predicament.

“Thank you,” I said. “For not pushing me.”

He pushed his hair back from his face. “Asajia…I’ll wait as long as you need me to. I’m not my brother. I’m not looking for just a quick roll in the hay. Each day, I feel like I learn a little bit more about you. And each day, I’m reminded of why I can’t get you out of my thoughts.”

I ducked my head. “Me too. I love you, I truly do. But…I want to know where our future is headed before I settle into a life as your wife.”

I hadn’t been the first to bring up marriage. From a week after we settled into life in Swelan, Bran had asked me to marry him. But I needed a focus for the future, first. Whether it was a life spent on the road, away from Eleago, or whether we were going to attempt a coup, I wanted a clear path to prepare for what was ahead.

“It won’t be long. There’s usually a midwinter thaw, then the storms come in again. We’ll have a short window in which the passage is open between here and Eleago.”

I glanced over at him, catching his gaze with mine. “And have you decided what to do? Are you going to take on Karehl,or are we going to make a new life, up here with the People of the Winds?”

He sighed, leaning back with his hands beneath his head. “I’ve been thinking about that. Part of me wants to just shrug off the past, to build a new world here. But as long as my brother lives, we’re in danger. He’ll never stop looking for us, not until we’re dead. He fears both of us. He knows I can rally the people, and he knows that you’re integral to him staying alive. He can’t kill you, not without killing me first.”

“And you think he’ll come after us?”

“I do,” Bran said. He sighed. “Karehl will never rest until he feels secure on the throne. If we weren’t his targets, he’d find another, but the fact is that he sees me as his doom. He’s paranoid, and that will only grow as time goes on. So, I’m going to ask Queen Borea to help me. I don’t want to take him on in Eleago—he’s treacherous. We’d be walking right into a trap. So I want him to come up here. He can’t bring a huge contingent during the winter, and we can attack him above the Eiralpine Line without breaking the laws of Eleago.”

“Do you think he knows you’re working with Borea? Won’t he be suspicious?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. There is a custom among my people…and if he chooses to break that oath, Borea’s incredibly powerful and so are her witches. They’re ancient, barely human anymore. I talked to her about this a few days ago, and she assured me that they can influence almost anyone, regardless of their wards.” He shrugged. “Endaria was, of course, spying for my brother. Her sister serves my brother, though I have no idea about Leela, the third Wyrd Woman. But none of the three can match the power of Borea’s witches.”

“Was Giselda related to them?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. Giselda was a cunning woman who hired out to whoever paid her the most. And my brotherpaid her well. But Borea’s witches are far stronger than all four of them. They’re connected to Helena, the goddess of ice and death.”

“How can we know they won’t betray us, like Giselda and Endaria did?” Once bitten, twice shy, I thought. Never fully trust a snake once it bites you.

“Because they are loyal to the core.” He paused, then asked, “Do you know who Borea is?”

“She’s queen of the People of the Wind?”

“Yes, but beyond that.”

I shook my head. “I’ve never heard of her before we arrived here.”

“Borea’s the daughter of Helena. Her father was an ice giant. She’s of divine birth, which is why my brother would never attack this city. He knows the wrath he would incur. The witches who serve Borea are loyal to the core of their being. If they help us, we can trust them.”

The thought we had a demi-goddess on our side, as well as several witch women loyal to her, calmed me down. So we’d be setting the trap, and if Karehl took the bait, we might be able to end this rivalry without too much bloodshed.

“My last question for now: do you think the people of Eleago will accept it, if you return to take the crown?”

Bran stroked my cheek. “Yes, I do. Most of them wanted me for their prince over my brother, but our birth order didn’t support it. They know that, under Karehl’s reign, they will suffer more than they ever fear.”

CHAPTER TWO

A fortnight later,we were near the midwinter thaw. Fenling and I curled up in her room, next to the fireplace. Bran had been busy, working with Borea’s witches. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but we were all ready to jump when given the word. Meanwhile, we worked with the hunters, bringing back game to help pay for our keep, and took on jobs in the castle when the weather was bad. Fenling and I were mending clothes, tankards of spiced apple cider at hand.

“Do you think Karehl will accept the challenge?” I asked. I didn’t know much of the plan, but I knew that it involved challenging the prince to a duel or something like that.

“I don’t know, but I imagine with that he has to accept Bran’s challenge. He can’t show cowardice or the people will call for him to step down. He’s trying to grab as much power as he can, but if he’s seen as a coward, the people won’t put their trust in him and he’ll always feel like he has a target on him. Once he gets here, it’s up to us.” She paused, giving me a long look. “What’s wrong? You look perturbed.”

“I’m not sure how to phrase this, but…are we setting a trap? Will Bran assassinate him when he gets here? I’m not at all sure what this ‘challenge’ entails, but regardless of what he’sdone, outright murder…” If we challenged him and he accepted, killing him outright when he showed up felt wrong to me. He was a stupid, dangerous man, but I wasn’t brought up the way Bran and Fenling had been.

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