Page 5 of A Dream of Snow

At that moment, a noise from the back of the throne room sounded as the doors opened. Trumpets echoed out short staccato notes, and then the drums began—a slow beat, as Borea entered the throne room.

She strode down the aisle, toward the throne, staring neither right nor left. Her personal guards accompanied her, two in front, four in back, and then came her advisors. I had met them the second week I was here, but I didn’t remember any of their names. While Borea had been incredibly kind to us, we weren’t invited to her private dinners except for Bran. As she climbed the stairs, then took the throne, we stood at attention, then bowed as she sat.

“You’ve been given the rules of the blood hunt and both sides have pledged their oath to them,” she said. “Ifanyoneis caught disobeying them, that side forfeits the match. Karina and her witches will be watching you—and trust me, their vision stretches out to the borders of my lands. As soon as I declare the challenge open, you will be taken to the forest, to two different entrances. There, you will enter the woodland. Do you understand so far?”

Bran and Karehl both nodded, giving each other dirty looks.

“Good. Listen well to the following. Pleading ignorance will not save you from punishment, should you choose to break the rules. Once you enter the forest, my witches will seal the force field to close the borders. No one can leave until either Bran or Karehl dies. Only then will the magic diminish, and the victor be allowed to exit. The moment either Bran or Karehl dies, the challenge is declared finished, and all hostilities shall cease at that moment. The moment you have the victory, blow the horn. Each side has one, and the horn can only be blown one time. Donot think to end the challenge early or you’ll forfeit your lives. Once a victor is declared, my guards will come into the forest to escort you out.”

We stayed silent, waiting.

“Bran, do you understand and agree to the challenge, and to our rules?”

“I do,” he said, staring at Queen Borea with clear eyes.

“Karehl, do you understand and agree to the challenge, and to our rules?”

“I understand,” Karehl snarled.

“Then, together with your companies, pledge now on your honor, that you will see this challenge through.”

One of her advisors stepped forward, and every one of us—both on Bran’s side, and on Karehl’s side—pledged our oath.

There was little to say. Once again, we were kept separate from the other side, and ten guards rode with each group as they escorted us out into the falling snow where our mounts waited for us, along with all the supplies we would need to survive through the next few days. They had given us all new weapons—none containing magic—and the same supplies so we were evenly matched.

We rode single-file, between the two groups of guards, parting ways as we left the castle. In fact, no one said a word until—an hour or so later—we reached a trail leading into the woodland. Once there, the guards stood back. Then, at the sound of a horn, we entered the thicket one by one, vanishing into the snowy woods.

The forest wasn’t likethe Bramble Fel Forest. I didn’t know the name of it, or whether it even had a name, but it felt so oldthat the trees had long ago fallen into slumber. Perpetually deformed, the trees were shorter than I was used to, and they were bent to the side, swept by the constant winds that blew through the area. There was little undergrowth to crowd the ground, although the perpetual white of the snow drifts blanketed the land as far as we could see in a blur of mist and ice. Everything in the crystal wonderland felt pure and clean, so fragile that I thought brushing up against a tree might shatter it into a thousand shards.

“Have you ever been out here before?” I asked Bran, who had stopped beside me. “It’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a magical place.”

Our horses had been given potions concocted by Karina that would keep them warm. Because the extremes were so dangerous, animals were prized and taken care of in every way possible. Our mounts wouldn’t feel the cold, or be affected by it, even though we would.

Bran shook his head. “No, I’ve been to Swelan before, but I’ve never been out here. They keep access to this forest off-limits because it’s connected to their faith and their gods. Queen Borea told me they only open it for special occasions, and only when the gods give Karina permission.”

“Karina? But she’s a witch,” Fenling said.

“She’s more than a witch. Karina is the high priestess of the entire realm.” Bran looked around. “She worships Borea.”

“Worships?” Quen asked.

“Queen Borea rules the entire world above the Eiralpine Line. Every member of the People of the Winds bows to her. It’s part of her divine birthright.”

“That would answer a lot of questions I have about the area,” I said. “Everything up here feels magical.”

“So, what’s our plan?” Quen asked, riding up. “What do we do first?”

Bran looked around. “We set up a base camp. Borea told my brother and me that we’d be only two days ride from each other. We don’t have much time to get ready. I know in my heart that Karehl will go on the offensive, so we have to be ready. He’ll come to us.”

“Do you want to set up camp here?” I asked.

It seemed a good place. The clearing was large enough to set up our tents, but not so large that we couldn’t keep a clear eye out for anybody coming our way. Since we didn’t have magic as a weapon, we had to use our wits. Queen Borea had been clear on the fact that she wouldn’t allow us to bring any spells, scrolls, or magical weapons with us. In fact, she had taken away my bow and replaced it with a beautiful, well made, normal bow and arrows. And she had ordered Karehl’s weapons examined as well.

Both groups had been outfitted with the same supplies and the same type of weapons. We were evenly matched, and from what Bran had told us about Karehl’s choice in the four men he chose to be at his side, we were closely matched in skill.

“I think we should,” Bran said. “That way, we can prepare before Karehl comes for us. And hewillcome for us. My brother’s impulsive, and that’s one of his biggest weaknesses. He’ll be on the road, looking for us, once they get oriented, which means we have two days at the most.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon setting up camp. Sen erected trip ropes around most of the encampment. Borea had outfitted us with enough wood for several days, which saved us a great deal of time and trouble gathering it. I built a fire while Quen and Bran set up two tents—one for the men, and one for Fenling and me. Fenling started setting snares to augment the trip ropes, hiding them with a thin layer of snow.

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