Page 7 of A Dream of Snow

“What did Borea say to change your mind?” Quen asked.

“It wasn’t Borea, so much as Karina. The witch read my future. Unless Karehl dies, he’ll forever hunt us. All of us. We’ll never be free of his pursuit. He’ll destroy Eleago with his growing madness. And if we returned to the castle, he’ll destroy it to keep me from winning, regardless of how many lives he sacrifices.”

“He’d destroy his own people to keep you from the throne?” Fenling asked. “That sounds about right.”

Bran leaned forward. “Karehl’s truly going mad. And his madness will taint every aspect of our land. She predicted that he’ll eventually destroy the People of the Wolves. So, you see, so much more than my own life depends on this, and this is why I agreed to call a blood hunt. It’s the only way we’re guaranteed to face him.”

CHAPTER FOUR

As we satin silence following Bran’s announcement, the sounds of the forest at night crept in. There’s a sound that snow made when it began to freeze into a layer of ice, a low harmonic tremor that rippled through the land, almost imperceptible to the naked ear. But it echoed like a low rumbling quake, small enough to not be sure if you really heard it, but big enough to unsettle.

As the snow began to freeze over, the sky cleared and stars began to twinkle against the black backdrop of night. In the forest, a rustling sounded as snow broke off of trees. Some creature was crossing through the thicket. It sounded big, by the thump of its footsteps, but the cadence told me it was four-footed, not two, and it was alone, so it probably wasn’t Karehl.

Every now and then, a bough snapped and fell off one of the trees, though most that were weak had already fallen. The forest felt massive and uncaring, and for the first time I felt like I wanted to go home—wherever home may be, to hide safely away from the elements. At first I tried to push the fear aside, but then I stopped and sat with it, letting it wash over me.Face your fears,my father used to tell me.If you bury them, they’ll attack you when you least expect it.

So, I let the fear settle in my stomach, examining it. What was I afraid of? I’d hunted creatures all my life. I was used to the uncertainty, to the tension. I was used to being alone out in the forest. So, was the fear of facing Karehl? Or was it that the forest spooked me? I wasn’t sure, but my fears calmed as I let them have their say, and they began to pass rather than stay knotted up inside.

As we sat there in silence, the fire crackled and the sparks lit up the air as they sizzled and popped. Bran looked deep in thought. Quen and San were tending to their weapons.

Fenling yawned. “I’m tired. Shall we turn in and get an early start?”

“I suppose,” I said. “But what are we going todo? Are we just going to wait for him to find us? Aren’t we going to do anything while we wait?”

Bran cleared his throat. “Yes, we wait. But that doesn’t mean sitting around camp. Tomorrow morning we’ll explore the surrounding area. We need to memorize as much of the forest as possible. Sleep is a good idea. Quen, will you take first watch? San, second, and then wake me and I’ll take third.”

Quen settled in on a stump, close enough to the fire to stay warm, but just uncomfortable enough to keep him awake. He placed his sword across his lap and continued to sip on his tea. Bran stood, holding out his hand to help me up. I let him draw me into his arms.

“Thank you for coming,” he whispered. “I trust you in battle, and I trust you in my heart.”

“Whatever happens, know that I love you.” I pressed my lips to his and kissed him, longing to hold him in my arms, in my bed. He kissed me back, his arms warm and strong, and the stone in my stomach took form and I suddenly understood what the fear actually was: I was terrified I’d lose him. I was afraidhe’d fall, that Karehl would win, and that I’d spend the rest of my life mourning a love I’d never had a chance to fully explore.

“Rest,” he said, letting go, but keeping his gaze focused on me. “All will be well. Keep light in your heart, my love. We need all the hope we can muster.”

With that, I crawled into the tent with Fenling, and we burrowed under the thick covers. I expected to remain awake for hours, but within minutes, I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Come morning, we boiled water for tea and had some bread, cheese, and dried meat. Then, Quen and I headed out to scout the trees around our campsite. Bran, Fenling, and San stayed back at the camp. We arranged for a certain whistle to indicate trouble, and then Quen and I rode to the tree line around the clearing, and entered the wood.

“It’samazing how difficult it is to keep track of where we are, when there’s no undergrowth between the trees,” I said, keeping my voice low. “It’s hard to see any landmarks when everything’s covered with snow.

“That’s because the snowdrifts rise and fall, so it’s difficult to tell how deep the snow is in any one area. It all blends together in a massive blur. The sun reflecting off of the dunes doesn’t help matters, either, given it makes it hard to stare at without squinting,” Quen said.

“What are we looking for? If it takes two days travel to reach us, we’re not going to find Karehl this morning,” I said.

“We’re looking for anything that might affect the hunt. Any cave openings, rivers or streams, ravines…whatever we need to know about the topography.” Quen paused, then pointed toour right. “Look, there—that mound of snow isn’t just a drift. There’s something under it.”

“How can you be sure?” I asked. “I don’t…” I paused, as the mound began to shift. “What the hell?”

“Freeze,” Quen said, pulling on the reins to stop his horse.

We watched as the snow began to fall off something that had been buried beneath the snow. Whatever was there broke from beneath the chill blanket, rising up on two legs.

“Holy…” I caught my breath as the creature—bipedal and as tall as three men high—broke free. Covered in fur, it had two arms and a head, but it was no human, nor ice giant, nor rock elemental. The creature was white as the snow itself, with eyes that glowed red, and it yawned, exposing massive teeth that glistened in the morning sun. It hadn’t noticed us yet, but it was so big that towered over us and our horses.

My heart in my chest, I slowly reached for my bow, taking my time so as not to draw its attention. I wasn’t sure if it could hear us, so kept my mouth shut as I slid an arrow out of my quiver. Quen silently drew his sword. Yaran shifted and I patted him, hoping he would stay calm. But the next moment, the creature raised his head, sniffing the air, and swiftly turned toward us with a loud roar.

“He sees us!” Quen said, trying to control his mount as the horse whinnied and reared up onto his back legs.

Yaran let out a whinny and was about to rear up as well, but I pulled on the reins. “Calm, Yaran! Calm!”

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