Page 31 of This Frozen Heart

The Enemies

Kay:

Just focus on the next foothold . . .

I must be doing a good job at hiding my strain, because Gerta doesn’t seem concerned at all in my arms. Well, to be perfectly accurate, I’m inherarms, which are wrapped around my neck and clinging to the rope that I still clutching. The rope is going to run out soon, but that isn’t what matters right now. Putting my foot in the next crack in the mountain does.

Thankfully, there has always been a crack, though they have become further spread apart, which is what finally drove Gerta into this position. This position I’m not thinking about, since her legs are also wrapped around me— my waist, specifically.

Would it be more awkward if she was the male leader I was expecting? Honestly, I can’t imagine holding anyone other than Gerta like this . . .

I frown. This line of thought is even less encouraging than my fear that I’ll lose my grip out of sheer exhaustion before my stamina can return.

“We’re almost out of rope,” Gerta says, because she has not been assisting with the only-the-next-foothold mentality ever since she started looking past my shoulder.

“It’s not that much farther,” I assure both her and myself as I take my next step down. “I’ll jump the rest of the way.”

“I hate that plan.”

“You hate all my plans, yet you always end up in my arms anyway.” I’m not sure where that came from, but I hope it goes away soon.

Gerta is evidently not pleased either. “I hateyou,too.”

I move down two more footholds and find it useless to keep clinging to the rope that can take us no farther. “Well, I’m at the end of my rope with you.”

“You know all those times I said you’re a funny person when we were kids?”

“Yes.”

“I meant how you looked, not your sense of humor, because you don’t have the latter.”

Just because it seems better to tease her— whether or not she believes I’m capable of it— than focus on my exhaustion, I raise my brows. “But I have the former?”

She purses her lips. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for me to fall if it meant taking you with me.”

I glance down, measuring the distance. “If you insist . . .”

“No— no!” Gerta squeals in my ear as she tightens her grip around my neck until she’s choking me.

Gasping, I reach for another handhold— leaving the rope behind. “If you don’t want us to fall, lassie, you should probably let me breathe.”

Gerta loosens her grip on me, and I descend another few steps. Then my next foothold finds ice rather than snow.

Instinctively, I reach for the rope. But of course, it’s not there anymore.

Then Gerta and I topple backward against her wishes.

Gerta:

If I had a denarius for every time I’ve had my breath knocked out of me around Kay, I’d be able to purchase a whole new fur coat. Or I will soon, at the rate I’m going.

For a moment, I remain perfectly still as my body reverberates with the impact of my landing on Kay, who hit the snow maybe three yards below. I’m almost too scared to move, but Kay isn’t breathing either, and he might have an easier time if I weren’t on him.

Using all my willpower, I roll off Kay, lying on the cold snow beside him. Then I stare silently up at the mountain we’ve sled and climbed down. It’s so tall, it’s making me dizzy.

The world continues to spin wildly when Kay grasps my fingers in his.

I turn to him in surprise.

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