Page 7 of This Frozen Heart

Gerta

It’s an arduous trip back to our camp with the wagon in tow. Kay doesn’t show a drop of concern over his captivity the whole time and even offers to help push the wagon.

I allow it, if only to add Prince to the labor force as well. Of course, I have to walk behind in case Kay decides to turn and run while unbound. It’s not difficult to monitor him, though, because watching him is much more entertaining than staring at the acres of barren whiteness around us.

“You know what’s even closer to us than camp?” Prince calls. “The abandoned cabin.”

Biggs snorts. “You know as well as I that it’s no abandoned cabin, Prince. It belongs to the Snow Queen, and those who intrude belong to her, too.”

Prince lifts his head and glances back toward the way we came. “That seems like all the more reason to go.”

Grabbing his arm before he can run off, Biggs shakes his head. “I won’t let you go now for the same reasons I never let you go before. Consideration for the Snow Queen who has never asked to suffer your company. But also pity for you. There’s a blue moon imminent.”

I jerk my gaze away from Kay, whose silence is far less annoying than the jabber of my clansmen. Especially since he has shown no signs of growing weary, even though I certainly feel my own steps trudging, and see my clan mates slowing theirpaces as well. “Do you know something I don’t, Biggs?” There are so many different facets to the legend of the Snow Queen that it seems there is always something I’ve never heard of no matter how many times she’s come up for discussion around a roaring Gaelic fire.

“Don’t you know?” He glances around at each of us, looking absolutely befuddled by our apparent ignorance— and far too pleased to be the center of attention. “Every blue moon, the Snow Queen takes for herself a bridegroom. No one knows what becomes of them, only that they are never seen again and she’s always widowed in time for the next blue moon.”

“My destiny!” Prince cries.

Biggs keeps him in place. “To watch her marry another poor fool while you serve out your debt as a mere servant to both the Snow Queen and King? It’s not worth the risk.”

“Just because Wolf turned you down doesn’t mean the Snow Queen wouldn’t accept my suit.”

“And we’re home!” Wolf announces, cutting off that line of conversation.

Camp is a nondescript cave tucked into a mountainside with a permanent snowdrift that makes it impossible to see from the road unless we build a fire. Since we already took care of the scheduled Constantinium caravan, we have no need to fear detection. Even if we did, the chill of the Snow Queen’s domain is far more treacherous than any soldier.

Wolf goes to start the fire and roast her latest catch of snow geese. The boys work on maneuvering the wagon just so while Kay tries to awkwardly assist.

He must sense my stare boring into him, because he turns to face me. “If it would put you at ease, my Lady, I have a pair of shackles in the wagon you could use on me.”

I blink, blindsided by his offer. “Y-you do?”

“I’ll admit, they were meant for you.” He shrugs sheepishly, even though his expression remains unchanged. “I was tasked with finding the leader of the rebels stealing our supplies. Which, I suppose I have, so I inthatway I haven’t failed.”

Smalls stiffens at Kay’s words and turns as if ready to tackle a threat.

Kay makes no move, though, as he gestures to the bench he was sitting on when I first found him. “They’re under there.”

“What are?” Smalls asks, staring into one of the barrels. “More supplies? Because you don’t have a lot in here.”

“Well, our other supplies keep getting stolen, so we are running out of what we can spare.” Kay sighs. “I just hope there’s enough for my sister. I tried to convince her to stay behind, but she insisted that she be able to tell her husband of their child in person.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure there’s plenty down south where you all belong.” I nod toward Smalls. “Take the food supplies to our store. It’s not enough to divvy out to the villages, but I’m sure you can make a few good meals out of them. And, Biggs, you get me those manacles.”

This seems to appease Smalls’ worries a bit, and Biggs is all too eager to have an excuse to return to Wolf’s side despite the constant reactions. She’ll wander off again soon anyway as she is prone to do, always on mysterious Ehyptian business.

Prince sits on the edge of the wagon and catches his breath rather than continue sorting.

“Here you are,” Smalls announces, hurrying over with a pair of shackles less than a cubit long with cuffs on either side. “I even got the key.”

“The key is most helpful,” Kay agrees without a care in the world, like his freedom hasn’t been confiscated and is about to be further limited.

Smalls wastes no time in shackling Kay’s right wrist. Then he reaches to cuff the left.

“Well, that does no good,” Kay counters. “All you’ll have done is put cold metal on my hands that might clatter a bit should I try to run. The chain is plenty long enough to give me full mobility, though.”

I frown. “What is this shackle designed for, then?”

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