Page 41 of A Shard of Ice

All is silent except for the thud of the horses’ hooves against the ground…and the thud of my heart.

To her.

Her.

Who is this “her”? I think I might know; I only pray that I am wrong.

We ride, and we ride. We ride until my legs and back hurt. We ride until I have to cling to my horse’s mane to stay on. Until I have to crouch forward to stop from swaying in the saddle. It feels like many hours have passed, though I cannot be certain in this unchanging landscape of gray and desolation. I’m so used to using the sun to tell the time that without it, I am lost. From the ache in my body and the dryness of my mouth, I am sure it has been a good long while. Too long.

Finally, the general puts his hand up, and we come to an abrupt halt. It happens so suddenly that I am flung forward, falling from my horse and landing with a splash on the muddy ground just in front of the beast. My horse snorts and prances, looking at me with disgust as I sit up in the muck.

There is a commotion behind me.

I look back and see Damon standing in front of his camel with five or six spears aimed at his chest. There is a look of concern on his face…for me. He should be more worried about himself.

“I’m fine.” I force myself to get up onto trembling legs. “Please don’t hurt him,” I say in a voice that trembles just as much. The soldiers lower their swords and I can breathe more easily.

“We will set up camp here for the night,” the general instructs his soldiers, who immediately spring into action, dismounting their horses and getting to work.

We are forced to sit back-to-back, surrounded by four guards, two of whom are focused on Damon, while camp is set up. Within no time, a whole array of tents is put up. The horses and even our camels are seen to, and treated with the utmost care.

“You do know that it is against the law to be with a fae, human?” one of the guards says to me, looking down his nose.

“We are not together,” Damon rasps.

Another guard rubs his chin. “You look ‘together’ to me. The touches, then there are the looks you give one another. The way she is looking at you right now is a dead giveaway.” The guard turns his dark eyes on me.

Damon growls, “Leave her alone.”

“See.” The first one laughs. “You are protective of her in a way that can only exist between lovers. Do you enjoy fae cock, human?”

I gasp at the crassness of his question.

“Leave her alone or—”

“Or what? You have no magic to speak of.”

“Or you will die. I don’t need magic to make it happen.” Damon’s tone leaves no doubt in my mind that he means it. Damon might manage to kill that one guard, but he won’t stand a chance against them all. He’ll be cut down and gutted in a heartbeat.

“We are friends,” I tell the guard. “That is all.”

The smile Damon gives me has everything in me warming. He quickly schools his emotions, but not before the guards see.

“That right there is the look I mean. That’s not how a friend would look at a friend. Relationships between our species are strictly against the law. You will be jailed for—”

“I’ll be jailed anyway,” I blurt in a curt tone. “Or made to work in one of your mines…or worse. What does it matter? I don’t care what you think or about your rules. Believe what you will.”

“Nothing will change for you, but your lover over here will be sent to one of the fighting pits. A strong fae like you might actually last a while.” He laughs cruelly.

“The general wants to see the prisoners,” another guard says as he approaches. He is taller than the others; and leaner, too.

We are marched to the biggest tent of them all. The flap is pulled back and we enter. There is a crackling fire in the center of the airy tent.

The general is standing in front of the flames; his hands are clasped behind his back. His eyes are sharp as they flick over each of us in turn. He looks like he has washed and changed, his armor hanging in the far corner.

“Ah, come on in.” General Belen’s voice is silky smooth. “I trust you’ve been offered something to drink.”

Damon steps forward, his jaw clenched. “Where are you taking us?”

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