Page 106 of Burning Crowns

‘Her name is Oonagh,’ said Rose. ‘And she is as you say – a cursed, undead thing. Tell me – what did she do here?’

‘She killed the beasts that came to defend us,’ said Greta. ‘In the morning, we found their carcasses at the base of the mountain. Ice bears and snow leopards, wolves and tigers. All of them slain and drained of blood. They died for their bravery.’ She shook her head, a tear slipping free and glistening against the silver scars along her cheek.‘By nightfall, the bodies were gone. But we still heard their howls, their cries.’

Rose laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘I am sorry for your loss.’

‘That wasn’t even the worst of it.’ Greta came to a stop midway up the hill, turning to a pine forest that clustered around a small graveyard.

‘Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is,’ said Shen, squinting into the gathering mist.

Even from here, they could see the ground was disturbed. Churned up and spat out, ice and snow scattered like glass.

‘Those are grave markers,’ said Anika, pointing to the wooden stakes that jutted from the snowy earth. ‘This is a burial ground for—’ She stopped short.

‘Stars,’ muttered Celeste. ‘She’s not just taking dead beasts.’

‘She took the bones of our ancestors,’ said Greta, in a hollow voice. ‘The bodies of our loved ones.’

The silence stretched, the wind so cold it felt to Rose as if it was chattering through her bones. She only realized she was swaying on her feet when Shen moved closer to steady her. ‘It’s all right,’ he said, but it wasn’t all right. Oonagh was building an army of dead humans. Rose pictured it in her mind’s eye – cursed bones and gaping skulls, the treasured bodies of lost loved ones pulled from their eternal slumber and used like puppets to do Oonagh’s bidding.

Rose remembered the vision Oonagh had given her, and realized with dawning horror that it was already coming to pass.

‘We must stop her,’ she said, with a bolt of defiance. ‘Before she grows any stronger.’

‘Come,’ said Greta, turning from the empty graveyard and ushering them up the hill. ‘We’re almost there.’

Before long, they arrived at a modest log cabin. ‘We don’t have much,’ said Greta, as she showed them inside, where mercifully, a fire was crackling in the hearth. ‘But what we have we’ll share. There’s ginger tea and freshly baked bread, and there’s rabbit stew, too.’ She pulled a face. ‘Though be warned, I’m not much of a cook.’

‘Good thing you’re a looker,’ said Kai, ripping off his sopping shirt. ‘Any whisky?’

Shen punched him in the arm. ‘Behave.’

There were two snow foxes slumbering together by the fire. Greta shooed them into the small kitchen, where a beautiful white owl was perched on the back of a chair, watching them with wide golden eyes.

‘Why do I feel as if we’re being judged?’ said Celeste.

‘Forgive Aya’s curiosity,’ said Greta, scratching the bird on her head. ‘She is not used to the company of men. Apart from my brother, of course.’

‘No one would blame you for preferring the company of beasts,’ said Anika, coming to settle in front of the fire. ‘Frankly, men can be utterly tiresome.’

Kai tossed her a withering look. ‘That is so rude.’

Greta’s eyes sparked with amusement. ‘I would rather stroll with an ice bear any day of the winter.’

‘You know, Greta, I’m something of a desert bear myself,’ said Kai.

‘Please stop,’ said Shen. ‘I beg you.’

Greta bit back her laughter as she hurried up the stairs. ‘I’ll fetch some blankets and dry clothes.’

Rose went to warm herself by the fire and noticed an old grey wolf slumbering underneath the windowsill.Goodness, a wrangler’s home really was full of beasts. She thought of Elske and her heart clenched. At least the wolf was with her sister, and they would be taking care of each other.

When Greta returned with dry clothes, Rose took them eagerly, choosing a fur-lined velvet dress for herself. The men divided a small pile of what appeared to be Tor’s old clothes, leaving their own clothes to dry out by the fire. After, when they were all dressed and warm, they sat around the rickety wooden table, devouring bowls of rabbit stew. Aya watched them eat, her head swivelling every so often as though she was peering at something outside the window.

‘What’s Feathers so nosy about?’ said Kai, between mouthfuls.

‘The weather,’ said Greta. ‘There’s a blizzard blowing in.’

‘Poor Marino,’ said Celeste.

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