Page 34 of The Winter Prince

“I want to show you something,” he said. “Are you up for an adventure?”

That made her brows draw together with a delightfully curious expression, and he suppressed a grin. He would lure her outside with her curiosity, then perhaps he could win her over a bit more with some well-timed heroics.

“An adventure?” she repeated as they left the library. She glanced over the hallway leading them to the rear door of the castle. “And how are we going to have an adventure in the gardens, exactly?”

He slid a sideways smirk at her. “Who said we were going to the gardens?”

Her mouth puckered as she puzzled over that enigmatic statement, but she didn’t say anything else. Not right away, at least. When they reached the wall, though, she halted.

“I am not supposed to leave the castle grounds.” Her eyes flicked around like an angry Revi would appear at any moment.

“You are not supposed to leave the Winter Court,” Enlo countered. “The beast won’t know if you go a little way beyond the castle walls.”

Kienna’s expression said she clearly did not believe that.

“We’ll be back soon.” He gave his voice the perfect balance of coaxing and daring. “We aren’t going very far beyond the wall.”

She hesitated but stepped forward reluctantly, casting one more glance back at the castle. “All right. So long as we don’t go too far.”

Enlo held the small gate open for her and shut it behind the both of them with a quiet clink. The evergreens towered beyond the wall, quiet sentinels that only served to remind Enlo of all the Winter Court had lost. Many were green, but the browning boughs interspersed were too many, a quiet plea of despair showcasing the desperation that hummed in the air alongside the curse’s magic.

Enlo guided Kienna forward under the trees’ shade, which was at least a cool reprieve from the summer sun. They walked in silence, the air still and hushed. Even the birds seemed to be sleeping in this hot hour.

As promised, they didn’t have to go far before they reached their destination. It was nothing spectacular, just a simple gazebo that had been built beyond the castle walls. It seemed a bit useless to build something for shade in the middle of the forest, but still, it looked quaint.

And, more to Enlo’s purposes, it was old, and thereforeaccidentalheroics would not go amiss here.

Kienna drank in the sight as they drew closer, her eyes wide, and her mouth slightly ajar in childish wonder. Enlo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Humans were far too easy to impress.

“This is beautiful,” she breathed.

That seemed to stretch it as far as Enlo was concerned, but he merely smiled and gestured her closer under the arch of the gazebo until they stood in the very center. The roof was solid. Intricate carvings adorned the posts and the eaves.

Something prickled against the back of his neck. He froze and looked over his shoulder, but he could see nothing under the shade of the trees. The forest was still. Perhaps too still.

He shrugged the feeling off and turned back to Kienna. She was staring up at the gazebo’s ceiling in delight.

Enlo looked up as well, though his study was less of admiration and more searching for the ideal spot for his charade—where the wood was oldest, the most worn.

There. One of the beams leading from the center of the gazebo to the outer rim was partially eaten away by insects. That would do for his purposes nicely. He didn’t have nearly as much magic as Revi did, so he couldn’t afford to waste it on sturdy wood.

Kienna wandered as she examined the carvings adorning the gazebo. The scenes were familiar to Enlo: creatures cavorting amidst snowy trees, all interspersed with frostroses that still gleamed silvery despite the wooden depiction. Frostroses couldn’t help being glorious in every iteration.

Enlo moved to the side and leaned against a post as he watched Kienna circle the gazebo.

He casually made his way to the post nearest his chosen beam. His reflexes were fast, but he didn’t actually want her to get hurt. He didn’t know how quickly his magic would bring the wood down.

She was nearly in position. As soon as he had done his little act, they could make their way back to the castle—hopefully with more warmth and openness from her toward his advances, in gratitude for saving her life. Peril did wonders for bonding people.

Kienna glanced over her shoulder. Her mouth was opening to speak when her eyes widened, focusing on something beyond Enlo. Terror washed over her face.

A cold feeling already freezing his insides, Enlo turned to look in the shadows of the trees. Barely discernible, except for its glowing red eyes, stood azruyed.

Enlo swore in Elyri. His hand went to his waist, but of course he hadn’t worn his sword. He wasn’t like Revi of the past, who’d felt the need to carry a weapon everywhere, and this was only supposed to be a short excursion out to win Kienna over a little more.

Snuffling to the left. Enlo whipped around. Another monster approached, jaws dripping with acidic slobber.

Instinct and fear kicked him into motion. He threw his arm out to the side. “Lezspyr.”

---