Page 1 of The War of Four Winters

MyvisionnarrowedasI drove my mount through the winter forest.

Michail. The name throbbed with each thundering hoofbeat, pulsed with every ragged breath torn from my lungs. My brother had landed on our shores. The knowledge writhed inside me like something rabid, turning my stomach to acid. Not just my brother, but a usurper king who wore a golden mask to hide what the Rot had done to him, to hide that it would eventually disfigure him and drive him mad, if it hadn’t already.

The brother who poisoned our father, who’d murdered our older brother Andrej. He’d collared me and sold me into slavery. Now he brought his forces to corrupt these lands just as he had corrupted Ostovan.

Branches struck my face. I welcomed each bright point of pain as needles and bark flayed skin. My fingers numbed on the reins, locked in a death grip after an hour of wild riding through the underbrush. The cold pierced me. The threat of a broken neck on these treacherous slopes should have made me pause. But caution drowned in the red haze consuming my thoughts.

The sound of pursuit grew closer. Only Ruith would dare follow when I was like this, coiled tight as a bowstring and twice as likely to snap. Only he possessed the arrogance to believe he could stop what had to happen next.

My mount's breath clouded in the frigid air as we wove between ancient pines. Snow sprayed from his hooves. The forest thickened, branches hanging low under their white burden. Perfect. I yanked the reins, plunging us into the densest part of the grove where deeper snow would slow my pursuer. My teeth ground together until my jaw ached.

"Elindir!" Ruith's voice cracked through the trees like a whip. "For love of the gods, stop this madness! You ride to your death!" The raw edge of fear made my chest constrict. He'd already died for me once. But this wasn't about him, or us. This was about Michail, about betrayal that ran deep as marrow. My brother's poison had to be purged from the world Ruith and I were working so hard to build.

A growl ripped from my throat. I answered by spurring my horse faster, ducking beneath a snow-laden branch. The impact sent white powder cascading down my back. My hands trembled with the effort of controlling the reins, rage making my movements jerky and wild. Let him follow. Let him try to command me as if I were still his slave. Those days were done.

The ground dropped ahead, plunging down into a frozen stream. Jagged ice coated the rocks like dragon's teeth. The sight barely penetrated the pounding in my head, the metallic taste on my tongue. I pulled up short, some last thread of self-preservation winning out over blind fury.

That heartbeat of hesitation was all Ruith needed. His larger mount crashed through the underbrush beside us, cutting off our path. My horse reared. I tried to keep my seat, but the motion combined with my own reckless anger sent me tumbling into the snow.

I rolled to my feet, white powder clinging to my clothes. Before I could regain balance, Ruith was on me. We went down hard, the impact driving the air from my lungs. Snow crushed beneath us as we grappled, my rage finding new focus in the physical struggle. I swung at him, connecting with his jaw. The pain in my knuckles felt good.Real.

He caught my next punch easily, using his greater strength to flip us over. My back slammed into the packed snow as he pinned my wrists above my head. The familiar position sent heat coursing through me even as I bucked against his hold.

"Get off me," I snarled.

We both knew it was an empty threat. My body was already betraying me, responding to his dominating grip even through my fury.

I twisted beneath him, testing his hold. The pressure on my wrists increased in warning, sending sparks of pleasure pain down my spine. My throat tightened, phantom pressure from a collar long removed.

"He murdered our father," I choked out. "Andrej. Everyone."

The memories rushed back, months of Modir's torments while Michail watched. The way my own screams had died in my throat when they collared me.

"He took everything. My voice. My freedom. And now he brings his corruption here." My voice cracked. "I won't let him destroy everything we've built."

His grip shifted. Ruith caught my jaw. Fingers dug into my skin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"And throwing your life away solves this?" Fear blazed in his eyes. Not for himself. For me. "I've already watched you die once,” Ruith growled. “Never. Again."

The memory hit me hard. His face still as he lay in his bed. Features peaceful, almost as if sleeping. But his skin had been cold beneath my hands. His soul gone. He'd done that for me, to save me. If I died now, I'd be spitting on that sacrifice.

My struggles weakened. But rage still burned hot in my chest, a banked fire refusing to die.

"Then help me stop him," I whispered. "Before he does to your people what he did to mine."

His thumb traced the edge of my jaw. Gentle. At odds with the iron vise around my wrists.

"We will stop him. Together. But not like this."

His weight doubled, driving me deeper into the snow. My lungs fought for air beneath him.

"Not in blind revenge that leaves you dead in the end."

I arched my spine, muscles caught in the paradox of resistance and surrender. Heat bloomed where our bodies pressed together. Cold bit everywhere else. The familiar dance of power anchored me even as Michail's betrayal clawed at the edges of my mind, threatening to drag me back into that red fury.

"I can't just wait while he spreads his corruption. While he—"

Teeth against my throat. Sharp. Possessive. My words died as Ruith's mouth found the tender hollow where my pulse hammered. A visceral reminder of who held me now.

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