Page 36 of Heart of the Summer Queen

Kassia releases me, and then Elona takes my hand and squeezes it. “Be careful, milady,” she says, her expression solemn.

Once I’ve said my farewells to my maids, I grab the sack from the floor and follow Elaric into the carriage, taking the benchopposite him. The diamond tufting etched into the benches suggests they were once cushioned, but now the ice offers little padding. We sit so close the tips of Elaric’s leather boots touch mine.

“Your boots,” I say, “I’ve been wondering why they don’t freeze. And come to think of it, your rings and tunic and everything else you wear except your crown. It has crossed my mind before, but I keep forgetting to ask.”

“Ah,” he says. “I can only wear clothes woven with ironleaf fibers—”

“Ironleaf?”

“A plant impervious to magic,” he explains.

“What about your rings? Your boots?”

“Coated with a translucent lacquer made from the plant as well.”

I raise a brow. “In that case, I’m surprised you don’t have more furnishings protected with ironleaf in the palace.”

“It is a rare and expensive plant,” Elaric says. “And the lacquer only lasts for a few years before needing to be reapplied.”

I nod.

Elaric offers no warning before flicking his hand and causing the carriage to spring to life. I’m thrown forward, and barely catch myself in time to avoid landing into his lap. How embarrassing that would have been.

I’m slow to realize why the motion was so forceful.

We’re flying.

I lean over to the window and look out.

The courtyard is rapidly growing smaller, and it’s already difficult to see my maids waving at me. I wave back, though I doubt they’ll be able to see me from this height.

I wonder what we must look like to everyone below, riding the clouds in a frozen carriage drawn by winged horses. Such aspectacle sounds like it should belong in a tale our nursemaid used to read to Dalia and me.

Through the window, I watch as we fly over the pines which sprawl down the mountain and as the ground turns from snow to grass. The only time I’ve seen such a view was when Elaric dragged Father and me back to the palace, and I was in no mood to enjoy the scenery.

After a while, the novelty of tiny towns and forests and lakes wears off, and I sink into the bench. Elaric’s eyes drift over to me, but he doesn’t speak. I wonder whether he isn’t sure of what to say, or whether he’s too busy concentrating on keeping us in the air. At first, I decide it’s likely the latter but then both boredom and curiosity get the better of me.

“Is it difficult to keep the horses flying?” I ask.

Elaric answers immediately. “Since they’re conjured from my magic, they are an extension of my consciousness and will keep flying until I command them to stop. Ordering them to change direction requires merely a single thought.”

“So, you could keep flying forever?”

“Unfortunately not,” he says. “Keeping the horses animated requires constant use of my magic, and my energy must be replenished after some time. But I will manage long enough for us to reach Belinda’s woods.”

“We can stop for the night if you need to.”

“I would rather not,” Elaric says. “For the same reason I would rather not enter any cities.”

“What about the woods? Won’t Belinda be furious if all the trees turn to ice?”

“My magic does not work there. The woods are enchanted with her power.”

“I read all enchantments can be broken. That means Belinda’s spell won’t last forever. I wonder what she specified as the method to break the enchantment.”

“It is difficult to know unless we were to ask her,” he says, “but I imagine it will be linked to her life. What use is there in keeping her woods enchanted after her death? If she were to enchant it by any other means, then it would be impossible to know when the spell would break, and enchanting it to last more than a few years would require a great deal of strength. Binding it to her life makes far more sense, and many witches use such conditions for similar spells.”

“Like Isidore?” I ask. “She froze a whole island to make it her home. Eruweth, it was apparently called. I wonder if she also tied its curse to her life.”

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