Page 17 of The Snow Queen

Because her certainty that Kai would eventually be hers resided in the fact that he’d needed to breed an heir, and that she was, frankly, the only suitable partner in the village.

But elvescouldbreed with humans; at least a hundred of those who lived there had human blood running through their veins.

She’d believed Kai had been against it; but what if he wasn’t?

If the girl bore his child, there would be no reason for her to be needed; Kai could carry on his chase of human bedmates after this one outstayed her welcome.

No. She hadn’t worked this fucking hard to be forever remembered as a nobody.

Think, Gerda,think.

She went home, and rested in front of her mirror; things were generally much clearer to her then.

Mirror was an inexact description; she only had a fragment of what had been a larger piece, but it was still her most valuable possession.

It wasn’t exactly reflecting things; her face looked better through it – more refined, younger, too. It calmed her, and made her believe everything was possible.

Everything is possible, for you are the fairest of them all.

It came to her, then.

It was obvious that Kai was quite attached to his human trollop; if something occurred while he was otherwise engaged between her legs, he might redefine his priorities and focus his mind back where it was needed.

Yes. Yes. Get them to come here. Get the slavers to find this town. Kai’s mind will certainly not be on his whore, then.

Gerda waited until nighttime before slipping away. The piece of broken mirror in her pocket. She took her sleigh and drove Bae down the hill, towards Virvolla.

There was a group of humans she needed to find.

Chapter Eight

The moment when her little piece of heaven crashed down and burnt was very abrupt. They’d been downstairs on the sofa, reading books and whispering nonsense about the things they’d planned to do to each other once their limbs recovered when she felt it.

It was evil, and it was strong. Not stronger than her, perhaps, but certainly more cunning, because it came from two ends.

The first one was at the bottom of the hill, where her wards had been taken down; but at the same time, she felt someone plunder the doors.

Yes, thosedoors. The ones separating this dimension and the gods’.

“Oh hell.”

She jumped to her feet, finding clothing to throw at Kai, while shouting an explanation:

“Something is coming; it’s quick, so probably cars, or motorcycles. It’sdefinitelyan enemy. Get everyone out and run up the mountain.”

“What! Eira, where are you…”

“No time for questions.”

Not if she was supposed to hike all the way back up to her palace and keep those bloody doors closed.

“Bear!” she yelled; the animal wasn’t far, she could feel him five, maybe ten minutes away. That gave her long enough to give Kai a briefing as long as he shut up and listened. “My wards are down…”

“Your wards? The shields around the mountain areyours?”

“What did I just say about questions? Later. Someone is coming, heading right to this village. Whatever enemy you have, expect them now.”

She saw it all in his eyes; the panic, the despair, the millions of questions and a bit of accusation too.

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