Page 8 of The Snow Queen

Unless you already received some,a little voice whispered, killing his mood before he’d had the time to feel a slither of contentment.

Truth was, the changes were just too abrupt, too perfect, and that generally meant there was magic involved.

And magic always came with a price.

Sobered up, Kai went to recover the dead animals, tied the deer’s hoof to drag him down with ease, and went on his way.

Kai was too polite to curse out loud, but a volley of insults did cross his mind when he bumped into her.Again.

The woman was wearing his blue and silver coat; it fell to her knees, fitting her quite well, now she’d tailored it to her size. Otherwise, she hadn’t wised up: her cute boots and thin trousers were still pretty damn out of place.

“What size are you?” he grunted.

She’d get herself killed, or she’d damage some of her limbs if she insisted in parading around here in that stupid get-up.

One thing sure was certain: he didn’t want her to bring any harm to those long, lean,delightfullegs.

“Excuse me?”

“Shoes, trousers. What bloody size are you?”

After a long pause where she stared at him, visibly wondering if he’d lost his mind, she blurted out: “Six. Shoes and clothes; in Jereenan size, anyway.”

Of course, she was Jereenan. He rolled his eyes.

Every one of the crazy sport jocks and extreme explorers out there came from that kingdom.

“I’m sure we can find something. Come down. I’ll get you some clothes.”

He pushed past her, excepting her to follow; people generally obeyed his orders. But he didn’t hear any footstep behind him, so after a few seconds, he turned.

And the girl was gone.

Chapter Five

There were a few options.

The girl could have been a figment of his imagination; he considered that carefully, but dismissed it.

If he’d imagined a girl who looked likeher,she would have been naked, and on her knees.

Then, she might be an astral projection. Something close to daydreaming, but more real – she could be out there, somewhere, but linked to him through daydreams.

That wasn’t unheard of; but he ruled that alternative out, too. He really was missing his coat. That meant she was real.

That also meant that she was no human girl.

He hadn’t pegged her as a fay, and certainly not as a Wilderling; but what else was out there?

Witches? He’d heard of them, but there weren’t many proofs, past whispers and myths. That didn’t mean much, though: most people knew nothing of elves.

So, for the sake of the argument, he agreed that she might be some kind of witch; and a benevolent one at that, if the way the land had turned into a wonderland since her arrival was any indication.

Kai didn’t believe in coincidence; now he thought of the timing, he was certain the girl had something to do with the water, the birds – everything.

Well, wonderland was an exaggeration: the mountain was still pretty damn cold, and while there was more fauna now, food wasn’t exactly abundant either.

“Something is troubling you, boy,” Fyn said, sitting next to him, her wise eyes fixed on the fire around which they’d roasted the deer.

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