Page 74 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

She tried to recall the previous day, tried to recall why she hadn’t insisted on knowing more, then all the memories came to her like a dam being broken. His kisses, the feel of his hands on her legs, and all that want. Want that kept wanting. But now, in the morning, it felt wrong, as if she’d been ready to give River everything in exchange for so little. And yet being with him had felt good, almost as if his kisses could lull her into forgetting she still didn’t trust him—but it felt so good being lulled into obliviousness.

There was a note on the table:

I’ll be back soon. You’ll be in my thoughts all day long.

She felt a flutter in her stomach. But then, perhaps he could lie in writing. Oh, why was she second-guessing everything he did? It would drive her crazy. She was going crazy and confused, but she knew the solution.

Her decision had been made the moment he’d told her not to go into the woods. Perhaps one day, if she wanted someone to do something really badly, she’d tell them not to do it.

The forest had the answers, she knew it, and she wasn’t afraid of getting lost or getting hurt, used to spending days and days in the woods surrounding her manor. But then, she’d had a knife and her bow and arrows. Her father’s words came to her, clear as if he’d been standing beside her: “Always carry a weapon when going into the woods. You never know what creature you might encounter.”

The memory of his words made her heart heavy, now remembering him telling her she was no longer his daughter. But he had never listened to her! She didn’t want to become Fel’s advisor. And yet it hurt all the same to know she would never be able to turn to him for advice, for a laugh, for a game of cards. Well, he was the one who had chosen to disregard her choice. But it hurt. At least she still had her brother, too good for this world, too good for his sister. And it was true that he would be a better king than her. It didn’t mean it didn’t annoy her, as much as she loved her twin with all her heart.

But she had to stop getting sad because of her family, and get ready instead. She took a look at the house and found no bow and arrows, but she found two knives, which she strapped to her belt, then went outside. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. And having some metal with her always made her feel more at ease. Silver knives.

Sometimes she wondered why her magic was not called silverbringing or even goldbringing, since they could manipulate these metals as well. But then, perhaps it had been because of the war against the fae, their magic being the deadliest against them. Deadly. She shuddered as she remembered River disappearing after her first kiss. The fact that she had hurt him was hard to bear, the mere thought that she could have killed him. Perhaps she didn’t trust him fully, but the idea of seeing him hurt got her all cold inside. Some strong feelings for a fae who had dumped her in this house like a bird or something. Not a bird, as at least it could fly.

So much nonsense. What she had to do was find out his secrets, and she was sure they would be in these woods—or beyond them.

The vegetation was thick and dense, not only with trees but also with bushes and thick undergrowth, but she found a way to step in anyway, soon finding herself under a closed canopy which made the forest dark and foreboding. One thing that made her uneasy was the silence—despite all the greenery, it was as if the forest were dead. No birds, rodents, or much of anything in here.

She felt an odd, slight dizziness for a while, but then it passed, and she realized she didn’t want to be here. No, she wanted to go back to her cozy, little house. There was nothing in this forest, nothing.

Naia turned around and went back, then found herself in her kitchen, holding a knife, not even sure if she had really stepped out or imagined it, unsure why she had left. No, there had been a reason, there had been. There was something she needed to find out, somewhere she needed to go. What was it?

* * *

Leah wasglad that her room had paper and ink, but her heart was racing. She wrote a note relating the trip here, saying she was well and that the castle was beautiful, but there was a secret inside. Some letters were slightly taller than the others, forming the sentence: I’m in danger. Help me return home.

Home, home, home, even if she wasn’t allowed much company, even if she couldn’t read everything she wanted, felt like a dream right now. Her parents had made a mistake. Yes, marrying someone you didn’t know could work—but it could also be a disaster. It was like tossing up a coin—and Leah had been unlucky. As much as her mother believed that the important thing was to make the marriage work after the wedding, there was a limit to what could be worked on.

Perhaps even Fel would have been a bad idea, considering how little she knew him. That if he hadn’t shunned her, of course—which only proved he wasn’t right for her, but what a bitter proof. And crazy-dream-Leah thinking she wanted to let him ruin her? Ugh. Him, who didn’t deserve her? Well, still better than Venard.

It was as if she conjured her husband, as he opened the door and entered—without even knocking. And then her dream came to her so clearly, her vision of him and the girl, Serine, his sweet words to her, and then her strangled body. He had either loved or lied to her, then killed her as easily as someone tosses an old boot.

He stared at Leah up and down. “How are you?”

“Hungry.”

He nodded. “I thought so.” His eyes then focused on her neck. “What’s that?”

Strangling hands from her dream, or from a dead girl, who knew? But she wasn’t going to tell him any of that. “Making it… realistic.”

“True. Good call.” He frowned. “It’s just… No. Yes. Good idea. Anyway, my grandmother wants to know if you’ll behave. To sit for breakfast with us.”

Leah wanted to snort, roll her eyes, but it wasn’t worth it. She just asked, “What do you think?”

“I’m saying. If you’re pleasant, she’ll be pleasant too.”

“Venard, are you serious when you say you’re my friend?’

“Haven’t you noticed it?”

“I mean, can I ask you a question? Or will you punish me if it’s not something you want to hear?”

He shrugged. “Between us, ask anything. Between us.”

Of course. Not in front of his sadistic family. “Serine,” she said, and watched as his eyes widened. “How could you kill her like that?”

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