Heart of Ice (The Snow Queen #1)(22)

“Not at all. It was sheer boredom that propelled me to first pick up a sword. Once I ran out of books to read, I had little else to do besides join my cohorts in their practices.”

“I see,” Rakel said. The new recruits watched her with big eyes and drew closer to her. She cleared her throat and said, somewhat awkwardly, “I thank you in advance for your service.”

“Oh, it’s our pleasure, Princess!” A big man—the blacksmith of Vefsna—said.

“It’d be a poor reflection on us if we sent ya into battle alone all the time,” another recruit from Namsen chimed in.

Rakel was so shocked by their manners—a big change compared to her poisonous encounter with Unnr and her friends—that she could only stare at them, baffled by the unexpected kindness.

“Princess!”

“Princess Rakel!”

Gerta and Kai performed half-hearted bows and then scrambled for her hands. “Princess, Phile says she needs to see you, ‘immediately,’ ” Gerta said.

“Did she say why?” Rakel asked. Seeing the Robber Maiden was a double-edged sword. Rakel’s unwanted practice sessions with Phile had taught her that Phile was skilled in combat and an asset to bring when raiding villages; however, her small talk was mortifying.

“She said, ‘it is greatly important to your mission, and you must come with an open mind and an eye for art,’” Kai recited.

Irritation flooded Rakel, causing the air around her to drop in temperature. She just wants to search for the most handsome man in the camp again. “Come, Gerta, Kai. Let’s see what your grandmother is doing.”

“What about Phile?” Gerta asked.

“She’ll survive.”

“Gerta, Kai! You found her!” Phile shouted. “Your timing couldn’t be better. We have important business to discuss.”

Rakel sighed. “Phile.” She greeted the Robber Maiden with a stiff nod.

“Don’t you give me that. Come!” Phile said, throwing an arm over Rakel’s shoulders.

The nonchalant gesture almost made Rakel stumble and fall. Besides Gerta and Kai, no one touched her, so the unexpected contact felt strange, but very warm—much like Phile herself.

“What are you doing?” Rakel asked as Phile dragged her away.

“Taking you away so we can discuss our business. Thank you, children, for finding her!”

Recalling Phile’s usual definition of “business,” Rakel pressed her lips together in disdain. “We cannot possibly have anything to discuss.”

“Of course we do.”

“I think I’ll come with you,” Oskar said, falling in line.

“We are, too,” Gerta decided.

Kai launched himself at Oskar’s back. “Yeah!”

Oskar coughed and veered unsteadily until Kai clambered into a more secure position on his back. “So a friendly outing, is it? Where are we going?” Oskar asked.

“To the barracks,” Phile said. “There’s a soldier who has a gorgeous—”

“There are children present,” Rakel hissed.

“Naughty princess! I was going to say dagger. I wanted to compare it to my own lovely,” Phile said, her hideous dagger appearing in her hand, which happened to be uncomfortably close to Rakel’s throat.

Oskar eyed the unusual dagger. “Exactly where did you purchase…”

“Foedus,” Rakel said.

“Yes, Foedus,” Oskar finished.

“Foedus was given to me by an old man who told me—with his dying breath—to avenge his daughter’s death at the hands of a pirate,” Phile said in a hushed tone.

“You told us your father brought it over the Chronos Mountains in a camel caravan for you when you were little,” Kai said.

“Right. Back to the dagger!” Phile said, ignoring the implied accusation. “If I can squirm the maker out of him, I’m confident I can steal one for myself.”

“Couldn’t you just buy it?” Rakel asked.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Stealing is wrong,” Gerta announced, “as is lying.”

“Right you are, youngster,” Oskar said.

“I particularly want you to see the dagger, Rakel. I think you’d look flashy with a similar weapon,” Phile said, dragging Rakel towards a temporary pole building. “It could be a sign of our friendship.”

Rakel saw her chance to place some distance between her neck and Foedus when she spotted Captain Halvor making his daily rounds. “Captain!”

The captain reviewed the unusual group, his eyebrow raising. “Princess. Animals.”

“It’s better than swine, I suppose,” Oskar said.

Rakel shrugged Phile’s arm off her and once again stood with humble poise. “Don’t you think it is time we discuss our next move? Since occupying this encampment, we have recovered two additional villages. What village is next?”

Captain Halvor again studied Rakel’s company.

Please. Please join us. In spite of her propensity to ogle the captain, Phile seemed to hold him in great respect and would curb her mischievous tongue and—more importantly—refrain from carelessly swinging Foedus around in his company.

“If you will enter my quarters, we can discuss it,” he said.