Heart of Ice (The Snow Queen #1)(43)

“Rakel—please.”

“Are you still certain my paranoia is misplaced?” Rakel said, stepping into the torchlight. Even though she knew Phile wasn’t responsible, she couldn’t help the frost that crusted her voice.

“King’s nose hairs, you’re safe,” Phile said, sagging in the saddle. She sprang off the horse and threw her arms around Rakel, pulling her into a warm embrace. The Robber Maiden’s hug was stronger and more fierce than the embraces Gerta and Kai sprinkled on Rakel, but it was just as warm, and Phile also seemed to smell like warm gingerbread.

After several long moments in which Phile didn’t seem to mind that Rakel didn’t respond, Rakel raised her uninjured arm and patted Phile on the back. She didn’t know what one was supposed to do during an embrace, so she kept patting her. Phile squeezed harder, and Rakel’s breath hitched. “My side.”

Phile released her. “Sorry, I forgot about that. I’m just so glad you’re unharmed. Halvor is blaming himself, you know. Aleifr was in his squad—the one that guarded you.”

“I know,” Rakel said, her anger flaring again.

“Knut and Snorri had to hog tie Oskar. Literally. He thought you would eventually go back to your ice-castle, so he wanted to start up the mountain tonight. Some of us tried to tell him that if you were running, you would flee the country, but he insisted you would eventually return to the castle, perhaps not for years, but you would return.”

“If you are trying to guilt me into coming back, it will not work.”

“I’m not trying to guilt you. I’m trying to tell you that there are people who care for you. Half the encampment is searching the woods—I just happened to find you first because I’m the only one mounted.”

“How can you ride a horse in this weather?”

“You don’t give Farrin and his minions enough credit. All the Chosen horses were outfitted with horse snowshoes.”

“I see.”

“Won’t you come tell Captain Halvor and Oskar you’re safe?” Phile captured Rakel’s uninjured arm.

“No. Though I am sorry they are distraught, I cannot believe you would even suggest I return!”

“Why not?”

“I was nearly killed, Phile, after you had just spouted poetry of people revering and trusting me, and after taking me to task for the healthy—and appropriate—fear I have for my life.”

“The timing was awful,” Phile admitted. “But I stand by my words.”

“How? Do you make light of the threat against my life?”

“Certainly not,” Phile said. “It is only because I was so concerned with finding you that I have not had an opportunity to slip a knife in that traitor. But it is gravely unfair of you to make sweeping generalizations about your supporters because of the actions of a handful.”

Rakel gaped at her. “Unfair? After everything I have lived through?”

“To an average person that might be a good rebuttal, but you’re above that, Little Wolf.”

“I am not above looking past violence against me.”

“Sure you are. You’ve done it already. You can’t tell me you didn’t know it was Knut who shot at you in your castle, and you’ve never treated him with hatred or scorn.”

Rakel took a step back. “How do you know about that incident?”

“He told me—so did Oskar. You could have told Halvor, and he would have sacked Knut—war or not—but you didn’t.”

“It was obvious Knut shot at me out of fright. As my guards rarely saw me, his fear was perhaps understandable. This incident with Aleifr is far more serious as he purposely acted as a traitor.”

Phile balanced Foedus on her knuckles. “How do you know? He said he thought you were sleeping when he entered your room.”

“Farrin Graydim found me,” Rakel said bitterly.

Phile dropped Foedus in her shock. “And he let you go?” she exclaimed.

“It is odd,” Rakel said, still unsettled by the memory of Farrin tucking her hair over her shoulder. “But I refuse to discuss his behavior. I still take offense that you believe it is unfair that I am so guarded.”

“Why? You practically made my point for me when you said Knut and Aleifr were different situations.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Hm, right. I’ll try to use a metaphor you will understand. Do you know why people fear those who can use magic so much?”

“Because we are monsters of nature.”

“No,” Phile said. “It’s because when folks started discovering magic—besides the small things that herbwomen, woodsmen, and the like can do—there were several evil, greedy people who had magic and decided they were better than everyone else, so they should rule the world. They didn’t get very far—back then there were even fewer gifted with magic than there are now—but they taught the continent a bloody lesson: magic users aren’t to be trusted. You follow?”

“I read as much in several history books,” Rakel said.

“Of course you did. Now, certainly you know that supposed lesson is wrong. You’re a good person, and even some of the enemy mages seem nice enough. It would be truthful to say that regular people made a sweeping decision, when it was only a few magic users who couldn’t be trusted. Sadly, they made their minds up, and now magic users are subjected to horrible things because of the actions of those few evil people. What you think about the villagers and troops is the same concept. Because of the actions of several weak-minded, greedy men, you are going to forsake all of them—including the Gertas, the Oskars, and the Halvors among them.”