Heart of Ice (The Snow Queen #1)(75)

Phile skid to a stop at Rakel’s side. “Are you alright? Did he try to shake you down for his sword?”

“No,” Rakel said. “He came only to give me information.”

“That man. He’s not very innovative,” Phile sighed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“We need to return to Ostfold to tell General Halvor what he told me.”

“Alright, let’s go. I left the children with Frigid. They’ve probably pulled his tail by now. Ugh, running in all these clothes has made me sweaty,” Phile complained as she set out back the way she had come.

Rakel, however, stared off to where Farrin had disappeared. He liked her—romantically. It had taken the kiss for her to realize it—though in her defense, she had never encountered nor entertained thoughts about romantic love before. It seemed trivial when her greatest desire was that people would stop trying to kill her—but his every touch and look declared it.

He couldn’t possibly love her—he didn’t know her well enough to delude himself into that emotion—but Rakel suspected that with a little encouragement, he would likely be open to the idea. And if that were true, perhaps he could be convinced to leave the Chosen. It was a calculating thought, but Rakel also suspected that luring him away from the Chosen would save him—as Phile, Oskar, and Captain Halvor had saved her.

“Something wrong?” Phile asked.

Rakel took a moment to make sure no part of her epiphany showed on her face. “No.”

“What are you thinking, then? You’ve got the same expression Halvor wears when he finds a winning strategy.”

“I merely came to an understanding over something mundane,” Rakel shrugged.

“Uh-huh. Right. And I’m an honest citizen.”

“It’s nothing noteworthy.” Yet.

“Mmhmm. Anyway, when we get back to Ostfold, let’s thaw out and get something to eat first. Captain Halvor won’t eat or sleep for ages when he finds out you’ve spoken to Dim-wit again.”

“Farrin did have some dire warnings,” Rakel said.

“Yeesh. That bad, is it? If that is the case, let’s ask the kitchens to have food sent to us,” Phile said, crossing the forest’s border.

Rakel listened to her friend’s happy chatter—a bright comparison to Rakel’s less happy thoughts.

I thought I was finally done fearing for my life. I’ve saved my brother, cities, villages, and many soldiers. I thought I could step aside and let others lead. But what Farrin spoke of—the mirror and Tenebris…

If Farrin is right and it grants great power, and if the Chosen successfully retrieve it, more than Verglas will be in danger. This Tenebris cannot be allowed to get the mirror. But who in the Verglas rebellion can stop him? Certainly not Steinar with his crown, or even Halvor with the strength of the army.

Rakel watched Phile reunite with Frigid and the children. Gerta threw herself into Phile’s arms, shrieking and laughing with joy. Grave Kai stood by Frigid’s head and held his leadline with a subdued but equally happy smile. Looking at them filled Rakel with so much warmth, it hurt.

“I’ll have to do it,” Rakel whispered. “I can’t just throw out the Chosen. I have to defeat them and face Tenebris. If I don’t…Gerta, Kai, and others like them won’t have a future.”

As Rakel recalled all who had grown dear to her since the start of her adventure—the other Verglas magic users, Captain Halvor’s soldiers, Trygvvi, Pordis, and so on—her hands curled into fists.

Rakel could hear her magic singing in her blood as fat flakes of snow drifted down from the sky.

There would be no more running. No more hiding.

These people and this land—they were hers!



High on Ensom Peak, Rakel’s ice castle glittered in the afternoon sunlight. Its halls and rooms were cold and empty, and though her books and ice sculptures remained, the heart of the place had left with its builder.

A red fox nonchalantly trotted into the enclosure, wandered up to a castle wall, and sniffed. Its black nose barely brushed the ice, but the contact flooded the fox with powerful, minty magic that struck like lightning and stung like a blizzard wind.

The fox screamed and was tossed backwards. When it hit the ground, it transformed into a woman. “By tails and feathers—she has that much latent magic just sitting around?” the woman stammered, trying to collect her frazzled thoughts. “What is she?”



The End