Sacrifice (The Snow Queen #2)(25)

“But to kill his own men!” Phile objected.

“Have any of you been accidentally hit by Princess Rakel’s magic?” Crow asked.

Everyone tensed, and it took Rakel a formidable amount of self-control to keep the room temperature even.

Frodi popped out of his chair. “That’s an unfair question! The princess has been facing off against a magic user who can reflect magic and use your own powers against you. Of course she can’t help it if some of us are hit,” he snarled.

“And that is why Tenebris’s magic users remain with him,” Crow said.

“I don’t understand,” Eydìs said. “Tenebris never faces off against Farrin—Farrin is his colonel.”

“It’s not the reason; it’s the passion. There’s no question in my mind that your beloved Snow Queen is a more gentle and reasonable character than Tenebris Malus, but you all stay with her even after getting hit for the same reason Tenebris’s magic users stay with him: loyalty,” Crow said.

The hair on the back of Rakel’s neck stood on end, and she felt oddly rankled. Though Crow hadn’t said anything bad about her, she felt dirty after being compared to Tenebris. We’re nothing alike. Not at all.

Next to her, Steinar tapped his chin. “We have established that Tenebris is a horrifying character, and we have found a potential weakness in his forces—the disloyalty and division of his infantry. How do we use this against him?”

All the eyes in the room turned to him—shocked that he had spoken.

“It is an excellent question, my king,” General Halvor said. “We, thankfully, have a magic user who can counter the effects of Tenebris’s magic.”

Liv blushed and stared at her feet, even as Phile jovially ruffled her hair.

“When a curse was cast upon the princess during the retaking of Ostfold, Liv discovered her magic—the ability to purify wounds and infections and such—can be used to neutralize curses as well.” Halvor continued, “It is likely Tenebris already knows of her existence. If he does not, he will learn of it shortly. We will have a retinue of guards assigned to her—including at least one magic user—as Liv lacks the ability to defend herself.”

“Do you have to touch a person to purify the curse, or can you cast a spell over an area?” a soldier asked, smiling at Liv in encouragement.

Rakel was warmed by the sight. It’s not just me people are accepting, it’s all magic users. Though this is a sinister trial, if it means magic users can rise from the darkness…

“I’m fairly certain I have to touch the person to neutralize the curse, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test it.” Liv offered the soldier a shaky smile.

“It is certainly fortuitous that we have a magic user able to counter him,” one of Halvor’s officers, Colonel Danr, said. “But it is a remedy. We need a tactic to prevent his curses. Tollak—do you have any charms that could help us?”

Tollak rubbed his chin. “No. I might be able to come up with something, but it will take at least a month of research, and I would need to see Tenebris’s magic in action about a dozen times or so. I can’t protect all of Ostfold.”

General Halvor nodded. “Pursue your research in your off-time then. Both Tollak and Colonel Danr are correct. Due to the magical forces we face, it is better for us to attack than defend. I propose we march south and set up a base camp instead of remaining in Ostfold.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay in Ostfold?” Eydìs asked. “With the mountains at our back and fresh snow lying on them at all times of the year, we could hold it indefinitely with the princess’s powers.”

General Halvor glanced at Rakel.

Rakel nodded and stood, moving to join General Halvor at the front of the library. “I could, but the side-effects would be disastrous,” she said. “If the Chosen lay a siege on us, I believe our defenses could possibly hold out.”

“They would,” General Halvor assured her.

“However, we would certainly run out of food, and if I were defending Ostfold, it would be too cold to grow anything, and wild game would eventually die out in want of food as well.” Rakel pressed her lips together and gazed out at the large council. She was pleasantly surprised to see that no one wore hostile expressions, narrowed their eyes, or even flinched in fear. Instead, they listened intently.

They will not like what follows… “Which is why we must defeat The Chosen by mid-spring.”

The room exploded in whispers and gasps of shock.

“What?”

“It cannot be done!”

“It took us that long to reclaim Glowma and Ostfold!”

“I cannot use my powers after the middle of spring,” Rakel said.

“Why?” Steinar tilted his head as he studied her. “Does it become too difficult?”

“Not at all; it is for the same reason that we cannot plan to remain in Ostfold and wait out attacks,” Rakel said. “If I extensively use my magic after spring, it will ruin the planting and harvest season. Fruit trees will not bud—and if they do, the bees that pollinate them would die in the cold, or snow and frost would destroy the buds themselves. Crops planted in areas that I freeze over would be ruined—for the year. The grass is perhaps the only thing that would not be killed off, and there would be a hay crop, but it would be smaller than usual and most likely stunted.”