Sacrifice (The Snow Queen #2)(41)

“Yes,” General Halvor said.

“I still can’t believe you let the king out here,” Phile said.

Halvor sourly frowned at Rakel. “He gave his word to stay out of combat—which is more than could be said for other royals of the same family.”

“This is a risk we have to take, Halvor. If I can get Farrin…”

“I know,” General Halvor said.

Oskar pointed to the sky. “I believe they’re readying their assault.” Swollen thunderclouds formed overhead. In spite of the cold temperatures, lighting flashed and crackled.

Rakel scowled. “He’s finally learning. He used the warm temperatures and my artificial cold front to create a storm-head.”

“Princess,” Halvor started.

“Done,” Rakel said. There was a large boom overhead as Rakel tapped her powers, this time using them to clear out all warm air. The temperature dropped again, making Phile shiver.

“Darn that boy!” she sniffed.

“Incoming,” Topi called.

“Archers, on my mark!” General Halvor shouted, wheeling his pony around.

The Chosen mercenaries charged across the valley with a roar, their weapons raised.

“Now!” Halvor shouted.

Verglas archers fired, taking down rows of enemy troops. But the Chosen far outnumbered them, and more soldiers poured on the field to make up for the loss.

Verglas archers nocked another round of arrows, and the front-line troops—all bearing shields improved by Tollak, who charmed them to be lightweight and nearly impossible to dent, much less destroy—raised their shields and prepared for the onslaught.

“Magic users, now!” Halvor shouted.

Frodi flicked his hands, and the rope Eydìs had laid up and down the lengths of the field erupted into flames. Frodi yelped, surprised at the ferocity with which they caught fire. Blue colored flames leaped up like a flickering wall, scorching the Chosen soldiers near it.

Eydìs rubbed her hands with glee. “That worked better than I expected.”

Frodi stared at the wall of fire, aghast. “What did you do?”

“I soaked the rope in barrels of alcohol.”

“Well done,” Halvor said.

“Yeah, it doesn’t last too long, though,” Frodi said. The blue colored flames consumed the alcohol in the ropes and sputtered out.

Halvor unsheathed his sword. “Infantry, stand firm!”

The two forces collided in a cacophony of sound. Some soldiers shouted; others screamed. But the Verglas lines held, and the shields kept them safe until they pushed through with their own attack.

Knut blew another note on the horn, signaling the arrival of the Chosen magic users. There were more than they had ever faced previously—at least forty of them—but one of them was struck down by Genovefa before they drew close enough to attack.

“Excuse us,” Eydìs said.

Frodi saluted Rakel. “Princess.” He chased after his partner, who almost hit him in the face with a pack of dried food.

“Eat up. We’re going to have some fun.” She laughed.

Farther up the line, Rakel heard curses of irritation as Tollak slapped unbreakable restraints on every Chosen magic user he could find. A Verglas soldier built like a massive blacksmith guarded his back, throwing attackers away like they were wee kittens.

Many of the magic users poured around them and fell on the magic-less Verglas troops, wreaking havoc.

“We’re going to be heavily outnumbered in magical strength.” Rakel gathered up more and more of her powers.

Phile offered her a smile. “Only for a few minutes. Have faith in him, Little Wolf. He picked you, after all.” Phile abandoned her mittens and thick jacket, leaped onto her horse, and cantered away. “Don’t worry, Oskar. This time I’ll steal a horse for you, too!” she called over her shoulder. With a whoop, she plowed into a Chosen magic user who was harassing Verglas troops.

Rakel itched to use her powers, but she had promised Halvor she wouldn’t move until Farrin or Tenebris did. Her magic roared in her as she watched a Chosen magic user slay a Verglas soldier. Shot with arrows like a pincushion, he kept running through the ranks like a madman—his eyes unfocused and his mouth fixed in a horrible grin.

Just when Rakel was about to reach out and encage him, Genovefa pounced, moving with her elf-speed and grace, knocking him unconscious in an instant.

“Princess,” Oskar said. “Tenebris is up to something.”

Rakel swallowed sharply when she saw the black cloud forming at the far end of the valley. Her mouth went dry. “If you’ll excuse me, Oskar.”

Oskar bowed. “Godspeed.”

Rakel tried to smile but gave up on the lost effort and trotted away. She kept to the edge of the fight so she was out of the way but able to intervene. As she watched, the black cloud slithered across the valley like a monstrous snake, making its way towards the Verglas front line. The frenzied screams from deep in the Chosen army reaffirmed Crow’s testament—Tenebris sacrificed his own soldiers to throw his deadly powers at the enemy. Merciless.

Rakel waited until the cloud stretched only a few horse lengths away from Verglas troops, then used her magic. A crystalline wall of ice jutted out of the ground, stretching high above the battlefield and extending past the reach of the black cloud. She used more than necessary—she wanted to be certain it wouldn’t get past her.