Frey (The Frey Saga, #1)(13)

Chevelle was whispering to her. I couldn’t quite hear him but he must have given her a short account of the morning’s events. I moved closer to the window and found a larger gap there.

“Were you able to track her?” Junnie asked in a low voice.

“Not exactly,” he replied smoothly. She looked at him questioningly as he glanced around the room. “She’s following me.”

Heat flooded my face. I couldn’t believe he’d fooled me again. I didn’t care what else they had to say, I stood and marched away. I didn’t make it far, I found an old oak tree and slid down its massive trunk. I was tired, my legs ached from the trek and my head throbbed from the gnarl of thoughts. But I didn’t rest. I sat, leaned against the tree, probably looking like a bored child. I held my hand up and flipped a flame, tossing it up and down, turning it above my palm. And I was hungry, but I didn’t eat. Too stubborn and angry to find food, too resentful I didn’t have the magic to bring it to me. Yes, like a child.





Bright sun and chirping birds tore into my finally still senses. I squinted my eyes open and resisted the urge to stop the birds. It was the first time I’d slept away from my bed; disoriented, I glanced around. It didn’t help. I’d never been far from home and the new landscape was unsettling. I looked away. Beside me lay a neatly stacked pile of fabric topped with a small loaf of bread. Grrr... stupid watchers.

A large part of me wanted to burn the pile right there but my stomach overruled that thought and I reached out and grabbed the bread. Then, since I had already eaten the bread, I figured I might as well accept the other gifts and get out of this ridiculous dress. I listened hard and located the trickling sound of water. I picked up the pile and followed the sound to a small creek just a short distance away. I walked down to a little area where the water had pooled and knelt, leaning over to splash my face.

Panic shot through me as I saw someone looking back at me. I started to bolt upright, planning to flee, but caught myself. The woman in the reflection was me, that was my dark hair and flushed skin. I cautiously leaned back over the pool. The water was dark and so I assumed it made the image more frightening than it was. My eyes couldn’t have been that dark, my hair almost black. I straightened and held a piece of my hair forward to examine. It shimmered in the bright sunlight, glossy black. I dropped my hand away from my hair in distress. Maybe it was wrong; maybe I could wash it out. I stepped into the pool and sank down under the water. Maybe I’d just stay under…

The cold water didn’t bring back reason. I did want to breathe, however, so I stood and walked out. I was drenched and the water had made the long gown heavy and even more uncomfortable. I loosened the corset and dropped the dress to my feet, stepping out of it and onto a rock. I grabbed a shirt from the pile and slid it over my head. As I pulled on the pants, I noticed how nice the fabric felt, how good the cut. I laced the leather vest over the shirt. It seemed they were tailored for me; I’d never had such luck making my own clothes. These were trim and fit, much better for traveling. But where was I going? I slid my shoes on and saw there was a pack in the pile as well. I picked up the dress, trying to decide what to do with it, and the pouch I had hidden before the trial lay on the ground.

I tossed the dress over a branch and sat down on the rock, picking up the small bag. I’d carried it for days now and I still didn’t know what was inside. I pulled the binding loose and dumped the contents into my hand. A small dark ruby, a silver medallion, and a tiny scroll lay in my palm. I held the stone up to the light. Aside from the depth of color, it didn’t seem extraordinary. I examined the medallion, but didn’t recognize the emblems. I dropped them back into the pouch and opened the scroll. I tried to read the first line of the tiny script, “Fellon Strago Dreg.”

Electricity shot through my hands and I dropped the scroll like it was an angry snake. I held my hands up to inspect, they felt like they had been scorched. I smelled the unmistakable stench of charred flesh as I turned my palms inward. There were curving lines and symbols covering them. No, burned into them. I gasped. I’d been around fire magic for as long as I could remember. It had never burnt me or any other elf as far as I knew; it would only burn what it was meant to burn.

I looked back down at the scroll. I had read the words aloud, the fire magic was meant to burn. I carefully picked it up and rolled it back in place. I would not be reading from that again… I returned it to the pocket and bound the pouch as I had found it. Wow. I looked back down at my hands, trying to decipher the lines, and I realized I was looking at a map. Yes, it was burned into my palms, but it was a map. I wondered why anyone would have a ridiculous spell like that and then it hit me, I had taken it from the family vault.

I grabbed the dress off the tree branch and threw it and the pouch into the pack. Swinging it around onto my back, I started to run. I didn’t know where I was or where the map would take me but I knew one thing. There were mountains burned into my palms and I only knew of one place to find mountains. North.





I couldn’t remember much of life before going to live with my aunt Fannie. The village and surrounding meadows and forests were the only home I’d had, the only place I’d actually known. It wasn’t exactly a comforting place, but there was something to be said for knowing where you were, where to find food, shelter, and water. I'd been filled with determination when I’d started running, concentrating on north and nothing else. But as I made my way, I realized what a small little terrarium I’d been living in. The land here had started to roll gently, the trees were a deeper green and smaller – most wouldn’t have even been suitable for a single inhabitant, let alone a family. I didn’t think I’d gone that far, half a day following Chevelle and now today on my own. I was anxious to see the North.