The boy stopped and his smile tightened. “Er … I’m not sure …”
Freya drew herself up. “Your companion said there was a town just south of here.”
With a sigh, the boy crossed his arms. His eyes darted around. He knew we didn’t have time to argue. “Very well. I can take you there. Just … follow in my footsteps once we hit the main path. I know where to step so we don’t disturb the snow, and I don’t want Her Majesty’s friends to be able to follow us.” He spun and began hiking through the snow.
I lifted an eyebrow and gestured for Freya to follow him. After a moment, I snorted, then lowered my voice. “You know what that probably means? He wanted us to make footprints going elsewhere so we would lead those beasts away from him.”
Freya’s jaw clenched. “You’re right. The ungrateful brat. And after we rescued him too.” She shook her head, then raised her voice. “If you lead us into a trap, I’ll gut you like a pig.”
Without turning around, the boy said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“She’s just joking,” Therese assured him.
But I didn’t think she was.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
We came upona small fishing village an hour later. My face was numb by the time we arrived, and I was ready to collapse from exhaustion. When the first houses appeared, I let out a delirious laugh and slowed, my weary legs feeling leaden.
“We should be safe here,” the boy said. “If we hadn’t been so careless last time, I could have hidden here and would never have been run down by the Ice Queen’s creatures.” He waved a hand. “It was all Manny’s fault.”
“Manny?” I echoed, still gasping for air from the trek.
“Yes. The man in the other cell.” He looked pensive. “I take it he wasn’t … salvageable?”
“Salvageable?” Freya wrinkled her nose. “That’s a funny way to put it, but no, he would not have survived those wounds for much longer.”
“I figured as much.” He didn’t seem too affected by the loss as he trained his blue eyes on me.
“Who are you, anyway?” Freya asked, stopping to lean forward, hands on her knees, and to catch her breath.
He frowned at her. “Don’t stop now. Your blood will freeze quickly in this cold.” He nodded encouragement as she began walking of her own accord. “Let’s find shelter, then we can talk.”
Watching Freya continue after the boy, I doubted she would be able to open another portal for a while yet, which was disconcerting. My mind kept drifting to Auggie. It might be days before we were able to return to him. I had the sinking feeling that would be too late.
“Freya,” I said slowly, “do you think the Ember King can be reasoned with?”
“Hardly. You’ve seen him. I think he’s too far gone at this point.” At my dejected look, she amended, “But you never know. Whatever he is now, he’s clearly been motivated by greed. He wants more land, more power. He wants to control witches who step onto his domain. There might be a way to talk to him through that.”
“Hmph.” I didn’t see how.
The closer we drew to the village, the more it appeared that something was wrong. No one was outside, for one thing, but given the extreme weather, I couldn’t really fault them there. However, the houses themselves appeared off, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was odd about them until we drew much closer and more of the village came into view. Then I saw it, and we walked along the streets of the village quietly, staring at the scene with disbelieving eyes.
The entire village was covered in ice. The thick coat of ice on the rooftops glistened brightly in the sunlight but stubbornly refused to melt. Icicles, thousands of them—some over a foot long—dangled from everything, from the sides of buildings, from carts and wagons. Dark shapes cowered in the corners and in doorways, also covered in ice, and I soon discerned that these were people, frozen in fear quite literally, mouths hanging open in silent screams, eyes large and unblinking. It was like they’d been preserved in a wave of horror, testament to a disastrous occurrence.
“What a waste.” The boy sighed. “If only Manny hadn’t bungled things.”
He was staring around him, taking in the horror of what used to be a village willing to take him in and protect him when he’d needed it.
“There are still some buildings untouched,” Freya said, pointing toward the ocean, where boats were pulled aground near tiny structures the size of closets. One was about twice the size of the others, but with the doors hanging open, facing the village, it was apparent that no survivors would be found within.
Our companion led us to the structure and quickly gathered kindling for a fire, attempting to pry the wood from the frames of other small buildings. In the end, he required our assistance, and we smashed a dinghy to pieces.
Once a fire was going in the small room, he pulled the door closed and slid open a panel in the ceiling to give the smoke somewhere to go. Then he sat silently, feeding the fire with his cache of wood every so often. I didn’t mind the silence. It gave me a chance to rest my weary limbs, and I felt my body thaw gradually from the intensity of the fire. I gently tucked Therese into the collar of my shirt; her body felt like little more than a cold lump.
“How are you doing?” I asked her.
“I’m tired,” Therese sighed. “And cold. I never thought I would miss the Ember King’s domain.”
