“Neither did I.”
The boy squinted at Therese. “May I ask why you’re carrying around a talking frog?”
“Oh, she’s not really a frog. She’s a little girl.” I continued, “There was a bit of an accident. But I’ll have her back to normal in no time.”
“Have you tried kissing her?”
“Kissing her?” I snorted. “That’s not a thing.” Then I leaned toward Freya and lowered my voice. “Is that a thing?”
Freya rolled her eyes. “In fairy tales. But in those stories, she would have to be kissed by a prince to break the enchantment. And there is absolutely nothing princely about you.”
I straightened. “Nothing princely about me? I’m a refined gentleman of a witch.”
She smiled tightly. “You may have thearroganceof a prince, but that doesn’t make you a gentleman.”
Therese giggled, which only irritated me further.
Freya cleared her throat, eyes swinging to our new companion. “So, who are you?”
The boy looked up, as if startled, and offered a small smile. “Apologies. I am Erik. It appears I am in your debt.”
“Okay, Erik, why was the Ice Queen holding you captive?”
Erik considered for a moment. “Well, an ice giant attacked my men as we were traveling to a nearby village. It may have felt my power, and it brought me to her.”
“You’re a witch,” Freya stated.
“Aye. I can imbue weapons with powers. I can also fortify buildings with wards. That’s the sort of work I prefer.”
I tilted my head. This boy was hiding something. “And what did the Ice Queen want with you?” I asked.
“To imbue her wand with power. It would increase her power tenfold.” He looked away. “I couldn’t let that happen. You’ve seen how destructive she is, as is.”
“So, you managed to resist her?”
Erik looked shocked, as if the idea of not resisting her was preposterous. “She wouldn’t be able to coax me to aid her in any way, whatever torture she might come up with.”
I very much doubted that, given he’d been ready to throw us to her beasts immediately after we’d rescued him.
I watched as Erik fed another piece of wood into the fire, surprised to find that I was rather warm now. “It feels good in here,” I said.
Erik grinned. “We have structures like this where I come from, as well.”
“You come from a fishing village?”
“Fish is our primary food. We also hunt polar bears and seals. In the cold, you have to survive on whatever the land provides.”
I smiled, amused. The only way this boy had tussled with a polar bear and lived was if he’d created a pretty amazing weapon. And one that he could lift.
“I hate fish,” Therese grumbled.
Freya frowned. “Unfortunately, that’s probably what’s on the menu tonight. There aren’t many flies in arctic wastelands.”
Erik perked up. “That’s it!”
I blinked. “What’s it?”
The boy ducked his head. “Fish!” He stood and slipped out of the building quickly.
