“Anya,” the little girl says. “I’m Anastasia. Momma used to be Snow Queen Snedronningen’s personal attendant until Lady Nyra came along.”
That’s a mouthful.“When did Nyra show up?”
“Three years ago,” she whispers, dropping her gaze. “Last time the Queen of Hearts appeared.”
My mind halts, malfunctioning as I process the name.Queen of Hearts. The Mad Queen.
How did I not realize she was back in the Frostlands only a handful of years ago? I do avoid the capital like the plague, but to miss something like that?
Anastasia can’t be more than eight years old. “Do you remember her from her last visit? The Queen of Hearts?”
Anastasia nods, her head bobbing so fast that it almost bounces off her transparent body. I almost ask her how long ago she died, but kids are difficult to read. Some kids are intrigued by death, eager to learn, and understanding what happens makes it easier for them to accept and move on. Others are left in the dark, parents failing to explain the circle of life, or they have already departed from this world. Anastasia might have a good grasp of death and understanding what happens next, but shehasn’t pressed me with a bunch of questions, either. If anything, I’m the one asking them.
The whole time I’ve been at the palace with Neve, I haven’t had to send a spirit on from within the walls. I have to go to the city for that, outside the palace gates. So why a child?
“She was scary,” Anastasia says, drawing me back to the present. “She had gems in her teeth and a crown she made from her enemies.”
That must be the bone crown she’s fond of.
“Did you see why she came?” I press.
“To visit with the girl.”
I make another whirlwind of snow for Anastasia as I mull that over. She giggles, letting me stew in my thoughts. Would Ronnie show another royal where she hid Neve all these years? I only visited the Ice Queen a few times, just to see if her condition was better or worse. Stalking the Snow Queen while her daughter lay frozen would have eventually driven me mad. And if I had never stepped away from my goal of waking the Ice Queen, I never would have met my Hell Brothers.
I consider the timeline with a sigh. Years ago, when I was still coming to grips with being an ice mage, I first happened across Ronnie and the spinning wheel dilemma. I was stalking her through the castle, using magic to help hide me, and saw her remove the spinning wheel from Neve’s room.
“Take this,” she said to an attendant, who looked at the wheel in confusion. “Send it with the next delivery to King Gordias. His son, Midas, has a penchant for gold. Perhaps he can do something with it.”
“You don’t wish to leave it for the Queen’s return, Your Majesty?”
“No. I’ll have visitors in the coming weeks who need attending. The wheel is an eyesore. It’s not even wholeanymore. My silly daughter lost the needle long before she became queen. We’ll tidy up the room for her when she’s back among the people.”
I was so distracted by the wheel and what Ronnie said back then, I didn’t even wonder who the guest was. Has Ronnie been speaking with the Mad Queen in secret all these years?
That’s how I originally found out about the spinning wheel, but I lacked power and drive. It took ages for me to find the courage across Icicle Pass after dying there years before. And by the time I entered Sherwood for the first time, Gordias was dead and Midas was taking the throne. I let fear drive me, and I turned back to the Frostlands for a number of years before trying again.
It was a fool’s mission then, but perhaps I let opportunity slip me by. As for the girl Anastasia mentioned…
“What girl?” I ask once the snowflakes have all fallen. “Queen Neve?”
Anastasia peers up at me, shaking her head. I try to refocus my thoughts and not allow the past to haunt me. “The girl in the ice. Momma went with Queen Snedronningen and saw the girl. She told me to never go into the mountains with her.” Sadness creeps across her young face. “Then Momma died.”
I rack my brain, trying to recall if I have reaped a woman named Anya in the past few years from the castle. Some spirits offer names, some don’t. “Did your mum pass three years ago?”
She nods quickly, stepping a little closer. Guilt hits me; I should send her on without peppering her with more questions. “Momma went into the mountains with Queen Snedronningen, and they came back with Sir Kael and Lady Nyra.”
Son of a bitch, shedidcollect herself some Icebound. “And she went on this trip with the Mad–with theQueenof Hearts?”
Anastasia keeps nodding, looking out to the sea. The ship approaches, and I swear, there’s nothing distinguishing about it. Beige sails, black hull. I was right: There’s no flag flying against the gray, cloudy sky.
“The Queen of Hearts stayed for a while, and Sir Kael and Lady Nyra did, too. I thought they would go home with the Queen, but they stayed. Then one night–”
She stops talking, her little eyes misting, and I get the idea. “Do you know who took her?”
“Yes,” she says immediately. “The same man who killed me: Sir Kael.”
Well, that’s not a good sign. Any splintered spirit, Icebound or not, is going to get a taste for blood. the more they spill. If Kael killed a child, how many others has he murdered?
