I glare at Zarev when my focus shifts away from Neve. He’s been doing my job the past two days, disappearing to reap souls who are lingering following the destruction of the capital city. All the souls in the capital and around the palace seem to be missing, but from here, there are a few small villages I’m familiar with. He’s left silently each day, leaving Odette to read some book while he works and we wait.
Odette has the spellbook, too, the one I gave to Neve along with the needle. It managed to snag in Neve's dress, or what’s left of it, and when we were trying to figure out what to do to save her life, I sort of threw it at the Swan Princess. So, at least she isn't bored.
“We don't know how long that will be,” I reply, my eyes moving to the wound again. Releasing my fisted hand, I flex my fingers and feel the ice against her spine. It's solid when I touch it with my magic, but I can't help reminding myself yet again that it’s ice. One wrong move and it'll break.
Zarev is quiet for a moment, and without having to look, I know he's sharing a glance with Odette. They keep doing that, like they know what the Queen needs more than I do. “He’s supposed to be back today. She seems stable, Ban, but there's been no actual improvement–”
“I know,” I growl in return. Odette is nearby in the small space, still talking to Ray, but I know Zarev can hear me as I drop my voice again. “Have you seen him yet?”
“No. He said if we didn’t see improvement after three days, they would return,” Zarev reminds me carefully. “It’s been nearly four now since he helped us find this place.”
“The Icebound move mostly at night,” I say. “Anytime I saw them in the Frostlands, they were most active with the moon.”
“There’s a blizzard brewing outside, worse than it was this morning,” Zarev grunts. He shifts in my peripheral vision, and I can feel the question burning between us before he asks. “Do you plan to tell us who Andor is?”
I give him a jerky shake of my head that has him sighing before he moves away. That’s something else I really need Neve to be awake for. Thinking about our short exchange, I imagine when he returns to find her still asleep, it’s not going to be good.
"You've come to claim the Queen?" I asked, glaring at the figure before me. Horns aside, his is a face I’ll never forget.
Stepping closer, Andor's dark, sad eyes stare down at his daughter's dying body. “My Neve.”
“She's fading,” I snap. “She's hurt.”
Andor looks between the four of us, and I can feel the burning curiosity of Zarev and Odette behind me. "She needs the power bestowed on the reigning royal. A gift I could never give since I died. She had to be the Queen before I could pass on my legacy."
"Then give it to her now!"
Andor looks down at his hands, the anger and hate I expected to see after a hundred years nowhere to be found. “It will change her. Give her the gift her mother denied. But she’s too hurt to take any more magic right now. She must heal.”
“How?” I ask desperately, clinging to her body. Blood is dripping down my arm, and there’s the uncomfortable grind of her vertebrae as they move with each dying breath. I realize that, with the way her spine hangs, pulling away from her body, her internal organs are in danger as well. What do I do then?
Andor looks at me with unreadable eyes, gesturing to the two of us. “The moon gave you a gift once, Reaper. Perhaps it’s time you gift it back.”
“How do I give back magic I never asked for?”
His eyes focus on Neve again, his voice nearly empty when he speaks. “The Icebound will only speak with the true queen. If she cannot wake on her own, she must heal enough for her body to handle the gift itself. It's her birthright.”
I know Zarev didn’t follow our conversation at the time, and for now, I’ve avoided their questions because we’re trying to save Neve. They aren’t pushing for more, but the longer she sleeps, the more antsy all of us become. At least Odette came to the conclusion about my ice magic, and I was able to fuse her spine back together.
Gift it back. That’s what Andor said to do, and I think I understand, but it’s only an assumption.
Now we’re playing a waiting game, and although I don’t see her spirit trying to separate from her body, the longer Neve is asleep, the more I worry. Four days feel like an eternity as we wait.
“Did you ever figure out what that Icebound meant?” Odette calls across the cave. “About claiming the Queen?”
I glance her way, finding she’s leafing through Zarev’s book. She seems to be making notes and bookmarks however she can, when she isn’t inches from thrusting her hands into the fire. Even now, her teeth chatter. If they remain here much longer, we’ll have to find warmer clothes for her, or she’s going to get sick.
“Does it matter until someone returns?” Zarev asks dryly.
“Y-yes,” she stammers, scooting closer to the fire. He moves across our cave, taking off his cloak, and drapes it over her. The blizzard outside threatens to knock out the fire again when she speaks. “The Icebound, Ban. Tell us about them.”
I narrow my eyes, debating whether she actually found something in that book or if she’s struggling not to let her teeth chatter again. “I told you.”
“Basics.”
Sighing at her, I ignore Zarev’s curious gaze. “They are spirits warped with despair. As far as I’ve ever known, they are spirits who remain in the north. Usually, they are filled with regret, loneliness, or sometimes anger. We’re used to seeing them as wraiths, which is a big reason the four of us try to send spirits in a timely manner. Icebound splinter like a wraith does, twisting with hate until there’s little left but the beast that hid beneath.”
She’s quiet for a beat, watching me with wide eyes. “A-and… they can appear as giants?”
