Oskar helped Kai adjust his scarf. “Everyone in our party is here.”
Halvor snapped off a salute. “Proceed when you are ready, Princess.”
Rakel smiled and pulled on the magic she had been building. She felt for the snow and ice embedded in the mountain, finding the pieces wedged into the rocky core. She yanked the ice out, making the mountain crumble.
A nudge from the earth user, and the side of the mountain collapsed in on itself. Clouds of dust and snow puffed up in the air, but Bluff summoned a brisk wind and blew it off, letting Rakel inspect the aftermath of the avalanche-landslide. The lower part of the mountain was indiscernible among the ruin. The mirror was buried under layers of ice and rock.
“Gerta’s gonnadiewhen I tell her what she missed!” Kai whooped.
Rakel inhaled and stretched her arms above her hands, the last burden lifted from her shoulders.I might not have been able to destroy the mirror, but with Verglas standing between it and freedom, I have boxed it in and buried it. Even if it is ever discovered, it will be generations until it is unearthed, and that will give us magic users time to prepare for it.
“Well done, Princess.” Farrin spoke with a slight lilt to his words and a quirk to his lips that gave him a teasing air. “You’ve saved your country—and now the world.”
Rakel grinned. “We’ve saved it. No matter how powerful a person is, they cannot stand alone.”
Across the clearing, Oskar raised an eyebrow. “Not standing alone? Is that what you call single-handedly killing Tenebris and pushing your powers into Verglas?”
“I apologized for that, Oskar,” Rakel protested.
“With all due respect, Princess, you did not,” General Halvor said. “You said you regretted that you did what you had to do.”
“At least Phile is on my side,” Rakel sighed.
“The support of the guildmaster of a gang ofthievesis not the best of recommendations,” Oskar said. “And be warned: if she is indeed off stealing you a belated birthday gift, as she promised, and almost starts another war, it will beyourduty to sweet-talk the irate ambassadors that arrive.”
“When will Phile come home?” Kai took Rakel’s hand when she offered it to him.
“That is difficult to say. She may be back by the time we return.” Rakel smiled at Farrin when he draped an arm around her waist.
Farrin dropped a quick kiss on her lips, making Kai wrinkle his nose in disgust. “I don’t think she will be,” Farrin said.
“Why not?” Rakel asked.
“She said she was going to steal books for you so you could start a magic school—as you and Ragnar discussed,” Farrin said.
“Books? That would be helpful. However, we’re a long way from establishing a school. Verglas will need to recover from the war before Steinar can spare us the funds to build us a building,” Rakel said.
General Halvor checked a supply pack. “I thought he offered the use of the palace.”
“He did, but it would feel improper,” Rakel said.
Oskar rolled his eyes. “Princess, a great portion of the rebuilt palace is all but a monument to you. Use the palace; no one will care.”
“There’s a storm coming in from Kozlovka,” Bluff announced. “I can hold it off, but we should probably prepare to camp soon.”
“Return to formation, and begin the climb down. We need to camp with the reindeer and ponies,” General Halvor said.
“Yes, sir!”
Kai pulled away, eagerly catching up to Frodi—who began to mold his fiery powers to warm up the party. Rakel watched him skip ahead with a smile.
“I should apologize,” Farrin said.
Rakel blinked. “For?”
“I once accused you of being an idealist,” Farrin said, giving her a sad smile. “I was wrong.”
Rakel smiled. “No. The world can be a place as dark as you thought—you have lived it, as have I.”
“It can also be beautiful and brimming with goodness,” Farrin said.
“Yes,” Rakel agreed. “It’s like winter—deadly and filled with wonder.”
Farrin chuckled. “Indeed. And you have done a wonderful job to make it more beautiful. Lead on, Snow Queen.” He squeezed her hand as he held it.
Rakel gave him a sly smile that would have made Phile proud. “Only if you watch my back, Farrin Graydim.”
He smiled. “Always.”
The End
