She tilted her head, studying the murky depths of his dark eyes. “…But?”
A slight frown tugged Farrin’s lips down. It wasn’t one of disapproval, but rather of deep thought. “I know you. You have a merciful and wildly courageous heart.Iwould prefer that you leave that fool to rot in prison…but I fear that if you were to do so, you will only wound yourself.” He crouched next to her and brushed a tendril of her hair from her face. “You have never compromised your heart or your beliefs. Even when you faced disapproval from all, you did not forsake your magic because you loved it. If you had, it would have destroyed you. I think this matter is very similar. To another, it would be nothing; but you—who always acts true to yourself—it will eat away at you.”
Tears burned Rakel’s eyes. “I’m so afraid, Farrin.”
Farrin leaned into Rakel so their foreheads touched. “I know. But I also know you have the strength to act in spite of your fear. Am I not a living example of that?”
Rakel shut her eyes and set her head on his shoulder.He’s right. I know what I have to do.“Thank you, Farrin,” she whispered. “For being my strength when I so desperately need it.”
Farrin kissed her head. “Of course. Did I not promise I am yours until the end of time?”
They stayed together, with Koray quietly leaning against Rakel, for some time, drawing strength in their closeness and silence.
Rakel hesitated on the stairway,pausing before she descended the last few steps into the dank, dimly lit dungeon. She uneasily pushed her shoulders back and was thankful Koray crowded her, for his warmth gave her reassurance.
She twisted around to glance inquiringly at Farrin, who lurked several steps behind her. The edges of his lips twitched up in an encouraging smile. Rakel nodded and breathed in, shuddering at the vile, rotten smell of the dungeons, then made her way down the aisle.
The rock cells reminded her too much of the tower she used to be kept in, but she folded her hands together and pressed them into her stomach, forcing herself to remain calm.
Two soldiers standing guard at their posts in the hall gasped. “Princess!” They scrambled to salute her and exchanged shocked gazes.
“How can we, er, be of service to you?” one asked. He was shorter and sounded pleasant enough, but he looked like he had seen a battle or three based on the familiar grip he held of his spear and the white scar that puckered his cheek.
“I wish to speak to a particular prisoner,” she said. “Aleifr.”
The soldier who was brave enough to speak nodded knowingly. “Yes, Princess. We have direct orders from the King that we are to do whatever you wish with him. I will take you to his cell, but if you like, we could haul him out of the dungeons. A place like this ain’t fit for you,” he said as the second soldier appeared to sink his neck into his shoulders.
Rakel shook her head. “No. I should like to speak to him in his cell, but I thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
The short soldier saluted. “As you wish, Princess. This way, if you please.”
Rakel followed him down the aisle, struggling to calm her frantically beating heart as he led the way to the darkest part of the dungeon. He sorted through a ring of keys, then paused at a wooden door lined with metal, and opened it.
The cell was constructed out of black stone, making it oppressive and cheerless. It stank of rotting flesh and contained only a bucket and a pile of moldy straw. It took Rakel a moment to realize that the mass of ratty rags on the straw was aperson, and not refuse.
She swallowed heavily and briefly covered her mouth with a hand as she fought the bile that churned in her stomach.
“Traitor, stand,” the stout soldier said. “You’re in the presence of the Snow Queen.”
Aleifr uncurled; his frightened eyes looked abnormally large in his gaunt skull. “N-no,” he whispered, his fear almost palpable. He bolted to the opposite side of the cell, revealing leg irons that chained him to the wall.
Rakel’s guide scowled and looked like he was about to take the dirty prisoner to task, but Rakel stepped into the cell. “That is enough, thank you. Farrin and Koray will guard me.” She glanced down at the dog, uncertain this was true, but he looked fierce enough she thought the guard would still believe her.
The soldier adjusted his helm. “Yes, Your Highness, but I must perform my duty, so I’ll be stayin’ here.”
Rakel nodded very slowly. She had hoped to do this without an audience—Farrin didn’t count, for he knew her heart perhaps better than she did herself—but she was not surprised.Even though he knows I have Farrin with me, Steinar would be angry if I were to speak to Aleifr without additional protection.Out loud she said, “Very well,” then returned her attention to her one-time guard, who was pressed into the farthest corner, quivering.
“I knew you would come for me,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You’d come for revenge.”
It took Rakel a moment to push past the memory of his betrayal. “No.”
Aleifr shook his head, weaving slightly. “You’ve come to kill me. To punish me for my betrayal. I’ve been waiting for it.”
Fear and an unexpected jolt of hurt made it difficult for her to swallow. “I’m not going to kill you, Aleifr.”
“Then you’ll torture me,” he said. He shook with fear and dread, trembling like a pale leaf. “You’ll stab ice into my skin, gouge my eyes, and cut me down.”
Rakel winced both at the gruesome language and with the knowledge that he thought her capable of such a thing. “No. I’m not here to hurt you, either. I have come to release you.”
