“Now Princess, I reckon you’re mad at her for leaving you without warning, but that’s no reason to shoot ’er,” Knut said, motioning for the other two soldiers—who had started nocking their bows—to stand down.
“Pity,” Rakel muttered.
“That’s the biggest reindeer I’ve ever seen,” Gerta said.
“Its antlers have a strange appearance,” Rakel said. Considering the reindeer was almost as tall as a horse, its antlers seemed disproportionately small. They were there, but they didn’t have the extensive height and branching that her books showed.
“It’s a bull. The older ones cast their horns in early winter, so his are growing in again,” Kai said with confidence.
“I see…I don’t think she’s going to stop.” Rakel watched as Phile and her reindeer mount galloped closer, tossing snow in the air as they ran. “No, she’s not. Come, children.” Rakel took their hands and pulled them back, but she didn’t need to.
When he was about twenty feet away, the reindeer skidded to a stop and bucked, throwing Phile from his back. She whooped as she spun through the air and hit a snowdrift.
“Hoodlum,” Rakel said.
Phile rolled a few times, then popped to her feet.
“Happy birthday!” Phile said, gesturing proudly to the irate reindeer. He shook his head and pawed at the snow.
It was quiet for several long seconds before Rakel realized Phile was addressing her. “Me?”
“Yes!” Phile said.
Gerta and Kai clapped and cooed over the gift. Gerta meandered closer to the reindeer, but when it snorted, Kai yanked her backwards.
“My birthday is in the summer,” Rakel said.
Phile dropped her hands. “You’re joking. With your powers, you were born in thesummer?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s a load of rot. But it doesn’t matter—consider him a gift for all the birthdays I’ve missed. Next year, I’ll steal you something better. I had to catch this boy—yikes,” Phile said, pulling her hand back when the reindeer snapped at her. “He could still use some taming.”
Rakel studied the reindeer, feeling touched in spite of herself. She couldn’t remember when she last received a birthday gift—it was probably before her magic was discovered.
“We’ll have to get him friendlier by the time we invade Ostfold—or Oskar and Captain Halvor won’t let you ride him.”
Rakel watched Gerta and Kai slowly approach the gigantic reindeer again. “It’s General Halvor, now.”
“So you picked up on what was going on, hmm? Good job. You must have corrected some of those nasty officers.”
“Colonel Vardr was the biggest problem, but Halvor seems to have taken command without any major difficulties,” Rakel said. Her interest in the reindeer finally got the best of her, and she edged forward, offering her palm to the ornery beast.
He turned away, ignoring her, and started digging, searching for buried greenery.
“He’ll come around,” Phile promised, patting his shoulder. She backed away when he tried to ram her with his horns. “I think.”
“Happy Birthday, Princess!” Gerta shouted.
Rakel smiled at her, although she barely heard the comment. Phile’s return had set the wheels in her mind turning. Now she was more open to applying pressure to Halvor to get him to march on Ostfold.
“Do you think Steinar is okay?” Rakel asked.
“Who?” Phile said.
“My brother.”
“Oh. Well, the appointed two weeks haven’t passed yet, and…”
