“Keep up this bickering, and perhaps I will. Don’t test me.”
The princess seemed unperturbed by the stag’s threats. She shot a wary look over her shoulder, as if she expected me to wrap my arms around her again. When I did nothing, she reached into her satchel and withdrew a shiny red apple. Atfirst, I thought she would feed it to Mauro as a peace offering. Then, she took a large bite, the crunch echoing in the snowy wood.
I wrinkled my nose. “So now you’ll eat like the animals, too?”
“It’s a sparkwood apple.”
“So?”
She threw an incredulous glance at me over her shoulder. “You’ve never had one? You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted a sparkwood apple.”
“She’s right,” Mauro said.
“What’s so special about these apples?” I arched an eyebrow as I scrutinized the apple in her hand. “Besides its blindingly bright color.”
“The sparkwood trees are all over Knockspur,” Eira said. “Their vibrant red leaves and apples were often mistaken for flames in the forest, hence the name of the tree. When you see it in full bloom, it looks like a great fire burning, even amidst the snow. It’s quite a sight.”
I frowned. I’d been all over the Winter Court and I’d never come across such a tree. “You’re making this up.”
“Can’t lie, remember?” She took another bite. “The trees are rare in big cities. It’s said that fae magic repels their growth.” She shot a smirk at me. “A shame, really, that you fae folk have to miss out on such sweet juiciness.”
“You’re half fae,” I said in a flat voice.
“Guess the sparkwood trees aren’t bothered by that.”
Mauro slowed to a halt, his breath coming in small puffs with each exhale.
“Why are we stopping?” I straightened, glancing around only to find we were still in the middle of a thick and unfamiliar wood, surrounded by snow-covered trees.
“I need to get my bearings.” Mauro bent his head low so he could sniff the ground. One of his ears twitched. Only then did I notice the wood was completely silent. Aside from Mauro’s panting, not a sound rang out. No twigs snapping. No snow crunching. No chittering birds or squirrels.
Not even a frosty breeze blew through the frozen forest. It was as if someone had stopped time.
Only once had I experienced such magic.
“Mauro,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “When I say go, you must run.Fast.”
“What are you—” Eira began loudly, but I clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her, ignoring her indignant wriggling against my grip.
“You feel it, too?” Mauro murmured, his voice deep and low.
Now Eira was still, her body rigid with awareness. Slowly, I removed my hand from her mouth.
“Yes,” I breathed. “We can’t fight it. Our only hope is to outrun it.”
“I can’t outrun it while carrying you both,” Mauro said solemnly. “It will catch us.”
“What will?” Eira hissed in a trembling breath.
I gritted my teeth as the air grew chiller around us. “I don’t suppose you have a powerful arsenal of fae magic at your disposal?”
Silence met my words.
“I didn’t think so.” With a grunt, I slid off Mauro’s back.
“What are you doing?” Eira demanded.
“Mauro can outrun it and lead you to safety if I remain to fight it.” I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows and drew a dagger in each hand. The princess slid off Mauro’s back as well, and I glared at her.
