Mauro didn’t stir when I’d finally managed to slide off him. With a slow exhale, I rose to my feet, my head spinning.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a small voice piped up.
I jumped, whirling around to find the source of the voice. Had a pixie snuck up on me? Perhaps it was another white fox, like Frisk?
Eyes narrowed, I scanned my surroundings, but the blizzard made it difficult to see. The wind stung my eyes, and the poison in my bloodstream was fogging my thoughts.
“Who—Who’s there?” I asked, trying to sound fierce and intimidating.
Then, I noticed movement from the snow at Mauro’s feet. A tiny white snout poked out from the flurries, sniffing the air. Gleaming blue eyes peered at me, full of suspicion and distrust. “Don’t think you can just sneak away like that.” Her voice quivered, but there was a stubborn edge to it that told me I didn’t want to test her.
I frowned, crouching to my knees to get a better look at the creature. I had seen the tiny dragon emerge from the princess’s pack after I’d been poisoned, but I had chalked it up to a hallucination. Her scales were so white that she blended in perfectly with the snow, save for her glowing blue eyes. They seemed almost more luminescent than the moon itself.
“What’s your name?” I asked. I had heard of dragons who roamed the Winter Court, but I had never met one before. Understandably, they often stayed away from the palace and the crowds of courtiers. But sometimes, when I was tucked away in my cottage in the mountains, I could hear one of them roaring in the distance. I had always been curious as to what they looked like, but not curious enough to risk my life trying to track one down.
The small dragon huffed, and a puff of blue ice appeared in front of her snout. “Don’t try to charm your way out of this, hunter. You aren’t going anywhere.”
I almost snorted at her insistence. In ordinary circumstances, it would be laughably easy to evade such a tiny creature.
But with the poison coursing through my veins, I was far too weak to do much at the moment.
From the edges of my hazy memory, I recalled a small voice expressing disappointment that she couldn’t follow Eira and see the pixies for herself. Maybe I could convince this little creature to be on my side.
I heaved an exaggerated sigh, then lifted my palms as a sign of surrender. “All right. You caught me. I was merely curious about the pixies, that’s all.”
The dragon cocked her head at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Have you ever seen them before?”
“Once or twice,” I said vaguely. “Their magic is astounding. Did you know it burns like fire? And it’s multi-colored. It looks like an explosion of rainbow fireworks when it’s on full display.”
The dragon’s mouth opened in awe, showing several of her minuscule, sharpened teeth. Like the fangs of a lovable kitten. “Really?”
I nodded. “But it’s far too dangerous. It’s probably better that you stay here and look after me.”
The dragon’s head drooped in disappointment. “Right.” Her voice was full of resignation.
A moment passed. Then another. I tried to keep myself calm and still, but in truth, I itched to get moving. I was already on borrowed time.
But if the dragon flew ahead to warn Eira or the pixies of my movement, then there would be trouble. I needed her on my side.
“I’m Kendra,” the dragon said in a small voice. “Snow doesn’t take me on dangerous missions. Well, not very often. And when she does, I often hide.”
I tilted my head at her, assessing. “Why? You’re so small.It would be easy for you to blend in.” I gestured to the snow around us.
“True.” Kendra’s nose twitched. “But my eyes give me away. And poachers think they can harness magic from dragons. So if I get caught by the wrong people…” She shuddered, her scaly frame shivering. “It’s too scary.”
I rubbed my chin as if considering her predicament. “What if… you could see the pixiesandstay hidden?”
Her head snapped toward me, her ears sticking up like an eager canine. “I’m listening.”
“Come with me,” I told her, leaning forward. “You can hide in my cloak. We’ll sneak up on the princess and the pixies and watch from a distance. Completely safe.”
She was standing up straight now, her tiny legs perched on the ground, her lizard-like tail swishing with excitement. “Are you sure?”
Fresh pain pulsed through me, and I pressed a hand to my wound. It was bleeding again. Damn. With a groan that wasn’t at all forced, I said, “Yes. In my condition, it would be most unwise for me to draw the attention of the pixies. I just want to see what the princess is doing. And make sure she’s safe.”
Not completely a lie. Ididwant to see how Eira planned to keep herself alive amongst such bloodthirsty creatures.
Kendra’s nose twitched again. Her gaze darted to the sleeping stag, then back to me. “I don’t trust you.”
