I snorted, though my heart rate quickened at how much he had inferred. “Keep speculating, hunter. It doesn’t matterwhy I need you. Just do your part so we can be finished with this.”
Kendra shifted on my shoulder, her cold snout tickling my ear. “What do you think he means?” she whispered.
I gently flicked her. “Shh.” I had no doubt Theron heard her question, which was more telling than she realized.
It meant I was keeping secrets from my friends. And judging by the spark in Theron’s eye, he realized this, too.
“You all are soslow,” Frisk grumbled. He lithely hopped from boulder to boulder without missing a beat.
“Not all of us have nimble paws,” Mauro huffed. He was having the most difficult time, trailing behind me and Theron, his hooves sliding constantly over the slick ice. The poor stag didn’t do too well on steep slopes. He was incredibly fast on flat land, but throw in a sharp incline and icy ground…
“Frisk, why don’t you and Kendra scout ahead for us?” I asked, eager to distract them with a task.
Kendra huddled closer to my shoulder. “I don’t want to.”
“You’re the only one who can fly,” I argued.
“My wings are thin.”
I sighed. “Fine. Stay curled up in my cloak and do nothing.”
She exhaled, and a puff of icy air brushed against my cheek, making me shiver. After a moment, she eased out of my cloak and shook out her wings. They were thin and membranous—practically translucent. But I knew for a fact they could hold her weight in the air. She just didn’t like flying.
“Ready, little one?” Frisk asked, his whiskers twitching.
“Don’t call me that,” Kendra said before taking off. She became a white blur in the air, and Frisk quickly vanished inthe snow. I kept Kendra in my sights until she blended in with the white mountain, my heart lifting with relief.
“You worry about her,” Theron observed.
My relief faded, and irritation rose up in its place. “Stop trying to figure me out, Theron. It’s annoying.”
“I think it annoys you more that you’re giving yourself away so easily.” Now he sounded amused.
I gritted my teeth and made no response. He couldn’t argue with a silent opponent. Plus, with Frisk and Kendra scouting for us, hopefully the journey would be a bit more silent.
To my relief, Theron said nothing else. An hour passed as we climbed around icy rocks. My thighs burned from the constant strain of pivoting and trying to avoid slipping on ice. The wind picked up, stinging my nose and cheeks. I pulled my scarf tighter around myself, but the chilled air was relentless.
When Mauro’s labored breathing turned into sharp wheezes, we stopped to rest. I pulled out a waterskin and poured some into Mauro’s mouth. He greedily gulped it down, and I ensured he had a healthy amount before I drank from my own.
“How did you escape the blood bargain?” Theron asked suddenly. He had already drunk from his waterskin and was staring at me with accusation in his eyes.
I blinked innocently at him while leaning against a boulder to give my legs some relief. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t play games with me, princess. How did you do it?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Play games with you? I saved your life, you ass. So stop interrogating me for answers you haven’t earned.”
He gaped at me, stunned. Good. He deserved to bethrown off his high horse every now and then. I took another sip of water.
“If we are to travel together,” he said, speaking slowly, “then I need to know how you are able to defend yourself.”
“Do you?” I challenged. “Do you need to know? Because as far as I’m concerned, making your job difficult is far more appealing than disclosing all my secrets to you.”
Fury burned in his gaze. “You can’t?—”
“I don’t owe you anything, hunter,” I spat, pushing off the boulder to stride toward him. I’d prepared for this interrogation and refused to let him win. “You came into a human village—myvillage—intent on killing me. The only reason I’m not dead is because I tricked you, so don’t pretend like you’re looking out for my safety out of the goodness of your heart.”
“And who can blame me?” Theron spread his hands, his expression darkening. “You’re exiled for a reason, princess. You’re trying to cause a civil war. I heard you declare your intention to steal the throne from the queen. If I killed you, all this would stop. There would be peace in this court at last.”
