Searing light forced my eyelids open, the bright streaks of another icy day pouring over my face. The curtains parted abruptly as someone—tall, regal, a diadem resting between her pointy ears—pulled them open.
It took a second for my brain to finally catch up with what I was seeing.
Eyes widening, I rolled onto my back, wiping the dried drool off my jaw.
“Hildur?” I rasped, pushing up onto my elbows. “I mean, uh, Your Highness?”
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” With an abrupt flick of her wrist, she opened the next set of curtains. Sunlight rushed in. “Galivanting all night long, sleeping until noon. This isn’t a hotel.”
Noon? I shot up, the sheets crinkling around last night’s clothes.
The day for Jarðarbæli had come. “Are you taking me to Gaia?”
“Soon.” Facing me, she tapped her fingertips together. Her layered gown draped off her in waves, the sage fabric pooling on the floor. “I need a favor from you first.”
My chest caved. More favors. More things. The Coffin Seeker’s words rang through my mind—the tone especially. Is she? wasn’t the response I’d anticipated when I’d told him where the queen was taking me today. He knew.
With a heavy sigh through my nose, I asked, “What is it this time?”
She rested her fist beneath her chin. “There’s been an avalanche.”
My breath lodged in my throat. I’d taken things too far last night—the glacier shifting, walls melting as I feverishly channeled my Source, throwing all my energy into destroying the demon even if that had meant destroying the castle.
Destroying myself.
I thought I’d stopped myself in time. “What happened?”
“Those mountains along the west side of Ískastali.” She tsked, flicking her fingers in their direction. “Very unstable.”
“So… it wasn’t the glacier?” I gulped.
She shook her head no.
All the air whooshed out of me in one relieved exhale. The next heartbeat, I was out of the bed and running towards the armoire. “Is everyone okay?”
“We lost a few honored members of the kitchen staff.” Squeezing her lips tight, Hildur dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Emotion crept into her voice. “The Eyes have been able to dig out most of the survivors and get them to the infirmary, but we need the debris cleared before we can begin repairs.”
“On it.” Grabbing a fresh pair of clothes and my dagger, I headed to the bathroom for a quick refresh, not missing the way she scowled at my bloody thigh.
Pain blasted through me as I slowly peeled off my pants, the fabric sticking to the yellow crust around the gash. It needed to be cleaned, but the best I could do was a quick dunk and rinse in an already pulled—and very cold—bath. Helga deserved a huge tip when I finally left.
I ran the soap over my skin, cringing at the bruising. In a weird way, it reminded me of the castle. On the outside, everything seemed mostly fine. But underneath?
The Galdur should have been impenetrable, regardless of what spurred the avalanche. How long had this kingdom been pretending to be strong when it was actually wasting away? And how far gone was it? How long before the magic totally failed, the elevators dropped, the entire glacier melted, the prisoners escaped?
Dangerous thoughts—and I knew better to state them. I’d tuck this away for later.
If innocent people were in trouble, it didn’t matter what caused the avalanche; I’d do whatever I could to fix it.
I snagged my towel off its hook, dripping water as I went.
Careful not to rub the wound, I pulled on some leggings and a comfy sweatshirt, loosing a breath when the fabric brushed against my tailbone, and I had to pull up my tender arms to tie my hair into a braid.
Hildur waited in the living area, the fire hissing in the hearth, casting her shadow across the floral walls.
It was hard to imagine the Queen of the Huldufólk—sparkling crown, stacks of silver on her wrists, bejeweled gown trailing behind—descending the ladder to the deepest, darkest part of the castle to seek the help of a demon who murdered her own kind.
Yet why else was the Coffin Seeker there? I wondered if he was really serving out a punishment or if she collected demons as if they were rare coins.
