Gunnar nodded at me in encouragement.
“Yes,” I forced out, making myself meet the queen’s steely gaze. “They went up the mountain, into the crags. I lost them on one of the passes.” I laced my fingers together, to stop myself from picking. Did she ever blink? “But I did find a cave. The walls were painted with eyes and there were scraps on the ground as if… as if someone had been living there.”
“Grýla’s lair.” Letting out a curt sigh, she pursed her lips. “The youth have been sneaking into that cave since the inception of this kingdom. Eyes are on the milder side of what has been painted on its walls. You should have seen what they drew on there when I was young…” With a face like stone, she turned to Gunnar. “I hardly think some tracks in the snow and childish vandalism are enough to bring about a search party?—”
“There’s more.” I stepped forward.
Expectation charged her stare.
“There was this… fog.”
“Yes, snow and dust particles. Very common after a slide.”
“No.” I shook my head. The queen opened her mouth to insert another chiding comment, but I quickly continued, and she snapped it shut. “This was suspended over the rubble. It didn’t disperse or drift away. Parts were dark and smoky, like a storm cloud. And if I’m being honest, I saw something equally weird yesterday. There were these… black veins in the frozen moat.”
She waved a hand. “Well, if that were true, everyone would’ve seen it.” The curved pads of her shoulders lightly shook off a chill, but I knew she wasn’t cold. As a citizen of the glacier, she’d witnessed the iciest parts of this world.
What I’d seen struck a chord. And if she was nervous… I tugged on my collar, anxious heat swarming the back of my neck.
Dropping my voice to a whisper, I added, “I don’t think this was an avalanche. I think it was an attack.”
With the way her nostrils flared, it was obvious a part of her thought that, too. The real question was whether she’d confront it or continue to ignore it, like all the other broken parts of her kingdom.
“Very well.” A breeze wove through her long strawberry hair. “Stelpths, gather a troop. Be discreet. We don’t need everyone knowing about this.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The queen rounded on me. “Is that it, Angel of Water?” She tilted her head. A command gleamed in her bright eyes.
“Yes,” I lied. That menacing, ancient laugh still echoed in my mind.
Her gaze narrowed, as if she could hear it, too.
“So, that favor of mine.” I pursed my lips. “Can we mark it complete?”
“You ruined my road,” she muttered under her breath, passing me with a thick swish of her skirts.
I bit back a satisfied smile. “Would you prefer that or the castle?”
Shaking her head, she strode to the elves installing the ladders, her nosy court flocking to her side.
Gunnar gently nudged me with his elbow. “Dude.”
I turned to the elven guard, the muscles in his jaw tight. “Dude what?”
“Now that you’re safe and bandaged up, I have a bone to pick with you.” He pointed at the snowcapped rocks, finger stabbing the air. “You went up into the highlands, alone?”
“Yeah? I was saving your kingdom.” I crossed my arms, holding them as if that could hold all of me together.
He closed the short distance between us, powder wafting from each strong thud of his boots. “You could’ve easily gotten lost, killed by another slide, or entered the wrong cave and been a troll’s lunch.”
“You’re being dramatic,” I said. The scent of him, open tundra and roasted chestnuts, swirled around me as he stopped just shy of my chest. “You said yourself you used to go up there and explore. What’s the difference?”
“I’m an elf. I was born in this land,” he gritted out. I watched him try to rein in whatever temper had bubbled up. He drew in a deep breath, his eyes softening. “I know every nook and cranny, story and spirit of those mountains. Most importantly, I know when to stay back.”
Our pupils locked. “The queen made it seem like it was no big deal.”
“Of course she did. It’s the queen.”
