“Crampons off.” He unzipped the bag he’d been lugging around for three days straight. I unclicked my extra footwear and tossed them in.
The clink of metal on metal echoed in the hollow space.
“River, your backpack,” he ordered.
I happily dropped that.
Two other elves, in chain mail and slitted helms with sigils on their chest plates, appeared at the top of the ramp, coming straight towards us, moving in perfect synchrony. Even the sheaths at their hips swung in tune: one knife, one long sword. The tip of a battle ax peeked out from behind a shoulder.
We were being greeted by knights armed to the teeth.
Great.
On an abrupt halt mere inches from us, they raised their gloved hands in salute.
I shifted my arm to return the gesture, only to reconsider midway, tucking a nonexistent hair behind my ear with a cringe.
Freyja and Gunnar didn’t hesitate to greet them back, immediately launching into fervent conversation after—in Icelandic, of course. Through their layers of steel and the heavy accents, I didn’t glean much. But it didn’t take an understanding of their language to know what they were talking about: me.
Especially when Freyja pointed right at me, switching to English for my benefit. “This is her.”
At her cold smile, I blanched.
One of the guards grunted. The other’s head swiveled towards me. Neither spoke a word. They returned to formation, one clanking iron foot in front of the other, marching back the way they came. Wiggling his eyebrows, Gunnar followed, lips raised in that classic smirk I’d come to know and expect.
Freyja nudged her head in their direction. “Go on, you.”
Not having any other choice, I fell in line.
Soon, red carpet replaced the pale stone beneath my dragging feet. A corridor arched around me, the walls lined with marble and gold and oil paintings, all the classic signs of royalty. It could only mean one thing: we were nearing the queen.
Nearing my judgement.
Shoulders hunched, I tore apart my cuticles, the familiar sting comforting.
Silver-plated doors carved with creatures out of fairy tales rose from the end of the hall, stretching from the floor all the way to the ceiling. They opened without any command on our approach, the gilded throne room peeking out above the knights’ feathered helms.
My pulse raged in my throat.
What was Freyja’s advice for the queen? Curtsy, listen, ask no questions, expect nothing, accept that I’m an enemy until proven otherwise…
We neared the threshold. My footsteps slowed, stopped. It felt like the werewolf tribunal all over again, except this time I had no friends here for support. I had no one to save me.
The blood rushed in my ears.
A grunt came from behind me, followed by a shove. I stumbled into the hall. Every eye fell on me. And there were plenty in here, all outright staring. Seriously, the entire royal elven line must have been gathered in this gold-kissed room.
I skipped over them completely, my gaze darting to the tall, muraled walls arching over the windows, the vivid colors, lines and brushstrokes spilling onto the ceiling.
We halted beneath a chandelier. It was carved out of ice, every tassel frozen solid despite the ceaseless warmth.
Breaking formation, the two guards strode to the foot of the dais, Gunnar taking a position next to them.
Freyja went straight for the throne, shoulders back, spine straight. Her boots hit every carpeted step with a firm thud. I could only imagine the intensity in her stare, and I was thrilled to not be on the receiving end of it, for once.
Pausing at the top of the platform, Freyja bent to the woman in the wooden seat—the wood similar to the peppered white bark of the tree with the icicled leaves—and kissed her, once on each cheek. Bold, even for someone labeled the queen’s most treasured soldier, given the others stayed on the main level and fanned around her.
“Good to see you back in one piece.” The monarch’s voice was light in the air, lyrical like a songbird, honey incarnate, every word enchanting. With a toss of her hair, Freyja flittered to the side, situating herself into the only other seat—the one next to the queen.
