Page 7 of Ice Magic

“Here,” she said, fixing a cup of tea. “This will stave off cramps.”

“Thank you,” I said. The tea smelled fragrant and calming. “Unfortunately, the prince ambushed Bran and imprisoned him, along with a number of the Lorani.”

“How did you get away?”

“Fenling, his cousin, helped me escape. We were betrayed, and that separated us. Long story short, the prince imprisoned me in the tower after he caught me. I gather Bran has escaped from the dungeon, but I don’t know where he or Fenling or the rest of the Lorani are. I found a way out of the tower, and then I made my way here. And that’s my story.”

“Well then, rest easy. I have no love for the prince and I won’t turn you over to him. You can stay until the weather’s better. I cast a strong cloaking spell on my cottage, so no one should discover you here. I might be able to help you find Bran and Fenling, although I can’t promise anything. We’ll talk more about that tomorrow. This afternoon I want to make bread and I need to stitch up some tears in one of my dresses. That I will do. I’ve seen your handiwork and it’s not exactly your strong suit.”

I laughed. “Believe it or not, I can stitch a fine seam. Just not when I’m in a hurry to escape.”

Once I finished grinding the flour, I helped her with the bread. By early evening, she was mending her clothes while I refilled the wood box from a shed around back. I could hear the howling of the charimonts in the distance. I shivered, grateful for the shelter over my head, and for the unlikely friendship into which I had stumbled.

CHAPTER FOUR

Two mornings later,I woke up from a sleep better than any I had had in a long time. I had spent the past couple of days helping around the cottage, bringing in water from the well, grinding more flour, mending a wagon wheel spoke that had broken. Hard, honest work, good food, and a feeling of safety went a long way when it came to rest. And throughout both days, I had come to trust her.

When I woke, I had the feeling something had gone on in my dreams, but I couldn’t put my thumb on what it was. Whatever had happened, it didn’t set off any alarms and I shrugged it off.

Ashera made porridge for breakfast, along with some dried fruit. As we ate she reached in her pocket and pulled out a small crystal ball.

“Today I’ll try to find your companions for you.” She set the bowl down on the table, and I was fascinated by the prisms flickering inside, reflecting off of the light from the hearth fire. “I did some scrying last night. I trust that you are who you say you are, and I feel comfortable helping you.”

“Thank you. You don’t know how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me. You saved my life.”

Ashera filled my bowl again. “Eat hearty. We have to go check on the traps today. And yes, I did save your life. I had dreams last night that showed me an alternative ending for you. Your life would have ended the first night you showed up here. A charimont was waiting a short distance along your path. You would have been its dinner.”

I shivered, grateful that I had listened to my intuition. I was learning to trust it more and more. “My da used to say that a hunter who would not listen to his instincts was a hunter who would die too soon.”

“Your da was right.”

“I hope you don’t regret taking me in,” I said. “I know I can’t stay here forever, but I appreciate the help you’ve given me. I feel like we’ve become friends, and I hope it’s not one-sided.”

“Oh, it’s not one-sided. Trust me on that.” She paused, then pushed away from the table and walked over to a chest against one of the walls. She knelt in front of it, gently lifting the lid. When she returned, she was carrying something that was wrapped in cloth. She set it in front of me, then returned to the chest. This time, she brought out a dagger in the sheath and set that in front of me as well.

“The dagger is one I carried in early life, but it’s still good and you can put it to good use. But this…” She touched the cloth-covered item. “This belonged to my mother. It belonged to her father. I’ve never managed to learn how to use it, but I feel like I shouldn’t keep it locked away in the dark. It’s yours.”

I hesitated, then slowly unwrapped the cloth. Inside was a beautiful bow, carved from the finest oak. I slowly lifted it, surprised by how lightweight it was. There was a quiver along with it, made of green leather. And inside the quiver were ten arrows, with golden feathers on the end. As I touched the feathers a ripple of magic tingled through my fingers. The hilt of the arrows were fashioned from metal—it looked like copper.I gently withdrew one from the quiver and held it up, looking at the end. The tip of the arrow was formed from carved crystal, but I saw no chip marks on it and I’d had no clue of how it’d been formed.

“I don’t know what to say,” I said. “Are you sure you want me to have this?”

Ashera nodded. “Yes, it’s yours. It fits you. And it’s already transferred itself to you. There’s no way I would take it back. Put it to good use. Those arrows can be retrieved. They will survive any shot you make that I know of. And if you retrieve them, you can reuse them over and over again.”

I put the arrow back and then held the bow up, standing to draw it back and test the weight of the string. It seemed perfectly aligned with my grip and my pull. “I promise you, I’ll take good care of this. It’s absolutely exquisite. Even my father’s bow wasn’t as nice as this one.”

“It’s enchanted to help you hit your mark. Perhaps not every time, but it will give you a better chance of aiming true. Take it with you today when we go check out the traps. Hopefully, we’ll find some fresh meat. I have plenty of stores tucked away, but fresh meat on the table is a pleasant change from dried beef.”

I finished my porridge, setting the bow to one side. “When will we try to contact my friends?”

“Later tonight, after we’re back from checking the traps. Are you still hungry?”

I nodded, accepting a third helping of the porridge. We had a busy day ahead of us, and I was eager to find out what her visions had to tell me.

As I strappedthe dagger to my belt and slung the bow and quiver over my shoulder, Ashera picked up a wand and secured to herself a pair of throwing daggers. Together, we pulled a small sledge behind us. As we ventured deeper into the woodland away from her cottage, I could sense all sorts of things watching us. Every now and then I would hear something scurrying into the bushes, and it made me both want to give chase and to run the other way. The storm had let up, but the fresh snow made for tough going, and the only tracks we saw were those of small animals and birds. I hoped that Karehl hadn’t returned to the tower yet. If he hadn’t, my footprints would have vanished under the weight of the new blanket of white that covered the world.

The line of traps that Ashera had set stretched out for a good hour or two of walking. There were eight traps overall, spaced evenly apart. The first two were empty, but the third had caught one of the winter deer. Smaller than average deer, the winter deer were white and resembled goats more than they did their namesakes. But they made for tender meat, and a small deer could sustain one person for several weeks.

“Do you want me to load it onto the sledge?” I said.

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