Page 100 of Frost Bound

It took an eternity to wiggle her way back to her side of the bed.

Heart pounding, she stared at the ceiling, feeling sick. What if he’d woken up to her plastered to his side? She wouldn’t havelived it down. Neve snorted in his sleep, and she peeked over the pillow wall. He rolled toward the door, his back to her.

There was no way she’d be able to go back to sleep.

Lia slipped out of bed and crept to the shower room.

She’d take this to her grave.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Dahlia

It had beenthree weeks since that first night.

And she was no closer to escape.

No closer to seeing her brother or saving her mum.

Each morning since, Lia found herself on the wrong side of the pillow wall and had to sneak her way back to her own side. Luckily for her, the king was a deep sleeper, and she’d become an expert in slithering away undetected.

Their campaign of wooing the people had a rocky start.

The first town they visited, the clan leader’s daughter had dropped a dish of live eels into her lap. Lia had not taken it well, much to the amusement of the giants around her. She’d launched up from her chair, tossing eels in all directions.

At least she’d been able to laugh about it after the fact, even though she knew the giantess had done it on purpose. Dahlia had known many mean-spirited women in her life; she could spot them in the crowd. By the sultry looks the giantess sent the king all night, Dahlia wondered if she’d been a lover, or just plain jealous.

Either way, it led to eels in her lap, but it could have been a dagger to the back, so she took it as a success.

Her time in the palace was spent carefully questioning her ladies-in-waiting to gather information on the king, his sister, the council members, high-ranking warriors. Very quickly, she noticed the areas of the palace the warriors kept her away from. They didn’t want her venturing to the deep below, but that was negated by using the servants’ passages.

Whenever she could, Lia slipped away and made friends with the staff, feeling more at home with them than any of the highborn. Already, she’d made friends that she truly cherished, and trusted. No one had ratted about her exploration even if they’d seen her. They sent the warriors in all sorts of directions.

One thing she learned quickly, gossip was currency.

She learned all sorts of sordid details from the servants that would have her ladies-in-waiting blushing. Dahlia wrote to the queen weekly in a way that a daughter would to a mother. She knew the letters were being read. She hadn’t had one missive from Allium as of yet. Perhaps the Haunt weren’t even allowing them to be sent. Still, she waited for the help the queen had promised.

Lia tried not to worry herself sick. She’d penned a letter to Cosmos but had no way to get it to him. She needed to find a courier outside of the palace, and that could take some time. Plus, even if it got to him, there was no way to guarantee he’d have the funds to get something back to her.

Even though the palace was impossibly large, it felt like the walls were shrinking in on her each day. Her only reprieve was when she went to the markets. Herastryllealways waited outside, large golden eyes calm and soothing.

She’d named her beastie Serenity.

She always brought treats for the massive snow owl. The owl had even begun to allow Lia to pet her head and scratch her beneath the beak.

Serenity soared through the air like a silent protector as Lia walked through the streets, her guards trailing behind her. At first, they’d bothered her, but she’d gotten used to their presence. She waved to the cobbler, whose craggy face cracked into a grin as she passed.

The market felt like home. At first, everyone had been stiff, but now they accepted her. All it had taken was a few compliments and genuine questions about their craft. It was amazing what personal interest could do.

Yeasty bread perfumed the air, haggling merchants argued with customers over prices, and colorful fabrics waved gently. She paused near the tanner as a familiar tune caught her attention. Dahlia cocked her head and pushed down her fur-lined cloak, scanning the area for the musicians. She couldn’t spot them through the crowd.

She wove through the people, smiling as she went until she found the troupe. A group of five giants sang a jaunty tune that she remembered as a child. Lia clapped with the crowd until they finished. The shortest giant strummed a soft ballad on hisrombye, which looked much like a guitar but had a deeper sound. He began to sing, and Dahlia closed her eyes, savoring the song. She lost herself to the music, tears pricking her eyes, the harmony vibrating through her whole body.

When she at last opened her eyes, the giant playing knelt before her.

“Lae reilleve, you bless us with your music.”

She snapped her mouth closed, heat rushing to her wet cheeks as she realized she’d been singing with him. All eyes were on her.

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