Page 78 of Frost Bound

They lapsed into silence, and an owl-looking creature swooped to the far south. She drifted off, dreaming about golden eyes and white feathers.

Loshika caughtup to them later that night.

She crept into Dahlia’s room, listened to her chest, and then went to sleep on her own pallet. The next two days followedthe same pattern. Ride all day in the king’s arms, trading softly spoken barbs, and then sleeping in a real bed with a roaring fire.

By the last day, it had grown so cold Lia had wrapped a scarf around her nose and mouth to protect them from the icy air. The terrain grew rockier and started angling upward, forcing her back against the king. The longer they rode, the tighter his body seemed to coil, and the shorter his temper grew. Every word he spoke was sharp or cutting.

Finally, Dahlia couldn’t take his suffocating ire and the cramp in her calf any longer. She didn’t care how close they were to the palace. Lia needed to get away from him.

“Please stop. I need to rest.”

The Frost King huffed his displeasure, but lifted his hand into the air, the company of soldiers all slowing to a stop at his signal. He slid from therukhal’s back and helped her to her feet. She muttered her thanks, but he didn’t reply, dismissing her immediately.

Lia grumbled under her breath and wound through the warriors until she found Loshika. She waved at the healer and stretched her leg out, her calf muscle twisted fiercely.

The healer climbed down from her own beast and crossed her arms. “When is the last time you drank water, my lady?”

“Before we left?” She grinned behind her scarf and held out her arms innocently when Loshika scowled at her. “What?”

“You need fluids to heal,reilleve.”

Dahlia knew that, but no one had outfitted her with a waterskin, and she didn’t want to ask the king, since speaking to him had become … unpleasant. He was downright beastly today.

No, it was better to go without if it meant not having to speak to him.

Loshika dug in her bag, retrieving dried fruit, meat, and a canteen. She slapped them into Lia’s mittened hands. “Now, go sit down and eat.”

Lia dipped her head and padded out of the crowd of warriors. The back of her neck prickled with all the eyes that watched her, but she ignored it and picked her way through the rocks, scrub brush, pines, and snow, until she found the perfect seat.

Brushing the snow from the flat stone, she sat down and pulled her scarf from her face. The cold nipped at her cheeks, but it felt refreshing. The scarf had felt smothering in the last hour.

While Dahlia preferred the warmth of summer, she could absolutely fall in love with the beauty of winter. She plopped a hard, dried apricot into her mouth and chewed slowly, the fruit slowly warming up as she admired how the pines added a pop of color to the crisp landscape. The snow sparkled under the sun, shining like a blanket of diamonds.

A hoot above was all the warning she got before an enormous owl landed on a pointy boulder to her right. She stared at the creature with wide eyes. The bird flapped its wings before settling down. The owl had to be at least the size of a large dog with its wide wingspan.

They stared at each other, and the owl tippy-tapped on the rock, an impatient dance.

“Why, hello there,” she murmured softly, hoping that her voice wouldn’t scare the creature away.

The owl blinked at her and focused on her lap, particularly the food.

“Are you hungry?” Lia picked up an apricot and tossed it over to the rock. It landed with a dull thud. The bird pecked it but knocked it away with its beak. Apparently, it didn’t like apricots. “Maybe some meat?” she crooned, tossing a piece of dried venison over. The owl snatched it up and gobbled it down.

Dahlia smiled. “Seems we’ve found something you like.” She yanked a piece of venison apart, her mittened fingers struggling, and tossed one piece into her mouth, chewing. Lia watched her feathery companion watching her.

Its feathers looked so soft. What would it be like to hug such a creature? She eyed its long claws and wickedly sharp beak. Lia wouldn’t be finding out any time soon.

The owl hopped closer until it was only about five feet away. Lia stared at the bird, admiring the dark bars woven through its white feathers.

“Do you want another piece?” she asked, tossing the next strip of meat to the owl.

It snatched the meat out of the air, swallowing it whole. Wow, that was something else. The owl eyed her with round gold eyes edged in black. They almost seemed sentient. She knew all creatures were intelligent in their own way, but this was something different. It was uncanny and knowing.

“You’re so beautiful,” Lia murmured. She’d never seen anything so stunning.

The owl hooted, and preened as if it knew she was praising it.

“Valles,” the low voice of the king said softly from behind her. “You need to move away from theastrylle.” There was something in his tone that made the hair along her arms raise. “Slowly.”

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