Page 37 of Blood Beneath the Snow

By the gods, this was…definitely real. His boots sank slightly into the snow where he stood, proof of his existence, and my eyes widened. There was no imagining the low, distorted voice emerging from the helmet.

I took a step back. My face had to be as pale as the snow around me. Where yesterday I’d been fearless, explosive emotions pushing past the logic screaming at me to cower from him, now I was all too conscious of how swiftly he could end my life.

“Yes,” I whispered, aware my hands were shaking. Placing one on the hilt of my sword did nothing to calm my nerves. “Leave me alone.”

He tilted his head but didn’t move. “Very well,” he said finally. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

With that, he turned and walked away. I gaped after him. Striding down the streets of the city like he belonged here.

“This isn’t real,” I said, pressing my palms to my eyes and rubbing hard. “Thiscan’tbe real.”

I opened my eyes and reached out a hand, prepared to call him to a stop and ask him why he was followingmeof all people, but he was gone. The street was empty.

But when I looked closer, the snow where he’d been standing was still pressed down into the shape of two boot soles.

Real.

A priest stepped out from an alleyway to stand at his usual post. When he noticed me staring, he twirled his scythe menacingly. Itwas enough to spur me into action, and I walked toward the path leading to the prison, my thoughts swirling.

What the hell was happening?

A light dusting of snowwas strewn across the ground, as though the gods had considered coating it but given up halfway through. Thoughts of the Hellbringer plagued me, but I forced them away when I passed through the prison’s front doors. Freja was worried about enough—I didn’t need to tell her the most dangerous man in Kryllian was haunting me.

Though I couldn’t fathom why, especially when he was supposedly here on a far more important mission for his country.

The guards let me in without a word. I was grateful not to have to search every nook and cranny for Freja this time around. Instead, I went straight to her cell and sat cross-legged in front of it.

“Revna.” She sounded exhausted but smiled when she moved into the light. “It’s nice to see a familiar face. The walls are getting boring.”

I grinned, and when she sat across from me, I reached a hand through the bars to grasp hers. “I have good news,” I said. “I’ve come up with a plan to get you out of here.”

She shook her head. “I already told you, I’m not running.”

I took a deep breath. “I declined the engagement. I’m competing in the Bloodshed Trials.”

Freja’s mouth opened and then closed again. Finally, she managed to get a word out. “How?”

I told her about the engagement party, about the Fastians threatening to revoke their support, and the plan Volkan, Halvar, Frode, Jac, and I had come up with. When I finally finished speaking, she had her face in her hands.

I took a deep breath. The prison was still and silent, and I knewthere must be other inmates and guards listening. For a moment my only thought was gratitude that the prison itself was impenetrable. Even if it meant I couldn’t break Freja out, it also meant no one here could tell Father of my plan to ally with Frode and Jac.

“You’re an idiot,” Freja said at last, voice muffled. She lifted her head out of her hands to glare at me. “I cannot believe you could be so stupid.”

Stung, I raised an eyebrow. “Doing what I can to rescue you and free the godforsaken is stupid?”

“Yes!” she exploded. “Yes, Revna! You’re going to die, do you understand? What the hell am I supposed to do then? When you and Arne are both bodies in caskets?”

I pushed myself back, withdrawing my hand from between the bars. I didn’t try to hide my hurt—Freja knew me well enough to pick up on it regardless. “You don’t know that. With Frode and Jac on my side, we stand a good chance of winning.”

“Against Erik?” she argued. “Björn? Your brothers are ruthless. They arepowerful. They will corner you and show no mercy.”

“Have a little faith.” Why had I come here? My best friend couldn’t even offer me her support when I was doing all of this—every bit—for her. I’d been foolish to hope she’d be happy about this; to hope she would encourage me, be proud of my efforts. “Jac and Frode are powerful, too.”

“And what happens if they turn against you?” She stood and paced, irate. “Are they sincere in wanting you as queen? What happens if the three of you are left standing and the priests kill you all in an instant?”

My nails dug into my palms as I resisted the urge to hit something—anything. “Do you think I haven’t thought this through?”

“Yes!” she cried, throwing her hands in the air. “I know you, Revna. You have dreams of a better world, but you don’t seem to realize the cost. And most of the time you act without thinking. Ilove that about you; don’t get me wrong. But to sign up for your own death on the slight chance you’ll win the throne? What would you even do if you became queen?”

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