Page 5 of Blood Beneath the Snow

No one was paying me any attention.

But the nudge in my gut persisted, and I knew better than to ignore it. Warily, I continued forward, relaxing my stance and forcing myself to appear calm and unperturbed. Perhaps it was a godtouched trying to locate Freja by following me. Invisibility was a rare ability, but not unheard-of. Whoever this bastard was, I would find them.

Taking an unpredictable path was easy. I knew the godforsaken streets better than I knew the interior of the palace. Twisting and turning down abandoned back alleys filled with mud and refuse, I did my best to lure my follower out of the safety of their distant hiding spot. If they were truly intent on catching up with me, I would make them work for it.

When I knew they’d have to be sprinting to keep pace with me, I fell back into the doorframe of a shop. Dark clouds had descended as I wove my path, and the alleys were submerged in shadow. Now I had the advantage.

I waited, wondering who would dare pursue me so blatantly. Everyone knew I was the princess—the godforsaken royal, the shame of her family, the bargaining chip that would save us from starving before we could win the war. Who would dare seek me out and attempt to harm me before the alliance with Faste was finalized?

I ran through the options in my mind. The priests had already proven they couldn’t touch me, and I knew they would never go against my father. The godtouched hated me, but not as much as they wanted to eat a full meal again or overtake Kryllian. Perhaps one of my brothers was playing another nasty trick on me—but they were all still at the war front for another three days. I quietly pulled my knife from its sheath, my heart pounding a bruising rhythm against my ribcage.

Another moment passed before a dark shadow descended over my hiding place. I didn’t hesitate. I leapt out, brandishing my dagger, fully prepared to stab my pursuer…

But the alleyway was empty. My eyes caught the flash of a cloak disappearing around the corner of the shop.

Not just a pursuer, but a cowardly one. I growled and took off running after them, racing down the alley. I spared a half thought of gratitude for the winter wind in my face, keeping my broken nose from swelling too horribly. We raced past the back doors of shops and houses, and when we finally reached the end of the road, they stopped abruptly in the open, causing their hood to fall and expose the back of their head.

I froze at the sight. The person was wearing a dark mask that covered their entire head, obscuring their face. But I still knew exactly who it was. I would recognize that carved visage anywhere, as would anyone else in Bhorglid.

And him, being here? It was impossible.

Nonetheless, fear crept up my spine and I gasped, taking a swift step back—

“Revna!”

The call broke me from my reverie and I whirled to see Halvar leaning out the back door of the Sharpened Axe. “The hell are you doing? We’ve been waiting for you.”

“I…” I turned back around, expecting to see the masked figurewaiting in the street, but they were gone. My pulse thudded in my veins. Surely there was no way I’d imagined seeinghim. But I shook my head. “Right. Coming.”

Halvar held the door for me, but I still had to squeeze past his large frame to make my way into the back room of the tavern. Once I ensured no eyes lingered in the shadows of the room, I pulled open the trapdoor in the floor, revealing the ladder beneath it.

It took mere seconds to slide down the rungs and land gently with my feet on the floor. Freja sat in the closest corner, half immersed in darkness, rocking the rescued baby back and forth in her arms.

The child whimpered but didn’t scream. Good. The last thing we needed was to be found now, after we’d gotten so far.

Halvar slid down the ladder behind me, tugging on a rope until the trapdoor above closed with a thud. He struck a match and used it to light the few lamps in the vast hidden space with its stashes of weapons, then sat down with his back against the wall. I moved to sit next to him, bumping my shoulder against his. “We did it,” I said softly.

He offered me a small smile. “We did. You two did. The little one is safe for the time being.”

“The plan was yours,” I reminded him. “You take at least a third of the credit.”

Halvar chuckled and ran a hand through his graying beard. When he’d first taken me—a godforsaken princess who knew nothing of the world she belonged to—under his wing eleven years ago, his hair had been dark, and his energy had been endless. Now there were crow’s-feet around both his eyes and an air of exhaustion he couldn’t seem to shake. Bitterness rose in me when I considered how time was stealing away the only father figure in my life.

Freja shushed us and we both lowered our voices. “Were you caught?” she mouthed at me.

I nodded and smirked, sending a throb through my nose. “What gave it away?”

She raised an eyebrow and scrunched up her own nose. I chuckled and placed a gentle finger to mine, wincing when it made an ache bloom beneath the swollen flesh. “I’ll have to see if I can bribe the palace healer to work his magic on me.” I sighed at the thought of trying to convince the crotchety old man to use his godtouched gift on one so lowly as I.

“Ingrid and Anders are anxious to see their little girl again,” Halvar said, nodding to the infant. “How did the streets look? Still too many priests to sneak her to the edge of the city?”

I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. I say we wait another few hours, as long as we can keep her fed until then. After things calm down, they should be able to leave the city without too much hassle.” I frowned, thinking of the person who’d followed me through the alley and led me on a chase. If he was who I thought he was, then perhaps there was need for even more caution.

“What happened?” Freja asked.

I glanced up, hating how obvious my thoughts were most of the time. “I was on my way here, but I felt someone watching me. Following me. I waited to try and ambush them, but then they fled before I got the chance. I ran after them, their hood fell off, and…” I shook my head. “I could have sworn I was looking at the Hellbringer.”

Freja and Halvar were both silent. Then the latter finally spoke. “The Hellbringer? The one fighting on the front lines of the war?”

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