Page 94 of Blood Beneath the Snow

My stomach let out another gurgle and I swore.Frode, if there’s any way you can hear me, I could use your help right about now.

That’s when I heard it: the sound of galloping horses coming from the valley ahead of me.

My heart started pounding, and I ran for a patch of trees twenty feet away from me. There was a high chance the party riding toward me was made up of Kryllian soldiers, in which case I wanted to see them before they saw me. I needed some kind of advantage if I was going to convince them to take me alive.

Looking back at the path I’d taken, I noticed my footprints, clear as day in the fresh powder.

I swore under my breath. I would never be able to outrun horses, especially in the thick snow. Whoever was coming was about to find me.

Pulling Aloisa from its sheath, I crouched behind a tree, hoping it would provide me enough cover to remain unnoticed. The element of surprise might be enough to give me the upper hand.

The clatter of hooves slowed to a stop. I couldn’t see them, but from what I heard, there were at least three or four riders, possibly more. The only sound was the horses snorting and shifting. Boots crunched in the snow as a rider dismounted.

I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart. This was it. The true test of what the Hellbringer taught me. I shifted my grip on the hilt of my blade. The footsteps came closer, until I knew the person was on the other side of the tree.

I lunged, aiming my blade for my unseen enemy, but they were ready for me, parrying my blow without a second thought.

“Maybe try being quieter next time you’re hiding from an enemy,” Frode said with a wry smile.

Relief flooded through me, and I couldn’t stop the tears from pricking the corners of my eyes. I dropped my blade and without a second thought threw my arms around him.

“Frode,” I gasped. “How did you find me?”

He hugged me back, squeezing tight. “You think loudly, little sister. Loud enough that I heard you from camp.”

A laugh burst out of me, filled with emotion words couldn’t convey. But then he leaned in. “Everyone came with me,” he said in a low voice. “I’ll talk to you later, but, for now, don’t tell them anything of substance. Understand?”

You know I do.I pulled away from him and looked up to see my father and my other brothers watching us from several feet away. They’d remained on their horses while Frode came to retrieve me.

None of them spoke. Jac offered me a small grin. He, at least, washappy to see me alive. Björn sneered, the only expression he was capable of making nowadays, and my father and Erik remained stoic.

“Nice to see you all again,” I remarked as I climbed behind Frode on his horse. No one answered, but Jac reached out and clapped me on the back. I smiled. From him, the gesture meant more than words ever could.

“Let’s go,” the king called, and they turned their mounts as one, moving back toward the valley.

I looked up to see the mountaintop far above us as we entered its shadow. Wherever we were headed, it wasn’t the campsite I’d visited a few weeks ago. “Where is the camp, anyway?” I asked.

Frode glanced back at me. “Through this valley. We moved there two days ago. Didn’t want to stay in one location for too long.”

I sat back and sighed, wishing I believed in any gods so I could thank them. The Hellbringer’s map must have been of the old campsite, so Mira had inadvertently dropped me closer to the new one.

“You’re probably right,” Frode mused. “I started hearing your thoughts about an hour ago. I wanted to come get you myself, but the rest of them insisted on joining me.”

Not for sentimental reasons, I presume.

Frode chuckled. “You know them well. Father thought we might find the Hellbringer with you. I told him you were alone, but he wouldn’t listen.”

A sharp pain went through my chest. I already missed the Hellbringer. The memory of kissing him flooded my mind unbidden.

I felt Frode stiffen in front of me.

“Please tell me you aren’t thinking about what I think you’re thinking about,” he seethed quietly.

Shame burned my cheeks. Not because it happened, but because the time that had been so special to me was no longer mine. Frode knew about it, too.

One of his hands held the reins firmly, but the other drummed fingers against his thigh. “Revna, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re an absolute idiot. Do not, under any circumstances, tell Father about this.”

I’m notthatstupid.

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