Page 29 of Once Upon a Midnight Clear

“Almost where?”

“There’s an abandoned cabin ahead.” He waved ahead of him.

“How do you know?” She was leery of his information as she squinted into the distance, as if that would help her see better. She saw nothing but trees and shadows and snow.

He grinned. “I know these woods.”

If he was walking a path, she was unable to see it. But she followed him, the bag bouncing against her hip every so often when she took a misstep. At last, the trees seemed to thin and there was a small clearing. In the distance, a cabin. All the windows were dark, so it was safe to assume this was the abandoned cabin he mentioned. She was relieved to see it, to know they were coming to the end of their hike and they’d be in shelter for the night.

But then, what would tomorrow bring?

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the cabin,” he said.

“No, I mean,afterthat. What is our destination?”

He paused, turning toward her in the shadowy moonlight. “I’m taking you to safety while I work on a way to get you home.”

Her brows drew together. “Where is safety?”

“The royal castle.”

She stared at him in shocked silence. He turned back and continued on but she had more unanswered questions.

Nicholas’s boots left deep tracks in the snow. She did her best to step in them and follow, quite literally, in his footsteps. He hurried up the creaky wood steps of the porch. He swung the door open and stepped aside, waiting for her to enter.

Once she was inside and he closed the door behind her, they were plunged into darkness. Ella clutched her elbows and tried not to shiver. Even though they were out of the elements, it was freezing inside the cabin.

“I’ll get a fire started.”

He struck a match and lit an oil lamp near the door. It bathed the small one-room cabin in a pale-yellow light. On one side was the fireplace. On the other an old, tattered sofa that had seen better days. Behind it, a narrow bed with a stack of blankets neatly folded on the end of it. In front of them, a small kitchen that didn’t offer much. Only a sink. No stove.

Next to the fireplace was a full log rack. As if someone had chopped wood one day and then disappeared the next. Nicholas set about placing the logs in the fireplace. He struck another match and held it to the end of one log. A tiny flame started. He did the same on the other end.

She wandered into the kitchen. The overhead cupboards had seen better days. They were covered in dust and cobwebs. She pulled one open. Empty. She was glad they had the hearty beef stew and bread earlier that day, but she was still a little hungry.

“There. That should warm us up in no time. Are you hungry?” he asked, as if reading her thoughts.

“Not really,” she lied. Since there were no provisions here, she didn’t want him to feel as though he had to provide for her. He already did that at the tavern, after all.

He moved to the bed and picked up the top blanket. He shook it out. Dust clouded in the air around him, making him cough and sneeze. Once he had the dust out of that one, he picked up the one under it and shook it out. It wasn’t as dusty as the top one. Then he handed one of them to her.

“These blankets should keep us warm by the fire,” he said.

“Thank you.”

She didn’t want to remove her cloak yet. But she was tired of carrying the bag with the slippers. She slid it off her shoulder and placed it on the edge of the sofa. Then she grabbed one of the better-looking cushions and tossed it to the floor by the fire. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and plopped down on the cushion, watching as the flames took off.

Nicholas did the same. He placed a cushion across from her and dropped the thick blanket. Then eyed the bag on the edge of the sofa.

He pointed to it. “May I?”

She nodded.

He opened it and pulled out one of the glass slippers. He held it up to the firelight, watching as the rainbow of colors danced in the glass. He reached in the bag and grabbed the other one, inspecting it much the same way.

“Remarkable,” he muttered.

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