Page 41 of A Bond of Ice and Glass
“You’ll let him out when we get back,” I say.
“We’ll discuss it later, my queen.” His tone is far too light for my liking. “Currently, he’s a traitor who helped Noble and Lochlan into the castle.” His jaw tightens, and the muscle in his cheek twitches.
“I don’t think he’s a traitor. I think he’s always just done what’s best for me. He loves Loch like a son… and he wouldn’t have known what they planned to do.” I shake my head. “He was always loyal to you and me.”
“He’s still a traitor. There’s proof, and when we are home, I will show you it.”
Home. I didn’t know I had a home anymore. I never called the convent a home because it was my cage. But… was Erax’scastle my home? Did I ever feel like it was? I wish I could remember. I hate this.
We keep walking in silence again, and I find myself wanting to ask more questions.
“Tell me more about Freyren. Maybe it will trigger more memories to come back.”
“I like when you command me.” He smirks at me for a second, and my cheeks burn. “She’s an ice dragon—daughter of a queen—all blue scales and frosty attitude. Fire dragons are known for their bad tempers, but ice dragons are far worse, in my opinion. They don’t like mortals or being commanded.” Almost like me. I never liked anyone telling me what to do. “Ice dragons are notably harder to ride, harder to control, but you made it look like it was easy. Your bond was natural and written by fate. It was the same for me when I first rode Cyrsí.”
He runs his hand through his hair. My heart skips a beat as I watch him do it.
“There hasn’t been a bonded ice dragon rider in recorded history,” he adds, “but she chose you, and she was distraught when you were taken. Whatever magic they were using was blocking her bond. Something nearly unheard of. To be able to break the bond between a rider and their dragon must have cost your precious Loch a part of his soul.”
He continues before I can ask him more about that.
“I think once you’re back to Freyren, your memories will come back. Do you remember the eggs? Do you remember what you did with your powers?”
I flinch and he notices. His eyes narrow. “What was that reaction?”
I keep walking and he keeps up with me. I almost don’t tell him, but he is a dragon rider. He might understand it. All the gods know he has killed many. “I killed one of your guards with my ice powers. I didn’t mean to, but I did. I don’t want thismagic.” I know telling him about Loch’s involvement is a bad idea. I won’t let Erax hurt Loch. It was a mistake… he didn’t mean it.
Erax is silent for a long time. “Our power is ours, Maelena. The more you are frightened of it, the more you disconnect yourself with it and you risk being out of control. When you’re out of control, that’s when accidents happen. When we get back home, I will train you. I need to practice my own gifts too. They have changed since the dragons helped me.”
“Loch told me?—”
“I don’t give a fuck about Loch or what he told you. He’s a coward and liar,” Erax growls. “If I could erase his name from your memory, I would. Because I really fucking hate hearing it on your lips.” His voice softens, but the intense, burning look in his eyes remains. “Your mind’s been messed with far too much already. And I wouldn’t cross that line anyway. Anything he told you about magic is tainted and dangerous. He is lost to it, and I will not let magic have you.”
I huff, ignoring his warning, even if it sends chills down my spine. Loch isn’t lost to magic, and he might be dangerous but not to me. Loch is my best friend and he always will be, even if he thinks we could be more. I don’t feel that way for him, so we have things to work out, but Loch wouldn’t hurt me.
The inn finally comes into view, and I’m glad for it. It has a roof! At this point, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to get out of the rain and eat something other than berries and dried meat jerky that Erax had on him. It’s at least three stories, all dark wood with narrow, spiked windows. A few of the windows shine with a warm, yellow light pouring out. They have fire lit in there.
When we get closer, Erax lowers his voice and grabs my hand. “We don’t use our titles here, and you behave. They are not our people. Do you understand?”
I nod, yanking my hand from his. “I’ll keep quiet, but you’re not holding my hand.”
Erax swears under his breath as he pulls the giant door open to the inn, stepping inside. The warmth slams into me as I step over the threshold, and I sigh in relief. It’s warm in here. It’s pretty quiet, thankfully, with only a few hooded figures in the alcoves around the corners. No more than twenty, from what I can see. There is a big bar in the middle and two staircases on either side. There are two square fireplaces in the middle of the room, and I rush over to sit by one, warming my hands up as Erax goes to the bar. He leans against it as a woman behind the bar, a beautiful blonde with her huge breasts spilling out of her laced top, comes over to serve him with a smile that makes my stomach turn.
“Hello, handsome. Two rooms?” she questions. “And a drink, perhaps?”
“One room, one bed,” Erax demands, and I narrow my eyes at his back. “For me and my wife.”
“There I was, hoping you were single.” The bartender sighs, still staring at him like he is a piece of cake. Fury burns down my spine, and I gasp, seeing I’ve turned the stone by the fire into ice. Thankfully, it melts quickly, and the bartender is too lost in my husband’s eyes to notice. “We don’t have many rooms left. You’ll have to be in the one near the attic. It’s small, a few holes I haven’t fixed yet, but it’ll do you for a night. The bed is clean and dry. There is also a fire in there.”
“Perfect. Food? We want feeding tonight and in the morning,” he adds.
“The cook made some broth and fresh bread only an hour ago. There should be some left. There’s ale I made myself, nice stuff to warm your belly for the night. Gods above know it’s needed in miserable weather like tonight. For a higher fee, youcan have some meat and cheese,” she offers, pulling up a key. “It will be?—”
Erax drops a bag of gold with a thud onto the bar, and she stops mid-sentence. “Please take a seat, sir. I’ll bring it all over.”
“Thank you,” Erax murmurs before walking to me. He sits at the table nearest the fire and waits for me to come and sit with him. I unclip his cloak, hanging it over the back of the chair, shivering as I sit down. The fire soon warms me up, and the bartender brings us ales first, water and a plate of meats, cheeses and grapes. We both eat them, and I notice Erax only eats something after watching me to make sure I eat first. By the time she brings the stew and fresh bread out, our drinks are empty and she takes them to refill. The broth is warm but lacks any flavour. I mostly enjoy dipping my bread into it.
I clear my throat. “Thank you for the food.”
