Page 30 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“As evidenced by your near extinction.”
I hated her words as much as I hated the truth behind them.
It wasn’t just the mages who’d almost killed us off, but dark fae who’d allowed their more primal instincts to rule.While the dark fae were strong enough to fight off attacks, they’d lost themselves to the darkness. It was said they’d gone mad with the power and turned on not only the kingdom but also their families.
It was why it was imperative for us to learn to push down our primal instincts at a young age so that our instincts couldn’t rule us. But using it felt.. . natural. As natural as breathing or wielding magic.
Still, I obeyed like the good princeling ward I was trained to be.
Nalari cast a dark shadow when she flew above us. She swooped just above the tree line, the trees shaking when she flapped her wings.
Snow from the brittle limbs above fell on us, and with their magic dimmed, my friends cursed at the sharp coldness.
“Tell her to fly somewhere else,” George grumbled.
“If I eat him, there’ll be one less of you to worry about feeding,”Nalari said.
I huffed out a breathy laugh. It was all I could muster with the emptiness living inside my chest. As small as it was, it died quickly when George sent me a hardened glare.
“Easy for you to laugh, isn’t it?” he asked. While he said it with a smile, his tone was heavy with frustration.
“George,” Everly warned.
“We followed his orders,” George argued, throwing the wood he’d gathered on the ground.
Heat rose to my cheeks, and I bowed my head to hide it. “I’ve never given you orders,” I said, my quiet reply aimed at the snow-covered ground. “You went with me to Teddy because you chose to, and I appreciate it.” I lifted my head, catching his eyes before I rubbed a hand over my face. Sighing, I crossed my arms over my wide chest, where my heart bledwith guilt. A muscle in my arm twitched. “I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me. You must know how sorry I am, but you can’t cast all the blame on me when it was your choice to tear through the veil.”
“For your female,” he said, pointing a single finger at me. “We came because you said your female was in danger. Then you told me to take care of her attacker, who was never her attacker.”
Frustrated, George kicked at the snow, sending a handful at my head. I ran a hand across my face to wipe it clean and spit out the little that had landed in my mouth.
“And I told the Elders to punish me, not you.” My words echoed in the forest, and the guilt echoed in my soul. I hated that I couldn’t undo any of this. Hated that if given the choice, I’d tear through the veil again to save Teddy’s life.
A sole bird flew from a nearby tree at the sudden boom of my voice, and my heart leaped with hope. If one bird was still alive, surely there were other creatures.
Without needing my prompting, Everly reached for her bow and arrow and struck the bird before it could fly away. Brenton picked it up and put it in his sack while I focused on George.
“Yet here we are, all of us, living out your punishment,” George grumbled, some of the heat in his tone lessening.
Brenton brushed a hand through his medium-length hair. When snow fell out of the disheveled locks, he shook his head and gave me a self-deprecating smile.
“I’m cold,” he whined, easing some of the tension that rippled in the air. “My fingers are cold, Elias. My nose is cold. I’m pretty sure limbs are going to start snapping off any time now. Let George cry and rant all he wants. Maybe his hot breath will warm us.” He smirked.
Everly snorted. From the corner of my eye, I saw George form a snowball that he threw at Brenton’s face. Brenton swore when it hit him, but before he could retaliate, Everly threw another snowball at him. He lifted a finger and spit, making Everly bend over in loud laughter. But when George aimed one at her, she drew out her sword.
“Go ahead and throw it.” She tossed him a challenging smile. “I already have your eulogy memorized.”
George muttered something about crazy females but dropped the snowball by his foot next to his sack.
“Elias, my stomach.” With a dramatic groan, Brenton held a hand to his stomach. “I’ve never heard it make these noises before. I’m hungry, and somehow, I haven’t seen a single creature or rodent to roast over an open fire, aside from that tiny excuse of a bird.”
While my attention stayed on Brenton’s dramatics, I put a tentative hand on George’s shoulder. “Nalari and I are going to hunt. We’ll bring something back to feed us.” A peace offering I hoped they’d all take.
“If you find us a boar, all will be forgiven,” Brenton said with a decisive nod.
Although he said it as a joke, guilt nestled within my chest. It was true that I hadn’t ordered them to go with me, but I also hadn’t tried to stop them or stop myself.
“I will find a way to make this up to all of you,” I told my friends.
