Page 66 of Frost Like Night
The full bulk of Autumn’s camp begins as a few orange and brown tents that camouflage into the earthy tones of the forest. The longer we ride, the more frequent the tents grow until blocks appear, carefully arranged streets, tents pressed into market areas and barracks and narrow houses. We see more people too, warriors mostly, men and women sharpening weapons or standing guard or eating at short tables along the road.
We slow to a stop just outside a large ruby-red tent. I slide off my horse, my eyes on the elaborate designs stitched into the fabric, leaves fluttering off trees and bonfires raging.
As the warrior who led us here approaches the tent, noises swarm out.
“Shazi, wait—”
A crash, the squeal of a child.
I laugh. At least this war hasn’t dampened the Autumnian princess’s spirits.
The tent flaps part, held by tiny fists.
“MEE-WAH!” Shazi screams, and I can’t tell if she’spleased or in dire pain. She launches at me and hooks her arms around my waist. I can only clutch her and laugh again.
Nikoletta flies out of the tent as if prepared to sprint after her daughter for what could have been the tenth time today. The moment she sees me, her brown eyes light up, drifting to Mather, Ceridwen, Sir, and the beaten group around us.
Shazi pulls back. “Mama! Mee-wah!”
Nikoletta stumbles forward. She says nothing at first, simply folds her arms around me, pressing me into the purple velvet of her outfit, the cozy aroma of wood fire lifting up off her.
“We heard terrible things,” she whispers. “My brother . . . and Theron . . . and they said you’d gone to Juli. . . .”
Her voice fades, and I can’t help but think she’s embracing me now because she needs it, not simply because she’s glad I’m alive. I hug her back.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, and I hate how many times I’ve had to say that.
Nikoletta pulls away. Tears rim her eyes, and as more people exit the tent behind her, her features stand out. Gold hair and pale skin against the darkness of Autumn, marking her even more as Cordellan, as Noam’s sister, as the aunt of Angra’s latest puppet.
She lifts Shazi, who clutches the ring that hangs from the chain around her neck.
“Stwong, Mee-wah!” Shazi cheers. “Stwong!”
I smile. “Strong, Shazi.”
She gurgles deep in her throat and buries her face in Nikoletta’s shoulder.
Caspar emerges from courtiers and stops beside his wife, his eyes filled with a severity that sends a tremor through me.
“Your warrior told me you haven’t sided with Angra,” I start, and I feel my group move closer as I ask the one question that has been spinning around my mind since we entered Autumn. “But what are you planning?”
Caspar inclines his head. “Now that you’re here,” he says, “we’re planning to beat him.”
Checking for approaching enemies and throwing up a barrier has become instinctual now, and after sweeping the perimeter of the camp, I’m able to focus on the meeting awaiting me.
The main room of the tent is a large rectangle, lined with clusters of fabric and piles of pillows and dusty rugs unrolled over the floor. Incense releases rivulets of smoke that swirl around the ceiling. The air is cool, letting me breathe easy.
I hold that breath, reveling in it. We have allies; we’re tucked away in one of the few kingdoms that Angra hasn’t yet completely overtaken. We even know where the keys are, for the next step in this war.
We might just be all right.
Mather and Hollis stand in the corner; the rest of their group was sent away to assist our refugees. Apparently the Thaw designated themselves something of my own personal guard, taking up shifts watching me—and when Mather smiles at me from where he talks with Hollis, I find I don’t mind.
Both Mather and Hollis shift when one of the tent’s flaps rustles and Sir ducks inside. Mather instantly spins toward him, and I don’t realize until I see his eagerness that I’m reacting the same way.
“No problems getting here,” Sir says. “The refugees split into three groups. The farthest one has not yet arrived—should be a few days.”
I swallow. The memory of Ceridwen’s pain is vibrant: how she never had the chance to repair her relationship with Simon.
