Page 165 of Frost and Death
The sweet scent of flowers usually calms my senses, but it does nothing for my worry over Mother being gone this long.
Father used to travel on business alone, and when Mother was required to venture outside of Axidoria, she always had one of us with her. But I can’t stop thinking about what she told me before she left.
My sweet daughter, you will do a great many things while I am away.
Her silky, sweet voice echoes in my mind, hating that I’ve done nothing while she’s been away. I’m normally good at dedicating my time to the tasks she does, helping her more since Father passed.
The memory of Father before his last trip seeps into my bones.
I swallow the thought down, focusing on the scenery.
Runa rubs soft circles in my palm to calm me and reassure me. It brings joy as I return the circles in kind. She is sweetness and joy, appeased to be a part of everything.
The sunshine to my rain cloud.
Always.
My lip ticks upward, amused by her teasing me about ogling Nikolaj. I probably deserve it and should keep my longing stares at a minimum.
“I’m enjoying the view same as you,” she teases, the two of us always commenting on men as handsome as Nikolaj.
“We don’t need him to catch us staring,” I tell her as my slippers catch on a thick pile of mud.
The mud-stuck shoe stops both Runa and me. I lift my skirts to my other foot closely tied with being stuck like the other.
Runa braces herself on the ground to help pull me and my shoes out, but Nikolaj lifts me with ease, placing me next to my sister. His auburn hair is damp, but a sweet smile graces his cheeks as he swipes away the sweat along his brow.
“Easy there, Princess,” Nikolaj says.
Runa gives me a side-eye, hinting she is up to no good. I dismiss her intent, gazing at Nikolaj while forcing the butterflies in my gut to settle.
“Thank y—”
A searing chill prickles to life inside me.
What the—
I clench my stomach as something fierce and painful forces me to topple over.
Niko catches me and holds me tight. “Whoa. Easy there, are you alright?”
The chill in my abdomen sinks deeper into the pit of my stomach while goose bumps prickle along my skin. The sensation creeps up the length of my spine as a frigid kiss shoots my posture upright and away from Niko’s warm, tender touch.
Runa arches a brow, echoing Niko’s concern. “Tove, are you—” she starts, but I can’t stop my dreadful, looming thought from voicing itself out loud.
“M-M-Mother is—th-this is—”
Horror settles into my bones at this feeling waking within me.
Magic.
No.
“I can’t… I can’t—”
I croak, covering my mouth as tears cascade down my cheeks. My body convulses, my heartbeat hammering and blurring my vision.
No, no, no. This isn’t real.
