Page 134 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
With my breathing now in control, I kicked myself away from the tree, and marched to the entrance, a cascade of snow and the ghost of the shrill hum behind me.
The warriors stationed at the main doors bowed their heads my way.
“Pen and paper. Now,” I said instead of a greeting.
I pushed the double doors open and stepped through.
Instantly, Nadya and Geryll were in front of me. They always did this, like they had some internal clock telling them the precise moment I’d return and rushed to greet me, with twin childish glee in their eyes.
I wrapped an arm around each and brought them into my chest, despite their surprise and squirming. I hadn’t hugged them in public in years. But the blood on the shards had shaken me more than I wanted to admit.
Our enemies were getting bolder and I wanted to feel them safe in my arms.
They were the closest thing to family I still had left and I didn’t care who saw this small display.
I let them go a second later and began walking, the two of them right on my heels. Warriors hurried around me as I marched through the halls. A pen and a paper found their way in my hands in the ruckus and I instantly began writing.
“What happened?” Nadya said, out of breath from trying to match my stride. I usually slowed and waited, but this could not.
“Nothing.” Yet. “I need to send an urgent message to the Capital.”
“Weren’t you just there?” Geryll asked.
“Some things are better delivered in writing.” Such as a Clan-wide threat on the Northern border. “How was your day?”
I didn’t miss the smile in Geryll’s voice, even as I focused on the pen rapidly scratching the paper. “The Huntress taught me a proper firing stance. She also humbled Nadya.”
I didn’t miss the way warmth spread in my chest at the mere mention of her, but I didn’t fight it. I never won, anyway.
The Huntress was inescapable, strutting in my dreams and waking moments with that stubborn air of hers.
“Hey!” Nadya nudged him. “I just helped her show you a perfect archery trick. You should be thanking me.”
“What did she do this time?”
“She curved an arrow in mid air,” Geryll said, awestruck. “It just fired from the bow, went around Nadya, and hit the target behind her.”
I raised my brows, not stopping. “That is impressive.”
I’d heard of the technique, but never saw it with my own eyes. Leave it to The Huntress to defy the laws of nature.
“I’m still not convinced she didn’t use magic,” Nadya grumbled and quickened her steps, trying to look over my shoulder. “What are you writing there?”
“A love letter to our great ruling dynasty.” I signed the letter with a flourish, drops of ink splattering on my fingers, and folded the paper before she got a peek. This was only for my eyes and Zandyr’s, nobody else’s.
A few feet away from my door, I turned to both of them. They might have looked like warriors, but the creases in their brows betrayed their concern.
I sighed and forced a smile on my face. “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Only logistics. The Serpents are snapping their jaws too loud for my peace of mind.”
Geryll nodded. Nadya narrowed her eyes, unconvinced.
“Did you drink your tea already?” I asked. Whenever I had the opportunity–which was less and less nowadays–I spared the hour to drink my night tea with them and just listen to whatever crossed their minds.
Another thing this wretched situation had disrupted in my life.
“Mrs. Thornbrew gave us honey milk tonight.” Geryll smiled.
“Good,” I said, swallowing my disappointment. “Now go to bed, you have sparring practice tomorrow.”
