Page 213 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
Peaceful, idyllic, andvast.
Even during that first day, when I’d watched the crater’s rim surround me, I hadn’t truly realized how big Solkar’s Reach truly was. Small miracle the honey cart had managed to traverse half of it in one day.
Every hour or so, I opened the palaver book, heart dropping each time Dax’s face didn't appear from between the blank pages.
He was just sleeping, I told myself.
Any other scenario was unthinkable–and I didn’t want to think it.
As if sensing my turmoil, Ryker slowed down a few times until he was visible, running alongside our sled for the briefest moments. Checking up on me. I smiled his way whenever I saw flashes of him, but he didn’t smile back.
Whatever he was doing to move so fast seemed to hurt. His face was set in a grimace, blue eyes sparking, and I could almost feel the throbbing from his legs thundering against the ground at such impossible speeds.
But then he’d be off to the head of the formation leading us deeper into the wilderness.
By the time the sun had begun to settle near the horizon, there were no more human-made bridges or structures around. Only nature, in all its unshakable glory.
Behind me, Nadya had relaxed completely, enjoying the ride. She’d even begun to hum a strange song underneath her breath, one I’d never heard a note of before. But it helped to focus on her chant while my spine rattled.
I’d definitely need a massage after this.
But before I did anything else, I knew that once we stopped, my time to sort my thoughts out would be over. Ryker deserved an explanation.
I had none–at least not one that didn’t make me feel deep shame, down to my marrow.
I was The Huntress. The past shouldn’t control me.
It turned out its claws were still embedded in my soul. More than I’d thought possible.
But if I didn’t wrangle it, that past which had left me with scars would screw up my future. That was the hardest part. It had hurt then and it hurt now, in a different, more pervasive way.
It wasn’t the hot rage that made me scream at the stars at night. It was the dull ache that hissed in my ear.
And I couldn’t let it win.
I hadn’t survived so much for so long to–
A terrifying roar splintered the peace.
It scraped against my bones and clawed at my muscles.
Every sense in my body knew the truth before my mind caught up.
Predator.
And I was the prey.
The sled jolted, my ribs slamming against the bench. Cold wind slashed against my cheeks and I tasted blood in my mouth from where my teeth had sunk into my lip.
I gripped the dagger and already had my hand raised above the furs, ready for an attack, when the sled began to sway.
Nadya cursed above me, yanking on the reins.
But no matter how hard she pulled on the leather straps, the wolves didn’t listen.
That roar had scared them into running off the snowy path.
“Shit!” Nadya yelled as the wolves dragged our sled through the deep forest. She hunched low to avoid the branches hitting against us with a vengeance. “They’re not listening!”
