Page 1 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
one
Hunted
*ENDELLION*
“Come on! Faster, everyone!” my brother yells from the front. “We don’t want to get caught in the blizzard.”
“Let’s take the shortcut,” I yell back through the wind.
Are you serious, Endellion?He links me.
All of the warriors with us are good horse riders; we should make it,I point out.
Risky, he says.
Caelan, we can’t always play it safe. The blizzard is approaching fast. If it hits us, it’s going to be their death. Shifters or not, they are weakened, and we have elders and children with us too.
Caelan turns his head slightly while not slowing down. “Follow us,” he yells at the small group of men and women. All werewolves of the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdoms of Eternal Ice, are exceptional riders. Horses are essential for reaching and protecting the smaller villages.
I fall back to ride alongside a young woman with her baby. She has tied it to her body, keeping it warm, a grim expression on her face. At the rear end of our group is another one of my brothers and the youngest of us three, Flinn, making sure no one falls behind.
“How are you holding up?” I ask her.
“I’m good,” she says with determination in her eyes. “Thank you, Prince Endellion.”
I decide not to belittle her by inquiring further. She has lost her mate and older child already and is one of the very few females we managed to find alive. She is clinging to her determination now to bring her baby through this alive.
I nod at her, leaving her immediate proximity but remaining close enough to help in case something happens.
Caelan leads our group away from the safe, main road and through a narrow path. Only two riders can be next to each other here, with the mountain tight to our left and a dangerously steep cliff to our right. I hope I made the right decision in suggesting this path. Falling here would mean our certain death. Nothing can be heard aside from hooves hitting the ground and the blasting wind getting stronger every second.
Flinn, reach out to Dad and the guards, tell them we are coming, Caelan commands. As triplets, we can share a mind link between all three of us, a link with all three of us present at the same time, a rarity amongst shifters, even for stronger ones. It’s like an open door that’s never closed. We can usually only link our mates like that or our pack as a whole. Strong wolves can mind link a single person, but not be in a constantly open, mind link like we are. The only exception to the rule is the king himself, who is blessed by the goddess to have more powers, and his very few ranked members.
Consider it done, Flinn says surprisingly seriously. He is the mischievous one of us usually; it’s rare to see him so earnest and grim.
Any problems back there?I inquire.
I hope not, he says.But one of the older men is having trouble keeping up with the group. I’m with him and a teenage girl. I’m staying close to them and making sure to nudge their horses forward.
If you need help, tell me, I offer.
You need to save the baby, Caelan intervenes.The villagers can’t lose another one of their women and children.
Let’s focus on getting everyone to the safety of the castle, I remind him.
Right, he nods, but I can feel through our bond that if things get any more dramatic, he’ll want us to make a decision. He is the most realistic of us three, used to pointing out things Flinn and I like to tip-toe around.
We fall into silence, trying to stay focused on the task. I turn my head slightly to look back, allowing my wolf spirit forward to scan what’s behind us. The blizzard is approaching fast, as if it is chasing us. Within it I feel like I can see the shadow of something else… a creature?
It’s not just the blizzard chasing us, my wolf, Caspian, says out aloud what I’ve been thinking.
My blood almost freezes in my veins at his words. I toss one last glance at the woman with the baby. “Are you certain you can do this alone?” I ask her.
“Absolutely, my Prince,” she exclaims. “I’m one of the best riders of the village. Please help those that need you more.”
“Alright,” I say, falling back to reach Flinn. He and the two slowest of the group are behind, just like he told us. I grab the reins of the old man’s horse. Flinn looks surprised to see me.Something is behind us,I tell him.
What!?He tosses a glance back and frowns.Are you sure?
