Page 21 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“What are they?” I breathe out.
“Werebears,” Royan says grimly.
My mind runs wild. There are more shifters out there?! I thought there were only wolves, but now… there are werebears as well, and unlike the werewolves, I do feel scared of them!
With Royan leading us, we ride out of the forest and into a huge, white field of snow. One of the bears catches up to us, but Ita appears at our side. I can see how the sun reflects on a blade she is holding. She throws the knife into one of the bears, making him hiss and growl in pain and anger.
It worked in our favor as he falls back again.
“Faster!” Royan commands.
eight
The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
*AZADEH*
My eyes focus on what is in front of us. In the very far distance, I can see the outline of a town. This must be the capital or, rather, the royal pack! Maybe we can still make it.
When I can hear a few screams behind us, my heart sinks though. “Don’t look back, princess,” Royan pleads. “And don’t worry, your friends are safe. Our warriors are protecting them.”
“But what about your warriors?” I pant.
Royan tosses me a curious glance I don’t quite understand. “You are worried about them?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
He doesn’t say anything, but he smiles shortly. “We are going to make it,” he says with conviction. “Trust me, princess.”
My eyes focus on the town in front of us again, catching how there seems to be two figures riding towards us. For a second, my heart stops beating. Are we getting attacked from the front, too?
“Royan, who is approaching us?”
Royan follows my gaze, his eyes widening. “Backup is coming!” he calls towards his warriors and my men.
The two figures are coming closer faster than expected; they must be fantastic horse-riders. “King Gillean,” Royan breathes out.
Wait… what!? My eyes widen at his words. Thekingis coming in person?
“My king,” Royan bows his head when King Gillean approaches us while still keeping his pace. For a moment, he and the man with him ride with us.
“Cut the formalities,” the king waves him off. “Who cares when we are dead?”
“Inspiring as usual, my king,” the man with him, his general, or whoever he is, says.
“Shut up, Quinn, this is all your fault,” King Gillean frowns. “You said it would do me some good to leave the palace and go for a ride. Something about it being relaxing.”
“But it does you some good,” Quinn argues. “This is a fantastic workout.”
The king narrows his eyes to a glare while Quinn just smiles before he turns around and leaves us to help some of the warriors fend off the bears. King Gillean shifts his horse slightly to look back, his eyes darkening. It is as if I can feel the air around him pulsate. Royan lowers his head, almost looking submissive for a moment.
“The princes,” Ita blurts out as more people approach us.
Wolves are amazing, I realize; they can see and hear over such long distances. To me, it’s just a few blobs on a horse. I pull my cape and scarf even tighter around me as the icy wind feels like little piercing needles against my skin due to the speed of our horses.
“Gamma!” One of the princes shouts. “What happened?”
“Prince Caelan,” Ita answers promptly. “A surprise attack.”
