Chapter 34

34

K yrie

I’m in a room made from ice. Everything is ice, and yet it doesn’t melt. Even the bars on the doors and windows are ice.

I’m sitting at a table made from ice and on a chair made from the ice, too. It’s warm. The walls glow. Nothing melts, even though I am sitting on the chair.

Across from me is the guard who fetched me. His name is Vander. He is an imposing figure; his bright green eyes are fixed on me as he studies my every move.

“The Ice Court does not take kindly to unauthorized entries, especially from humans,” he says. “You have some explaining to do.”

I swallow hard, my mind racing to find a way out of this mess. How could I have been so foolish to think I could simply walk into the Ice Court without consequences?

“For the tenth time. I came with a group. If my entry was not noted, that isn’t my fault. Why am I being held accountable? I mean, I apologize for any confusion,” I say tentatively. “I really was under the impression that my arrival had been noted.” It won’t help if I anger him. I need to tread carefully.

“Well, it wasn’t.” He narrows his eyes. “It wasn’t noted because you didn’t come through the main entrance to the Ice Court.”

“Of course I did.”

“What time of day?”

“I don’t remember exactly.”

“Morning, after lunch, was it toward sunset? When? You must have an idea.”

“Afternoon…I think,” I blurt.

Vander rubs his chin. “Really now?”

I groan. “Please. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to tell the truth.” He hits the ice table with both his hands. His eyes are blazing.

“I am telling the truth!” I yell. “I’m sorry, I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”

“I worked the main gate all day yesterday, and I didn’t see you.”

Kakara’s cat!

“I took a five-minute break sometime before lunch. Before lunch, girl! Not after. I didn’t see you. I would have remembered you if I had. What do you say to that?”

No!

Why didn’t I say morning?

Why?

I smile. “I traveled for over a week. Yesterday was a blur. We climbed the mountain. My hands were so cold I couldn’t feel them. We had run out of supplies. I was absolutely exhausted. I could have gotten it wrong. Perhaps it was morning.”

“You say ‘we.’ Who did you travel with?”

“It was a small group of humans. We hoped to find asylum here at the Ice Court.” I’m saying too much. I don’t even know if you can get asylum.

“Names, girl! I want names.”

“I don’t know. I joined up with them a day before. By then, my mind was half gone from the cold and the sheer fatigue.”

He narrows his eyes. “You mean to tell me that you can’t give me even one name?”

Someone clears their throat at the door. They wave their hand, and the icicle bars disappear. Then they step inside the space and whisper into Vander’s ear.

“Fine,” he says, leaning back. “You may take her.”

“Take me where exactly?”

“Stand,” the new guard says, his voice deep.

I want to argue, but I know that there is no point.

Instead, I push myself up from the ice chair and follow the new guard out of the room. The two guards from before fall in behind me.

“I’m not sure what you did, human. It had to have been bad,” he says.

“I didn’t do anything.”

He makes a noise that tells me he doesn’t agree.

My heart is pounding in my chest as we walk down a long corridor, the walls glowing softly with an ethereal light. I steal a glance at the guard beside me – his features are stern, his eyes unreadable.

I want to ask him a question, but I bite my tongue instead. He’s not going to answer me.

We walk down several corridors and up a grand flight of stairs. They are, just like everything else, carved from ice, except this time, there are silver patterns within the ice, making each step shimmer in the soft light. If I wasn’t so nervous, I would marvel at the craftsmanship as we ascend higher and higher into the heart of the Ice Court. The air grows colder with each step.

We finally reach the top. This part of the castle is different. It feels even colder than the rest, the air nearly freezing as I take in my surroundings. The landing is vast, with walls made entirely of ice that seem to glitter like diamonds in the dim light. The ceiling is glass, showing the moon and all the stars. It’s quite beautiful. My eyes would be drawn up if not for the large throne at the center of the room. It, too, is made of ice.

“This way.” The guard grabs my arm and yanks me toward yet another corridor. It’s wide and leads to a set of double doors that are intricately carved with swirling patterns. The guard pushes the doors open, revealing a room bathed in a soft blue light. I step inside, my eyes widening at the sight before me.

There are five guards standing at attention. They are not dressed in the same way as the ones escorting me. They are clad in armor made of shimmering ice, their weapons glittering in the light; they, too, are carved from ice.

“We’ll take it from here,” the guard at the front states. His beard is thick and white.

“She’s all yours,” the guard holding my arm says. “Good luck, human. I would recommend that you tell the truth. She always knows when you are lying. Always.” Then he smiles at me and turns to leave.

She.

No!

Surely not.

It has to be her.

Before us are huge double doors. They’re taller than Grigor’s double-story homestead and wider than if several of his horses were to stand head to tail. I would say that it would take four, maybe even five, of the beasts to create such a width.

There are more ice-clad fae on each side of the doors. They have to push with all of their might to open them.

“Go inside, human,” the white-bearded fae instructs as soon as the doors are wide enough. “May the gods have mercy on your soul.”

Heart pounding, I walk forward, my head held high.

It’s the royal bedroom. It has to be. I’ve never seen anything more elaborate in all my life. My eyes are fixed on the figure staring out of an open window. I can only see her from behind, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is Snow. It’s the queen, and she’s sent for me.