Chapter 1

My sister was not the first woman to be taken from our village, but not to sound like an asshole, she was the one who meant the most to me.

When the wild orcs came six months ago, streaming down the mountain like an avalanche, Vavi shoved me into the cellar. “I’ll distract them,” she said hurriedly. “Whatever happens, Simka, don’t make a sound.”

So I stayed silent as I could as she locked the door firmly behind her. I listened, hand clamped over my mouth, as the orcs thundered into the house, snatched her, and dragged her away.

Vavi didn’t fight, or even protest. The orcs growled words in a language I couldn’t understand, and then left, slamming the door closed behind them.

How my sister was so brave, I’ll never know.

I sat there shivering, wondering if Dad would survive. He was among the villagers defending the town, and the wild orcs outnumbered us—and they were bigger, stronger, and meaner.

For some reason, though, the orcs left Dad and the others alive. The invaders only seemed interested in two things: our food supplies, and the people they stole. Along with another young woman and a young man, Vavi was gone.

It was Dad who unlocked the cellar door, gun still in his hand, begging to know what had become of my sister. I had to tell him the awful truth that she gave her life for mine. We had collapsed to the floor together in tears, and I’ve had to live with it ever since. I was willing to be silent while she was taken away.

Now it’s my only job to find her and get her back. That’s why I’m once again trying to climb this massive sheet of ice. But my pack is too heavy, and I’m only twenty feet up when I have to navigate my way back down or my arms will give out.

I’ve been trying to trace the wild orcs’ tracks back to their camp for months. After the attack, they retreated into the snow-covered Blue Crags, the immense mountains that stand sentinel over our village. The very same night the orcs ran off with Vavi, I pulled on my boots, mittens, and cloak through my tears, and followed their prints. But the path was weaving, and quickly got lost in the rocky cliffs. That same night, their trail was buried under a fresh layer of snow, and I lost them.

Still, I had a heading, and that gave me hope that if I could climb deeper into the mountains, I’d eventually find it. But the Crags are immense and treacherous, and only a fool would put themselves in danger by venturing too far into them. I’ve already gone farther afield than I should searching for any sign of the camp, and Dad would certainly not approve if he knew. He’s even forbidden me from going after Vavi, because he knows too well that I’ll risk my life to find her, and he can’t bear the idea of losing another daughter.

Not that I’ve ever really listened to him.

But I keep meeting the same roadblock: the sharp, icy rock faces that lead even higher into the mountains. When I finally have my feet back under me again and I’m standing on the firm ground, I curse and throw my picks into the snow.

No one else in the village thinks it’s worthwhile to search for our missing people. Most of my neighbors believe they’re dead already—or perhaps something even worse. Though we weren’t the only village attacked by the wild orcs, when we sent a letter to the city of Morgenzan for help… they ignored us.

The city guard of the biggest neutral city in the world, the very people supposed to help and protect us, did nothing.

The snow turns the color of fire as another fruitless day comes to an end. I head down the icy slopes toward home, my shoulders sagging. The hills spread out around me, covered in endless evergreen trees, their branches frosted with snow.

Tomorrow will be different. It has to be. I’ll pack less, just the bare essentials. Or I’ll practice my pull-ups until I’m strong enough. Or I’ll keep walking south until I find another way up.

I will find her.

On my way home, I check my traps. Though I’m not one of our village’s primary hunters, I’ve been training in hope they’ll take me on a hunt someday. I bring in animals from time to time as proof I can do this. Dad says we don’t need any more wolf or badger pelts, and they’re too much work to clean and cure, but I’m going to keep bringing them home until I land something better.

When I locate my trap, though, it’s empty. Damn it. Sometimes it all feels hopeless, like I’m chasing after a ghost.

It’s late when I finally return to the little house I share with Dad. My mule, Fio, greets me over the railing of his pen. He’s sturdy and strong, with copious, thick fur covering every inch of his body. His sire was one of the stout, hairy ponies that call the mountains home, and his dam was an ass that a merchant had brought with him from out of town. This bizarre combination created a surprisingly perfect steed for the snowy slopes. I pet his nose and scratch behind his ears, just the way he likes, before going inside.

“You’re back.” Dad rises from the table where he’s been cleaning his gun. It’s his most valuable possession, as difficult as it is to get firearms up here in the Blue Crags. “What have you been doing all day?” he asks, the same way he does every day, with an arch in his brow. I wonder if he knows I’ve been out looking for Vavi.

I shake my head and shrug. “Followed some tracks, but found nothing. Traps are empty.”

He falls back into his chair. “Well, at least you didn’t bring home another rabbit. We’re full up on mittens.” Thoughtfully, he taps a finger on the table. “I heard today that the Grand Chieftain sent even more soldiers. Supposedly, they’re going to help the beef up the city guard, and keep the wild orcs away from the mine.”

I can’t help a snarl. Those infernal trollkin built a mining operation not far from Morgenzan, tearing open one of our beautiful mountains to pillage it for resources. They shouldn’t have been allowed to do it in the first place, not on neutral territory—but they did anyway, and now they rely on the city guard to protect it.

“Neutral” my ass. The Blue Crags might be contested territory in wartime, but we humans have always lived here. They are the invaders. The trollkin don’t belong here, and yet the city guard care more about protecting the Grand Chieftain’s mine than about human lives.

Then it occurs to me: more soldiers arriving, even if they’re all trollkin, also means more bodies. Maybe now that they’re properly armed and staffed, the city guard might be willing to send out search parties. Wherever my sister is, the wild orcs are there, too. It would benefit all of us.

It’s a hike from our village to the fortress of Morgenzan, but perhaps if I can supply information about the direction the orcs fled, we’d have a shot at finding them. Maybe this is my chance to get real help.

When I go into our bedroom, Vavi’s bed is, as always, empty. Before she was kidnapped, I thought certainly she’d be getting married soon, and then I’d get to have our room to myself. She would pick one of the many boys who had drooled over her through our adolescence, say her vows under the holly, and move out. She’s always been the beautiful one, the one that they talked in hushed voices about marrying.

But now she’ll never have the chance, not unless I can get her back. I refuse to believe she’s dead. My sister is a survivor, like me.

For the first time in months, I go to bed feeling comforted that I have a plan.

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