Chapter 1

S tepfamily or not, I won’t be cheated by anyone , I thought grimly as I trudged along the frosted forest road. My stepfamily’s carriage had long since faded from sight, headed off toward the royal castle. How far it still was, I had no idea. The snow-capped trees hid all else from view, and even on straight stretches, the icy path extended ahead of me as far as I could see. The royal castle seemed like a speck on the faraway hill, so tiny it was easy to lose amongst the slowly falling snowflakes. Kodiak’s white fur blended perfectly with the white landscape, and he leapt in and out of the snowbanks, barking at the falling flakes then turning to face me, his tongue lolling out to the side and panting, a silly grin plastered on his face.

“Good dog, Kody,” I praised. The second I’d spoken, he dashed off again, leaping through the drifts in great bounds, showering powder all around and swirling the snow on the breeze.

At least one of us was having fun. My father’s funeral had barely been a month ago, and it had taken my stepmother, Valencia, less than a day to seize his assets and hide the will that I knew named me heir to his vast estate. Then last week, she had revoked the funding and shut down the school my father and I had founded to educate young mages, who were banned from receiving a normal education. She wasn’t the one who had to send the youth back home, tears streaming down their faces as they thought of the second-class life they would be subjected to without a proper education and equal rights. If Valencia thought she could escape my wrath by whisking her two daughters off to the castle to compete in the prince’s bride competition, she was sorely mistaken.

I still couldn’t believe how I’d landed myself in this place. I’d been so stupid. When Valencia had invited me to come with them to watch her daughters compete in the bride competition, I’d clambered right into the carriage, determined to use the ride to badger her into reopening the school and discover where she’d hidden the will so I could use the funds to reopen the school myself. I hadn’t even packed anything other than a change of clothes, expecting to come back within a day or two. I should have known that Valencia had something else planned when she’d allowed Kodiak to come along without so much as a word of complaint.

When I’d stopped the carriage in the middle of the forest that afternoon to let Kodiak run for a few moments, they had set off again without me. I could still hear her laughter ringing in my ears as the carriage trundled away, moving much too quickly for me to ever catch up on foot.

It wasn’t as though I planned to participate in the bride competition. My stepsisters, Vallia and Vanessa, may have harbored desires to marry Prince Stephen and become queen one day, but I simply wanted the inheritance that my father and I had discussed so many times so I could continue his work of helping mages. Many girls shared the same ambitions that my stepsisters did, and had swept ahead of me in sleighs, gaily laughing as each dreamt of a life of ease and luxury. I exhaled through my nose so mist appeared in the air before me. Ease and luxury were worthless if it meant a life devoid of significance. Did they know that? Or did they simply not care?

I scooped a handful of snow, compacted it into a ball, and threw it for Kodiak to chase. He tore after it, leaving a trail of pawprints in the snow behind him, then leapt and snapped his large jaws, crushing the snowball into a flurry of powder. “Good boy!”

I threw another, glad of something to distract me from the frigid cold that numbed my toes and shriveled my lungs. Only the memories of the injustices dealt by my stepmother rankled me enough to cause a burning heat that kept me warm. The young mages I taught couldn’t advocate for themselves, and I refused to let any weather, no matter how cold, deter me from fighting for them.

None of the occasional sleighs stopped to offer me a ride even when I tried to flag them down, and the hem of my dress and cloak became sodden and heavy as they absorbed the snow’s moisture. Kodiak put his front paws up on a tree and let out a bark that sent four birds fluttering up from the branches, calling out their protests as they flew away. The castle remained a distant glow as the sun dropped lower in the sky and was eventually lost from view behind the pine trees. Darkness closed in, and no additional sleds came my way.

The bravery fueling my decision to complete the remainder of my journey on my own dwindled and evaporated just as quickly as the temperature dropped. It was easy to be brave in the light. Courage at night in the unfamiliar darkness required far more bravery than false bravado.

Wolves howled loud and long at the full moon overhead. I shivered and drew my cloak’s folds closer around myself, my breath forming puffs of white in the icy air. Kodiak growled as his fur stood on end. Many patches of road were so icy that my progress had been slow. As much as I knew my stepfamily disliked me, I was still in shock that they’d left me abandoned on a lonely forest road, exactly halfway between the last village we’d passed and the village that surrounded the castle, risking my exposure to the cold and dangerous nightlife in the forest.

Kodiak drew closer to me, his pointed ears sticking straight up as he became unnaturally quiet, eyes focused on a specific point in the dark forest’s tree line. Howls came from behind us, and I whipped around, staring with wide eyes into the nothingness of the forest that stretched its scaly arms toward me, creeping closer and closer. I stooped to pick up a branch from the ground, a poor excuse for a club if we really were attacked. It was nearly a full moon, and the moon’s light reflected off the snow so that if I kept to the road, I had fairly good visibility.

Kodiak braced himself in front of me as two pinpricks of light glowed at the forest’s edge. I froze, heart pounding, as the ominous shadows gathered to form a wolf, its fur blending into the grey of the winter forest and eyes glinting with a predatory hunger. A trembling that had nothing to do with the frigid night shook my entire body, and I flexed my hand around the makeshift club. That wolf was enormous; there was no way I could win in a fight against it. I licked my dry lips, hoping that I looked too bony and thin to be worth attacking .

Before I could react, Kodiak lunged forward, his growls filling the air as he raced at the wolf.

“No!” I screamed, darting after my beloved pet, but the flurry of fur and teeth held me back. “Kodiak!” The force of my shout tore at my throat. I watched in terror, considering throwing the branch, but doing so would run the risk of hitting Kodiak as well. My eyes filled with tears and I couldn’t draw a single breath as the wild snarling continued. A jingling sounded nearby, but in my panic, I couldn’t focus on anything other than my endangered dog.

Both Kodiak and the wolf snapped at each other, each baring its teeth and aiming for the other’s throat. I clutched at my face, terrified, as a shout sounded from the road behind me. Ice daggers shot past my face to pelt the wolf, which yelped and disentangled itself from Kodiak, who whimpered and struggled in my direction, leaving a trail of disturbed snow in his wake. More shards of ice in a whirlwind of snow flew around me, barricading me and Kodiak from the wolf and swirling so fast that I couldn’t see anything past the wall of white. I buried my face into Kodiak’s snow-crusted neck and felt a wet warmth that shouldn’t have been there. Blood began to stain the snow around his trembling body. “It’s going to be all right, Kody,” I told him, my voice shaking just as much as my hands. “You’ll be fine.”

The wolf’s yelps grew fainter. As they faded, so did the swirling snowstorm. I raised my head to find the glow from an illuminated lantern lighting up the rugged features of a young man whose hand was still outstretched at the retreating wolves, snow exploding from his palm to chase the wolf away. Behind him, a team of sled dogs stood at attention with noses twitching as they all watched the wolf’s retreat .

“Are you hurt?” The man stepped toward me. A shock of white hair protruded from beneath his woolen cap that didn’t match the youth in his face, and his eyes were a vivid, electric blue. He was a mage.

“No, but my dog is. Please?—”

“Let me look.” Instantly, the man knelt down and examined Kodiak, parting his fur and pulling medical supplies from the pack he had strapped to his side. With my heart hammering against my ribs, I knelt next to the man, my throat closing off as I watched. If Kodiak died, I would never, ever forgive my stepmother.

There was a large gash down his side, and his fur was matted with blood. I held Kodiak’s large head on my lap, stroking his ears and neck while the man worked on him for several minutes, occasionally jogging back to his sled for additional supplies. “You’re going to be fine,” I told Kodiak again, willing it to be true.

The man’s dogs had stopped staring at where the wolf had gone and began playfully barking and snapping at each other. I scratched under Kodiak’s chin as the sled owner finished tying off the bandages. “I’ve stabilized him, but we need to get him seen. Do you live far?”

“At Frostwood Estate in Evergreen. It’s almost a day’s journey.”

“I know a place that’s closer. I’m Jack, by the way.”

“Noelle.” I stuck out my hand to shake his. “I don’t know how to thank you.” With a suspicious glance at me, he took it, pumping my arm once before quickly letting go and looking away.

I squatted down to try to lift Kodiak into my arms, but the white-haired man beat me to it. “Get in,” he told me. “I’ve got him. He probably weighs more than you do, anyway. What’s his name? ”

“Kodiak.”

The dog sled was low and cramped, but by squeezing next to each other on the seat and laying Kodiak across both of us, we managed to barely fit.

“Mush!” Jack shouted. His yapping dogs instantly went silent and leapt ahead, driving forward in the direction of the castle so we were jolted into movement. I stroked Kodiak’s head and stared at the crimson blood staining the bandages as he whimpered. What would happen to him?

“Why were you out so late and all alone?” Jack asked.

“I was trying to get to the castle.”

“Off to compete in the prince’s bride balls?”

“No. My stepfamily has something of mine, and I intend to get it back.”

Jack didn’t ask any more probing questions about my motives and within twenty minutes, we swept into a small village. Jack pulled up next to one of the shops. The windows were dark, but Jack slipped out from under Kodiak to pound on the door anyway.

“Beryl! Open up!” Jack returned to the sled, scooped Kodiak into his arms, then continued to pound on the door with his foot, so loudly that I looked around in alarm, wondering if the other townsfolk would wake up and begin throwing things at us. Having made my way to his side, I nervously patted Kodiak’s head, and he let out a piteous whimper.

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” a man grumbled from inside, heavy footsteps thudding across the floor. The door creaked open, and a bearded man poked his head out. “By holly, Jack, can’t this wait until morning?”

“No.” Jack lifted Kodiak and nodded at the injury.

The man I assumed was Beryl sighed and opened the door. “It’s always dogs with you. Bring him inside. I’ll stake your team.”

While Beryl went to secure Jack’s team, Jack laid Kodiak down on a table. Shelving ran from floor to ceiling all around the room, crowded with jars and bottles.

“Beryl’s a healer,” Jack explained quietly. “I can bind up injuries well enough, but if that wolf had a disease, which is fairly likely…”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done,” I told him. “Truly, I don’t know how to repay you.”

He shrugged. “No need. I don’t like many people, but I do like dogs.”

“Likewise.” I scratched under Kodiak’s chin and he wagged his tail feebly. “Dogs don’t talk back or judge.”

Jack ran his hand along Kodiak’s back. “That’s always a nice quality.”

“Now how did you convince any girl to stand being in your presence for longer than three seconds?” Beryl had returned, stomping snow from his boots and pulling off his gloves. “You sure you want to be out with this shady mage all alone, miss? You never know what he may do. Or is Jack using his magic to manipulate your mind?”

I bristled, drawing myself up to my fullest, though still short, height. No one, healer or not, should have such a low opinion of mages. “For your information, the law banning mages from interacting one on one with any non-mage was lifted ten years ago, so neither of us were doing anything illegal, and Jack has been a perfect gentleman. Being born a mage was proven to be completely random and not hereditary at all. Mages are just as trustworthy as anyone else, and furthermore, there is a proposed bill to—” I broke off, confused as to why both men had begun laughing.

“Calm down, lass, I was only teasing. Jack’s an old friend of mine. It’s rare to find someone who supports mage rights so vehemently.”

Tension drained from my shoulders. While I didn’t appreciate being laughed at, it was at least comforting to know that I didn’t need to give yet another lecture about mage rights. Kodiak let out another whine, and all three of us clustered around him.

Beryl’s brow contracted as he cut the bandage away and examined the injury. “Tell me what happened.”

I told the story of the wolf attack, and Beryl listened as he began dabbing dollops of a pale-pink salve onto Kodiak’s side. “That will numb it so he doesn’t feel anything. Now, why were you out walking alone so late at night on a deserted forest road? Were you hoping to be eaten alive?”

“I was…separated from my stepmother and stepsisters during our journey.”

“Where are they?” Beryl asked. “Shall I send for them?”

I let out a hollow, humorless laugh. “No. They were the reason I was left behind.”

Jack threw a sharp look my direction. “They abandoned you?”

“Essentially. I think they assumed I would go back home.”

“Why didn’t you?” Beryl didn’t look up from where he was stitching Kodiak’s wound.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to admit that my own stubbornness had nearly killed me and my dog, but even if I had tried to backtrack to the previous village, it could have been just as dangerous. To avoid his question, I cast around for a change in topic. “I can pay you back for everything you’ve done, but I’ll need to go back home?—”

“No need. Watching a tiny scrap of a girl prepare to fight a fully grown man over the trustworthiness of mages was payment enough.”

“You’re going to go out of business if you keep giving away your services for free,” Jack told him. “I’ll ensure you’re paid.”

“ I will ensure that you’re paid,” I said stubbornly. It was well known that mages were already paid poorly, if at all. Whatever Jack did for a living wouldn’t earn much, and it was my dog, not his.

Beryl shot a wink at me as he shoved a paste into Kodiak’s mouth. “It isn’t every day a lovely lady will rush to defend an ugly and grouchy old sorcerer. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind getting to know you better.”

Jack’s serious facial expression didn’t change. “I can’t get to know any woman in that way, Beryl, and you know it. Not all laws are as forward-thinking as Noelle here.”

“Laws can be changed.”

“Don’t you need to tell her about her dog ?” Jack asked pointedly.

“Not as much as I need to tell her about you,” Beryl answered with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, then turned to me. “Your dog here will be fine. He’ll need to stay and rest for a day or two, then you can pick him up. But you may want to watch out, there might be another sly dog in our midst…”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I think it’s time to go. Noelle has business at the castle.”

Beryl, finished with Kodiak, leaned back and looked at me. “Oh, that’s right. My daughter Peggy was wishing she was old enough to run off to the ball.”

“How old is she?” I stroked Kodiak’s head. He had lazily closed his eyes, though I wasn’t sure if it was to enjoy being petted, from exhaustion, or from the medications Beryl had forced into him. Likely a combination of all three, I decided.

Beryl let out a great, booming laugh. “She’s nine. She still has a long way to go before she needs to think about anything like courtship and bride competitions.”

“It isn’t a competition ,” Jack stated. “It’s a week of balls and activities designed to help the prince?—”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve told me before. But it’s a competition and we all know it, even if the royalty pretend otherwise,” Beryl replied, rolling his eyes and laughing. “Dangle a wealthy prince as a prize and all the women come flocking. Personally, I think it’s a little wed -iculous.”

“ Wed -iculous?” I groaned. “That’s terrible.”

“See, Beryl?” Jack told him triumphantly. “I told you long ago that your puns are terrible. Noelle agrees with me.”

“Noelle’s off to compete, isn’t she? I think she’s hoping it will be her crown ing achievement.” Beryl laughed so hard that he nearly knocked over a rounded bottle on the table. “Oh, come on, Jack. That was hilarious! Are you too serious to ever laugh? Has your ice magic frozen your heart completely?”

“I have a sense of humor,” Jack protested.

“And that’s snow joke,” I added, fighting to keep a straight face.

Jack’s mouth twisted to hide a smile.

“Oh, you’ll laugh at her puns, but not mine? I see how it is.” Beryl looked from me to Jack, who was carefully scooping Kodiak into his arms. “How interesting. I’m going to make myself scarce now. I’ll see you two in a day or so.”