What I wanted to do was walk into the middle of the street and call down thunder and lightning like Maeve or Rose, or sing and cause a storm to wipe them out like Meri. Instead, I had a bag of charms I had enchanted. But would I have enough for the distraction I needed?
“When I give the signal, you go,” I called over my shoulder to Herst.
“I’m not leaving you.”
I laughed nervously. “That’s the last thing I want you to do, but trust me.” The words felt hollow, as if I didn’t even believe them.
Under the lip of my hood, I saw the bladesman turn his mount toward me. His horse was stocky with a thick coat, a born and bred steed for these harsh winters. It looked like it could easily run down Fezik’s reindeers.
The bladesman held up a black gloved hand and pointed.
“You there! Stop!” a soldier yelled.
“I’d rather not,” I said simply, a smile creeping onto my lips.
“By order of the King. You are commanded to come with us.”
“I don’t take well to orders, or commands.” Pulling a stone out of my pocket, I flung it into the street. As soon as the charm hit the snow, it turned into an enormous snarling wolf.
The bladesman’s horse reared in terror, and he struggled to keep it under control. The other soldiers’ horses began to scream and run.
“Now!” I yelled. The transport bolted out of the alley, and I took off running to catch it.
The blade regained control just as I leapt onto the sideboard.
I waved cheekily and tossed the second charm right at his feet.
A black and white diamond-backed Sion adder rose out of snow. Its hood flared as it prepared to strike.
The blade’s steed reared, and I thought this time it would surely take off running. But this was a horse trained for war. Instead, fire lit in the horse’s eyes, and it screamed and stomped on the snake.
My smile fell as my glamour disappeared when the charm disintegrated beneath the horse’s deadly hooves. Under the black helmet, I could almost imagine his creepy smile as he spurred his horse after us.
“Faster, Herst!” I yelled as the reindeer bolted up the road.
“Can’t! We’re carrying too much weight.”
Still clinging to the sideboard of the carriage, I glanced at my trunks that were tied down and I felt a deep sadness. I needed to lighten the load. The transport turned to close to a tree and branches threatened to pull me from my precarious perch. My fingers dug into the top rail, and I inched my way toward the back and reached for the strap.
Herst cast a glance over his shoulder. “What are you doing, miss?”
“Losing some excess baggage.”
I reached across for the buckle, unlatching my trunk off the back hitch. My chilled fingers struggled with the leather, the adrenaline causing me to fumble. I didn’t think I could do it without more leverage. I placed my foot on the immobile wheel as I shifted my weight until I was on the back of the transport.
The bladesman was bearing down on us, only a few horse lengths away. The buckle slipped free and flapped in the wind. I lifted the lid and shuffled the contents, searching for the heaviest of my beloved books. I chucked them with a frenzy at the blade’s head. He dodged them, right and left. One hit his shoulder, a second clunked against his helmet with a thud.
I reached for my tools and let them fly, but he dodged them. With a renewed fervor, I grabbed my nightdress, the wind ripping it from my fingers, carrying it right into the horse’s face where it wrapped around his head. Blinded, the horse veered off the path and into the woods. I knew it wouldn’t be for long before he was back on our tail.
I was out of missiles to launch, and I sighed in frustration. The trunk teetered, and I sent it crashing into the road with a single push. I felt the sleigh rise, and we slid faster over the snow. Crawling back around the side, I opened the door as we went over a bump. I slipped and my feet flew out from under me, catching air. I clung to the upper roof rail as my face slammed into the side of transport with a grunt.
The storm blew the snow sideways. The sky was white, and visibility was becoming scarce.
It took three tries before I got my feet back onto the sideboard and fell headfirst into the interior cabin. Just as I landed, a tree took out the open door, ripping it from the hinges, leaving a scattering of dried pine branch needles in its wake.
I stared through the gaping hole, my breath heaving as I watched the white woods beyond. Waiting for the bladesman to come crashing through the trees.
But the reindeer continued to run.
Herst slowed, and rode off the trail, pulling the reindeer behind the cover of large snow-covered brush.
“Quickly!” he called to me, and I jumped back out into the snow. He pulled a broken pine branch that had caught on the side transport and rushed to wipe away the sleigh tracks that led to our hiding spot. Even though we couldn’t see them, we could hear the horses bearing down on us. Herst went back to the reindeer, doing his best to calm them and keep them quiet while I kneeled behind the brush.
“I see their tracks. This way!”
I cursed under my breath. I gave a worried glance to Herst, and he held up his finger to his lips.
It wasn’t enough. Our tracks were visible thirty feet away. I would have to do something more. I stood up.
Herst began waving his hands for me to get down, but I ignored him. My legs trembled with nerves as I attempted one of my least powerful spells. One that barely worked for me. But I was out of options. Cupping my hands into a V shape, I raised them to my lips and blew. The snow swirled like a cyclone gathering in an already chaotic storm.
In Nihill, I struggled to cast a single fire spell without a charm. Here the magic rushed to me, eager, and I felt flooded with power and confidence. I almost fumbled, so overwhelmed by the ease of it. Quickly, I directed the spell in front of us, giving us more cover by creating a white wall of snow.
The lead horse came into view, cresting the small hill that led to our hiding spot. It was the bladesman, and behind him were three of his soldiers. The spell would only hold as long as I stayed focused and kept my breathing even. One hiccup, a single gasp, or a blink held too long would break the spell, and we’d be revealed.
The storm was on my side, gaining strength. The wind blew my hair into my face, whipping it into my eyes, causing them to sting as I struggled to keep us hidden. But it also casts its wrath right at the men.
They squinted as they tried to continue forward, the snow quickly hiding the tracks that Herst missed. One man shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand to block the wind as he scanned the snow. He opened his mouth and yelled at the king’s blade, his words carried away by the storm. The men were ready to give up. The bladesman wasn’t ready to stop the hunt.
My lungs were bursting as I tried to hold him back.
My lips were numb, my fingertips like ice, and I could feel my spell slipping. The swirl of snow around us lessened.
The bladesman’s head swiveled as he saw the giant snow-covered bushes. He pushed onward, urging his mount forward. He was almost to us.
Wrong way. I tried to force my thoughts into his using compulsion. Again, a spell that I could never accomplish at home. This is the wrong way.
In the storm, the bladesman’s dark armor stood out like malice on a blanket of purity. He turned his head, and I saw the silhouette of his helm. It was a horned dragon.