Frost Bound (Entangled with Trickery #1)

Dahlia

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Dahlia

It had been three weeks since that first night.

And she was no closer to escape.

No closer to seeing her brother or saving her mum.

Each morning since, Lia found herself on the wrong side of the pillow wall and had to sneak her way back to her own side. Luckily for her, the king was a deep sleeper, and she’d become an expert in slithering away undetected.

Their campaign of wooing the people had a rocky start.

The first town they visited, the clan leader’s daughter had dropped a dish of live eels into her lap. Lia had not taken it well, much to the amusement of the giants around her. She’d launched up from her chair, tossing eels in all directions.

At least she’d been able to laugh about it after the fact, even though she knew the giantess had done it on purpose. Dahlia had known many mean-spirited women in her life; she could spot them in the crowd. By the sultry looks the giantess sent the king all night, Dahlia wondered if she’d been a lover, or just plain jealous.

Either way, it led to eels in her lap, but it could have been a dagger to the back, so she took it as a success.

Her time in the palace was spent carefully questioning her ladies-in-waiting to gather information on the king, his sister, the council members, high-ranking warriors. Very quickly, she noticed the areas of the palace the warriors kept her away from. They didn’t want her venturing to the deep below, but that was negated by using the servants’ passages.

Whenever she could, Lia slipped away and made friends with the staff, feeling more at home with them than any of the highborn. Already, she’d made friends that she truly cherished, and trusted. No one had ratted about her exploration even if they’d seen her. They sent the warriors in all sorts of directions.

One thing she learned quickly, gossip was currency.

She learned all sorts of sordid details from the servants that would have her ladies-in-waiting blushing. Dahlia wrote to the queen weekly in a way that a daughter would to a mother. She knew the letters were being read. She hadn’t had one missive from Allium as of yet. Perhaps the Haunt weren’t even allowing them to be sent. Still, she waited for the help the queen had promised.

Lia tried not to worry herself sick. She’d penned a letter to Cosmos but had no way to get it to him. She needed to find a courier outside of the palace, and that could take some time. Plus, even if it got to him, there was no way to guarantee he’d have the funds to get something back to her.

Even though the palace was impossibly large, it felt like the walls were shrinking in on her each day. Her only reprieve was when she went to the markets. Her astrylle always waited outside, large golden eyes calm and soothing.

She’d named her beastie Serenity.

She always brought treats for the massive snow owl. The owl had even begun to allow Lia to pet her head and scratch her beneath the beak.

Serenity soared through the air like a silent protector as Lia walked through the streets, her guards trailing behind her. At first, they’d bothered her, but she’d gotten used to their presence. She waved to the cobbler, whose craggy face cracked into a grin as she passed.

The market felt like home. At first, everyone had been stiff, but now they accepted her. All it had taken was a few compliments and genuine questions about their craft. It was amazing what personal interest could do.

Yeasty bread perfumed the air, haggling merchants argued with customers over prices, and colorful fabrics waved gently. She paused near the tanner as a familiar tune caught her attention. Dahlia cocked her head and pushed down her fur-lined cloak, scanning the area for the musicians. She couldn’t spot them through the crowd.

She wove through the people, smiling as she went until she found the troupe. A group of five giants sang a jaunty tune that she remembered as a child. Lia clapped with the crowd until they finished. The shortest giant strummed a soft ballad on his rombye , which looked much like a guitar but had a deeper sound. He began to sing, and Dahlia closed her eyes, savoring the song. She lost herself to the music, tears pricking her eyes, the harmony vibrating through her whole body.

When she at last opened her eyes, the giant playing knelt before her.

“ Lae reilleve , you bless us with your music.”

She snapped her mouth closed, heat rushing to her wet cheeks as she realized she’d been singing with him. All eyes were on her.

“Excuse me for my presumptuousness,” she replied, feeling all the eyes on her keenly. She wasn’t shy when it came to performing for a crowd, but this wasn’t her performance. She’d interrupted their music.

He shook his head. “The song spoke to you. It reached out and touched your soul. Music is to be shared, no?”

She smiled and pulled coins out of her pocket. She dropped them into the open case at the troupe’s feet. “Thank you for sharing your song with me. It is I who is blessed.”

“Will you sing one more with us?” he asked.

Dahlia almost said yes, but paused when she swore she saw Jekket move through the crowd. She shook her head no and moved toward where she’d seen the Giver’s second in command. He was nowhere to be found.

Had she imagined him?

She was lighter than she’d been in days.

Lia practically skipped through the palace. She’d lost her guards somewhere along the way and had snuck into the nearest servants’ staircase. Once she’d hit the laundry, Dahlia had stripped out of her finery and dressed in her leathers, linen shirt, vest, and boots. All she had to do was bring a few treats from the kitchen, and a few of Serenity’s discarded feathers, and the laundry staff kept her secret.

Tonight, she was getting to the lower levels.

She’d heard that the training grounds were below, along with the stables. She still hadn’t abandoned her plan of escape, but she needed a war horse.

Getting down to the lower levels was tricky.

The security tightened, but no one was looking for a small woman. It was easy to go unseen.

That was until the last checkpoint, where it opened onto the waterfall and the endless staircase. At least, that’s what she’d heard.

Lia lurked in the shadow of a column, watching for warriors stationed at the entry point to the cavern. There wasn’t any way to go about it but to just walk through. She was the reilleve . They had no reason to detain her, and Neve was dealing with a skirmish and was out of the city. They wouldn’t be able to stop her.

She exhaled, and then stepped into view.

Immediately the warriors spotted her. They waited as she sauntered toward them, a smile on her face.

“Hello,” she said. “I hope you vallos have a good evening.”

As she went to step past them, a spear blocked her way. She stared at the iron weapon, before drawing herself up to her full height to glare at the warrior who dared block her. He blinked slowly at her, but didn’t relent.

“Get out of my way, warrior.”

He held firm.

“Are you denying your reilleve ?” she asked softly.

He wavered, and the guard behind him shot off in Loriian. It sounded like a warning.

The warrior withdrew his spear and bowed low.

“Good choice.”

Heart pounding, she strode past them, trying not to sprint away lest they drag her back. The thunder of rushing water grew louder and the light brighter. She slowed as she reached the end of the raw stone corridor and gaped like the peasant bard she was.

It was a massive cavern that seemed like it had no end. Weak sunlight peeked in from above, the gems sparkled in the light and prisms reflected off the waterfall that flowed down like an icy sheet in the center. A stone staircase was carved into the walls, wide enough to fit twenty giants shoulder to shoulder.

Lia stepped onto the stairs, keeping close to the wall as she descended. She shivered at the cold air that cut through her linen shirt, but kept moving. When would she get another chance like this? She couldn’t even understand how the architecture worked, but it was a wonder that took her breath away.

She picked up her speed as she passed an exit with several more guards stationed there. She glimpsed several surprised faces as she jogged down the stairs. Word would be teeming in the palace about her little adventure soon enough. She wanted to get closer to the edge and look down, but there was no railing, and the idea of falling wasn’t one she relished.

A prickling started between her shoulder blades, and she glanced over her shoulder.

No one was there.

Her calves burned but she kept on, air sawing in and out of her lungs. Just as she was covered in sweat and about to give up, she spotted the bottom. The great waterfall thundered into a massive round pool at the bottom. She leaned against the wall and caught her breath for a few moments, watching the water.

It didn’t rise.

An underground river?

That was the only thing that made sense.

She shuddered as she thought about the frozen lake outside. No doubt this waterfall fed the lake. If someone fell in, they were dead. There was no coming back from that.

The feeling of being watched once against assaulted her.

She glanced up and down, seeing no one.

Dahlia pushed away from the wall, her sights set on the light shining through the waterfall on the other side.

The last exit. What lay beyond? What was hiding down there?

A hand wrapped around her bicep and yanked her backward. Dahlia cursed as she spun to face her attacker. Lumi stood over her, her face a mask of rage.

“Spying as soon as my brother turns his back!”

Oh no.

Her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, and she’d always been scrappy. Lia slammed her fist into Lumi’s stomach, surprising the giantess. She grunted, releasing Dahlia, doubling over as Lia shook her hand out. It was like punching a wall.

“Just exploring,” she grunted.

Get out of here while she’s distracted.

She leapt down two stairs at a time. The hair raised along her arms as a growl sounded right behind her. She wasn’t going to make it. The exit was still too far away.

Lumi grabbed her braid and yanked. Dahlia yelled as pain assaulted her scalp, and grabbed at the back of her head.

“I’m not done with you,” Lumi growled.

Get the higher ground.

Instead of pulling away, Dahlia spun and whipped around the giantess. Lumi backhanded her across the face. Pain exploded behind her eyes. The world tilted, but she fell backward onto the stairs, her braid still in Lumi’s grip.

The waterfall thundered in her ears, the edge way too close.

Run.

As if the giantess heard her thoughts, she grinned and yanked Lia by the hair toward the edge.

No.

Dahlia yanked the blade she’d stolen from the kitchen from inside her shirt, sliced off the end of her braid, and kicked the giantess in the knee. Lumi stumbled backward, holding four inches of her braid. Her stomach dropped as the giantess teetered on the edge, her black eyes round.

Don’t let her die.

Lia lunged forward and grabbed the front of Lumi’s dress and hauled her forward, away from the edge. The giantess dropped to her knees, and Dahlia scrambled back until her spine met the curved stone wall. She held the blade out in front of her. They both panted for breath as shouts below finally registered. Warriors sprinted up the stairs, but Lia didn’t look for them. She didn’t dare tear her watering eyes from Lumi.

The giantess slowly lifted her head and locked eyes with Lia. “Why?”

“Because you’re not my enemy.”

Lumi stared hard, and Lia tensed, ready to sprint down the stairwell despite how the world was still tilting and it felt like she’d throw up at any moment.

“ Reilleve! Reilleve ?” A warrior knelt next to her, his faced creased in concern. His hand hovered over her, like he didn’t want to touch her. “What can I do?”

“Help me up,” she slurred.

He reached for her knife, but she pulled it away from his grasp and shakily shoved it back into the sheath she’d made to sit inside her breast band.

Lia spared a glance at Lumi before she took the warrior’s arm and he helped her descend. Her right eye had already swollen closed, and throbbed painfully. They entered the last illuminated corridor. The guards looked horrified, but she nodded to them, and smiled despite how much it hurt.

“We’ll send someone for your healer,” the warrior said, the words heavily accented.

The short stone hallway opened up to another immense cavern. Lia grinned when the scent of horseflesh, hay, and fresh air teased her nose.

She’d finally found it.

To her left, war horses pranced in their paddocks. Toward the mouth of the cavern were rukhals grazing out in the open. To her right, warriors were training. Giants stopped their tasks and gaped.

“There’s a place to sit over here.”

“No,” she muttered. “I want to see the horses.”

A long pause. “As you wish, reilleve .”

It was a short wobbly walk to the paddock, but worth it, especially when Lia spotted a familiar coat.

“Anwen!” she called.

The warrior whistled, the sound about splitting her head, but it worked. The war horse lifted his head, ears twitching, before the great beast spotted her. Dahlia tried to whistle as he raced toward her, tail lifted in the air.

She released the warrior and climbed up the first rung of the paddock fence, wobbling slightly.

“I don’t know about this, reilleve . You’re bleeding.”

“Am I?” She wrapped one arm around the beam, and gingerly touched her face where it hurt the most. She pulled her fingers away and stared at all the blood on her fingers. That wasn’t good.

Anwen slowed almost to a stop, just out of reach. She switched arms, holding on with her right and holding her left hand out flat. “Hello, beautiful,” she murmured, the words feeling garbled in her mouth. “Did you miss me?”

The horse snuffled her hand before nudging her palm with his downy nose. This was exactly the break she’d needed. Stealing a trained warhorse wasn’t the best idea, but neither was fist-fighting a giantess, and she’d survived that.

Barely.

He pressed his head into her chest and she scratched his ear, smiling when he nosed her pocket.

“How did you know?” she whispered. Lia pulled her arm back and slipped a mangled carrot from her leathers and held it out to him, clinging to the fence as the world tilted again. “Sorry it’s not much.”

He took the vegetable, crunching on it happily.

“You know he’s trained to snap your fingers off, right?” a familiar female voice drawled.

Dahlia closed her eyes. Lumi .

“I’m not sure you should be here, my lady,” the warrior practically growled.

Lia slowly turned her head to see her sister-in-law out of her good eye. Lumi limped, leaning heavily on another warrior.

“What do you want?” she sniped, petting Anwen, her head feeling like it was about to crack open.

Lumi already cracked you open.

A delirious laugh caught in her throat.

The giantess slumped against the fence, sweat coating her forehead.

Lia waited for the spew of hatred, but it never came.

“He likes you.” A perplexed statement.

“Anwen likes my treats.”

Lumi frowned. “You shouldn’t spoil him. He needs to be in top shape.”

Dahlia hugged his face, pressing a kiss onto the tan star between his eyes. “One carrot won’t hurt him.”

Lumi huffed, but kept silent.

Lia hated the tension between them. She didn’t understand why the giantess hated her so much. She’d hardly had any contact with her.

Be brave. Show no fear.

“Why do you hate me?” she asked outright, fighting to keep her good eye open.

Lumi chuckled and turned her attention on the rest of the herd. “Because you represent all that is evil in the world.”

“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

The giantess snarled, her black gaze seeming to be on fire. “ You are the reason I’ve lost both parents. You are the reason my brother is maimed. You are the reason our people have suffered. Saloes are the blight on this world.”

Dahlia let the vicious words slide away. They weren’t really meant for her. They were the culmination of Lumi’s pain. “And what about you?”

Lumi frowned. “What?”

“What have your people done to mine?” She swallowed hard as old memories surfaced past the pain. “When something goes wrong, do you know who is always blamed first along your borders? The saloes . Do you know who gets beaten to death for the smallest crime while giants are given only a reprimand? Humans. You are not the only one to have suffered pain and loss at the hands of hate and prejudice. Stop acting like it.”

Her heart raced as the giantess growled, glaring at her. It would be so easy for Lumi to break her neck.

“You speak as if you’ve experienced these pains yourself.”

Lia’s pulse leapt, but she shrugged, petting the horse. “I feel what my people feel.”

Lumi swung her leg over the fence and tsk ed. “That’s not really an answer, saloes .”

“Do you want to tell me about your loss?” The giantess snapped her mouth shut. “That’s what I thought.”

“I could have pushed you over the edge,” Lumi whispered.

“You were going to.” Her heart lurched at the thought. “I saw it on your face.”

“I would have died if you hadn’t pulled me back.” The giantess met her gaze steadily. “I was convinced you were causing mischief, spying for our enemy, and you were what? Just trying to visit your horse?”

Her heart leapt. That was exactly what she was doing. “Something like that,” Lia muttered.

Lumi swallowed hard, her black eyes seeming glassy. “You brought the beast a bloody carrot. I am a fool. I almost committed a crime I could never come back from. You kept me from that. I deserve to have fallen.”

Lia didn’t answer. It wasn’t her place to condemn the giantess. The world tilted again, and Lia closed her good eye and hung on to the fence.

“You saved me. I owe you my life.” A pause. “Don’t go to sleep.”

Lia opened her eye at Lumi’s sharp tone. “My head hurts.”

“I should say so. You hit your head on the stairs. Your blood is … garish.”

“Yeah? How’s your knee?” she slurred again, Lumi swimming in and out of focus.

“It’s still swelling as we speak. You’ve crippled me. You have more fight than I anticipated.”

“Is that a good thing or bad thing?” Stars, all Lia wanted was a nap. Her head was so heavy.

“Good. You can’t be weak if you’re the queen of the Frost Throne. I didn’t smell fear on you once.”

Lia laid her throbbing cheek against her arm, ignoring Anwen’s little nudges, or how he nibbled at her damp shirt. A chill ran through her body, and she shrugged her left shoulder. “Fear wakes me up. At some point, you must decide if you’re going to let fear rule you. You can run, but the problems and fear will just follow you. Better to meet it head on so it’s not a surprise.” She rubbed the tip of Anwen’s nose with the tip of her pointer finger. “Will we ever have to do this again?”

The giantess grunted. “No.”

“Why?”

“Does the why matter?”

“Yes.”

Lumi sighed. “Because as much as I hate the thought of you here in my home, I would not hurt my brother. And now I owe you a life debt.”

Lia scoffed. “He hates me as well.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Either way, you were his choice, and I will not undermine him. There are many who already do. I won’t allow it to be me ever again.”

“He’s lucky to have such devotion.”

The giantess eyed her. “And who are you loyal to?”

Lumi is trying to interrogate you. Tread carefully. “I’m loyal to peace and my family.” Truths.

“What if it comes down to one over the other?”

“Then I would have to choose peace, wouldn’t I?”

Lumi pursed her lips. “That easy?”

Dahlia shrugged again. “It’s never that easy.”