38. Maddy
Chapter 38
Maddy
I want to kiss him. I need to kiss him.
How can I hear that and not kiss him?
But we're staring at each other, my heart beating so fast I can't breathe properly, the tears drying on my cheeks, and I can't press my lips to his.
I can never press my lips to his.
I can see him warring with it too. His eyes are wider than usual, his pupils dilated as the flames flicker around them.
"Maddy ." It's Thyrvi's voice in my mind, intrusive and urgent.
"In a minute," I breathe, refusing to break eye contact with Kain.
He loves me. I love him.
I feel and hear her huge bulk move. "We do not have a minute."
Whatever she's sensed, Kain does too. His eyes leave mine, and his whole body tenses.
"What is it?" Before he answers, I hear the ring of steel in the distance, then see a flare of light followed by a stream of smoke below us.
A bang reaches my ears, and then I see the top of a creature's head as it lumbers past the temple.
My already racing heart picks up another beat. I recognize the creature.
The Frost Giants have gotten into Featherblade again.
Memories of what one of these creatures did to Kain last time makes my hands shake as I scoop up my bag. Thyrvi is ready, though. She roars, her white fur practically glowing, as she paws the ground, massive haunches tensing.
Kain's stance has changed too. His hulking, fierce, shirtless form is breathtaking, but I am given no time to admire him.
The Giant roars, and my skin prickles.
"My shield is inside," I say.
"Go," Kain replies. "Thyrvi, go with her. Protect her."
I scowl at Kain, summon a swirling snowstorm above my head, and turn to my bear. "Stay here and take chunks out of it. I'll be less than a few minutes."
Thyrvi roars. "I will annihilate this creature, and all in its wake! I will tear them limb from limb and feast on the entrails! I will…"
I leave her to her grisly battle promises and race into the Bear Wing. I consider leaving my bag of treasure, but I hesitate. Leaving some of Featherblade's most valuable and hidden items unattended when it's under attack doesn't seem like a good idea.
I should have left it all in the vault. That was the safest place for it. But I didn't, so now I'm responsible for it.
I take a second to secure the bag's opening with triple knots, then tie it tightly to my back. When I've got my shield and swiped up a bow from the training room, I run back outside.
My fear has lessened already. Weeks of training for battle have had an effect on me, and I find that I'm eager to test my power on a real enemy.
I pull up short when I get outside.
Thyrvi is standing over the chest of the Frost Giant who was approaching us, and as she promised, she is trying her hardest to tear its limp arm from its massive, inert body. Kain has a spatter of blood across his chest but looks unhurt. His wolf is snarling beside him.
"Do you want to fight?" he asks me.
I nod, and Thyrvi roars.
"This way." Kain runs down the main steps, toward the Snake Wing, and I spot the debris flying in the direction he's running. Thyrvi is lumbering alongside him, able to keep up easily. Since I can't, I slow down, firing ice at any fires I see on the way. I can hear the sounds of battle ringing in the distance, but we don't pass anybody. The fights must all be on the edges of Featherblade's boundaries.
Since Featherblade is built entirely from wood, fire is an effective weapon. Putting out the flames is an entirely justified use of my time and magic, but it means I'm far behind the others by the time I reach the main entrance to Snake Wing. A small ball of flames flies in front of me, hitting the decorative arched entrance. There's a puff and the wood catches. I spin fast and see dark boats on the water, so far out they are hard to spot. Are they firing fireballs from out there?
I draw on the abundance of water and blast wet snow at the archway, dousing the burgeoning flames instantly.
Noise behind me makes me turn, and my mouth falls open in shock.
There's a Frost Giant climbing out of the water, smashing up the railings with even less care than when Thyrvi does it.
But it's not the fact that the Giant is there that has shocked me.
It's the fact that I recognize her.
She straightens, towering over the Snake Wing, and without a shadow of a doubt I know that this is the Giant I saw lying dead on the steps last time.
But that's not possible. She was dead—I saw that for myself. Maybe there are many Frost Giants that look just like her?
Her eyes fix on me, and I stop trying to work it out, survival instinct taking over instead.
"Thyrvi!" I draw my bow. Snow is swirling over my head, and I can launch ice between arrows, but I don't know if that would damage her. She looks like she's made of ice, her blue skin shining just like mine does when it's frozen.
"Little ice-fae," she says, and my breath catches. Her voice is beautiful. As I couldn't help thinking before, everything about her is beautiful—in a terrifying way.
"How did you get in here?" I shout, trying to take advantage of the fact that she is communicating with me.
She smiles, then her eyes move from me. Thyrvi and Kain come to a skidding stop beside me. I see more movement in my peripheral vision, and I'm sure I can hear wings beating somewhere overhead.
"My lover let me in," she purrs, moving her eyes back to me.
My brows fly up. Lover ? "Who?"
She just smiles.
"You were dead. I saw you."
"Looks can be deceiving."
A terrible, terrible thought snakes its way through my head, a toxic tendril taking root.
She must have been faking death.
She wasn't, though. I know she wasn't. I saw the wound. I saw her lifeless eyes. And if she wasn't really dead, how did she escape Featherblade and the Valkyrie after the attack? There's only one fae here who can help someone back from the brink of death. But he wouldn't… I trust him. Everyone here trusts him. It doesn't make sense.
They suspected the Giants had inside help. And they were right.
There's a male voice behind me, and my stomach twists painfully. "My love. It took you too long."
I turn, already knowing what I will see.
Erik strides out of the Snake Wing, beaming at the Frost Giant.