28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Gerta
N o one bothers to speak until we’re about halfway down the mountain and have gathered all our supplies again. It takes most of the rest of our descent to fill Biggs in on everything he missed— at least from Smalls’, Wolf’s, and my points of view. Prince says nothing at all as he gazes sadly back up the mountain.
And with every step we take, Kay and I keep a hold of each other’s hands. I’m not sure what comes next for true loves who are on opposite sides of a war— even if it is one that announced a ceasefire years ago. But I do know that I will relish every moment we have from now until next we must oppose each other.
Though, mayhap, I will enjoy those moments a little more after I finally have a chance to rest from all these adventures.
It is a testament to all of our exhaustion for how long it takes us to hear the clang of armor and smell smoke from torches burning against the growing dusk until we reach the base of the mountain.
“Soldiers,” I whisper when I see movement from the corner of my eye and what looks like the flash of torches. “Imperians!”
Immediately, we are all on the ground. Well, everyone except Kay.
I tug his hand and he drops to the snow next to me, but too late to avoid detection .
“Over there!” a man yells, and then boots are stomping toward us.
We begin crawling, but then torches appear, blocking our way. At least a dozen men surround us.
What if this isn’t a normal regimen. They might be more special forces like Kay.
I glance at Kay, realizing our moment is getting cut shorter than even I anticipated. And now it’s imprisonment for all of us except him.
It looks like he’ll be getting that promotion after all.
“Who goes there?” one of the soldiers demands.
Kay pushes himself up. “Captain Kay of Kleiner House.”
A torch is handed to the man who first spoke, and he steps forward. “ Kay?”
“Indeed.” Kay reaches down and pulls me to my feet.
I stare at him, not sure what to do. Pull away and try crawling away or stay here and face my fate like a woman?
Kay leans toward me, gesturing to the man. “My sister. You briefly met before.”
The man turns to me. “Wait, is this—?”
“My betrothed?” Kay tugs me flush against my side. “Yes, she is.”
I look up at him with wide eyes, hoping he understands my complete and utter bewilderment.
Kay leans toward me, his voice a low whisper for me alone. “I’ll give you the first kiss for free, but you knew the price of the second before you took it.”
Not sure whether I want to protest a betrothal or thank him for this ruse, I just stare.
And Kay gestures to my clan. “Her kin— soon to be mine— if you don’t mind letting them stand.”
Kay’s alleged sister frowns. “I’m not sure that is the best strategy— ”
“Did you receive a promotion while I was away, Frode?”
“No, sir.”
“Then I am still your commanding officer.” Kay gestures at the men to hold their positions while my people slowly push themselves to their feet.
“Please take us to your camp,” Kay adds, “as we are all exhausted from our run-in with the Snow Queen.”
Frode stiffens. “The Snow Queen, sir?”
“Indeed. She captured me until my betrothed and her kin rescued me. We just came from her palace. I would advise avoiding this mountain in the future.”
With that, Kay turns and starts walking.
The stunned guards quickly get into formation so they can lead us toward the camp.
I glance back at Smalls, who widens his eyes in question.
Shrugging at him, I lean toward Kay. “What exactly is the plan here?”
“Well, I was going to start by debriefing the Snow Queen incident to my commanding officer. Then I was going to see if I could negotiate for that promotion since I did fulfill half my mission and now have experience with the Snow Queen, should she ever become a problem in the future.”
I glance back at Smalls, Bigs, Prince, and Wolf. “No, I mean, what is the plan with us ?”
“Well, I’m going to provide food and shelter for you tonight. And tomorrow . . . Well, depending on how the promotion conversation goes, I was thinking of offering employment at my fortress to help keep bandits from pillaging it.”
Bristling, I try to pull away, but Kay tightens his grip. “It would be good to have local citizens influence the policies that affect them too, don’t you think? If there’s one thing Gaelia has taught me, it’s that the only way we can survive is to band together. ”
I purse my lips, considering. We can’t exactly stay in the cave under the current circumstances, but if Kay actually gets authority, and truly shares it with us, we can still help the nearby villages . . .
“And what of our ‘betrothal’?” I ask.
“It is your choice, for you owe me nothing at all. But why would you not desire my hand in marriage? I already own your heart.”
Shaking my head, I elbow him in the side.
Kay retaliates by kissing me on the top of the head.
Then we make our way to Frode’s camp, where Gaelic rebels and Imparian soldiers share soup and shelter with no price demanded at all.