The Princess
I wrung my hands together, pacing the length of the small sitting room in my cottage while I waited for the other human rebels to arrive.
“Stop fretting,” Stella said from the armchair. She had one leg crossed over the other, her twitching foot the only sign of her unease.
She was nervous, too.
For the tenth time, my gaze strayed to the open window, where the wintry forest surrounded us.
When I’d been exiled, I’d sought refuge here in Knockspur, the last of the human lands. Calista didn’t bother with villages like this one, which made it the perfect hiding spot for me to meet with my rebel friends. For years, we’d been gathering followers with the intent to take down Calista.
“What if it’s not enough?” I asked Stella. My gaze darted to the piles of coins on the table. I had counted them twice. Five hundred sixty-two gold pieces.
It seemed like a lot to me. But I didn’t know how expensive it would be to hire mercenaries and soldiers. Aside from me, the rebels were all human. It would be impossible for us to fight Calista’s forces on our own.
Gareth, the human noble from the Shennith Province, would know the answer to that. Shennith housed the queen’s armies, and Gareth, who was much older than the rest of us, had plenty of experience dealing with soldiers.
“If it’s not enough, we will figure out a new plan,” Stella said firmly. “You aren’t alone in this, Eira. Even if it takes time to form a new strategy, we can do it.”
I said nothing, crossing my arms and biting on the inside of my cheek.
That was just the thing. I didn’t have time. In fact, I was running out of it. Each new day brought me closer and closer to my death.
“They’re here,” Stella said, rising to her feet and jolting me from my morose thoughts.
I followed her to the window and scanned the frosty surroundings.
Various fae creatures flitted about—including Frisk and Kendra.
Rogun, a massive white dragon who resembled a snow beast more than anything, was curled up in the snow, snoozing contentedly.
Next to the large Crystal Icebolt, three horses appeared, each bearing a rider I recognized. Tansy was first, the human noble from the Vorreya Province. Her sandy hair was a frazzled mane around her face, but her chestnut eyes were bright as she dismounted.
Behind her was Denton from the Jarta Province. My heart did a backflip at the sight of his burly frame as he slid off his mount.
No, I chided myself. That’s over now. You’re not allowed to look at him like that anymore.
The third horse belonged to Gareth, and my heart seized for an entirely new reason. As soon as Gareth looked at the pile of coins, he would give me my answer.
Was my rebellion doomed? Would I die before I could de-throne Calista?
Our duty as royals is to defend this court against foes, my father had said. To rid our kingdom of enemies who would harm our people.
I hadn’t known when he’d told me this that those enemies might come from within our very court.
But I would do my damnedest to eliminate Calista and uphold my father’s legacy. He protected our people as best he could. With him gone, it was up to me now.
Stella threw open the door, and Tansy embraced her, shaking flecks of snow from her hair. Stella laughed, clutching her friend tightly. “Good to see you, Tan.”
Denton came next, his dark eyes immediately finding mine. I went rigid, pressing my lips tightly together and offering the barest shake of my head.
No more.
Stella patted Denton’s arm, and he gave her a forced smile before striding into the cottage.
The sitting room felt so much smaller with his intimidating presence.
I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I shifted my focus to Gareth instead.
He scratched at his white beard, his black eyes lighting up when he saw me.
“Hi, Gareth,” I said with a genuine smile, stepping forward to embrace him.
He squeezed me tightly. “Always a pleasure, darlin’. This cottage is a welcome respite from the shit going on out there.” He jerked his thumb toward the door. “Huck and Lark are close behind. Huck had to circle back to lose the tails followin’ him.”
I blanched. “He’s being followed?”
Gareth waved a hand. “It’s nothin’. His uncle thinks he’s cavorting with some lover.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
I snorted. “If needed, I can write a scandalous letter for his uncle to uncover. Better for him to believe Huck is in love than that he’s taking part in a rebellion.”
Gareth’s smile widened. “Please do, Snow. I’d love to read a saucy letter that will make the lad blush.”
“Damn, Snow,” came Tansy’s voice from the sitting room. The clink of coins told me she was sifting through the stack. “You’ve nearly doubled our amount. I pity the lord you robbed.”
“Don’t,” I said, plopping into an armchair and rubbing my arms. “He was an ass.”
“Did he hurt you?” Denton asked sharply.
I cut him a glare. “No. I’m fine.” I wanted to add, And even if he did, that’s not your concern anymore. But I didn’t want to draw too much attention. Already, Tansy was frowning and glancing between us.
Damn it, Denton, I thought, shaking my head and looking at Gareth. “Have you heard from Penelope?”
“No, but she’s always rather quiet, isn’t she?” Gareth eased himself onto the sofa, leaning forward and bracing his hands on his knees as he inspected the pile of coins. His eyes narrowed in concentration.
Was that disappointment on his face? Did we not have enough gold?
I would rob more nobles. Surely, we had to be close. Maybe a few more missions would get us what we needed.
“She’s never missed a meeting,” Stella said. “I’m sure she’ll be here.”
I nodded, thinking of the red-haired noble from the Cordenna Province.
She was painfully shy, but when she spoke up, her ideas were often quite clever.
It was why she was here in her uncle’s stead, even though he had more authority in the province of Cordenna.
That, and he was an old bat who would never in a million years ally himself with the vigilante princess of the Winter Court.
I moved to the seat next to Gareth, trying not to wring my hands together over and over. “What do you think?”
Gareth rubbed his chin again. “Hard to say.”
“Hard to say because it’s not enough, or because you aren’t sure?”
His keen eyes appraised me. “Best to wait ’til the others get here.”
My heart dropped like a stone. That couldn’t be good news. If it was, why wouldn’t he just say it?
There was no reason to wait unless we needed to regroup and come up with a new plan.
I sank back against the sofa cushion, my spirits deflating. Gareth stood and moved toward the door as pounding hoofbeats indicated the arrival of more rebels.
A warm hand came down on my shoulder. I looked up to find Stella’s worried gaze peering into mine.
“I know,” I said before she could reassure me.
She squeezed, and I leaned into her touch. Stella was always the one who understood me the most. She was like the sister I never had.
My attention returned to the door. Gareth had his arm around Penelope’s narrow shoulders as the two strode inside. Her usually pale face had a soft blush creeping in. “Any trouble on the way, darlin’?”
Penelope shook her head, then glanced over her shoulder. “There’s some commotion in the center of town.” Her voice was thin and wispy, as if it might vanish in the wind.
I frowned. I hadn’t noticed anything when I’d been in town earlier. “Soldiers?” My heart cinched with dread.
She shook her head again. “Not like that. Just more people at the pub than usual. More whispers. I couldn’t make out what they were whispering about, though. Didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself.”
I nodded, making a note to do some investigating after our meeting. Whenever there was commotion, my first thought was that Calista had finally found me.
If I had to leave this wooded haven, it would break my heart. But I had been in Knockspur for years now. It was only a matter of time before my stepmother found me.
I swallowed hard, trying to push away my unease and focus on the task at hand. I patted the cushion next to me. “Come and sit, Penny.”
She smiled at the nickname and sank next to me, unwrapping her scarf to let loose her wild red hair. Her green eyes widened at the sight of the gold on the table in front of us. “Shivering bones, that’s a lot of gold.”
Before I could answer, harsh voices echoed from the forest. Penelope tensed beside me, but I stood, recognizing the curt tone of Huck as he argued with Lark.
Those two never got along. But since they came from neighboring provinces, they often traveled together. I smirked. Perhaps we could spread rumors that Lark was Huck’s secret lover.
Huck would be mortified. I almost laughed at the thought.
“Do you have to drink while we ride?” Huck griped as the two made their way into the cottage. “You absolutely reek. I’m not riding alongside that stench on the way home.”
“How else do you think I can get through a three-hour ride with your constant whining?” Lark said.
His voice was smoother and slightly slurred, a sure sign that he was, in fact, drunk.
He represented the tiny province of Quinton, and he didn’t contribute much to our meetings.
He was here because he was the only human from the area willing to join me.
Even if he was sloshed more than half the time, he was loyal to a fault.
That, and he was one of the best secret-keepers I’d ever met, even when he was drunk.
“You can continue your lovers’ quarrel later.” I tugged on Lark’s arm to pull him into the sitting room. “We have work to do.”
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Huck sputtered, a blush creeping along his brown skin. “I don’t—I wouldn’t—”
Tansy burst out laughing, and Gareth covered his mouth to smother his chuckles. Meanwhile, Huck’s face only grew redder.
“I wouldn’t say no,” Lark said with a shrug, his bloodshot eyes flicking over Huck’s short, scrawny body with renewed interest.