The Hunter
A sense of foreboding hung over us like a dark cloud as Eira led me deeper into the forest. Using the trees for cover, we skirted around the palace, winding toward the back. The grove opened up to the rear side of the towering wall. On the other side were the gleaming walls of the castle.
“Are you planning on climbing the wall?” I asked incredulously.
Eira smirked. “You’ll see.”
“You do love to torment me.”
“After what you did to me back there? You deserve it.”
“Fair point.”
She chuckled, and for a moment, everything seemed normal. But then her expression fell and her eyes dimmed. The harsh truth of her reality set in.
She was dying.
She probably only had one day left, at the most.
In one day, this beautiful woman will be dead.
No. I couldn’t accept it. I would not accept it.
I would kill Calista myself if I had to. Perhaps slaying the Demon Fae who poisoned Eira would reverse the curse. But even as I thought it, I knew it wasn’t true; killing the Demon Fae who had poisoned me hadn’t solved the problem.
My chest constricted so tightly that I couldn’t breathe. The thought of losing Eira, of watching the life leave her… it twisted in my gut like a dagger.
As I watched Eira approach the wall, which stood several feet above her, I vowed to change her fate. Regardless of what happened to me, I would find a way to save her.
Eira’s hands ran along the length of concrete as if searching for something. Before I could ask what she was doing, she made a noise of triumph and inserted her hand into a small groove etched into the wall.
I tilted my head, brow furrowed, as Eira inched her hands upward, finding several more identical grooves.
She rolled up her sleeves and backed up several steps.
Without warning, she broke into a run before leaping onto the wall.
Her fingers scrambled for purchase until she grabbed hold of one of the grooves.
She clung to it, hoisting herself up with a strained grunt.
Her breathing came in sharp puffs, but she was grinning.
“Blood and ice, Eira!” I hissed, my heart pounding. “You could have warned me. I would have given you a boost.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she asked as her left foot found another crevice to balance on. “I’m sorry to say you might be a bit too burly for this task, hunter. Perhaps you should wait in the woods while I take my kingdom back.” She gave me a mischievous grin over her shoulder.
I rolled my eyes and strolled forward. “I’m more nimble than you think.”
“Oh, I’m intimately aware of how nimble you can be.” She winked at me, her cheeks slightly pink.
Heat coiled low in my belly, and I tried not to think about the desperate sounds she’d made earlier or how my fingers still smelled like her arousal. Clearing my throat, I tried to focus on the wall before me, scrutinizing it.
When I stood within a few inches of it, I crouched down low, then leapt. My hands caught hold of the grooves with ease.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Eira muttered.
I chuckled. “So were you. Don’t deny it.”
“What, you weren’t impressed even a little bit?”
I looked at her, this stunning rebel princess who had risen above every challenge she ever faced. “Everything about you impresses me, Eira.”
She ducked her head, but not before I noticed the smile curving along her lips or the reddening of her cheeks. “Be careful. I was young when I carved these holes; they were meant to hold much smaller feet.”
“You carved these?” I asked in surprise. The wall was made of hard concrete; it would’ve taken a great amount of strength to dig into it.
“It took me months. And I had some help.”
“You are certainly full of surprises, princess.”
“I have to keep you on your toes. Literally, in this case.”
I laughed at that.
We were silent as we climbed. My muscles still ached from the intensity of using my necromancy, but I was able to lift myself up without too much difficulty.
Eira’s breaths turned ragged, and her face shone with sweat.
I paused often, letting her set the pace.
She likely hadn’t made this climb in a long time.
When Eira reached the top, her fingers curled around the edge of the wall, and she slowly raised herself up. I shot a quick glance below to ensure no soldiers had discovered us climbing the wall. Thankfully, the area was clear.
Eira settled in a sitting position on top of the wall, hunched over and panting.
I pulled myself up beside her, and we sat there, gazing at the trees as we caught our breath.
I glanced behind us at the castle that rested a few yards away from the wall.
We were so close to getting inside. To facing Calista and fulfilling Eira’s plan.
And yet, I wanted to put it off as long as possible.
“Why did you feel the need to escape as a child?” I asked. “Calista only became queen a few years before you were exiled. That means you must have done this before your father remarried.”
She nodded, her gaze turning distant. “My whole life, I’ve had a difficult time feeling content with where I am.
It was something I didn’t realize until Frisk pointed it out.
I’m always making plans for another place, another home…
” She shook her head, then turned to look at me.
“But this is the last time. The last plan. This will either work… or it won’t. ”
Her expression turned grim, and my stomach sank. I knew we were thinking the same thing.
Even if the plan worked, we were both still doomed.
“Theron, I want you to live,” she said softly, her voice tight with emotion. “I want you to survive this.”
I sighed, looking at her with a tenderness I didn’t know I could feel. “I want you to live, too, Eira.”
Her eyes darkened, as if she could read the hidden meaning in my words.
I want you to live. But you won’t. And maybe I won’t, either.
The hard truth of it all was, no matter how much I begged for her to live, the poison was still spreading through her body.
And I was still bound to Calista.
Neither of us could change our circumstances.
We didn’t rest for long before we climbed down the other side of the wall, the descent much easier on my strained muscles.
When we were a few feet from the ground, I jumped, and Eira followed suit.
My arms caught her, wrapping firmly around her.
The delicious smell of her sweat mingled with that familiar snow and pine scent.
My hands tightened around her waist, drawing her back to my chest.
“Careful, princess,” I murmured in her ear. “Wouldn’t want you to fall.”
She shivered slightly and leaned into my touch, her head resting against my shoulder. I had the insane urge to touch her again, to elicit more sounds of pleasure—to finish what we started in the woods.
Blood and ice, this was foolishness. We had already wasted enough time.
And yet, I couldn’t pull away from her.
In the end, Eira was the one to withdraw, stepping forward and refusing to meet my gaze.
Something shifted in the air, and every one of my senses went on high alert.
Someone was here.
In a flash, I grabbed her and clamped my hand over her mouth, tucking her against my chest once more. I quickly tugged us both into the shade of a tree and out of sight. A tall, thin man with dark skin came into view. He scanned the forest as if searching for something.
Us, perhaps?
He wore a servant’s livery with the Winter Court crest stitched into the fabric. But if he was a servant, why was he searching the woods outside the palace?
Eira elbowed me in the gut, and I released my hold on her.
“It’s just Huck,” she whispered. “Thank the gods! I wasn’t sure if he’d make it.”
Huck finally spotted us, and his eyes widened. He waved us over, then turned and darted into the bushes.
Eira strode toward him, but I grabbed her wrist.
“Can we trust him?”
“Yes,” she said at once. “He’s part of the rebels looking to overthrow Calista. If I can’t trust him, I can’t trust anyone.”
I nodded, remembering how loyal her human friends had been back in Knockspur. We rushed forward, following after Huck, and found him crouched in the bushes, his eyes fixed on the servants’ entrance at the back end of the palace. Four guards stood sentry by the door, blocking our way in.
“How did you get out?” Eira whispered.
Huck gestured to the uniform he was wearing. Only then did I notice his hair was flattened to cover the roundness of his ears. His disguise was just as convincing as a glamour. No one would look twice at him.
But me and Eira? She was the shunned Snow Princess, and I was a wanted fugitive. We hadn’t exactly been quiet during our altercations in Tolston. The witnesses may have already reported what they’d seen to Calista.
That, and I was covered in blood and dirt. The evidence was damning.
“I have a room and supplies ready for you,” Huck said under his breath. “We just have to get past them without drawing attention.” He looked at Eira and raised his eyebrows. “Any ideas?”
“I can use my magic,” she said. “But it won’t help him.” She jerked her head toward me.
Huck flicked his gaze over me once, a look of disdain crossing his features. But, to his credit, he didn’t question Eira’s apparent trust in me, nor did he make any objections to my being here.
“Huck, you go in with Eira,” I said, staring at the guards as a plan began to form. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Eira grasped my arm, her eyes filled with panic. “You can’t attract any attention.”
“I won’t.”
“And you can’t give yourself up.”
“I won’t.”
Her eyebrows lifted as if she hadn’t expected me to say it. I couldn’t blame her; the thought to turn myself in had crossed my mind.
Eira bit back a smile, her eyes swimming with relief. “All right. It’s only fair you keep me in suspense, since I do that to you all the time.”
I grinned at her, and her breath hitched.
Huck turned to Eira. “You ready?”