33. Kit Bearing Witness
Kit: Bearing Witness
Scarlett whimpered beneath Kit’s grasp, and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
The man was an inveterate coward. Kit had barely laid a finger on him, and he was whining like he’d broken a limb.
“Shut up,” Kit growled, putting a little more of a dragonish growl into his words than he strictly had to.
“You take me where I need to go, and you’ll be free to go conniving and backstabbing like the good little minion you are. ”
If possible, the lordling whimpered louder. “I’m not scared of you,” he moaned. “I fear what will happen when her majesty discovers what I’ve done.”
Kit shook his head. “Well, then, you should go as far as you can as quickly as possible, and you’ll get very good at looking over your shoulder, won’t you?” His dark eyes glimmered at the thought. Scarlett, on the run from both the queen he served and the Sherwood Company, was a delightful picture.
“You don’t understand,” Scarlett whined. “There’s nowhere I can go that will be safe from her majesty. She’s got people in every court in Afeyra. No matter where I go, she’ll find me.”
Kit shrugged. “She probably doesn’t have spies in the rumored underwater kingdom.
Maybe you could go there. Or, for all I care, become a pirate and sail the three seas.
But—” Here, he spun the mewling man around so he was facing him.
“If I ever catch you anywhere near Hopka or within fifty feet of Nelle again, I will not be as nice as I have been the last few times we’ve met.
” His dark eyes blazed as he fixed Scarlett with a piercing glare.
“The Snow Queen’s wrath will be a dream in comparison to what I will do to you. ”
Scarlett’s lower lip trembled dramatically, but a gleam in the man’s eye made Kit wary. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flicker of movement. He threw himself out of the way just in time to avoid a giant furry fist.
Scarlett was not as lucky. The polar bear’s punch caught him square in the jaw, sending him sprawling into the icy wall. “No, not me!” he wailed, holding his bruised cheek. “I’m on your side! He’s the intruder.”
The polar bear paid no attention to the man’s words.
He loomed over him and raised one heavy paw.
Scarlett cowered before the bear, putting his hands over his head in a weak attempt to protect himself.
With one powerful blow, the polar bear brought his paw down on the man’s neck.
There was a sickening crack, and Scarlett collapsed, his blue eyes lifeless.
All this happened in the space of less than ten seconds. Kit barely had time to move before the polar bear turned its attention on him.
“Hello, friend,” Kit said, raising his hands and backing away from the creature. “I just want to grab something that belongs to me, and then I’ll be out of your way.”
The polar bear snarled and took a lumbering step towards Kit. The prince swallowed hard, but remained still. He’d fought enough bears during his time haunting Sherwood Forest. He could do this.
As the bear took another step towards Kit, he let out a roar that made the icy hallway shake.
The bear stopped in its tracks, startled, and backed away slightly.
Kit smiled in satisfaction, but it quickly disappeared when two more bears appeared behind the first. Kit cursed.
One polar bear he could probably handle.
Three? That would be much more difficult.
The first of the newcomers was only slightly smaller than the initial attacker, but the second was small, probably little more than a cub.
The smallest bear sniffed curiously at Scarlett’s broken body. Its companion gave a bark of warning, redirecting its attention momentarily, before it grunted and returned to sniffing at the body.
Keeping his eyes on the three bears, Kit slowly backed away. If the bears would keep their focus on the easy meal, maybe he could?—
Suddenly, all three bears stiffened and let out pained cries.
A shiver of agony passed over their faces, and the smallest whimpered, collapsing to the ground.
The medium-sized bear kneeled beside the cub and put its arm around it, as a mother would comfort their child.
The enormous bear’s eyes left Kit for the first time, snuffling at the medium-sized one.
As it turned its head, Kit caught sight of a flash of icy blue, and his eyes widened. “The Snow Queen is controlling you,” he breathed, barely loud enough to be heard.
The largest bear’s head snapped to him and gave him the briefest nod, barely perceptible. Another shiver passed over the largest bear, and it let out the barest whimper.
A flash of white-hot rage passed over Kit. With a snarl, he pounced forward, wrapping his arms around the bear’s neck. The bear thrashed under his grasp, but Kit tightened his grip with one arm, while the other felt along the silver collar.
A burst of electricity passed through the collar and into Kit, but he ignored the pain as his fingers came upon a small, almost imperceptible button.
Kit pushed it, but it didn’t decompress.
Disuse had frozen it in place. The bear roared as another, more painful, burst of electricity passed through the collar.
At the sensation, the bear collapsed to its knees.
The medium-sized bear left its cub and turned its attention to Kit, roaring with rage.
“I’m trying to help him!” Kit protested, but the bear didn’t seem to care.
It swatted at Kit, hitting him square in the ribs.
He let out a bellow of pain but tightened his hold on the collar.
With all his might, he jammed his thumb on the button.
For a moment, nothing happened. The medium-sized bear raised its paw, and Kit closed his eyes, readying himself for death. Then?—
CLICK.
“Isiadora, stop!”
Kit tumbled off the polar bear’s back in shock at the sound of its rumbling voice. The large bear stumbled to its feet, putting itself between Kit and the medium-sized bear. It blinked in surprise for a moment, then let out a roar.
“Sorry about this,” the gigantic bear said over its shoulder. “Ordinarily, we’re very peaceful folk. One moment.” He raised his paw to the medium-sized bear’s neck and tore the silver collar off its neck. The bear paused, mid-swipe, and blinked. “Tornassuk? Is that really you?”
“It’s really me, beautiful,” the large bear said, bending over the smallest bear and releasing it from the collar. “It’s okay, Isak. Hold still for me, son.”
Kit blinked, and his brow furrowed in confusion. “You’re…talking bears?”
“Yes,” Tornassuk said, turning to Kit. “My family is some of the last of our kind in these parts.”
“Our family,” the medium-sized bear reminded him in a sweet, lilting voice.
“Quite right, Isiadora,” Tornassuk said, offering her a loving smile. “Our family. We’ve been the protectors of the Asta Mountains for generations. Or we were until that wretched queen enslaved us.” A horrible look of anger crossed the bear’s face.
“I’m so sorry,” Kit said, sincerity ringing through his tone. “How long have you?—”
“We have been under her control for almost fifteen years.” His huge paw caressed the smallest bear’s head. “It’s all my Isak has ever known.”
“And we must leave immediately, if we don’t want to fall under her control again,” Isiadora said, her words laced with fear. “She will have felt the collar’s release. I cannot go back, Tornassuk.”
“We won’t,” the enormous bear promised her.
“But what about the rest of the family? And the others we protect?” His brow furrowed as he explained to Kit, “The queen has captured and enslaved almost every talking beast in these mountains. She controls them with these same collars.” He motioned to the now-useless hunks of metal.
Kit cocked his head. “Just the talking beasts?”
Tornassuk nodded. “She has no interest in the silent ones. Somehow, she takes perverse pleasure in controlling our kind.”
Kit’s stomach lurched. Talking animals weren’t rare in Afeyra.
One of his best friends growing up had been a little cat who wore boots and swore he could kill giants.
In almost every kingdom, talking animals received the same rights as every other creature.
Hearing about the Snow Queen’s cruelty made him feel sick.
Isiadora looked equally ill. “I don’t want to leave them behind, but…” Her bright eyes lingered on her son. “We must keep Isak safe.”
“You should go. Protect your family,” Kit said gruffly, tears stinging his eyes as he watched the scene unfold. “I’ll do what I can to release any of your kind I find.”
“But you should come too!” Isak said, his voice high and scratchy. “It’s dangerous here!”
Kit smiled at the little bear. “I know, but my family is trapped here, too. I have to help them.”
“There are no humans here, save the Snow Queen and…” Isiadora’s eyes widened in realization. “Your family is part of the frozen menagerie.”
Kit nodded. “I have to help them,” he repeated.
Tornassuk gave him a smile. “Then let us assist you, as partial payment for our debt.”
Kit shook his head. “There is no debt. You’re free. You owe me nothing.”
“That is not our way, my friend. Once you have gained an Asta Mountain bear’s loyalty, it is not easily lost.” He raised a paw and pointed down the hallway, the way he’d come.
“If you go that way, you’ll come to the menagerie.
Knock three times on the door, and it will open for you.
Only three times. No more, no less. If you deviate from this, it will trigger the Snow Queen’s alarms. Once you have freed your family, leave the menagerie the way you came in and turn right.
Keep going, and you will eventually come to the front gate. ”
Kit nodded his thanks. “Thank you. One more question, and then I’ll be on my way. Which way to the Snow Queen’s study?”
Isiadora shook her head. “No, friend, you don’t want to go there. You’re sure to run into her if you do that, and then you’ll be in the same position we were.”
“I have to. My…” He paused, unsure what to call Nelle. “She has my mate. I can’t leave her behind.” He fixed his eyes on Tornassuk. “I can’t.”
Slowly, the huge polar bear nodded. “I understand.” He jerked his head back the way they had come.
“Go back down that hallway and keep going past the throne room. The office is the first door on the left after the throne room. Go now. Hurry.” He raised his paw.
“We will meet again, sir. We will find you.”
Kit smiled. “Thank you. I look forward to our next meeting. And if you’re ever looking for a home outside of the Asta Mountains, I hear Sherwood Forest is a good place to lay your head.” He met each of the bears’ eyes in turn. “No one will bother you there. You have my word.”
“Thank you again, sir. We’ll deal with this mess.” Tornassuk bowed, and, with one powerful motion, he lifted Scarlett’s lifeless body. With distaste, Isiadora picked up the collars and held out her hand for Isak’s. “Come along. We must not linger here.”
Kit watched in silence as the bears hurried down the hallway, regret in his heart. How many others has the Snow Queen taken? And why did she only control the talking beasts? he wondered, a pit growing in his stomach. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that question.
At last, Kit gave himself a shake, wincing at the pain the slight gesture had caused.
He couldn’t just stand here wondering. He needed to go free Robin and anyone else in the so-called frozen menagerie.
So, with a heavy heart and a hand pressed against his ribs, he limped down the hallway to the door the bears had pointed out. He just prayed he wasn’t too late.