“Do you think you might be able to teach me how to use my knife?” Tonya tipped her head towards August.
“That’s a good idea.” Diane tried to turn to see her until Dorian tapped her knee and she settled back.
“I agree,” August said. “I can take care of the knife fighting. I think Dorian might be better suited to practicing with you, Diane.”
Diane pressed a hand against her chest. “Do my ears deceive me? Did that really just come out of your mouth?”
A wry smile puckered August’s mouth. “Careful. You widen those eyes any more, they’ll fall out.”
A rumbling chuckle came from Dorian, drawing another laugh from Diane. Tonya smiled and a bit of tension eased in her chest. Diane told a few more self-deprecating stories about training mishaps, warning the faeries what they’d be getting into with training her, drawing more laughter from August.
A brief clatter brought her attention back to Ilka. Dorian’s mother leaned against the counter, her arms folded across her chest, a curious look on her face as she watched Dorian work.
Careful not to let her eyes stray to the stitches, Tonya looked to Dorian. He was still intent on his work, but the smile still remained. It settled her again.
“All done,” Dorian announced, winding a new bandage around Diane’s leg.
“That was quick!” Diane perked back up. “It feels better.”
She gently swung her leg off the bench to rest on the floor.
Dorian folded up the towel from under her leg, and the damp cloths he’d used to wash the wound.
“Let me know how it feels once that medicine wears off.” He tucked the vial back into his pouch.
Ilka came forward and took the dirty linens. “Dinner will be in a little over an hour. There’s enough time for you all to clean up.”
Diane glanced down at her fresh bandage, a frown on her face.
Dorian rested his hand on the bandage and whispered a few words.
“It’ll stay dry now.”
Tonya tucked a hand under Diane’s elbow as she pushed to her feet, picking up her boot as she did.
“I’ll see to a bath for you two.” Ilka nodded to them.
Dorian slowly wiped his hands on the last clean cloth. “Go ahead.” He looked at August.
The other faery tipped an almost imperceptible nod. Tonya didn’t know if she preferred the way they were tiptoeing around each other now. But at least the air was free of the crackling animosity.
She and Diane slowly made their way after Ilka, back through the sitting room and to their assigned bedroom. Ilka pushed through into the washroom.
The same tile coated the entire room, an extra lamp hanging from the ceiling. A chest of cabinets stood against one wall, and a copper tub against the other.
Ilka crossed over to it and began pumping a handle up and down. Tonya stared in fascination as water began to pour through the spout into the tub. Once full, Ilka dipped her hand in the water, speaking a few words. The water bubbled for a moment and then steam began to gently wisp from the surface.
She pulled cloths from the cabinet and placed them on the short table by the tub, along with a white block.
“It’ll stay warm and clean for the both of you,” Ilka said. “Need anything else?”
“No, this is perfect,” Diane said. “Thank you.”
Ilka stepped out, leaving the two of them. Tonya swallowed, heat already creeping up her neck before she even asked her question.
“What are we supposed to use this for?”
Diane hopped around to face her. “You’ve never had a bath before?”
Tonya shook her head. “I’ve lived in water my entire life.”
“I forget!” Diane clapped a hand to her forehead. “Well, then you’re in for a treat. Soap.” She held up the block. “For washing your hair and skin. Towel for drying off. Make sure you bring clean clothes to dress in after.”
“You can go first.” Tonya half-stepped back.
“Are you sure?” But Diane eyed the tub eagerly.
Tonya smiled. “Yes. Need help with anything?”
Diane limped out and grabbed her pack, digging out her clean, slightly-wrinkled dress. “I think I can manage.”
Tonya sank onto the bed as Diane went back into the washroom. She unlaced her boots, wiggling her toes after peeling off the socks. She reached for the pins in her hair and combed out the braid with her fingers. Her dark hair fell in crinkled waves over her shoulder, her scalp tingling with the sensation of finally being released after spending days in the confines of the braid.
She set the pins on the small table between the beds. How can I get out of having my hair done like that again?
She lay back on the bed, eyes closing almost against her will as she waited for Diane.
The princess had to nudge her awake twenty minutes later. Her hair hung damp and loose around her shoulders as she pressed the towel around the strands.
Tonya took out the dress that Diane had lent her, pausing a little over a clean pair of sharkskin trousers and light shirt. But it didn’t seem like the appropriate thing to wear.
Her doubts about the bath slipped away as she sank into the warm water. Her muscles gradually relaxed and an embarrassing amount of dirt floated away from her skin to dissipate in the water.
The knot of magic loosened a little in response to her skin once again being coated in water. She slid under the surface, closing her eyes at the familiar sensation of her hair floating free. Her breath released in a cloud of bubbles as she fought the sting in her eyes.
I miss the ocean and the Reef more than I thought.
The part of her that always ached in the ocean felt at home among the ice. But the ocean still claimed her, the tide whispering to her with every beat of her heart now that she stopped to listen.
Do I go back if I don’t find a solution in the north? As much as she missed the sighing of the waves and the crying of gulls, she knew she couldn’t wade back into the breakers and leave the land behind. It had stolen a part of her heart, and she hadn’t even seen the north yet.
She ran her hands through her hair, finding more tangles. She sighed in another burst of bubbles and emerged to grab the slippery bar of soap to wash.
When she finished, she hesitated between the towel and trying to use her magic to dry off like she would have if she’d just emerged on her island. She decided against it as soon as her hand sank into the softness of the towel.
She dried and dressed and went back out into the room. Diane sat on her bed, still combing out her damp hair. Tonya sank back onto the bed, enjoying the sensation of being clean and having her feet and hair free. She tucked her legs up under her skirts.
Tonya patted her towel over her hair one more time, then decided to try. She reached for the bit of magic that always seeped through in the water. Tongue sticking out slightly from the corner of her mouth, she closed her eyes and felt for the water. Her hair rose in response, shaking itself free of water drops, which disappeared as they slicked off.
“That seems like a practical use of magic.” Diane’s voice jerked her eyes open.
Now dry, her hair fell back around her shoulders. Tonya shrugged. “It’s about the most I can do with water.”
“But I see it doesn’t take care of knots either.” Diane smiled. She beckoned Tonya over, holding up her comb.
Tonya went and sat with her. Diane turned to sit cross-legged on the bed and began combing Tonya’s hair.
“Can you really not use much magic?” Diane asked after a moment.
Tonya pilled the skirt between her fingers. “No. It feels all tangled up inside me. I can’t even shift into an animal like other faeries. I’m just sort of—me.”
“Well, I like this version of you.” Diane tapped her shoulder with the comb. “Even if you did accidentally freeze everything.”
Tonya turned enough to see Diane out of the corner of her eye. The princess took up another section of her hair, tugging a little at Tonya’s scalp
as she untangled it.
“You’re one of the few people who do.” She twisted to face the princess. “Thank you for—everything. You and Dorian and August…”
She shrugged. Their glances the first day had faded away to be replaced by an almost foreign acceptance.
“I wasn’t expecting to find—friends, especially after what I did…” Her eyes burned again. “No one has ever really accepted me for anything…”
Diane tapped her shoulder again. An understanding smile softened her face. “Then they’ve missed out on an amazing faery. And I think you’re going to be even more amazing after you, what did you say? Untangle your magic.”
Tonya turned away to hide the tear that slid down her cheek.
“Do you really think we can figure out a way to undo it?” She tried to steady the wobble in her voice.
“We’re going to.” Determination hardened Diane’s words. “I made a promise to my people and to Edmund that I was going to help fix it. And I can’t let them down. Besides, this is what friends do. Help figure out a way to undo magical ice spells.”
Tonya smiled a little at the tease in Diane’s voice—also at the word “friends.”
“Do you think that’s what you could be with August and Dorian? Friends?” she asked. The slight undercurrent of tension between Diane and the faeries had faded to almost nothing since the remmiken attack.
A sigh broke from Diane and the comb paused for a moment in Tonya’s hair. “I think—maybe. I know they both fought on our side during the war, but I didn’t realize how hard it is to trust them sometimes.”
“Or me?”
The comb tugged at a new patch of tangles. “No. I know you didn’t mean the spell. Maybe it’s just because I know your people weren’t involved in the war, like that somehow makes it easier…”
Tonya faced Diane again. “Can I try?”
She pointed to Diane’s wet hair and the princess arched an eyebrow.
“I suppose.” She let Tonya place a hand on her head.
Find the holes in the warding. Tonya reached for the same thread of magic that she had earlier. She kept one eye cracked open as her tongue once again escaped in concentration.
Diane bit back a giggle as her hair began to lift and wave about her head. “It tickles!” she whispered.
Tonya tried to shush her around her tongue and her own triumphant laugh as the water slid free and melted back into the air.
She took her hand away from Diane’s head. The princess gingerly felt her hair.
“Dry. And poufy.” A grin lit her face. “You have no idea what it takes to achieve this without magic.” She squeezed Tonya’s hand. “I guess magic’s not so bad.”
“Glad to help.” Tonya grinned. I did it. I actually used my magic for something. Even if it was just hair.
Her stomach rumbled in agreement.
“I concur.” Diane returned her comb to her pack and stood. “Should we go see about dinner?”
*
Tonya slid onto the bench beside Diane. August sat next to her, and across from them sat Dorian and Endre. Ilka took the head of the table. The opposite end sat empty.
None of the Durneans looked at the seat.
Ilka blessed the food in an even voice and asked the Creator’s favor over their continued journey. Tonya stared down at her clasped hands and added the prayer she’d been praying since the day the ice had appeared.
Creator, please help me figure out a way to undo this.
Dishes were passed around in silence. Tonya spooned roasted potato chunks smothered in herbs and slices of meat Ilka had called stone quail onto her plate. Dorian passed her the basket of golden crusted bread and offered his slight smile again.
She ducked her head and focused on the meal. The potatoes’ crisp skin broke on her tongue in a burst of savory flavor, combining wonderfully with the light sweetness of the roasted meat. It endeared her a little more toward the land.
“Tonya, you have lived in the ocean your entire life?” Ilka broke the silence.
Tonya dabbed her mouth with a napkin as she nodded. “It’s where my mother wanted me to live.”
Before she left me. The bitter voice surfaced again.
“And what happened to her?”
Tonya shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know about my father either. I just know that he came from the north.”
“Dorian told me about your journey and the reason for the ice.” Ilka took a small sip of her pale wine.
Tonya swallowed sudden nervousness. Ilka set her cup back down and gave a small nod, sorrow lurking in her gaze as it settled for a moment on the empty seat.
“I hope you can find out what happened to them.”
“Thank you,” Tonya whispered. It was something she’d thought about often enough over the long miles, but something she didn’t know if she dared hope for.
“He also told me that you are more than just Lady Diane.” Ilka looked to Diane. “I don’t know much about human royalty, so I hope that you will be comfortable enough here.” She gave a small nod.
Diane carefully swallowed. “I will be.” A bit of something passed between them, and Diane seemed to settle more. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Ilka gave something closer to a smile that didn’t fade as she turned to August. “Dorian says you killed the remmiken.”
August’s head flew up and he darted a glance between her and Dorian. Dorian didn’t look up, tearing a piece of bread in two.
“He did just as much as I to bring it down,” August finally said, the same caution in his words.
Pride lingered in Ilka’s smile.
“So you didn’t forget how to use your staff, then?” Endre stabbed at a potato chunk.
Dorian’s hand tensed around his fork, but he just quietly shook his head. Tonya nibbled at her bread, confused by Endre’s constant changing mood.
“We’ve heard of your parents even here.” Ilka turned again to August, whose features relaxed into a smile at her more friendly tone. “You must be proud of them.”
“They leave a great name to live up to,” August said.
“Do you have any siblings?” Diane poured herself some more wine.
“Two older sisters. And…” August paused, nudging a piece of meat around his plate with his fork as he flicked a glance toward Dorian. “I had a brother.”
Dorian leaned his elbows on the table, still only picking at his food.
“How did he die?” he finally asked, meeting August’s half look.
Tonya held her breath as a deeper silence covered the rest of the table. Ilka pressed her lips together. August prodded at a potato.
“Killed by a Durnean faery who’d turned,” he said.
Dorian nodded, his jaw set a little crookedly.
Ilka watched the two of them, one hand pressed flat against the table.
“I lost a cousin to a turned Myrnian faery.” Dorian flicked his hand in and out of a fist. “And a friend to a patrol of both Durnean and Myrnian soldiers who didn’t stop to see what side she was on.”
Endre scowled and pushed away from the table. Ilka closed her eyes as he strode through the door back out to the entry hall, slamming the main door behind him. Dorian tracked his path and laid his fork down. He stood.
“We’ve got some things we need to talk about. I’ll be back later.” He paused at the other entrance to the kitchen and looked back to August.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” August replied, but there was no trace of anger, just sadness in his voice.
The air finally seemed to clear between them, the tension fizzling to nothing like sea foam on the warm summer sand. Raw understanding the only thing left in its place. The entry door closed gently behind Dorian, and Diane released a quiet sigh, her shoulders slumping.
“I hate what the war left,” she whispered.
Ilka leaned across the table to touch her hand. Her eyes held the same sadness as Diane’s.
“Me too.” She nodded to
the seats her sons had vacated. “Me too.”
They finished their meal in silence. Diane offered to help with the washing up, but Ilka gently turned them down, saying she wouldn’t make her guests work in her kitchen.
They slowly filed out into the sitting room where the fire still burned steadily in the box, though Tonya had not seen anyone tend to it.
“I think I’ll go to bed,” Diane said. She wobbled a little on her leg and August steadied her.
“Walk you to your room?” He flicked an exaggerated wink.
A smile teased Diane’s face. “I’m flattered, but you’re not tall or handsome enough.”
His eyes widened in mock affront as a laugh escaped. She tilted her nose smugly in the air as she tugged him along, Tonya following a few steps behind. Diane halted at their door. She impulsively flung her arms around August.
“Sorry about your brother,” she murmured against his shoulder.
He gently folded his arms around her, tapping her shoulder. “Thank you.” He blinked rapidly a few times as he pulled away.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll think I’ll turn in too.”
Diane sniffed and rested her hand on the latch.
“Tonya?”
Tonya rubbed her arm with one hand, feeling suddenly like she was just standing on the outside again.
“I will in a little bit.” She took a step back into the sitting room.
They both wished her good night and retreated to their rooms. Tonya sat on the cushioned bench, drawing her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees, watching the flames dance through the small window.
Eventually Ilka finished her gentle clatter in the kitchen and came to stand in the doorway.
“Do you need anything?” she asked.
Tonya shook her head. “I’ll likely go to bed soon.”
A smile gentled Ilka’s narrow face. “I wouldn’t wait up for him. He and Endre have a lot to work through.”
A bit of warmth crept up Tonya’s neck as she realized that’s what she’d been waiting for—Dorian to come back in so she could make sure that he was all right after the stifling looks and the words with harsh undercurrents.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they came back with some bruised knuckles and bloody noses.”
Winter Spell Page 12
