Tinderbox Under Winter Stars

by Emma Sterner-Radley

  Eleonora put her hand on Nessa’s arm. “And they say that the Skarhult Chronicle is read by all the continent leaders, yes? Even your Queen receives the version translated to Arclidian!”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Nessa could swear she saw Elise’s skin go from its healthy sandy brown to ashen grey.

  Nessa put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart thump like it was trying to break through her ribcage and escape.

  Anja scoffed. “Ah. The people at the Chronicle are known to exaggerate their rag’s popularity. They’d claim the queen of the seas read it if it wasn’t for the fact that their ink isn’t waterproof.”

  Nessa’s heart slowed a little.

  Of course. People exaggerate. Still… I wonder if it’s too late to get them to not print the article about Elise.

  One look at her love’s stricken face reminded Nessa that the journalist had said that it would be published in tomorrow morning’s edition. Meaning it was probably being printed right now. She attempted some deep breaths, trying to to remind herself that the Queen didn’t have much time and probably wouldn’t read magazines concerning kingdoms that weren’t hers. And that, yes, people exaggerate.

  While the others were busy talking about the glass palace, Nessa whispered to her heartling, “You gave your fake name, right? Elise Glass?”

  Wide-eyed, Elisandrine whispered back, “Yes. But I… mentioned your first name. And your mother’s full name. I think I also said that we were staying with Anja and gave her full name. In the hope of spreading the word about her book.”

  “Elise!”

  “I know! I am so terribly sorry. I got carried away because the reporter had such a calming air. And because Mr Sinclair said it was an important way to advertise my oils, and…” She trailed off, staring at her feet. “Because someone actually liked something I created. Also, because there was a way to give your mother credit and get in your parents’ good graces, I suppose. As always, I did not think before speaking.” She looked back up at Nessa. “In my defence, I assumed the Skarhult Chronicle was just distributed around Skarhult. Hence the name,” she said, wringing her hands.

  Nessa sighed. “Yes, so did I.”

  Elise looked like she was awaiting her execution. “I am awfully sorry, Nessa.”

  Nessa pulled her close and kissed her cheek. “It’s all right, heartling. An easy mistake. We don’t know if the Queen will read it. And if she does, who knows if she’ll connect the dots? Or care about you anymore. Perhaps she has a new plaything. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  Elise gave a hesitant nod, her lips pressed into a tight line.

  Anja came over and used two fingers to lift Elise’s chin towards her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, thank you. Just… lost in thought.”

  “Right. I’ll pretend to believe that,” Anja muttered with a glance in Nessa’s direction. “Anyway, we should get out of this place of revolting wealth and brainwashing and go see about those sled rides. The fresh air will do you both good.”

  The Lindbergs came closer, too. Sonja, with a mouth full of dammon nuts, yelped, “The cute puppies, yes?”

  Anja pursed her lips at the child. “They’re grown dogs. But yes, they’re… cute. What do you say Elise?”

  Nessa put her arm around Elise’s trembling shoulders and felt her straighten up before she replied, “Yes. Smashing idea.”

  Out in the cold air, Nessa watched the wolf-like dogs yip cheerfully at each other and their onlookers. The animals had apparently been on a break to eat and rest and were now ready to work. There was a queue, but Albert’s Joiners Square connections meant their party could skip the line. A thrill whirred through Nessa at the thought of traveling the thick ice pulled along by those strong, quick animals. She wasn’t even that worried about the speed. Or the thickness of the ice.

  Or slipping on it.

  Or any of the other things that could go horribly, terribly wrong.

  She swallowed and took Elise’s hand.

  The long, elaborately crafted sleds were now being attached to the dogs’ harnesses by female and male Joiners Square soldiers. Nessa tried not to be impressed by the striking warriors in their fitted grey uniforms with pale yellow buttons, finished with resplendent, silvery-white fur capes over their shoulders. A handsome exterior was nothing if it hid cruelty.

  Finally, their two sleds were ready. The Lindberg family sat in one while Anja, Elise, and Nessa sat in the other. The sleds had six seats each, so they could have fitted in one vehicle, leaving the second one for others waiting their turn. However, that was not the Storsund way, Nessa realised. Back in Ground Hollow you used only what you needed, mended what was broken, and made do with what you had. Here, opulence and luxury were a sign not only of status but of good taste. Why have one sled when you could have two?

  Wasteful. Inconsiderate. Boastful.

  The words made Nessa think of the Queen of Arclid, making her stomach turn.

  Nessa and Elise sat next to each other, while Anja took a seat behind them, wrapping herself in the furs that lined the sled. She threw one at Nessa’s back. “Cuddle up with this, you two. I’ll not have you catching a cold and making me sneeze for weeks.”

  “No, Anja,” they replied in unison, with matching smiles.

  The soldier who was to drive their sled looked back at them. “Ready? My furry little comrades run fast, so don’t be brainless and stand up in the sled, yes? I cannot have you fall off. You’d hurt the ice.”

  Elise had that look which usually was followed by one of her quick bursts of rage, so Nessa hurried to reply, “Certainly.”

  With that, they were off. The soldier cracked a whip into the icy night air and the dogs barked happily before taking off running. They raced past onlookers who stood with steaming coffee cups and sugary treats, shouting their glee as the sled passed by. Nessa sat closer to Elise and pulled the furs over them as the rushing air grew colder. They sped up, the light from torches and gas lamps and the intoxicating smells enveloping them.

  Giddy and drunk on excitement, Nessa glanced at her beloved and saw that Elise was beaming, her mouth slightly open and her golden eyes wide. She was so beautiful that Nessa’s chest tightened. She couldn’t wait any longer, she had to lean in and taste those red lips. Elise giggled into the kiss before throwing herself into it. They parted after a few blissful moments, sharing looks of love and joy.

  The romance was rudely interrupted by something heavy landing in the sled. Nessa’s heart skipped a beat. They all turned their heads and saw a person, bundled in furs and with a giant fur hat, plonked on the seats behind Anja. Nessa remembered Elise’s fear over being watched or followed, and her heart skipped yet another beat.

  With a long tirade in Sundish, Anja seemed to be asking the person what they were doing. Or perhaps cursing at them. The soldier pulled on the reins, slowing the dogs to a gradual halt. Then he began hauling abuse at the stowaway as well.

  “I do sincerely apologise for barging in like this,” the newcomer said. “However, I saw that you were getting farther away from the faire, and I could not risk losing Nessa and Elise when I had finally found them.”

  Wait… Arclidian? With a Midlands accent? I recognise that voice.

  Nessa peered at the fur-clad person who was now sitting up and correcting his oversized hat.

  “Hunter! What in the names of the gods are you doing here?” she exclaimed.

  “You know this person, yes?” the soldier barked.

  Elise gave her silver bell laugh. “Oh yes, we know him all right. Hunter Smith, the man with the uncanny knack of showing up where you least expect him. Even when he is meant to be on another continent.”

  The soldier scowled before grunting, “We carry on then, yes? People are waiting back at the glass palace.”

  “Yes, of course. Drive on,” Nessa replied, trying to smile apologetically at him.

  He cracked the whip in the air above the dogs and they took off running again.

  Anja
was staring from Hunter and back to her houseguests. Elise was still laughing incredulously. It was left for Nessa to repeat her question.

  “What are you doing here, Hunter?”

  He gave her his charming, sparkling smile. “Seeing my two favourite travelling ladies of course. Arclid was terribly boring without you.”

  Elise quirked an eyebrow at him and his smile faltered.

  He coughed daintily. “Fine. I also had to escape the probing questions about you from a certain mutual acquaintance of ours. The one who played cards with Nessa? Therefore, I fancied a change of scenery and took the next steamer over. After six cold weeks at sea, I arrived this evening and headed for the faire, knowing that all of Storsund would join the Fest. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for you two all night.”

  Nessa shivered under the furs when she thought about the questions the Queen might have asked Hunter.

  Hunter’s smile returned, but it looked about as real as his overly white teeth. “Besides, my employers finally had enough of the rumours surrounding my lack of interest in that certain human aspect. My reputation had sunk to that of a river toad. Quite frankly, they did not deserve me.”

  Nessa saw Elise frown and knew that she was also thinking how unfair it was that Nightport would judge a man for his lack of interest in romance and bedplay. How could anyone assume you’d be incapable of power and ambition simply because you didn’t want to bed anyone? Nessa could only hope that Hunter had been right when claiming that Storsund was more accepting of that sort of thing.

  Anja scoffed. “Well, this is all very confusing. Do all Arclidians shroud themselves in secrets and riddles?”

  Elise gave her a wan smile. “Not all. The three of us are bad examples. Especially Hunter and I. Nessa merely keeps our secrets.”

  The last words were almost whipped away by the wind as they travelled on. They were far down the river now, the lights and sounds of the faire growing dimmer behind them. Nessa wondered how long this ride would last and how far ahead the Lindbergs’ sled was. Unease niggled, making her fidget. It was as if the Queen was closer now than in the past few months. Finding out that Elise’s interview could possibly reach the court, and now hearing Hunter say that only six weeks ago he escaped the Queen’s questions about them… it made her recent, and still fragile, sense of safety fall away like crumbling bricks.

  In pregnant silence, they journeyed through the starlit night, which now seemed colder and darker.

  Back at the palace, with frost-bitten cheeks and the silence still prevailing, they stepped off the sled. The soldier didn’t stop to say farewell but started loading up new passengers immediately.

  Anja brushed some snow off her coat. “I want more coffee. Go ahead and discuss your secrets and riddles.” With that, she sauntered off.

  Nessa watched her go, torn between the guilt of not telling Anja all and the awareness that Anja didn’t care about people’s pasts.

  Would she even want to know our infected secrets?

  Perhaps she deserved to know as she was housing them? Although, perhaps Anja was safer not knowing?

  Hunter wasted no time. He pranced away from the crowds and further up the snowy bank of the river. When he saw that the three of them were alone, he began feverishly whispering.

  “The Queen figured out that I was connected to you two. She was searching for any information about you, but quietly, so her desperate pursuit wouldn’t be common knowledge, I suppose. Your rousing speech to the punters of The White Raven surely helped with that, Nessa.” He gave her a conspiratorial smile. “Anyway, she took me to the castle and started asking questions. When I did not reply, a man resembling some disfigured oxen punctuated her questions with his fists to my midsection.”

  Elise gasped, but he held up his hands. “I am fine, heartling. I have taken worse punches than that growing up in Nightport. Anyway, when I did not reply, they left me to think it over.”

  “But… how did you escape?” Nessa couldn’t help asking.

  “You know me, I make sure people owe me favours everywhere. Like you two do, remember?” He smirked before continuing. “I waited until a guard who owed me came on duty. I reminded her about the time I saved her brother from two men in a dark alley. She agreed to open the door and say that I had knocked her out through the bars and stolen her keys. For the silver coins in my pocket, she also lent me her cloak as a disguise and suggested an escape path out of the castle. I can only hope the Queen did not kill her for it.”

  Elise nodded tightly, and Nessa took her hand.

  “What about the others who were with us that night?” Nessa asked.

  “Cai and Fyhre were interviewed long before me. They were released unharmed and went into hiding. Back to my story,” he said with an impatient look. “I ran to 21 Miller Street to get my emergency bags, which I keep packed in my closet. Paranoia is your best friend in Nightport, after all. Then I hurried down to the docks, hoping that my bribed guard hadn’t reported my escape yet.”

  He paused to pull his hat over his ears. “I went into the sailors’ tavern and caught the first captain I knew sailed to Storsund. I cashed in my owed favour with him, giving me not only free passage, but a place to hide until the ship sailed the next morning. I huddled in a lifeboat, hearing all the ships being searched. I overheard the Royal Guards tell the captain that they were chasing a man suspected of treason. No mention of you two. As far as I know, the Queen is still hiding what she actually wants.”

  Elise’s pretty features twisted. “Her tinderbox-maker back,” she intoned.

  Hunter nodded.

  Nessa patted him on the arm, remembering that this was one of the few physical touches he did not mind. “I’m so terribly sorry you had to go through that. And that you had to leave your home.”

  He waved it off. “Do not concern yourself. As I said, I needed to go anyway. On top of all of that, living in rented rooms in a lodging house and working two jobs was growing tiresome. I was envying you two your shiny new adventure.”

  Elise quirked an eyebrow. “I fear being hunted is… nothing to be envied. We have not dared to put down real roots. We have not even hired rooms despite being here for months now. We live in Anja’s house, the woman you met in the sled.”

  “Ah. No jobs yet?”

  “Those we have,” Nessa said. “I’ve recently started an apprenticeship and Elise helps Anja write her book. Then she spends the rest of her time becoming quite famous in the fragrance business. Everyone in Storsund wants to wear her scented oils. She’s recently been interviewed about it, actually.”

  Hunter whistled low. “Rented rooms or not, you seem to be doing well for yourselves!” He adjusted his hat, avoiding their gaze as he added, “I hope I shall be as lucky with my new life here.”

  Elise smiled sweetly at him. “We were fortunate enough to run into someone who could help. That is the joy of this world – if you are desperate and lost enough, you are bound to find both good and bad people noticing. Then you must gamble on which is which. Anja is certainly one of the good ones.” She chuckled. “Granted, she was reticent to help us at first. But that is only because she is a loner and we were total strangers.”

  Nessa hummed. “Secretive, pushy strangers. But yes, Anja is a good person. If we ask her, I’m sure she’ll take you in like she did us.”

  “Highly likely. However, with the coin coming in from my oils and your apprenticeship, we are not completely reliant on her anymore. Especially not as we are getting to know Skarhult better. If push comes to shove, we can quickly find lodgings for us three,” Elise said, a hint of pride in her voice.

  It warmed Nessa’s heart to see Hunter look a little more cheerful. That wasn’t all he was looking, though.

  “Hunter. You look ridiculous in all those furs. It’s below freezing, yes, but you’re wearing more clothes than half of Skarhult put together. You can barely move!”

  He scowled. “I think I look like a handsome ice bear tamer. Still, have no fear, I have one of my
usual velvet three-piece suits underneath. You will adore it when you see it.” He winked at her, just as unsuccessfully as Elise’s frequent attempts. “Now, shall we go find that grumpy hostess of yours so I can work my charms on her? I think she went over there to buy coffee. Do come along, Mrs and Mrs Glass.”

  He took off in his usual peacock way. Except now he looked less like a bird in colourful plumage and more like a moving fur pile. Only his square-jawed face showed there was a man under there.

  Nessa turned to Elise who shook her head in amusement and said, “I have missed him.”

  With the recently fetched Anja in tow, they walked back to where Hunter had left his baggage with a lad in a betting tent.

  While Anja sipped her coffee and Nessa and Elise took one last look at the Joiners Square Fest, Hunter paid the boy two coppers. In return, he was handed two huge suitcases, which the boy had to drag out from the back of the tent.

  Nessa’s jaw dropped. “Wait. That is the emergency luggage you kept in case of a quick getaway? There’s more packed there than I have ever owned!”

  “Yes, country girl. And that is why I am better dressed, cleaner, and more prepared for anything than you have ever been,” Hunter taunted.

  “Cleaner? Ha! More drenched in scented oils, perhaps. I bathe more than you do. I used to live in the same lodging house as you, so I know,” Nessa countered, playfully.

  Elise put her gloved hands on her hips. “Enough quibbling. You are making a terrible first impression on Anja. Why would she want to host you now, Hunter?” She turned to Anja. “They are not half as annoying as this most of the time. Hunter is actually quite lovely.”

  Anja finished her boozy coffee while surveying him. “So. Another wayward Arclidian seeking shelter under my roof, then?”

  He shifted his weight from one furry boot to the other. “Temporarily, yes. I have the coin to pay my way, and I promise to find a better solution as soon as possible. I also swear to be less trouble than these two.”