by E. Latimer
Erik cleared his throat and stared straight ahead. “Well, sort of. You have to have a certain amount of jotun blood in you to get through.”
Charlotte and I exchanged a look, and I gripped the leather seat. “Meaning Charlotte might not have gotten through? Like, we might have disappeared?”
He shrugged. “Why do you think I was going so slow?”
“Oh, like that makes it better.” I felt like smacking him in the back of the head. “A little warning next time!”
Charlotte’s eyes shone. “But I made it. I do have jotun blood just like you guys. Oh my God, I’m so excited. When do we get to the palace?”
"Another few minutes." Erik nodded, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. "She's pretty close to the border."
I leaned forward, my stomach twisting with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.
"Don't worry. She'll be ecstatic to see you." Erik drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, flashing me a reassuring smile.
It wasn't that. What if I'd made the wrong decision? Maybe I should have just kept running. Maybe I should have been in California, lying low.
Too late for second thoughts now.
I forced a smile. "I hope so."
The road wound up a hill, and Erik slowed the car, the tires slipping and squeaking on the packed snow. It still climbed steadily though, and after a few minutes, we crested the hill.
"And this, ladies....is the palace."
I stared in open-mouthed astonishment. Looming in the distance was a fortress made of ice, a full-on fairy tale castle with all the towers and peaks. The sunlight reflected off its surface, sending white light dancing across the smooth, white hills and valleys of the snow around it. It was impossibly tall, the tops of its towers scraping the clouds.
Charlotte pressed her hand to her chest, eyes round. "There's even a moat."
A wide expanse of dark-blue water capped with floating icebergs circled the huge palace. There would be no getting in unless they wanted you to.
Erik was speaking into his cell phone, announcing our arrival.
The palace only seemed to grow taller as we approached, and I craned my neck, tipping my head back and pressing the side of my face to the cool glass of the car window. I’d never seen anything so huge. It could have fit my school inside it a hundred times over. Even my "big" school in California had nothing on this.
"It's like an ice sculpture." Charlotte’s face shone. “It’s beautiful."
A section in the center of the castle wall shifted, dropping slowly, sunlight glittering off the ice. I shielded my eyes with one hand, struck dumb by the fact that something like this even existed.
The drawbridge lowered on two thick, silver chains, settling onto the snow with a crunch and a rumble that shook the earth.
Erik slowly moved the car forward, and before long, we were bumping across the bridge, the tires rumbling over the thick ice.
I dared to lower the window and look down into the deep-blue waters of the moat. A wash of cool air drifted past me. The water below danced and shone, and I could hear the gentle rushing sound of the river sliding past the icebergs and washing up against the frozen banks.
Then we passed through the palace gate. Beyond it lay a large, snow-covered courtyard, in the center of which was a massive, multi-level fountain decorated with blue lights. It lit up the surroundings, and the cheerful trickle echoed off the icy walls. Stone pathways crisscrossed through the open space. Holly bushes grew all around the courtyard, trimmed into a mazelike pattern, red berries bright against the white snow. There were tall, beautiful people dressed in heavy furs, laughing and talking as they made their way through the hedges.
We drove by slowly, and I watched one of the couples walking arm in arm, deeply engrossed in one another. He was tall and broad-shouldered, in chainmail and leather. She was draped in silver-gray furs, gazing up at him as she talked, her cherry-red lips contrasting with her porcelain skin.
Nobody even glanced our way as we passed.
I craned my neck to look over my shoulder, reluctant to let the beautiful courtyard out of sight. When I looked over, Erik was watching me, his mouth tugging up at one corner.
"Don't worry. You’re home now. You'll have plenty of time to look around."
My heart lurched. This place was gorgeous, but would I ever be able to call it home? It was all so regal and stately. I wasn't a regal type of person. I was the type who snorted milk out my nose when I laughed too hard. My stomach churned, and my palms went clammy. What if I did something horribly embarrassing in front of all of these majestic people? I’d probably make a total ass of myself.
Erik drove around the corner, pulling into a wide, icy lot filled with new cars.
We got out, and I groaned as I unfolded myself from the passenger’s side. I forgot my stiffness pretty fast as we followed Erik up the icy pathway.
We walked past the blue fountain, toward a set of large double doors leading into the palace. Erik stopped and said something to the two guards at the front, who were even taller than the other giants and looked as though they'd been sucking lemons.
One guard stepped to the side, his eyes set straight ahead, his mouth in a tight, displeased line. The other grabbed a silver ring set in the side of the left door and pulled.
Charlotte and I followed Erik through, and I stared down a long corridor on the other side. It was like stepping inside a chunk of crystal. Light reflected off the walls, making it almost blindingly bright.
I tipped my head back to look at the huge chandelier. It was made out of cunningly carved bits of ice, sparkling in the sunlight like a million tiny diamonds.
Beside me, Charlotte's breath puffed out in white clouds, and she hugged herself. "Wow, it's freezing in here."
I hadn't even thought about that. To me, it was, well...room temperature.
Erik stopped long enough to shrug out of his heavy leather jacket and hand it back to Charlotte.
“Thanks.” She slipped the jacket on—which looked big enough to swallow her whole—and started working on the buttons. “That’s way better.”
Erik raised his brows at me. "Ready?"
No, I wanted to say, not yet. Probably not ever.
Instead I nodded, and he led us down the corridor.
Up ahead came the sound of trickling water, the low murmur of conversation, and classical music. We rounded the corner and a massive room came into view.
Groups of people stood together, all dressed in sweeping skirts and fur jackets. Glasses clinked, and the murmur of voices washed over us as we came in, an ocean of gentle sounds.
Along the side of the room was a huge oak table that looked as though it might collapse under the sheer amount of food it bore. At the end of the room was a throne, a huge chair carved out of solid ice on a raised dais.
The woman sitting on the throne drew my focus instantly. Her face was perfect and pale, etched out of pure ivory. Her lips were bright red, her black lashes tipped with frost. Her hair was pulled back in an elaborate braided updo, and a white headdress curled around her face and rose out of her pale hair in jagged peaks.
I stopped, drawing a sharp breath in. The woman in my dreams looked exactly like her.
Erik took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. She'll be so happy. She’s been waiting to see you."
It was intimidating to walk through crowds of marble-skinned, platinum-haired giants. They stared with unnervingly bright-blue eyes, weighing, judging. What were they thinking?
At last, we were in front of the dais, and Erik dipped into a low bow. I tried to copy him, but mine turned into more of a clumsy head bob than a bow. I was too shocked to even care.
I had someone else’s memories of this woman, and it felt like I was seeing her again, and for the first time, both at once.
There were carvings covering the throne, detailed etchings of faces, realistic to the point of being eerie. Men and women with their mouths wide open in silent war cries. The arms of the throne we
re two ice warriors crouched in battle, their spears at the ready.
As the queen leaned forward, she rested her arms on their backs. She regarded Erik coolly, giving him a subtle nod. Her eyes slid past Charlotte without really seeing her and came to rest on me. Red lips curled at the corners in a smile, and she stood abruptly.
I stiffened, forcing myself to stay where I was as she descended, her fur cloak spilling down the stairs after her. She stopped in front of me, and I held my breath.
Queen Eira's eyes were a mesmerizing aqua blue, and they glittered as she inspected me. She placed a finger under my chin, tilting my face upward. Her hand was cool on my skin—cold, actually—and I blinked in surprise.
When was the last time I'd felt cold?
The queen smiled wider this time. "Oh, child. You look so much like her." She withdrew her hand and took a step back.
I thought I knew who she meant, but still, it seemed impossible. My stomach twisted into knots, and my throat went dry and tight. It took a few seconds to work up the courage to speak. "Who, Your...Majesty?"
She smiled, and I wasn't sure if I'd addressed her properly. Was she was pleased or merely amused at my ignorance?
"My daughter. You share both her name and her likeness. You have no idea how long I've waited to see you, child."
She might as well have frozen me. My insides felt cold. She was so much like my dreams that I had to fight the urge to actually pinch myself. Her daughter. Exactly what she’d said in the dreams.
I had a million questions, but something in the queen's face made me keep my mouth shut. A small smile played across her red lips.
"My child," she whispered. "You are home now."
Chapter Twenty
The throne room was silent save for the quiet strains of classical music.
I had the uncomfortable feeling that the entire court was waiting with bated breath, straining to hear what the queen said next. All I wanted to do was whirl around and scream at Erik for not warning me. For neglecting to tell me Amora’s mother was still alive. And the queen, no less. My head spun.
The queen stared at me for what seemed like ages and then turned back to her throne. I let out a deep breath, feeling dizzy. Maybe this was another dream. It was too insane to be real.
Queen Eira turned to Erik. "Good work. Take her to the corner bedroom." She finally acknowledged Charlotte, who was standing just behind me, and her expression went flat. “Who is this?"
I cringed as Charlotte stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Hi! I'm Charlotte. I've never met a queen before. It's nice to meet you."
A faint echo of laughter traveled around the room, though the jotun hid their smiles behind polite hands.
The queen lifted one pale eyebrow at Charlotte and then frowned. "I told you to bring Amora."
"She wouldn't come without the girl." Erik clasped his hands behind his back, shoulders rigid.
Queen Eira waved a dismissive hand. "Well, now, she's here, so take the little one back home."
Two stern-faced guards in leather jerkins and chainmail started toward us. That was all it took to overcome the fear. I didn’t care if she straight out of my nightmares, there was no way I was letting them take Charlotte home.
"Excuse me." Hopefully she didn’t hear the tremor in my voice. "My only condition when I agreed to come here was that Charlotte stays with me."
The queen stared at me with wide eyes, but I refused to back down.
"If she goes, I go too."
For a moment, her face went completely blank, and my ears filled with the sound of my heart hammering against my rib cage.
I'd done it now. She was about to stand up and blast me into tiny pieces with her icy rage. Slowly, a smile slid across Queen Eira's face. Her eyes lit up, softening her features, making her look more human. Or at least a little less like a wrathful snow goddess.
She laughed, low and throaty. "Amora, my dear child. You have all the fight and spirit I could hope for in a daughter. Fine. The girl stays! Away with you now."
The guards marched back to their posts, and my shoulders slumped, though tendrils of unease were blooming in my stomach. The woman really seemed to think I was some kind of replacement for her daughter.
"Erik, take Amora and her friend to their chambers. Feed them, clothe them. You've all had a long journey, and I'm sure you're exhausted." The queen smiled at me again. "Rest now, child. You're finally home."
Erik gave us a miniature tour on the way to the bedchambers. I was still fuming at him, but I didn’t want to ask questions until we were somewhere private.
Even as frustrated as I was, the palace was breathtaking. Erik showed us the great hall bathed in dancing rainbow lights and told us about the feasts they had for midwinter. When I asked where the lights were coming from, he instructed us to look up, and Charlotte and I gasped.
Hundreds of reflective crystals hung from the ceiling, an inverted ocean of light. The entire palace seemed to glow from the inside out, which Erik explained was due to the odd runes etched over every door.
So…magic. It shouldn’t have startled me. I was walking through a massive ice castle with a frost jotun for God’s sake. But still…magic.
Down another hall, he pointed out the servant’s quarters. We passed a few of them in the corridor. They almost looked the same as the other frost giants, with pale skin and white hair, but they were much smaller.
They politely ducked their heads as we walked by, and I stared after the last one—a skinny woman dressed in a white, sleeveless robe.
"Are they human?" I asked.
Erik, who was walking in front of me, didn't turn around. He didn't answer, either, and I had to jog to catch up with him. "Erik?"
"They're half and half." He was avoiding my eyes. "Half-human, half-jotun."
Realization set in. "Like us." I gestured at Charlotte and myself. "They're like us, you mean."
"Not like you." Erik still refused to look at me. "You girls are different. You're special. You have soldier blood in you."
I fell back a bit, following him at a slower pace, and Charlotte and I exchanged a look. She didn't look as excited as before.
What did that mean? I had soldier blood in me. I had dreams about being in battle, about killing people. Was the queen creating an army? Was she going to send us into battle? Maybe we had just been bred to fight and die for her.
And what about Charlotte? She was hardly a fighter. She was tiny. She was probably the same size and weight of most of the servants around here.
What did I get us into? It was bad enough that I was in this bizarre situation. Now, I had dragged Charlotte in with me. I marched after Erik, fists clenched at my sides.
He stopped in front of a set of white doors. "Your room."
More inscriptions decorated the front, strange, jagged symbols that almost seemed to form words.
"Go ahead."
I grasped the silver handle and pushed the door open. Charlotte and I walked in and stared in total silence, too shocked at the extravagance for words
The room was bigger than any bedroom I'd ever seen. The furniture was done in cherry wood, the dark polished surfaces contrasting with the bright ice walls. There was even an old fashioned vanity in the corner that held a set of silver-backed brushes, perfume bottles, and face powders.
In the center sat a king-sized canopy bed with red satin sheets and multiple silk pillows.
I finally found my voice. "Oh. My. Gosh."
“Wow.” Charlotte's eyes were huge.
Erik smiled. "You girls enjoy. There's a rope pull just beside the bed. The servants will get you anything you want. And there are nightdresses in the chest of drawers and clothes in the armoire. I'll come get you tomorrow and give you the full tour."
"What now?" I asked.
He stared at me blankly. "Sorry?"
"I mean, tomorrow, we get the tour, and then what? What happens next?"
He paused, his hand on the doorknob, his expression unread
able. “I guess that’s up to the queen.”
“What does that mean? You don’t have any idea what she actually wants? You said we were warriors, that the other girls had started training. Does that mean we’ll be fighting? You didn’t mention anything like that before.” My nails bit into the palms of my hands. “Or told me about the Amora thing. Her dead daughter, really? Am I some kind of freaky replacement?”
“Of course not. You just ended up looking like her, so that was the name she picked out for you.” Erik took a step back, reaching for the doorknob. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Amora before. It would have been a bit much with all the other stuff I had to tell you.”
