A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen (Beyond the Four Kingdoms Book 3)

by Melanie Cellier

  He waited, watching me with a cocked eyebrow.

  “Fine,” I said, sitting down in what would be called a huff in anyone less exalted than a princess. “I will sit here and await rescue by the brave and handsome prince.” I batted my eyelashes at him as angrily as I could.

  “Did you hear that, Giselle?” Oliver grinned. “She thinks I’m brave and handsome.”

  “Oh, do get on with it,” said Giselle, rolling her eyes and plonking herself beside me.

  “Ready, princeling?” asked Sterling. It was the least respectful toward Oliver that I’d ever heard him, but I supposed that hunting dangerous animals re-ordered the hierarchy somewhat. There was no denying that out here in the mountains, Sterling was the master.

  As soon as they disappeared, I suggested that we start a fire.

  “Feeling cold?” Giselle gave me an ironic look.

  “Obviously not.” I shivered at just the idea of how cold I would be feeling without my internal fire to keep me warm. “But if this takes a while, you’ll freeze just sitting here. And I daresay the hunters would appreciate something warm to eat when they get back.”

  “And it might keep any wild animals away?”

  I couldn’t tell if she was teasing me or offering the suggestion seriously.

  “Well, I know Oliver said we should be safe, but it couldn’t hurt, right?”

  Leaving our own packs next to Sterling’s and Oliver’s, we began to gather sticks and kindling. I didn’t want to use what Sterling had been gathering for our evening campfire.

  It quickly became obvious why he gathered it throughout the day. Finding enough for even a small, short-lived blaze in the immediate vicinity turned out to be difficult. Without noticing, I moved further and further from Giselle and our packs.

  Eventually I had gathered nearly enough to make at least a small fire which should be enough to keep Giselle from freezing if nothing else. So I circled back around, hoping she had been equally fortunate. Thankfully it was easy to follow my tracks back in the direction I had come, so I hurried more quickly, my focus on my snowshoes. Moving on the snow with any kind of speed involved a great deal of concentration. Especially when I had my arms full of sticks.

  Perhaps that’s why I didn’t notice anything earlier. A sudden prickling of dread was as much responsible for my sudden pause as the slight sound. Regardless of the reason, I spun around and dropped into a crouch a mere second before a blur of gray leaped at me from a nearby boulder.

  Thanks to my quick movement, the creature missed, landing some way further on before spinning to face me. The large cat planted its four feet and hissed. I had imagined a snow leopard as pure white, but in reality, it looked more gray than white, with black spots covering its face and body.

  I dropped the wood in my arms and straightened. Somewhat to my surprise, I felt no fear. Giselle’s earlier words had reminded me that while I might not be any good for hunting or tracking, I was also far from defenseless. I was heading into the unknown to take down a kingdom-killing enchantment. I could handle one hungry cat.

  I didn’t even have to think about stoking the fire inside, it roared up to meet me. Thrusting out my hands, palms toward the sky, I ignited a fire ball on each one. For a moment we both stood motionless, facing off. The leopard growled, but its feet shifted, almost uncertainly, and I half expected it to turn and run from the flames.

  But I couldn’t let it go. It might attack Giselle next, and she didn’t have the defenses I did.

  As I drew back one arm, however, ready to lob the ball of fire toward the cat, a shout split the air.

  “Celine, no! Stop!”

  I hesitated, turning toward Giselle’s voice in time to see her come stumbling out of the trees. She launched herself toward me, gripping my closest arm with both hands and forcing it down.

  My control slipped, and the flame shifted shape, running up my arm toward her. I gasped and extinguished it. The leopard hissed again in response, and I remembered its presence.

  “Giselle! What are you doing?”

  “You can’t do that,” she said. “What would we do with the body? How would we explain to Sterling that the leopard exploded in flames? We are trying to keep your abilities a secret, aren’t we?”

  I gave her a blank look, and she lowered her brows.

  “Wait—you don’t actually trust him, do you? You haven’t told him?”

  “No, of course not. But…” I looked back at the leopard who seemed to be undecided as to whether it should run now that I had company or attack now that the fire had disappeared.

  It shifted its weight forward, a low growl returning, and I swallowed. The fear that had been missing earlier rushed in, almost extinguishing the lingering warmth inside. My eyes flicked from the leopard’s bared teeth to the long claws that cut into the snow. I had no sword, no spear, no long weapon of any kind to fend it off.

  “Celine!” Giselle cried again, this time in more of a scream than a shout.

  The cat had finally made a decision—apparently deeming her the better target. As it leaped toward her, fire sprouted from my fingers without my making a conscious decision to call it. But I hesitated, Giselle’s earlier warning ringing in my ears.

  Giselle snatched up the longest and sturdiest of the branches I had dropped, whipping it in front of her and bracing it with both hands. The animal smashed into it, thrown off enough to miss its target, although the tip wasn’t sharp enough to pierce skin.

  It fell hard against the snow, rising only shakily back to its feet. This time it didn’t even consider another attack, turning tail and disappearing swiftly into the trees. I followed it with my eyes, my flaming hands still held in front of me.

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t…”

  Giselle had collapsed into the snow, panting. “I don’t think she’ll be attacking us again in a hurry, do you? Or any humans for that matter.”

  I nodded, the fire winking out. My mind, which seemed to have frozen during the attack, began to work again. “She? So that wasn’t the one Oliver is tracking?”

  “No, it can’t have been. She must be the one from the den Sterling saw earlier. The one with the cubs. She did appear to be heading back downhill. I know we weren’t expecting her to be out hunting as well, especially out this far, but if other leopards are encroaching on her territory, she’s probably getting worried for her cubs. Especially with this weather.”

  I began to gather the fallen sticks, carefully avoiding looking at Giselle. Shame smothered me, making it hard to breathe. With my powers I had felt strong, but without them I had been utterly useless. What would Oliver say if he knew I had left his young sister to defend herself without even trying to help?

  I picked up the last branch except for the one Giselle still gripped. Would she tell him? He was already unhappy with me for my deal with Cassandra—but this time his disgust would be warranted. He couldn’t think any more harshly of me than I already thought of myself.

  Slowly we returned to the abandoned packs. Giselle walked in silence, and I couldn’t blame her. At least she wasn’t expressing her disgust aloud.

  When we reached the packs, I once again dropped the sticks. I knew I should prepare the fire, but my mind still circled around the encounter with the leopard, a slight shake making my hands rebel against the commands I attempted to give them.

  Again Giselle acted without speaking, carefully placing the sticks ready for a fire. When she had finished, she looked up at me expectantly. I stared back at her stupidly for a moment before giving a sudden start and thrusting a spurt of fire at her arrangement.

  I had overcompensated, though, and the flames rushed through the sticks, not holding long enough to ignite them. I took a deep breath and tried again, maintaining a more controlled stream this time. When I was sure the sticks had caught, I let my hands drop and sat down.

  I knew I couldn’t put off my apology to Giselle any longer. But when she threw herself into the snow beside me, her expression made me stop short. Her
eyes glowed, her face alive with excitement.

  And when she looked up and met my gaze, a grin broke across her face.

  “That was amazing!” She smiled into our little fire and then back up at me. “Celine—we fought a snow leopard!”

  I smiled back, although the expression felt painful on my face. “We? I’m pretty sure it was all you.”

  She sat up straighter, seeming to take my words as a compliment to her rather than an indictment of me.

  “It was pretty amazing,” she murmured again. “Although I think all that fire threw it off. I’ve never actually seen one up close like that before.” She chortled suddenly. “Just wait until Oliver hears!”

  I winced, looking down quickly so she wouldn’t notice. It seemed foolish to apologize now when she clearly hadn’t noticed anything odd. It might even be insulting, since it would imply I hadn’t thought her able to handle the situation without me.

  Slowly I regained some calm, although the shame still stung whenever my mind wandered back to the attack. To keep ourselves busy, we prepared some hot tea, and when Oliver and Sterling finally returned, they looked grateful for it.

  My eyes searched Oliver for any signs of injury, but I could see nothing. He looked tired and sad, but I could also read their success in his eyes.

  “He was lurking waiting for prey just where we thought he would be,” he said quietly. “Above the next part of our path.”

  “The way is now clear,” said Sterling, and neither of them offered any further details.

  Giselle nodded, clearly attempting to look nonchalant. “I don’t think we should be having any trouble from the other one, either.”

  Oliver frowned at her and then quickly looked to me, his eyes asking for clarification.

  I swallowed and forced myself to talk normally. “It seems the mother was also out hunting today. She managed to find us, but we gave her enough of a scare that I don’t think she’ll be coming back any time soon. She took off downhill.”

  “What?!” Oliver stood, looked around a little foolishly, and then sat back down.

  “You two scared it off?” Sterling’s voice held something—although I couldn’t tell if it was skepticism or begrudging respect.

  Oliver’s eyes immediately flew to my hands, and I knew what he was thinking. I shook my head slightly, rushing into an explanation.

  “We’d been gathering sticks for the fire, and Giselle wielded one like an expert spearman. The leopard nearly skewered herself on it, and she quickly lost interest after that.”

  “Two leopards.” Oliver shook his head. “What are the chances?”

  “What are the chances of any of this?” I gestured wide to indicate the mountain, the snow, and our mismatched little party.

  He grimaced, his face acknowledging the truth of my words. But with Sterling present, none of us felt like dissecting the situation any further. Instead we quickly packed up and began the next section. Sterling had assured us that a snug little cave could be found halfway along the rocky section, and at least we would be getting a short break from the snow shoes.

  Oliver smiled almost warmly at me as we set off, and it took all of my self-control to smile back. He clearly thought there was more to the story—and he was right. It just wasn’t what he was thinking. I hadn’t saved Giselle, she had saved me. Twice.

  And I had just stood there. Useless without my powers.

  Chapter 18

  The memory of how it had felt to stand helpless before the leopard haunted me. But the mountains also grew steeper and more treacherous, and I had little time to think of other things than keeping my feet and following the path the others broke for me.

  Giselle had obviously not filled Oliver in on the true situation with the leopard because he continued to view me more warmly than he had since the deal with Cassandra. And Giselle herself seemed to have forgiven me for not supporting her attendance on the trip. Apparently she viewed us as comrades-in-arms after the run in with the leopard.

  But their approval could not rebuild my shaken confidence. I was utterly determined not to prove myself the weak link again. And so I concentrated with utmost focus on my hiking, my technique improving enough that I no longer always trailed far behind the rest.

  Undoubtedly we had all noticed the snow growing deeper and the temperature dropping, but no one spoke of it. I could see them all reacting to the cold in various subtle ways, though, and could only be silently grateful for the heat that kept me perpetually warm from the inside out.

  I still worried, however, and that third night it took me longer to fall asleep than usual. The steady breaths sounding from around the fire made me think I was the only one lying awake—until Oliver’s whisper sounded from the darkness.

  “Do you think they’re still holding off? Lord Treestone and the Elamese. They know we’ll need some time, right?”

  I started and bit my lip. It had been constantly at the back of my mind—a pressure that never eased as I tried to move faster up the mountain—but I had no desire to talk to Oliver about the potential coup.

  My silence didn’t deter him, however.

  “Would you really stand against me? If it came to a coup?”

  I sighed. “Not against you, never against you. At least, that’s not how I think of it.”

  “What other way is there to think of it?” He sounded bitter.

  So the leopard hadn’t been enough to win me forgiveness, after all.

  “With things as they currently stand,” I said, “without our interference, there shouldn’t be any bloodshed. A bloodless coup. And possibly only a temporary one. If it comes to one at all.”

  “And my parents?”

  I grimaced, although he couldn’t see me in the dark. I didn’t want to admit out loud that I didn’t know what the coup had planned for them. But surely Lord Treestone and the Elamese didn’t mean to execute them? Not until they had actual evidence of what was going on, at least.

  The silence lengthened while I hoped a little desperately I was right. I had gone over and over it in my mind, and I still didn’t see what else I could have done. We were all trying to save Eldon in our own way.

  “They didn’t say exactly how long they would wait, but I’ve been thinking about that. I think they were protected from the enchantment before because they were so far south. But my own people have been slowly freezing up, just like your people. It’s hard to say how long it will take, but if they wait long enough, they may lose the motivation for a coup.”

  Oliver’s indrawn breath sounded loud in the darkness, and then he gave a quiet bark of humorless laughter.

  “I have no idea what to think of that. Should I be hoping that more of my people succumb to this curse in order to save my family? Soon we might not have a kingdom left to rule at all.”

  I shrugged and then remembered I needed to speak aloud. “I don’t know.”

  Silence fell again, before Oliver’s sudden whisper made me startle for a second time.

  “No bloodshed. That’s why you agreed, isn’t it? To protect me. You think I’m going to get myself killed if I oppose them.”

  “Of course. What other reason could I have?”

  He sighed, the sound heavy in the darkness. “How did we end up here?”

  I tried to think of an answer and then decided it must be a rhetorical question.

  “I’m so sorry, Oliver. About everything.”

  He shifted slightly, the sound barely audible above the sleeping breaths of the other two.

  “You’re not the one planning a coup, Celine. And you didn’t create this curse. You’re just trying to keep us all alive. I might not like it, but I can understand it.”

  Did that mean he’d forgiven me? He didn’t say any more, and after another stretch of silence, his breaths joined those of the others. I would just have to wait and hope so.

  As we headed out the next morning, even I could feel the temperature dropping. I tried to remember if it had warmed at least slightly after the previous s
unrises. It didn’t help my confidence that Sterling kept glancing at the sky in concern.

  “What’s wrong?” I finally demanded, looking from Sterling to Oliver and then finally Giselle. “Am I missing something?”

  “This weather…” The unease was clear in Oliver’s voice.

  “It’s not looking good,” Sterling agreed. “Maybe we should find somewhere to hole up for a day or two.”

  I was already shaking my head as Oliver spoke.

  “And risk getting snowed in? We don’t have enough wood for that. We wouldn’t be able to keep a fire burning.”

  He seemed to be carefully not looking in my direction, and I wasn’t sure whether he was driven by the desire to keep my abilities secret or just the determination not to be held up when we were already so close. I was fairly certain I could keep us all warm if it came to it, but I wholeheartedly agreed with either motivation. I had no desire to spend any more time than necessary stuck uselessly on this mountain.

  “Aye,” Sterling rubbed his chin. “You have the right of it there.” He sighed. “I suppose we’ll press on then and try to outrun it. I just wasn’t expecting anything this bad. Things are deteriorating faster than I realized.”

  “Outrun what?” I asked.

  “The coming storm.” He frowned. “Let’s just hope it’s not a blizzard.”

  “We just have to get close enough to your village, though, right?” Giselle watched him with sharp eyes. “We must be getting close now, and once we’re in the circle of the enchanted object, we should be safe from something like a blizzard.”

  Sterling nodded, his gaze still on the sky. “Aye, that’s right, Your Highness. We might be able to reach the village today even. Depending.”

  I met Giselle’s eyes, and she shrugged slightly. Oliver continued to show a determined face—pressing forward without consideration of failure—but Giselle and I were both significantly more skeptical of our so-far helpful guide. Except there was nothing we could do at this point if he was lying to us.

  I could only hope he had no more desire to be caught out in a blizzard than we did.