I spluttered and scrambled backward, cutting off the stream of fire and gratefully watching it subside into a spark that soon became a merrily burning fire. The guilty voice in my head seemed to speak aloud, echoing through the cave.
“You really should be more careful, you know. You’ll give yourself away if you keep doing things like that. Or burn one of our packs, or something.”
Apparently the slight figure who had entered the cave took my look of surprise as disapproval because she added, “Oh, relax. Sterling recruited Oliver and they’re off gathering more wood. He can’t hear me.”
A slow smile spread across my face, and I actually chortled.
“Oliver is not going to be pleased to see you here.”
Giselle shrugged. “And I wasn’t pleased he tried to leave me behind. Your point?”
“Oh, nothing at all,” I hastened to assure her.
“You say that now,” she muttered, “but I don’t remember you coming to my defense back at the palace.”
“If it had been up to a vote, you would have had my support.” I had disapproved of excluding the younger girl, after all. I just hadn’t been willing to stick myself into someone else’s family only to advocate for a dangerous course.
“So you say now,” she muttered, as she busied herself removing her pack and snowshoes. I noticed, somewhat disconsolately, that her pack was bigger than mine, and that she looked all-too-comfortable with the hated snowshoes. It had probably been easy for her to follow us when we had been confined to my slow pace.
By the time the two men returned, we had retrieved the pot of snow Sterling had left outside the cave when he went looking for wood. It wasn’t boiling yet, but it had melted into liquid, and we had laid out the ingredients ready for the stew we intended to make.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t gratitude that filled Oliver’s expression when he came into the cave and got a good look at us.
“GISELLE!!” He choked on his next words, apparently too angry to even speak properly. Sterling merely raised his eyebrows before busying himself as far out of the way as he could get.
“Oh, sit down and relax, Oliver,” said Giselle. “What exactly did you expect?”
Oliver turned his incensed gaze to me.
“Don’t look at me! I didn’t know anything about this. But neither did I like leaving her behind, so you won’t hear me lamenting.”
He glared at us both and stomped off to the back of the cave.
“Don’t worry,” said Giselle, dropping a small packet of dried herbs into the water. “He’ll get over it quickly.”
And, sure enough, by the time he had divested himself of his snow shoes and come back to join us, he seemed reasonably calm.
“I suppose there’s no point trying to send you back.”
“None at all,” said Giselle, still calmly adding ingredients to the pot.
He sighed. “Well, I tried, I suppose.” He looked into the fire for a moment and then his suspicious gaze flicked to Sterling and then me.
I just smiled innocently. He clearly suspected I had used unnatural means to light it, but he should have known I wasn’t stupid enough to do it in front of Sterling.
He sighed again. “You two girls are going to be the death of me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said briskly, stripping the bark from a likely looking stick I could use to stir the stew. “From where I’m sitting, we’re far more likely to end up saving you.”
“Forgive me,” he said, his smile returning. “I should know better than to underestimate either of you by now.” But I noticed his gaze lingered on me, and I wondered if it meant he had forgiven me.
Secretly I was hoping that having Giselle along meant I wouldn’t always be trailing behind, but the next day proved these hopes to be unfounded. I grumbled to myself as the morning wore on. I didn’t like being the slowest and weakest, and I had to keep reminding myself that they were relying on my strength in other areas.
By late morning, I didn’t have breath or concentration to grumble, even to myself. The trail—such as it was—climbed steeply upward, alternating with occasional sudden drops as we encountered small valleys. The other three easily adjusted their gait for the steeper slope, angling their shoes outward or sidestepping to give them more traction. But I had only just gotten used to walking the other way, and I didn’t appreciate being back at a beginner level again.
Eventually it became steep enough that Sterling, who still led the way, began to thrust the tips of his snowshoes into the snow with each step, creating a sort of temporary stairway for those of us behind to utilize. As long as I didn’t look behind me, I found climbing up these stairs easier. And I had to admit that at every stage my path had been made significantly easier by having the trail broken ahead of me. The effort of going first began to wear even on Sterling, and by afternoon he was alternating positions with Oliver, and even occasionally Giselle.
When we hit our first descent, I stopped at the top and watched Sterling make his way down. Oliver followed not far behind him, but Giselle stopped beside me, and only her presence enabled me to hold back tears. The two seemed to half-step, half-slide, their exaggerated steps allowing them to basically run down the hill. I wasn’t ready to admit it to her, but I wasn’t at all sure that I could emulate yet another stride. Not without ending up rolling down the hill as a giant snowball.
Giselle seemed to sense my despair, however.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “They’re just breaking the trail for us.” When I looked over at her, she was actually grinning. “This is the fun part.”
Sitting down on the very crest of the hill, she gave me one more smile before pushing off. Following the trail packed down by Sterling and Oliver’s snowshoes, she slid all the way down on her rear-end. Watching her, I found myself mirroring her smile. Now that I was fairly certain I could do.
When I reached the bottom, Oliver held out a hand to help me to my feet, and the clasp of his hand combined with the joy of the break from the unexpected slog. I had to clamp down on a sudden rush of warmth inside me.
Before it could gain momentum, however, Sterling appeared suddenly at our side, his face grim. I hadn’t even realized he had disappeared during our descent.
His eyes kept darting around us, and his voice had dropped low.
“I went scouting a short way ahead. There’s a section along here with lots of rocky overhangs. In the past there have even been rockfalls that blocked the way, so I thought it best to have a look.”
Oliver frowned. “Is it blocked now?”
Sterling shook his head quickly. “No, but I found something I don’t like the look of at all.” He paused.
“Well, come on,” I said at last, rubbing my arms, despite the warmth burning inside me. “Spit it out!”
“There’s a snow leopard den up ahead. And there’s nothing a snow leopard loves so much as ambushing its prey from above. Using just the sort of terrain we have coming up.”
Chapter 17
I gasped, but Oliver and Giselle both merely frowned.
“Snow leopards aren’t exactly known for attacking humans, Sterling.” Giselle sounded impatient.
Sterling continued to look grim. “Normally, I’d agree with you, Your Highness. But this isn’t exactly normal circumstances, now is it?” He gestured around us. “Have you ever seen snow like this in late spring before? At cub time? It’s not just us humans affected by this encroaching winter. And it’s been three hard years before this.”
He hesitated, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Seeing this one den isn’t even what worries me most. I saw another one much too recently. And that one had four cubs not yet old enough to walk.”
“Another one? This close?” Now Oliver sounded worried as well.
Sterling nodded. “I think the den I just saw belongs to a male, and it looks fairly new. I’d say his territory is usually higher up. He’s likely come down as far as he da
res to make a new one. He knows that by coming down here he’s encroaching on other leopards’ territories. That female’s for one, and quite possibly another male’s. And if he’s been driven to this—who knows what else he may be driven to?”
Giselle bit her lip, and I saw her eyes dart around us in the same pattern as Sterling’s gaze kept taking. “What do you suggest?” she asked.
Sterling rubbed his jaw. “It’s late afternoon already, and we won’t make it all the way through the next section before nightfall. It’s dusk and dawn they’re usually out hunting, so I say we find a spot to camp now and tackle the next section in the middle of the day.”
Oliver frowned, and I knew what he was thinking. More time lost when we were already on an impossible deadline. But his gaze turned to his sister before lingering on me, and when he spoke, his mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely.
“I don’t know. You said you just saw this den. I assume the male wasn’t actually there.”
“Aye.” Sterling sounded thoughtful.
“Well,” Oliver continued, “if their other patterns have changed, who’s to say their hunting hours haven’t extended also? It seems he’s already out hunting now, in fact. And I haven’t seen any convenient caves any time recently where we might camp. I don’t like the idea of lingering here for so long or of setting ourselves up in the open.”
“You want to hunt him ourselves then, Your Highness?” I couldn’t tell from his tone whether Sterling approved or not.
Oliver sighed. “Want to? No. I hate the idea, to be honest. But I hate the idea of ending up food myself even more.” Again his eyes flicked to Giselle and then me.
Part of me wanted to tell him we could look after ourselves, but the other part of me was in complete agreement. I had no desire to suddenly find a desperate and hungry snow leopard leaping onto my head. Especially not while I was stuck in these awkward shoes and trying to hide my abilities from one of our party.
“Well, then, I guess we’re going hunting.” Sterling sounded unenthusiastic but willing, at least. And he began to prepare in a way that suggested he had some idea what he was doing, divesting himself of anything that would get in his way.
“We’ll leave our packs with you,” said Oliver, striding over to leave them in a sheltered spot between some trees and against a cliff wall.
Giselle opened her mouth, but a stern look from Oliver made her close it again with a resigned look. I wasn’t so easily quelled.
“What are we supposed to be? Bait? I’m not sitting around waiting to be picked off by a desperate predator.”
Oliver was shaking his head before I’d got close to finishing. “We’re not exactly their preferred prey, so I can’t see him attacking you in the open snow. Especially not when we’re hunting him. I know it’s not ideal, but you’d be nothing but dead weight if you came along. At best.”
He gave me a meaningful look, and I glared back at him.
A laugh appeared in the back of his eyes. “I’m not impugning your skills, Celine. You’ve turned out to have a great many hidden talents. And if you tell me that tracking and hunting animals in the snow is one of them, then I’ll welcome you along with gratitude. If, on the other hand, you have no experience in that area…”
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 fro
m 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?
Beyond the Four Kingdoms Box Set 1 Page 68
