11 Mina
Sera
+25 Bonus
The light coming through the ceiling vents was fading into a deep violet. Torches were being lit, their orange glow reflecting off the polished stone. I sat on the wagon, feeling the cold start to seep back in, wondering if I’d just been forgotten.
The warrior returned, bringing a girl with him. She looked about Lyra’s age, with bright eyes and a leather bag slung over her shoulder. She wore a rust-colored woolen wrap and moved with a restless sort of energy.
“She can’t walk,” the warrior told her, nodding at me. “Legs are gone numb.”
The girl didn’t say a word to him. She dropped to her knees on the frozen stone and grabbed my feet. She pulled off my southern shoes-thin, useless things meant for carpeted hallways. She studied my pale skin and the way my ankles were swollen with the
cold.
Then she looked up at the warrior, and her face went sharp.
“How long?” she demanded.
The warrior blinked. “What?”
“How long has she been sitting in this wagon with these on her feet?” She held up one of my pathetic shoes like it was a piece of evidence. “She’s from the South. Look at her. Did any of you think to check her? Or did you just assume she’d grow fur on the way up?”
The warrior actually looked sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck. “We were on high alert. The borders have been twitchy. We were focused on the road.”
“Focus on your brain next time,” she snapped. She wasn’t yelling, but the bite in her voice was enough to make him take a step back. 1
“I’m sorry,” the warrior muttered. He looked at me, and for the first time, I saw genuine regret in a northern face. “I didn’t
think.”
“Clearly,” the girl said. “Go tell the Alpha she’s inside. I’ll take care of her.”
The warrior hurried off toward the main hold. The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a cloth soaked in something that smelled like mint and something earthy. She began wrapping it around my calves.
The second the cloth touched my skin, I hissed. It stung like a thousand needles.
“I know,” she said, her voice softening. “That’s the blood coming back. It means you’re keeping your toes.”
The stinging turned into a deep, throbbing warmth. It was the first thing that had felt good since I’d left the cabin. She finished the wraps and looked up, giving me a small, crooked smile. “Better?”
“Much,” I managed.
She helped me stand. My legs felt like they were vibrating, but they held. She kept a firm hand on my elbow as she led me toward the main entrance of the hold.
Inside, the air was heavy with the smell of roasting meat and woodsmoke. It was warmer here, the stone walls holding the heat from massive hearths. We passed through a great hall where long tables were being set for a meal.
“That’s where we eat,” the girl said, chatting as if we were old friends. “You’ll hear the horn when the bread’s out. Kitchens are that way-stay on the cook’s good side or you’ll get the burnt ends. The hot springs are down in the lower levels. They’re natural. Heated by the mountain’s heart. You should go tomorrow. It’ll soak the rest of that travel ache right out of you.”
I looked at the tapestries on the walls. They weren’t just pretty; they were thick, heavy things showing scenes of hunts and mountain peaks. Everything here had a purpose. Everything was built to last a thousand years.
1/2
We stopped at a heavy oak door. She pushed it open.
+25 Bonus
The room was huge. A fire was already roaring in the hearth, casting a golden light over a massive bed piled high with dark furs. There was a basin of fresh water on a stone table and a polished metal mirror on the wall. A window of thick glass looked out over the valley, showing the white-capped forests stretching into the dark.
Someone had been here. Someone had lit the fire and turned down the furs before I even arrived.
“This is yours,” the girl said. She stood by the door, her hands on her hips. “Need anything else? Food? More wraps?”
I looked at her. She’d defended me against a warrior twice her size and treated me like a person instead of a prize.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Mina,” she said.
“I’m Sera,” I replied. I didn’t add the titles. They didn’t feel like they belonged in this room.
Mina grinned. “Nice to meet you, Sera.”
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