Breath of Winter, A Read online

  The howling wind, the stark landscape, my brother, all of it faded to welcoming blackness.

  Until a shrill voice near my ear jolted me back from the edge.

  “Hungry.” Fetid breath blasted my neck.

  I turned my head slowly and found myself nose to nose with our ward. Her fair complexion did nothing to mask the network of yellowed veins pulsing in her neck. When she leaned closer, her pink tongue darted out to wet her cracked lips. The sharp metallic stink of old blood burned my nostrils.

  Her citrine eyes glittered while she crooned deep in her throat.

  “There’s food in my bag.” Not that I knew where my ursus had gone. “I’ll get it for you.”

  I stumbled backward in my haste.

  “No.” She grasped the hilt of the guard’s dagger where it protruded from my shoulder and tightened her grip to prevent my escape. “Hungry now.”

  With a vicious twist of her wrist, she ripped out the blade.

  I tried to scream. I did. But there wasn’t enough air in the world for me to make a sound.

  “What in the gods’ names is that thing?”

  I shook my head to clear the ringing. The guard. Had he asked me something?

  “Hang on, Zuri. I’m coming.”

  Now that voice I recognized. Ghedi. Fear for my brothers cleared the panic shrouding my mind. I locked my knees and studied my opponent. Her tongue curled around the blade while she licked the blood from its razor edges. That dagger was my only chance at surviving. I knew that. Ghedi was too far away, and her teeth were far too close. Mercy be. Before she finished savoring her treat, I lunged.

  Clasping her spindly wrist, I wrenched her arm until I gripped the dagger’s hilt in my palm. Her startled cry rattled my eardrums. Never had I been more grateful that she had been kept as a pet. Oh, she had a hunter’s primal instincts. But she had never been left to fend for herself against the likes of me. Already I saw the herbs had done their work. She was moving slower than before, not by much, but enough that her drug-induced lethargy gave me an edge. It was keeping me alive, and I knew it.

  “Don’t.” Ghedi slid to a halt. “Zuri—no.”

  Making good use of the distraction, our ward tackled me, and we toppled onto the ground. Tangled as she was in her blankets, her greatest advantages were still bound tight to her back, and I planned to keep them that way. Before she shredded the material, I brought my knee up hard beneath her ribs. She grunted and rolled aside, onto the snow. I crawled to her, straddling her. Her claws tore chunks from my coat while she thrashed under me. When I raised my arm, I heard Ghedi bellowing.

  “Wait,” he cried.

  I didn’t dare. I sank the blade through her shoulder, pinning her to the frozen road.

  “The net, Ghedi.” I scrambled off her. “Get the net.”

  A firm hand grasped my collar and tossed me aside. I lay panting with my cheek mashed against the road while Ghedi hurled my net over her. With supreme patience, he began spinning fine strands of silk from his fingertips and sewing our ward inside the net. The flimsy cage couldn’t hold her, but it would slow her down. Erania must not be much farther if armed guards were patrolling this road.

  We had only to make it that far.

  The guard stood at my hip, watching the spectacle. “What is that thing?” he asked again.

  I rolled onto my back and stared up at him. “That is a private matter for your maven.”

  He offered me his hand. “You need help up?”

  “No. I think I’ll stay here a while longer.” I waved in Ghedi’s direction. “Help him.”

  To his credit, the guard didn’t hesitate. Crossing to Ghedi, he knelt and held our ward still while Ghedi continued his bindings. While they worked, I tilted my head back and sought Fynn. He lay with his back to me. As thick as my brothers’ skulls were, I still worried he might have cracked his.

  Nothing short of having his brain scrambled would have kept him out of a fight.

  Ghedi leaned over me, his hand hesitating above my wound. “How bad is it?”

  “Not bad,” I panted. “I’ve had worse.”

  “Stop bragging. Tell me the truth.” When none was forthcoming, he sighed. “Your ankle?”

  “I won’t make it to Erania on foot.” For that matter, I doubted I could stand again.

  “She can ride Gris,” the guard called. “He’s stout enough to carry two and drag…that.”

  “Drag?” I craned my neck to spot our ward.

  Ghedi nodded. “We’re going to use the poles and the net to make her a new litter.”

  “Good.” I let my eyes close. “Very good. Especially the part where I ride the ursus.”

  “Oh no, you don’t.” He shook my shoulder. “Don’t even think about nodding off.”

  I hissed at him through my teeth.

  “Asher will be leading Gris since he knows the way. I will be guarding our ward and our backs. That leaves you to keep Fynn alert until we reach Erania.” Ghedi frowned down at me. “What is it?”

  “Asher?” I scowled at the guard. “When did you two have time for introductions?”

  “A grunted name is not an introduction.” He clasped forearms with me. “Brace yourself.”

  Using his weight as leverage, Ghedi leaned back and, with a loud grunt, hauled me onto my feet.

  I found the scream I had swallowed earlier, crying out until my voice went hoarse.

  “Shh.” He wrapped his arms around me. “The worst is over.”

  I cleared my throat. “I might have lied about the having-had-worse part.”

  His chuckle was deep and soothing at my ear while I rested my forehead on his shoulder.

  “Come on.” He hooked an arm about my waist. “Loop your good arm around my neck.”

  “What about Fynn?” I winced at how my stretched muscles pulled against my wound.

  “Let me worry about him.” Ghedi led me to Gris, who snuffled my coat with interest.

  “Knock it off.” Asher strode to his mount and thumped the boar’s nose. “You’ve already eaten.”

  Together Ghedi and Asher lifted me onto Gris’s saddle and helped me gain my balance.

  “Don’t use your heels.” Asher made certain my feet were out of the stirrups. “He hates that.”

  I grasped the collar of Asher’s coat. “What about the others?”

  He wrenched free of me. “They’ll be in the stables by now.”

  I tried to read him when I asked, “They won’t be harmed, will they?”

  Asher patted my thigh. “As long as they follow orders, they’ll be fine.”

  I groaned. Following orders was not what my brothers did best. Still, until they knew our fate, I believed they would behave. Failing that, they were brawlers who knew how to handle themselves.

  “How far are we from the stables?” I would rather arrive before their tempers got the best of them.

  He scratched his chin. “About a half hour as an ursus walks.”

  “Can we get there faster?” Thirty minutes was a long time to leave them to their own devices.

  “Dragging a litter, no, we can’t. Why?” He waited. “Do your brothers listen as well as you do?”

  “They’re males,” I scoffed. “They listen half as well and understand even less.”

  “I understand perfectly well.” Ghedi glared where Asher’s hand still rested on my leg.

  “We males do speak a common language.” Asher tightened his grip. “Who is she to you?”

  “My little sister,” Ghedi said, fangs punching through his gums.

  “Merciful gods.” I aimed a kick to Asher’s gut that sent him stumbling. “I appreciate your help, but not that much, and not in that way. Keep your hands to yourself, or I will snap off your fingers and feed them to Gris, who, by the way, doesn’t seem particular about where his next meal comes from.” Though I listed to one side thanks to that kick, I straightened my spine. “If you don’t mind, I have a delivery to make and fees to collect. Ghedi, bring Fynn and secure our war
d. Asher, lead or get out of my way.”

  Asher took the reins.

  Chapter Two

  Gris hunched his shoulders and tucked his head against the biting winds, causing Fynn to slump forward. Every time I grasped his shirt collar and tugged him upright, my wound screamed in agony.

  Asher had led us from the road into a rolling valley. The slope played havoc on our balance, and Fynn listed more and more toward my weak side, groaning softly while we descended into the basin.

  “Wake up.” I screwed my thumbs into his sides. “We’re almost there.” I hope.

  “No.” Asher hooked a finger through Gris’s bridle and pulled him to a halt. “We’re here.”

  “Where is here?” Nothing here was worth stopping for. “You said we were going to Erania.” I sat up straighter, bracing on Fynn’s shoulders to see what lay ahead.

  Fenced pastures nestled alongside sprawling barns. Heavy snow covered the buildings, and not a single track marred those flawless surfaces. The entire valley gave the impression of hibernation. No wonder ursus were at home here. Even spring’s thaw, such as it was, might not crack this icy façade.

  What a bleak prospect for its inhabitants.

  “If we’re in Erania, where is the city?” A torrent of flurries blinded me past this plateau.

  “You’ll see.” Asher loosed a shrill whistle.

  An answering tune perked Gris’s ears. He raised his nose and snuffled the air.

  I tightened my grip on Fynn when Gris began pawing the ground. “What’s gotten into him?”

  “They’re opening the doors.” Asher rubbed Gris’s ears. “Steady, boy.”

  The high-pitched whine of metal scraping against metal made me grimace.

  “Took you long enough,” a gruff voice called.

  Peering around Fynn, I spotted an older male shuffling down a snowbank on his way to us. His grin bared a mouthful of yellowed teeth. He smoothed a hand down his round gut. “Well, hello there.”

  “Save your breath.” Asher jerked his chin toward me. “That one won’t fall for your charm.”

  While the new guard ogled me, scratching his chin, I smiled for him. “How are my brothers?”

  “Left them bound in an empty stall.” He popped his knuckles. “Big one’s got a busted nose.”

  That would be Tau. His nose already crooked at an odd angle, so not much damage done there.

  “Let’s sort the details inside.” Asher urged Gris forward. “I’m freezing my arse off out here.”

  “Don’t have to tell me twice.” The guard waved us on, and Asher followed.

  With Fynn blocking my view, I was blind to our approach of the enormous hatch. But when hot air ruffled my hair, I knew we were close. The path tilted sharply downward, leaving me to clutch at Gris’s fur. Over us, a stone ceiling soared. To either side, a well-lit cavern stretched in all directions. Below us, rows of stalls held ursus in every color as well as an assortment of braying livestock.

  “What is this place?” I marveled at the enormity of it all. It was an underground city the likes of which I’d never imagined possible, but even this splendor fell shy of my lofty expectations for Erania.

  “These are the winter stables,” Asher said. “You saw the summer stables on our way here.”

  Once reaching the stable floor, Asher led Gris up the center aisle and tied him to a hitching post.

  My eyes were drawn toward the ceiling. “And the city?”

  “It’s over us, around us, below us.” He chuckled. “Consider this the service entry into the nest.”

  While scanning the stalls as we passed them, I spotted a familiar face. “Is that my ursus?”

  Asher followed my line of sight. “Aye. Farrow and the others are here.”

  “How do you know her name?” Our ursus were not branded.

  “Easy.” He grinned. “More than half of the domestic ursus in the northlands are bred here. I’m not great matching faces to names, but Farrow took a bite from my calf the first day I was in Erania.” His lip curled when she chuffed. “I made a point of knowing her so I could avoid the vicious sow.”

  “She didn’t give me any trouble.” Though the toothy grin she aimed at Asher made me nervous.

  “She likes females.” He spat in her direction. “It’s males she hates.”

  “How did you round them up so quickly?”

  “You heard the horn?” He scratched Gris’s cheek. “It’s used to call ursus in from the paddock.”

  “You recognized Farrow and wagered the others were Eranian stock too. You let the ursus bring us right to you.” In the aftermath of the stampede, I had forgotten about the horn sounding. “Clever.”

  He took my compliment in stride. “I thought so.”

  “What’s that on the litter?” The elder guardsman inspected the bundle of cloth, plucking the net.

  “Leave it be.” Asher clasped the male’s shoulder. “We’ll talk later. After I’ve had a drink.”

  “Won’t hear me turning down that offer.” He jerked his chin toward us. “What about them?”

  “I need help getting them down,” Asher said, “and a place to put them once we have.”

  “No.” We could last a while longer. “The matter of our ward must be settled first.”

  His gaze swept over me, pausing where blood seeped through my coat. “Are you sure?”

  “I am.” I adjusted my sleeve. His frown told me I’d made it worse. “Where is Maven Lourdes?”

  “Look at the balls swinging on her.” The guard chortled. “You thought the maven would come all the way down here and receive you personally? If Maven Lourdes or the paladin had sent word to expect you, you wouldn’t be bleeding now. We don’t harm guests.” He shrugged. “Unless asked to.”

  I persisted, “Paladin Vaughn sent a messenger.”

  He spread his hands. “None arrived.”

  My hard-earned paranoia made me wonder if he was lying. “I must speak with your maven.”

  Asher attempted to placate me. “We’ll make the maven aware of your arrival, and your papers.”

  “That’s not good enough,” I snapped. “Our ward must be secured. Now.”

  “Perhaps I can be of assistance.” A third male joined the other two.

  This one was lean and almost my height, though he wore his stature with greater ease than I did.

  His clothes were well-cut, if plain, conveying wealth without extravagance. He was outfitted for travel, and I wondered where he had come from just now. Snow caked his boots and dusted his head. He shoved a hank of tawny hair from his forehead, revealing wide-set eyes in a starling shade of blue that contrasted his pale complexion, drawing my focus to the glow of his wind-blistered cheekbones.

  The weight of his regard set me on edge. When our eyes met, his were so cool I shivered.

  The confidence he exuded made me ask, “Are you Paladin Rhys?”

  The corner of his elegant mouth twitched. “No. I’m afraid not.”

  Blue Eyes offered no further clues to his identity, but he did set a black leather bag by his foot.

  “Then are you Maven Lourdes’s heir? Armand, if I recall correctly.”

  “You do, and I’m not.” He removed his gloves. “Armand is otherwise occupied this evening.”

  “Perfect,” I exhaled. “We rode all this way, and this is our reception.”

  “Bite your tongue,” Asher warned under his breath.

  “I’m in enough pain, thank you.”

  “You’re hurt?” Blue Eyes shrugged out of his coat. “I assumed the blood was his.”

  He must have meant my brother—or one of my brothers—since a few of them were bleeding.

  “It’s all mine, I assure you.”

  Ever helpful, Ghedi eased to my side. “Perhaps now would be a good time to fetch your healer.”

  Blue Eyes kicked the black bag with his foot. “That would be me.”

  “Forget the healer.” I scowled at Ghedi. “I must speak with a member of the ruling family.�
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  Blue Eyes cast me an amused look. “That would also be me.”

  “You’re the— Of course you are.” I snapped my fingers at Asher. “Give him our papers.”

  “I don’t need them.” Blue Eyes dismissed the guard. “I’ve been expecting you.”

  At my wit’s end, I asked, “Who are you?”

  “Henri.” He inclined his head. “I am Lourdes’s second brother and this nest’s healer. Will I do?”

  Though his expression remained earnest, I believed he was mocking me. “I have orders to—”

  “—deliver Lailah to my sister,” he finished for me.

  “Don’t speak her name.” I flinched. “It’s the same as poking her with a stick.”

  He gave a curt nod. “I will remember that.”

  “See that you do.”

  His gaze skipped from Ghedi to Fynn. “These males are your brothers?”

  “Who else could they be?” I arched a brow.

  “Husbands, lovers, friends,” he said. “There are several possibilities outside of blood relations.”

  “Not married, haven’t had sex in months…” I counted off the answers on my fingers, “…and do you really think these two are the types of friends I would keep? I do have some standards.”

  “Hey,” Ghedi complained.

  I glared at him. “What?”

  Henri absorbed our scowling match without blinking. “Siblings it is, then.”

  “Why do you ask?” Ghedi glowered at him. “What difference does it make?”

  “Female visitors are rare this far north, especially this time of year.” He shrugged. “A beautiful female enters the nest, and I’m not supposed to be curious?”

  A flush swept up my throat into my face. Even my nose prickled.

  Ghedi’s warning growl strangled when I kicked him in his side.

  “What was that for?” He rubbed the area above his hip.

  “If he wants to compliment me, let him.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “If you’re going to snarl and snap like an ursus, get a stall.”

  “Do you two need a moment?” Henri asked.

  “No,” we said in unison.

  “Very well. As to your request…” He fished in his pocket. “I won’t allow you to see Lourdes.”

  “I see,” I gritted between clenched teeth. My feminine charms must be rustier than I’d thought.