Breath of Winter, A (3 page)

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.”

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.

“Do you?” He began rolling a gold coin between his fingers at his side. “My sister is maven, and it is my duty to protect her. Our clan is uninfected. In fact, no northlander has reported a single case of the plague your ward is famous for spreading. If not for Maven Kokyangwmana’s letter assuring me your ward is not contagious, we would not be having this discussion, and certainly not face-to-face.”

Letter? No one had mentioned Mana was sending a letter. She was Paladin Vaughn’s wife and a spirit walker, a sort of spiritual leader among her birth clan, the Salticidae. The herbs we had used to sedate our ward had been grown, dried, crushed and packaged in correct doses by the maven herself.

“I can respect that.” Loyalty to his sibling, to his clan, was commendable.

“Until such time I am satisfied that your ward is not a threat to my sister or to our people, I must insist you and your brothers be kept isolated from the rest of our nest. I regret we are the sum of your welcome. I meant to consult with Braden, but I didn’t anticipate your arrival for several more days.”

“I wanted to arrive as soon as possible.” The faster we secured employment, the better.

“If what Mana wrote is accurate, I don’t blame you.” He glanced at the litter. “May I see her?”

“Soon you can see her all you like,” I assured him. “You made preparations for her arrival?”

He absorbed my refusal without argument, and I was grateful for the reprieve.

“I had a cage built and lined with Araneidae silk,” he told me. “She can’t escape once the lock is set. I plan on keeping her for observation in my laboratory. It’s on a separate network from the main tunnels. No one will bother her down there or even know she’s here. She will be quite comfortable.”

“Her comfort isn’t my concern.” I rubbed my eyes. “All I care about is whether she can escape.”

“I assure you, she can’t.” He challenged me with a look. “I designed the cage myself.”

“Impressive.”

He spread his hands. “We all have our talents.”

Indeed we did, and I planned to make the most of my powers of persuasion.

“So, Henri,” I asked sweetly. “How do you intend to transfer her into your cage?”

Lines creased his brow. I almost heard him discarding possibilities as they came to mind.

“Free my brothers,” I suggested. “You’ll want them there when she gets agitated.”

He gestured toward the portly guard he called Braden. “Do as she asked.”

Braden hesitated. “You sure that’s wise?”

Henri’s gaze returned to mine. “What choice do we have?”

Oh, he had choices all right, six of them, and we were eager to provide the services he required.

“I could ask the other guards.” Braden glanced between us. “Plenty of help there for the asking.”

“To ask, you’d have to speak with them.” Henri shook his head. “I won’t risk it.”

“But—” Braden began.

Henri cut him short. “Do as I said.”

With a furrowed brow, Braden set off down the aisle to release my brothers from their bonds.