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I ca inton I wasn’t paralyzed anymore, but I forced myself to stay still In the past, I’d learned that it was better to play du my eyes closed, I strained to hear every sound I could

The wind I could hear the wind howling It echoed, like it was outside blowing past an entrance A building high on a mountain? A cave? The air felt thin, too--and that would back up , I realized that I was cold, even beneath the blanket The chill was icy, far colder than it had been in my backyard In fact, the scent of the air

Oh no

I knehere I was--at least the general region I was so that icy haze that hung in the air, filled with y of the ice andto carry me off

I listened for any movement but couldn’t sense anyone else near me, so I slowly opened my eyes and looked around Cavern I was in a cave, near a fire that burned brightly I scooted over to it and rubbed my hands in the heat, then war to avoid the stray sparks

After aover it and I found myself incredibly thirsty, but I knew better than to taste it without knohat it was For all I knew, it could be a death potion Gingerly, I stood, pulling the scratchy blanket around y I realized that we’d coh the of stones had been sheltering er part of the cavern and I hesitantly stepped beyond the into the shadow near the cavern walls Maybe I could get away Maybe I’d luck out and there’d be an inn nearby? But I couldn’t stay if there was one Hyto would figure it out and burn the place to the ground No, I had to rab supplies and run Runwhere?

You’ve been in the Northlands one time, with Iris And that was this past week You have no clue as to where you areat least not yet

Irritated withto run willy-nilly out of the cave, to put distance betweensomewhere around here to pick his teeth with h the shadows over to the mouth of the cave and peeked out

Fuck Just fuck e covered in ice and snoound down the mountain Narrow, as in so thin I’d be lucky not to topple over the edge the h altitude I could see the peaks of otherout beforeheld captive, it would be beautiful--a swath of white that linked glacier to glacier toglacierWait a minute Could it be? I squinted In the far distance, I saw souely familiar

Could that be the Skirts of Hel? We’d been there with Iris Granted, if it was, it was still at least a day down thefroht with crevasses and avalanche danger But if it was the glacial ice field, it was the one gli to Because near the Skirts of Hel Howl, the Great Winter Wolf Spirit, ainst a dragon, being one of the true I I hurried back to the fire,to lie back down before they entered the room I had positioned h slitted eyes

Hyto Hell and double hell Fro ot here, but what shape I’d be in was up for debate I wondered whether it would be best to continue playing asleep or prepareI wouldn’t put it past hi crouch fro me with an ie, though if he were human I’d put hi, like Smoky, and as much as I didn’t want to, I could see a resemblance in the facial structure There, the si ant sh, but the look in his eyes was as frozen as the ice Noaway as he entered the ring of stones and kept walking toward , but as there to say? Please rethink this? You’re going to die? Oh yes, that would work on a dragon

He stopped about a foot away fro over my hips and my breasts The ice in his eyes melted just a little, replaced by a fiery lust

Worse, far worse than the cold, aloof look

"Still not going to beg for your life? Still not going to beg ence? You are too insolent for a mortal--be you half-Fae or not" And he reached out with a tendril of hair I thought he was going to use it to caress ain, but instead it coiled back like a serpent and then struck, slashing asped, bringing ers and I began to shake I took a step backward, but he caughtain" His eyes spun nohirl ofbehind hie, so ancient that he’d probably watched mountains be born and die He meant every word he said, and I didn’t want to find out so soon just how far his teive and I stuttered, "Pleaseplease sparemy head as my words ca freely, and thekindling

"There, was that so hard?" He reached out with one hand and lifted my chin "You will learn your manners, Mistress Camille You will learn your place in on"

And then he pushedto the floor I didn’t ain

"I will have a woman come and prepare you You are not properly attired to sit in an to walk away Over his shoulder, he added, "Oh, Caive you this one warning: If you succeed, I will return to your house and destroy every single inch of your property I will raze it to the ground I will rape your sisters and that irksome sprite you keep around And then, I will eat them"

And with that, he vanished back into the depths of the cavern

I waited until he left, then scra to do? I couldn’t escape--not without help or supplies And if I didwould he truly carry through on his threats?

That is not the question, h The question is, will they be able to stop hiht?

I huddled near the fire, waiting, until another set of footsteps warnedIt was a woht away I could tell she was no dragon She was one of the Northy, flaxen hair and muscles that told me she wouldn’t put up with any shit from anybody Which meant that unless I could take her out with a spell, I wouldn’t be fighting my way past her