Page 50 of Reborn
Valerian hopped on Colbolt’s back. “I like the way she thinks,” he said.
“Yeah…” I paused. “She’s the most badass Pixie I know.”
“Damn right,” said Gullie, and under cover of darkness, we set out toward the frigid mountains, the realm of the Frost Giants of the Winter Kingdom.
Secretly, though, I wasn’t sure we were going to find my brother up there. I had no idea why he would’ve headed for the hills, so to speak, and even though I had to trust that he had a reason, I just couldn’t see it. I couldn’t understand it, and that inner turmoil made me start to feel like we were heading into a trap, especially since that hunter Rolan set us up for Malys to capture us in the first place.
I didn’t want to lose hope, but already I could feel my own resolve starting to break, and I really couldn’t afford to let it.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
The Winter Kingdom was eerily quiet. Days had passed, and we hadn’t spotted a single caravan on the road. I hadn’t left the castle much before now, but whenever I had ventured out of its walls—even if only to go slightly past the bridge—the world had been full of songbirds, auroras, and the scent of Maukibou and riders alike.
This world we were travelling through now felt barren, empty, and entirely unrecognizable. Arcadia’s Winter Kingdom was more than just snow and ice as far as the eye could see. It was light, and feeling, andmagic; not some frigid arctic hellscape barely capable of supporting life. We had managed to find food by foraging and tracking down small animals, but it seemed as though most of the big game had just… left.
Still, we ventured onwards toward the mountains, travelling by day and resting at night. We didn’t have many supplies with which to set up a camp, but thanks to Colbolt and his fluffy fur, we at least didn’t have to worry about freezing to death on the snow while we slept.
Valerian’s math had so far been right, however. It took us about two days to reach the snowy foothills of the mountain range my brother had disappeared into; the realm of the Frost Giants. Fingers of snowy air curled over the mountains’ quiet, icy peaks, sending a glittery spray across the range. It was a serene sight, mighty and majestic, but about as empty as the rest of the Winter Kingdom.
There wasn’t an ounce of movement save for the odd rolling snow, and there were so many paths Radulf could’ve taken. How in the world were we supposed to find him up there? The mountain range was huge, peaks and valleys as far as the eye could see.
I hopped off Colbolt’s back and stood next to him. Valerian look down at me. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said, looking up at the mountains. “I guess I’m trying to figure out if I can catch his scent.”
“He passed through here a long, long ago… it would’ve vanished by now.”
“Hisscent, yes, but there’s another thing Moon Children do when they’re… marking territory.”
“His pee…” Valerian trailed off. “You think you’ll be able to catch wind of his pee?”
“It’s incredibly strong. If he marked a rock on the way up, maybe to ward off other animals or other Moon Children, I may be able to sniff it out.”
“That’s gross,” said Gullie, “But I don’t have any ideas. It’s not like there are any signs pointing us to where the Frost Giants live. They don’t exactly like visitors.”
“What do you know about them?” I asked.
“I know Winter went to war with them long ago. I know they haven’t been seen in a while. I know Fae who go up into those mountains often don’t come back.”
“There are many things in those mountains besides Frost Giants that could kill Fae,” Valerian said. “Frost Giants are pretty low on that list.”
“Really?” I asked.
“They don’t like to be bothered, so they hide. They’re almost entirely undetectable. As long as you don’t cause any trouble, and they don’t consider you a threat, they’ll leave you alone. But the mountains are treacherous… anyone without the proper training wouldn’t survive up there.”
“He survived,” I said, nodding to myself. “He’s the strongest, smartest person I know. He’s up there, somewhere, and I know he’s waiting for me.”
“Do you really think that?”
I looked up at Valerian. “I have to believe it. Otherwise, what’s left?”
He gave me a somber nod after a moment. “Alright,” he said, “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but let’s try to find your brother’s pee.”
I shrugged out of my Fae skin and took my wolf form, striding ahead of Colbolt a few paces before turning my head and calling them to follow. Gullie decided to stay with me, so she held onto my neck, nestled in my fur as we made our way into the foothills and began the climb.
It wasn’t long before I realized, we had come to a path carved along the side of the mountain. Looking up and down the mountain range, I couldn’t find very many more paths like this one. In fact, this seemed to be the most prominent one. Valerian mentioned there were a few points along the range where someone could cross to get to the other side, but this one had been the closest one to Lysa,
It was also the pass closest to the village of the Moon Children, which meant it was the one my brother was most likely to have headed toward.