Princess Rainy's Arc

Chapter 10 of 12

The night ride nearly broke them all. Rainy slumped against the tiger's neck, her hands numb on the white reins. The lynx dragged its paws through the snow. Ahead, Rowan's polar bear plodded slow, its head low, its blue saddle crusted with ice. No one had spoken in hours. Rainy fought to keep her eyes open. Every muscle ached from bending the storm, and the cold sat deep in her bones. Then Rowan reined the bear to a stop. He turned in the saddle. "Rainy." His voice cracked, but this time it lifted. "Look." She raised her head. Below them, in a wide white valley, a castle rose from the snow. Ivory stone climbed into slate-blue roofs. Slim turrets circled a great central spire. Warm gold light glowed in a hundred windows. After nights of dark rock and killing wind, the sight looked unreal. "Home," Rowan said. He wiped his face with his glove. "We made it. My family is there. They'll warm you, feed you, heal you." Rainy tried to smile. Her lips were too cold to move much. "Can the animals make it down?" "They have to." Rowan swung the bear around beside her tiger. He reached over and steadied her in the saddle, his hand firm on her arm. "Just hold on. One more stretch. I won't let you fall." The path down was steep and icy. The tiger slid, caught itself, and pushed on. The bear went ahead, breaking a trail through the deep snow. The lynx followed close in the bear's wide tracks. Rainy gripped the reins and kept her eyes on the warm windows. Each step brought them lower. Each step brought the castle nearer. When they reached the gate, torches burned on both sides. Servants ran out into the cold. Hands took the tiger's reins. Hands reached up for Rainy. She let herself slide down into their arms. Her legs would not hold her. Rowan dropped from the bear and caught her before she sank. "I've got her," he said to the servants carry Rainy in his hands. "Get blankets. Wake the healers. Now." Inside, the air was warm at last. A fire roared in a great hearth. They lowered Rainy onto a bench near the flames. Someone wrapped her in fur. The heat stung her frozen hands, then soothed them. Slowly, the shaking eased. Rowan knelt beside her. "You're safe," he said. "You made it here alive. That was the hard part." Rainy pulled the fur close and breathed the warm air. She had crossed the storm. She had reached his home. But the ice shelf still waited beyond these walls, and she had spent nearly all her strength to get this far. She would need every bit of it back. "How long can I rest?" she asked. Rowan's face went still. He glanced toward the dark windows. "That," he said slowly, "depends on what my father tells us at first light."