I couldn’t obtain one, so I was trapped.” I leaned against him as we headed for our living space below, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I felt drained of every drop of energy. My legs trembled and my muscles throbbed.
We reached the main room. Eyes turned to us as we entered, and murmurs filled the air. I saw Jonn spot us across the room, and only the way his shoulders relaxed signaled his relief. As we approached, he dropped his eyes to the table and scowled. Everiss was sitting beside him, and she offered me a tentative smile.
I saw a map of the Frost spread across the table between them. Several marks had been made around the village with charcoal. Jonn’s fingers were smudged black, and as he rubbed them across his forehead, they left a faint smear.
“Lia,” he snapped as soon as we’d reached him. He didn’t take his eyes from the map. “You’ve been gone half a day. We thought you were trapped in one of Raine’s jail cells, or worse. We were planning a rescue party. Can’t you be a little more mindful of the time?”
“It’s not her fault,” Gabe said, helping me to a chair. “Raine wouldn’t let anyone out of the village without some kind of permit, so she had to wait for nightfall to escape.”
“What?” Jonn finally looked up at me, and his eyes widened as he saw my disheveled state. “Oh. Are you all right? Everiss—is there any more of that brandy?”
She went without a word to retrieve it.
I lowered my head onto my arms. I wanted to shut my eyes and sleep for a week, but I needed to tell them everything before I forgot any details.
I recounted the events of the day, from Korr’s unexpected appearance to the overheard conversation at the Mayor’s house to my evening spent in a trunk in an attic and Jullia’s words about postponing the liberation of the Frost until further notice. I didn’t mention Jullia’s husband.
Gabe straightened with interest at the mention that his brother had returned, and a muscle in his jaw twitched, but he didn’t say anything. Everiss returned before I’d finished, carrying a handful of rags and a bottle of brandy. She handed them to me, and I uncapped the bottle and poured alcohol on one of the rags. Gabe took it from me and began attending to the cuts on my arms.
When I’d emptied myself of all explanations, I fell silent. I took one of the rags and joined Gabe in washing my cuts. Jonn leaned back and ran his hands over his eyes.
“This complicates things enormously,” he said. “How will we get into the village for the liberation without passes?”
“Like I said, the revolution has been postponed. And we have bigger problems than that at the moment. Like getting enough food now that Ivy and Jullia can’t bring supplies anymore.”
Everyone was quiet, absorbing these thoughts.
“We’ll just have to set more traps, send more people to gather berries,” I said. “We’ll have to work harder, that’s all.”
“It’s not going to be enough.” Everiss licked her lower lip and blinked. Moisture shimmered in her eyes.
“Well, it has to be.” I looked at all their faces in turn, daring them to disagree. “We have to make it work. We don’t have any other choice. We can’t just give up. We’ll starve.”
“She knows that,” Jonn said. He laid a protective hand on Everiss’s wrist. “But not everyone is as tough as you, Lia.”
Not everyone is as tough as you.
I shoved my chair back and headed for bed.
Gabe followed me. “Lia...”
I sank onto the cot. I was exhausted. Every limb ached. I’d spent the last several hours huddled in a trunk and then running for my life through the Frost without any light to see by.
“I’m flesh and blood just like the rest of you,” I said as he sat down beside me. “I’m not made of stone.”
He touched my shoulder, and I winced as his fingers brushed one of the places where I’d been cut.
“Sorry,” he said.
“No, I’m sorry. I’ve been harsh, I know. I
We reached the main room. Eyes turned to us as we entered, and murmurs filled the air. I saw Jonn spot us across the room, and only the way his shoulders relaxed signaled his relief. As we approached, he dropped his eyes to the table and scowled. Everiss was sitting beside him, and she offered me a tentative smile.
I saw a map of the Frost spread across the table between them. Several marks had been made around the village with charcoal. Jonn’s fingers were smudged black, and as he rubbed them across his forehead, they left a faint smear.
“Lia,” he snapped as soon as we’d reached him. He didn’t take his eyes from the map. “You’ve been gone half a day. We thought you were trapped in one of Raine’s jail cells, or worse. We were planning a rescue party. Can’t you be a little more mindful of the time?”
“It’s not her fault,” Gabe said, helping me to a chair. “Raine wouldn’t let anyone out of the village without some kind of permit, so she had to wait for nightfall to escape.”
“What?” Jonn finally looked up at me, and his eyes widened as he saw my disheveled state. “Oh. Are you all right? Everiss—is there any more of that brandy?”
She went without a word to retrieve it.
I lowered my head onto my arms. I wanted to shut my eyes and sleep for a week, but I needed to tell them everything before I forgot any details.
I recounted the events of the day, from Korr’s unexpected appearance to the overheard conversation at the Mayor’s house to my evening spent in a trunk in an attic and Jullia’s words about postponing the liberation of the Frost until further notice. I didn’t mention Jullia’s husband.
Gabe straightened with interest at the mention that his brother had returned, and a muscle in his jaw twitched, but he didn’t say anything. Everiss returned before I’d finished, carrying a handful of rags and a bottle of brandy. She handed them to me, and I uncapped the bottle and poured alcohol on one of the rags. Gabe took it from me and began attending to the cuts on my arms.
When I’d emptied myself of all explanations, I fell silent. I took one of the rags and joined Gabe in washing my cuts. Jonn leaned back and ran his hands over his eyes.
“This complicates things enormously,” he said. “How will we get into the village for the liberation without passes?”
“Like I said, the revolution has been postponed. And we have bigger problems than that at the moment. Like getting enough food now that Ivy and Jullia can’t bring supplies anymore.”
Everyone was quiet, absorbing these thoughts.
“We’ll just have to set more traps, send more people to gather berries,” I said. “We’ll have to work harder, that’s all.”
“It’s not going to be enough.” Everiss licked her lower lip and blinked. Moisture shimmered in her eyes.
“Well, it has to be.” I looked at all their faces in turn, daring them to disagree. “We have to make it work. We don’t have any other choice. We can’t just give up. We’ll starve.”
“She knows that,” Jonn said. He laid a protective hand on Everiss’s wrist. “But not everyone is as tough as you, Lia.”
Not everyone is as tough as you.
I shoved my chair back and headed for bed.
Gabe followed me. “Lia...”
I sank onto the cot. I was exhausted. Every limb ached. I’d spent the last several hours huddled in a trunk and then running for my life through the Frost without any light to see by.
“I’m flesh and blood just like the rest of you,” I said as he sat down beside me. “I’m not made of stone.”
He touched my shoulder, and I winced as his fingers brushed one of the places where I’d been cut.
“Sorry,” he said.
“No, I’m sorry. I’ve been harsh, I know. I
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