Ice Country

He looks like a mouse, his nose twitching asif smelling his way in, looking for food. “The king requests youraudience,” he says to the dungeon.

“I’ll give you somethin’ to say to the king,”Skye murmurs.

“Um, I didn’t mean you, ma’am. I meantthem.

His fingers point in two directions, one atme and one at Wes.

“Us?” I say. “Why us?” What could we possiblybe to the king that he would request our audience?

“It is not my job—or your job—to askquestions,” the rat says.

“Look, you little weasel,” I say, “we’re notgoing anywhere until you tell us what this is all about.”

His nose twitches. “I beg to differ,” hesays. Heavy feet stomp in unison on the hard stone floor as half adozen sword-carrying guards march into the dungeon.

~~~

The king is resting his chin lazily on hisfist when we enter his throne room. I try to keep my face forward,but I can’t help glancing around me, at the enormity of everything.The shiny, white pillars are even bigger, both in width and height,than I could tell when we passed from the hallway a few days back.The windows are huge too, taking up half the wall space. The otherhalf is filled with gigantic wall hangings, similar to thetapestries we saw in the main hall, depicting similarly bloodyscenes of fights between the legendary Stormers and Soakers.

When we reach a spot in front of the king,I’m still looking around, taking it all in. The soldiers leave usand step as one to the side, looking through the windows, likestatues, completely disinterested in whatever’s about to happenbetween us and Goff.

“Who are you?” Goff says, and my gaze driftsto him. His chin’s raised now, his hands clasped easily in hislap.

We say nothing.

“Your resemblance is striking…and yet youeach came to be in my dungeons by very different routes. Odd,” hesays. “Wouldn’t you say?”

We say nothing.

“Why did you force me to arrest you?” Goffasks, directing his question at me.

I shrug. “Seemed like a good idea at thetime.”

He laughs, but there’s no joy in it. Hestands, descends the three steps from his throne, takes anotherfour to stand in front of me. He’s an even bigger man than Ithought—like his pillars, thick, strong, and tall. His grayingfacial hair buzzes as he speaks. “You’ll answer my questions ordie,” he says.

I don’t doubt the truth in his words for onesecond.

“Then you’ll die with him,” Wes growls frombeside me, tensing against his chains.

I jerk my head toward him. I’ve never heardhim speak like that, so uncontrolled, so temper-driven. It remindsme of myself.

The king sidesteps to face my brother. “Don’tbe ridiculous. You dare to snoop where you don’t belong?”

“I was looking for someone,” Wes says.

The king angles his head. “Really? And whomight that be?”

“My sister. She was taken a few months back,not long after she turned twelve. You took her.” There’s fire inhis words. Fire fueled by the kindling of truth.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Goffsays, but he doesn’t even try to hide that he’s lying.

“I saw them,” Wes says.

“Your sister?” the king says, turning hisback on Wes, clearly unafraid of my brother’s previous threat.

“Nay,” Wes says. “The other children. In yourHeart-forsaken tower. Prisoners.”

“Are you sure you hadn’t been drinking?” theking says. “Seeing things maybe? There are children in the palace,but that’s because their fathers and mothers work here. They playin the towers while their parents earn silver to feed and clothethem. I’m a charitable man.”

“You’re a sick man,” Wes spits back.

Goff turns, smiling, as if my brother paidhim a compliment. Everything about his demeanor says control, aswell it should, considering he’s got all the cards on ourlives.

“Ever since our forefathers hid in the cavesin this very mountain, the Heart has protected them, saved themfrom what the Heaters call the Meteor god. My bloodline was chosenby the Heart to be your leaders. Something for you to think aboutwhile you and your brother rot away in my dungeons.”

“Is that all?” I ask, suddenly feelinganxious to get back to my cell.

“No. Before you ever stepped foot behind thecastle walls I knew who both of you were. You think I’m stupid?From the moment you lost that card game, your sister’s—andyour—lives were mine, part of something much bigger than thepathetic world you think you live in.”

My head starts to spin. The card game?What does that have to do with anything? A piece falls into place,then another. I stiffen, my knees locking.

“You chose Jolie because of my debt?” Isay.

“Hmm,” Goff muses. “You’re smarter than youlook. But that didn’t stop you from destroying yourself. I need youboth, you see.”

“For what?” I growl, anger rising, cloakingthe real emotion I’m feeling. My fault—it’s all my fault.

“Your sister is an important trade item, andyou’re my insurance that she lives up to her expectations,” theking says cryptically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wes says,taking a step forward.

One of the guards kicks him in the back ofthe legs and he goes down.

“I can have you killed any moment I choose,”Goff says to Wes. “You’re not part of any of this. The only reasonyou’re still alive is because I want both your brother and sisterto watch when I personally slit your throat.”

“You’ll have to kill me first,” I say,knowing even as I say it that it’s an empty threat.

“As much as I’d like that, I need you alive.Like I said, you’re insurance that your sister will do as she’stold for the rest of her life. Don’t you think you’d be dead by nowotherwise? At every turn you disobeyed Abe, broke the rules,practically begged me to kill you. You were warned time and timeagain, but even the small, stuttering man’s death didn’t stop yourinsolence. I promoted the two men who were able to place his bodyso expertly in your path. I have to admit, I was as shocked asanyone when you tried to talk your way inside the castle. Again, myguards would have killed you if you were anyone else. Only myorders to keep you alive stayed their hands.”

I want to call him a liar, to believe that itwas my own skills and strength that kept me alive all this time,but I know that’s the real lie. They killed Nebo, planted him inour path as a warning. The moment I met him he was as good as dead.It was never our fault, not really. I’m nothing but a bug under theking’s spotless black boots, to be scraped off and mounted on aboard as he sees fit.

“Guards—take them,” Goff says. The guardsstart to move to grab us, but the king raises a hand. “Oh, yes,there is one other thing. Does anyone besides your dimwittedfriend—I believe they call him Buff—know about your suspicionsregarding where your sister was taken?”

“Nay,” I lie, watching Yo slide a ti

~~~

When Big brings our one meal, I feel likedoing laps around my cell—I’m so energized. I can’t take anotherminute in this place, much less a rotting lifetime as Goffsuggested.

And whatever he’s got pla

Skye’s feeling the same, apparently, becauseshe wastes no time throwing our plan in motion.

“Hey, Big,” she says, after he gives her aplate of gruel, balancing the others along his enormous arms.

“Shut yer—”

“Pie hole, blazeshooter, yeah, yeah, I gotit,” Skye says. “I’m just tryin’ to help you. But if you don’twa

Big stops, looks in at Skye, who’s alreadyferociously diving into her gruel, as if she don’t give two shiversabout the dungeon master.

“What fungus?” Big asks, taking the bait.

Skye stops shoveling food, finishes chewingher last mouthful, says, “The flesh-eatin’ kind you got growin’ onyer back. You’d better git it removed ’fore it kills you.”