When they finished eating, they headed to the second floor where the rooms were located. The place smelled of mildew and the floors creaked. Soma assigned three people to each room, ensuring Odar and Allyssa were separated. While she didn’t particularly like sleeping in a room with two strange men, she was too exhausted to argue. Climbing onto the stiff straw mattress, she cuddled into herself, trying to warm up, and fell asleep.
The next morning, a fur-lined cape lay atop her. When she questioned where it came from, neither of the soldiers knew. She stood and tied it around her neck, the length fitting perfectly. The two men led her downstairs. As they passed through the tavern toward the exit, Allyssa saw the woman from last night at a table kneading bread. She glanced up at Allyssa and smiled. The fur-lined cape must have come from her. Given the poverty of this village, she didn’t feel worthy of such a precious gift. When she went to remove it, the woman insisted she keep it.
“She’s right,” one of the soldiers said. “You’re going to need it so you don’t freeze to death.”
Allyssa thanked the woman and exited the inn. When they reached the stables, everyone else was there, ready to ride out. Thankfully, Soma didn’t say anything about the cape. She mounted her horse, and they left the village behind, traveling deeper into Russek.
No matter where they went, the reaction was always the same—no one seemed to recognize Prince Soma, and he made no attempt to flaunt his identity. Instead, he repeatedly stated that they were a group of soldiers heading to Clovek, the town where the king’s castle was located. No one questioned the story.
They rode for days—each day becoming colder than the previous one. They only stopped to eat and sleep. Because the temperature plummeted at night, they always stayed at an inn.
Even though they traveled on a main road, they passed very few villages. Allyssa was beginning to wonder where everyone lived. The settlements she did see consisted of dilapidated wooden or stone houses, a single well as the main water source, and very few people out and about. The ground was so cold and hard that hardly any crops grew in this region. The muted colors made everything look dreary and depressing.
A week into their trip, a vicious snowstorm hit, causing them to seek shelter in an abandoned building until it passed. Even huddled around a fire, she didn’t think she’d ever be warm again. Snow blew in through the cracks in the ceiling, the howling wind mirroring her turbulent thoughts. Soma made each of them take a turn melting snow in a pot over the fire, then drinking the warm water. She found herself crying for no reason, the tears freezing on her cheeks. At some point, she fell asleep.
She woke up in Soma’s arms.
“Oh good, you’re not dead,” he said sardonically.
He carried her outside and sat her atop a horse; everyone else was already mounted and ready to ride. She squinted, shielding her eyes from the blinding light. Snow covered everything, including the surrounding hills. The roads and valleys looked like they had been wrapped in a white furry blanket.
The horses trudged along, having difficulty navigating through the snow. As they rode into a valley between two mountains, the wind whipped through, howling like an animal. Allyssa pulled the cape tightly around her body. She no longer felt her fingers, feet, or nose. Odar was lying against his horse, trying to avoid the frigid wind. Even with a blanket wrapped around him, his body shook. She offered him her cape, but he refused, saying she needed it more. Her breath came out in white puffs, and her eyes stung. She longed for home—the lush green hills and warm sunshine. No wonder so few people lived in this blasted place.
At the end of the valley, Prince Soma led the group to the right. When they rounded the mountain, an ominous castle stood in the distance. Constructed out of dark stones, it seemed as if it grew out of the rocky land. Dark, low clouds cast a gray hue over the snowy landscape.
Allyssa’s body shook—not from the weather, but from the fact that they had arrived in Clovek, the capital of Russek. She was going to have to face her father’s evil, bitter half sister, who would use her as a bargaining chip to gain control of Emperion. Her stomach twisted at the thought. Since childhood, she had been taught that the kingdom came first. Her parents would never meet Jana’s demands. She was going to die.
“What are you doing?” Soma demanded, glancing over his shoulder at her.
She had started to slide off the horse, one foot only inches above the snowy ground.
Vladek came alongside her. He reached out with his good hand, helping her back onto the saddle. His hand with the missing finger had been wrapped with strips of fabric, and he still wasn’t using it. “She just slipped,” Vladek replied to Soma. “She’s secure now.”
The assassin faced forward again.
“I wouldn’t try to escape,” Vladek whispered. “Besides this fortified castle, the only other place nearby is a military compound. There’s nowhere to go for help, and you wouldn’t last a day out here in this weather.”
But she had to try, especially since she was going to die anyway. When she peered over at Odar, he shook his head, his eyes pleading with her not to do anything stupid—like make a run for it.
“There are six of us plus Prince Soma,” Vladek stated. “We’re armed and on horses. How far do you think you’d get on foot in unfamiliar land?”
“Perhaps it’s better to be struck down out here rather than in there,” Allyssa whispered.
Vladek shrugged. “He won’t allow you to be killed right now. Injured maybe.” He held up his hand with the missing finger to emphasize his point. “You’re going to be taken into the castle, I guarantee it. You can fight and make it more difficult, maybe getting hurt in the process. Or, you can save your energy for when you need it. Because you will need every ounce of strength you can muster. Of that you can be certain.”
Allyssa nodded and readjusted herself on the saddle. She would do what she could to save her parents unnecessary suffering and to protect Emperion. It was time to enter hell. She just hadn’t expected hell to be so bloody cold.
After another mile, they came to a long, narrow bridge that extended from the side of the mountain they were on to the castle sitting atop a separate mountain. The bridge had been cleared of snow, although not a single person was in sight. Soma nudged his horse onto the bridge. Its hooves slid, so he slowed the animal. The next soldier steered his horse after him.
“Your turn,” one of the men said to Odar.
Odar glanced at Allyssa. “Keep your horse in the center.” There weren’t any guardrails and the bridge was only eight-feet wide. He steered his horse onto the crossing, another soldier going after him.
“You next,” someone said to Allyssa.
“Is there another way?” She gulped, looking down into the ravine below. The drop had to be over a hundred feet. With the strong wind and the lack of railings, she had no desire to step foot on that bridge, especially on a horse.