Chapter 3

    After many attempts and failures, with the help of Milton, Ayla got on the horse. Her dress was not suitable for horse riding, and she had to ride sidesaddle. As Milton got on top of the other horse, Ayla gripped the saddle as hard as she could. In the forest, an ice wolf howled, and Ayla was sure her horse would start running and throw her off his back. When the horse didn’t move, Ayla prayed to Addanos, asking him to let her arrive at the Royal Castle in one piece. She tried to grip the reins, but her fingers were numb with cold.

    The journey and the cold had worn Ayla out. Despite the warm cloak covering her, she felt as though the endless cold had made its home in her bones. She doubted she would ever feel warm again. She shivered so badly that her entire body started hurting.

    “Grab the rein!” Milton instructed her.

    Ayla tried to do as Milton asked, but her hands wouldn’t listen to her. “I can’t grab it. My fingers are numb with cold,” Ayla said as another ice wolf howled.

    Ayla looked around with eyes as big as those of the owls. Her pulse pounded in her ears.

    “Don’t worry about the ice wolves,” Milton replied. “I will lead both horses. Just hold on tight.”

    Ayla gripped the saddle as tightly as she could with her frozen fingers and sent another silent prayer to Addanos. Her eyes lingered a few moments on Milton’s robe. The robe was black with bright red flames—a typical Fire Mage robe. Even if Ayla didn’t worship Inoss, the Fire God and the creator of the world, she prayed to him as well.

    “Before we leave, I want to make sure you don’t freeze to death. I don’t think Rhobart would be too happy if we arrived at the Hammer Clan with you as an ice sculpture,” Milton chuckled.

    Ayla would have snorted, but her teeth started chattering. She was sure King Rhobart would not care if she died because of the cold or not. He hated her as much as she hated him.

    From his left pocket, Milton took out a magic rune. The fingers of his right hand danced above the magic rune while Milton recited a spell. Moments later, warmth spread through Ayla’s body, and she stopped shivering. For the first time in weeks, she felt her toes, but her body kept feeling pain and trembling.

    “Better?” Milton asked.

    Ayla felt as if she hadn’t slept for days, weeks even, and closed her eyes for a few moments. “A bit. Thank you!” Ayla replied when she opened her eyes.

    Milton frowned, but seeing nothing wrong with Ayla, he focused on the horses. He hated the idea of being so close to the forest at nightfall. He cursed under his breath because he couldn’t set the horses at a faster pace, fearing that the princess might fall off the horse. Even if the King was unhappy about having to interact with Princess Ayla, he had been very clear that he didn’t want any harm to come to Ayla and asked Milton to bring her safely to the Royal Castle.

    For a while, they walked in silence until the cold made every part of Ayla’s body hurt. She tried to focus on Milton, curious to see if he was using his magic rune to keep the cold at bay. But her eyes kept closing. Slowly, she drifted to sleep.

    Ayla was half asleep when Milton’s voice woke her up. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “I-I a-a-am c-c-cold,” Ayla said in a stuttering voice. Her teeth were chattering very hard. The horses stopped moving. Ayla frowned, “W-why s-s-stop?”

    Milton looked at her with concerned eyes. “I am worried about you, and I want to see how you are feeling. You should” not be cold. The fire spell I cast earlier should keep you warm until we get to the Royal Castle.

    “H-how c-c-come y-you a-a-are n-not c-c-cold?”

    “My robe,” Milton said, his eyes studying her face.

    The sun set behind a line of trees, leaving Milton and Ayla in darkness. The Fire Mage muttered curses in Old Nordmarian and took another magic rune out of his right pocket.

    While Milton was casting a spell, an ice wolf howled in the forest. More howls followed, coming from other wolves. Ayla bit her lip to stop herself from screaming.

    A magic light globe appeared above Milton, illuminating their path.

    “W-w-what a-about y-your r-r-robe?” Ayla kept talking, trying to distract herself from the wolves.

    “It’s made from the hide of a black troll, and magic spells are woven into the fabric,” Milton explained.

    “S-so i-it is a-a ma-magic robe?” Ayla asked.

    Milton looked at her and frowned. “Yes, it is a magic robe. All Mages have one. You don’t look too well. Apart from being cold, how are you feeling?”

    Before Ayla could answer, the wolves howled again. They were getting closer to Ayla and Milton. Moments later, an ice wolf emerged from the trees. Three other ice wolves appeared next to the first one. Beast and man stared one at another for what seemed like an eternity before the pack leader attacked. His brothers followed his lead.

    When one of the wolves ran towards Ayla’s horse, a scream escaped her lips. The horse moved nervously and almost threw Ayla off his back. She heard Milton say telekinesis before feeling her body glued to the saddle.

    Just before the ice wolves reached them, Milton stretched his right hand. “Shield!”

    Seconds later, the wolves hit an invisible wall. A few yelps sounded into the night, but the ice wolves were not about to give up once the hunt started. They started circling the horses but kept hitting an invisible wall every time they tried to reach the prey.

    Milton took out a vial with a blue potion from his pocket—a mana potion. His mana was low, and without replenishing it, he would have to take the magic shield down. Milton drank the potion, but it only replenished some of the mana he used during the day. It was not enough to keep the shield up much longer.

    Milton looked at Ayla. “Princess Ayla, listen carefully. I will have to bring the shield down. Once I do that, I will attack the ice wolves with fireballs. We might have to run because I am low on mana. If that happens, hold on to that saddle as if your life depends on it. I will send a message to the Royal Castle to let Rhobart know we are in trouble. Nod if you understand.”

    Ayla nodded. She didn’t want to die. Not when she still had so many dreams and hopes.

    Milton fisted his left hand and waited for the wolves to move into a better position. From the moment he would drop the shield, Milton knew he would only have seconds to send the firebird spell before he attacked the ice wolves. He inhaled and prepared himself.

    The Fire Mage counted to ten and dropped the shield; at the same time, a firebird flew from his left hand.

    “Fly home!” Milton instructed the firebird before casting an attack spell, “Fireball!”

    The fireball sprang from his hands, hitting three ice wolves in the chest. Two of the big beasts fell to the ground and sounds of pain came from them. The spell didn’t wound the third ice wolf severely, but it was enough to slow it down. The last ice wolf jumped toward the Fire Mage. A fire arrow hit the beast between the eyes, killing him.

    Milton hoped the wounded ice wolves wouldn’t rise from the ground and attack again. He only had mana left for another fire arrow. When the yelps stopped, Milton knew the beasts had died. He breathed easily.

    The remaining ice wolf tried one more attack, but Milton hit it in the head with his magic staff. Knowing that the fight was lost, the beast retreated into the forest.

    Not wanting to wait for more beasts to appear from the forest, Milton said to Ayla, “Hold on, my Lady! I am afraid I have no more mana for another telekinesis spell. If you fall from that horse, Rhobart will add my head to his collection.”

    ‘Head collection? Surely the King doesn’t have one,’ Ayla thought before the horses started moving fast.

    The ice wolves scared Ayla badly, and she was still shaken. She had never seen an ice wolf before, but she had read about them. Back in Myrthana, she was allowed to visit the Royal Library—the only luxury she had ever been permitted. Ayla loved to read and learn about everything. In “Beasts from the Uzhor Continent,” she learned about ice wolves—they were much larger and stronger than any other type of wolf. Only the warg was more vicious than the ice wolf. Equipped with a powerful jaw, an ice wolf could kill an ice bison or a buffalo in less than a minute.

    The horses galloped, taking Milton and Ayla closer to the Hammer Clan. Even if the King hated her, she would be grateful to see him again.

    “There!” Milton shouted and pointed with his finger.

    Ayla looked at what he showed her. A mile away from where the forest ended, tall stone walls could be seen surrounding the Hammer Clan.

    The last part of the journey felt the longest. Ayla prayed that nothing terrible would happen. Minutes or lifetimes later, they finally reached the gates.

    “We are home!” Milton said.

    The adrenaline that fueled Ayla from when the ice wolves attacked them disappeared when they reached safety, leaving her weaker than ever. She felt light-headed, and she fell from the horse.

    “Princess!” she heard Milton yell.

    A second, a minute, an hour, or a lifetime later—Ayla wasn’t sure how much time had passed—strong arms lifted her from the frozen ground. She never realized Milton was so strong. Although he was shorter than King Rhobart, not much, maybe an inch or two, his robe hid the fact that he was just as strong as the King.

    “I have you, Princess. You are safe now,” Milton tried to assure her.

    Ayla opened her eyes and looked at Milton. “P-p-promise?”

    Milton frowned at her. Still looking at her, he asked someone Ayla couldn’t see, “What’s wrong with her?”

    A voice she thought she recognized replied, “I think she is sick.”

    Milton muttered something about gods under his breath. “I promise you, Ayla. You are safe. I will take care of you. Always!”

    Ayla nodded, closed her eyes, and rested her cheek against his chest. Milton talked more, but she was too tired to understand his words.

    She buried her nose in his robe and inhaled Milton’s scent—he smelled like the snow. Like Nordmar.

    Milton started walking. His strong arms held her tight as he took her to her new prison. He went inside the Royal Palace, and Ayla drifted between awake and asleep.

    When Milton put Ayla on a bed and whispered sleep to her, Ayla clung to his magic robe as a child clung to his mother. “D-d-don’t l-l-leave! I-I d-don’t wa-want to b-be a-alone,” she begged him.

    Milton stayed. He gathered Ayla into his arms, and she slept, knowing that Milton would keep her safe.

    When she started burning up with a fever, Milton took care of her. When nightmares of another place, another time, another life made Ayla scream in her delirium, Milton was there, helping her calm down. Milton was there when she needed anything during her sickness, never leaving her. When she slept, Milton’s snow scent soothed her.