Bitter Winter Read online

  She nodded in agreement, but a twinkle lit her eyes. No doubt she read every thought in his expression.

  Jace retrieved his coat and slipped it on as he thanked Kyrin’s mother for the meal and said goodnight to everyone. At the door, he looked down at Kyrin and spoke quietly. “Goodnight. I love you.”

  Her sparkling grin almost stripped away his restraint not to give her a good long kiss, even in front of her family.

  With her face firmly centered in his thoughts, Jace let himself out with Tyra. He pulled his collar close to his neck to shield it from the snow, but even the freezing temperatures couldn’t pierce the warmth inside of him. Just a few more days of preparation, and then he would ask her. If she was half as anxious to start their life together as he was, they would likely be married soon.

  He glanced up at the large flakes falling around him and pulled in a chill breath. Thank You, Lord, for working things out with the cabin. But even more than that, thank You for helping me put aside my fears. They still rise up sometimes, but with Your help, I know they can be defeated.

  For the last several yards, he prayed about the life he dreamed of for himself and Kyrin. When he reached the cabin he shared with the others, the comfortable warmth of crackling flames in the fireplace greeted him. Holden, Trev, Mick, and Elian sat around the table with cups of coffee, chatting companionably, while Rayad sat closer to the fire. Jace hung up his coat and pulled off his boots before sliding a chair next him.

  “How was supper?” Rayad asked.

  Jace nodded. “Good.” Another smile took hold.

  Rayad’s eyes narrowed, and Jace couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t exactly known for smiling so much. He glanced at the others, who were too deep into their conversation to notice, and lowered his voice.

  “Trask cleared out one of the cabins. It’s mine until we might have to share again.” His heart thumped. “As soon as I clean it up, I’m going to ask Kyrin to marry me.”

  A broad grin stretched across Rayad’s face and, just maybe, his eyes grew a little watery. “That’s wonderful, Jace. You two have always made such a good team. Not that I have any experience in this area, but I imagine that will only grow stronger in marriage.”

  Jace agreed. No one inspired him the way Kyrin did, not only in his life but also in his faith.

  Chapter Two

  The frost-covered cabin windows blocked the view of camp, but when Jace stepped outside, he found a good four inches of fresh snowfall. He shivered as the frigid air sucked away any lingering warmth from the indoors. It was even colder than yesterday, yet sunshine streamed through the trees as if to signify the excitement of the day. He had lain awake for hours during the night, contemplating all he planned to do in the cabin. The sooner he made it a comfortable home, the sooner he could propose to Kyrin… not that he’d wait if the perfect opportunity presented itself before then.

  As anxious as he was to begin, he first had to attend Trask’s meeting. Hard decisions would have to be made. Between everyone here and the other two camps, they had close to four hundred mouths to feed, plus the dragons and livestock.

  Jace followed the others from his cabin toward the meeting hall. Rayad and Holden were already discussing possible solutions, but Jace wasn’t sure any were viable. He prayed someone would come up with a sustainable food source.

  As they drew near the hall, someone called his name. Elanor hurried to catch up to him, kicking up the fresh snow. He let the other men go ahead and waited for her.

  She puffed white clouds into the air when she reached him and paused to catch her breath. “Do you have a minute?”

  He glanced toward the meeting hall. It was still early. Trask would allow plenty of time for his core group to show up. “Sure.”

  “Good, because I wanted to talk to you after last night.”

  Jace lifted one brow. Elanor glanced down at her snow-dusted shoes before meeting his gaze. Though she hesitated, a sparkle danced in her eyes.

  “I know everyone has noticed that Daniel and I spend a lot of time together. We’ve both enjoyed talking and getting to know each other and… he has expressed his interest in courting me.” She paused but then rushed ahead before Jace could even form an opinion on the matter. “He intends to talk to you, but I wanted to tell you myself and see what you think.”

  Jace offered a slow nod and considered last night’s conversation with Kyrin. He should have been more prepared for this.

  His sister watched him closely and then prompted him when he didn’t speak for a long moment. “Well?”

  “I figured as much.”

  “But is it all right with you?”

  Jace let another moment of silence elapse as he gave the situation careful consideration. He wanted to do right by his sister. He was her only true family here in camp. Elian might have been a better choice for her to go to since he was like a second father to both of them. He had come here as her protector, after all. Still, she had chosen to come to Jace, and while he didn’t consider himself entirely worthy of such a position, it was up to him to advise her in making wise life choices. If only their mother could be here with them. She could have offered much more wisdom and experience in such matters.

  “I just want to make sure any man in your life will take care of you. I believe Daniel is a good man and can do that. But don’t forget, Elôm willing, he’ll someday be our king. Are you prepared for what that means if you two pursue a serious relationship?”

  “If you’re asking if I’m prepared to be queen someday, that’s a lot to take in, but I am prepared to face the prospect, yes.”

  Apparently, she had given it thorough consideration before this conversation based on her straightforward answer. Still, the word “queen” added sobering realism to the possibility. She was right. It was a lot to take in, even for him. A couple of years ago, he hadn’t even known he had a sister. A couple years from now and she could be queen of Arcacia. His gut pinched in reaction to the thought, but he wasn’t the one who would have to live that life.

  “And you’ve prayed about this?”

  She nodded firmly. “Yes.”

  Well, if she was sure, then he had no real objections. She was strong and capable—just like their mother—and if it ever did come to that, he could see her at Daniel’s side when he rose to the throne. For now, though, he would focus on the present and not look too far into the very changeable future.

  He let out a long breath. “All right. I still want to talk to Daniel, but as long as he doesn’t change my mind, you have my blessing.”

  A dazzling grin lit up her face, and she reached her arms up around his neck to hug him. He embraced her tightly in return, and a slight twinge pinched his chest. While overjoyed for his sister to have this relationship, reluctance ran with it. Though he had known her for less than two years, he was fiercely protective of her. To have to give some of that up to another man was harder than he expected. Had Kyrin’s brothers felt the same way the day he’d expressed his love for Kyrin in Stonehelm’s mess hall? What would it feel like if he went through this with a daughter someday? Fear of the prospect of being a father welled up inside of him, though not as strongly as it would have a couple of months ago. Today he pushed it aside to rest in Elôm’s hands.

  Elanor stepped out of his arms and shone a warm smile up at him. “Thank you. And you’re right. Daniel is a good man.”

  Jace didn’t doubt it. He had seen the prince’s face when they’d both stood on the execution platform the day Elon died. That moment had changed both of their lives.

  “I’d better let you go to the meeting,” Elanor said.

  They parted, and Jace walked the remaining distance to the hall, where Elian waited just inside the door.

  “What was that about?”

  Jace glanced back over his shoulder as the door closed to catch another glimpse of his sister. “Daniel.”

  “I suspected that was coming.”

  “So did I.” Jace turned to face Elian and kept his voice low.
“What are your thoughts?”

  Elian only took a moment to respond. “I think they’re a good match.”

  “Even if it means Elanor will be queen one day?”

  “If she’s anything like your mother, which we know she is, she would handle the challenge with strength and dignity.” Elian’s eyes deepened a bit as they did whenever he spoke of Jace’s mother. He had not lost any love for her since coming here to Landale.

  This helped settle any doubts or misgivings Jace might have held. Elian was a good judge of character and as protective of Elanor as Jace was. If Elian approved of Daniel, then it boosted Jace’s confidence in his decision to give his blessing to their courtship.

  Now he turned his attention to the gathering and scanned the large room, his eyes lingering on Daniel, who stood with Trask and King Balen. It was right here in this meeting hall that the spark had first ignited between Elanor and Daniel. She’d caught his eye immediately. Jace should have known what would come.

  His thoughts of Elanor and Daniel departed when Kyrin walked in with her twin and older brothers and came to his side. They shared a smile just before Trask called for everyone’s attention, and the hall grew quiet.

  “Our food situation is no secret to any of you. We still have a long winter ahead, and we already see our food stores dwindling. It’s the same in all three camps. Unfortunately, we can’t rely on fresh game as we’d hoped. At least not in this area. Even sending hunters south with the dragons won’t sustain us long. By the time they return, their dragons are hungry and so are the ones still here. The difficult fact is, we need more meat and other provisions than we are currently able to bring in. We’ll need to implement stricter rationing, but even that won’t solve our problem in the long run.”

  After a moment of silence in which everyone mulled this over, Captain Darq stepped forward. “Glynn and I both agree that, aside from those that form our air defense, if we took the remainder of the dragons to Dorland it would lighten the burden of providing food for them. It’s a long journey, especially if there’s a storm, but we’ll bring back as much for supplies as we can when we return. ”

  Heads nodded. Though Jace would hate to see Gem go, it would be better for everyone. The cretes could provide the food she needed.

  “Sounds like a good plan,” Trask agreed. “We should see to it as soon as we can. We also need to expand our hunting range even farther south. Perhaps some towns had better luck with crops and have extra to sell. We have to try to bring in more besides meat.”

  “Too bad we can’t get our hands on some of the provisions Dagren has delivered from the queen’s stockpile in Valcré,” Holden said. “He’s probably holed up all snug in Landale Castle growing fat on them while he doles out just enough to keep the villagers alive.”

  Trask nodded slowly. “It’s tempting, I admit, but I won’t have us turn to thieving. Not if I can help it.”

  “What if we try getting provisions from Valcré ourselves?” Marcus asked.

  Trask winced. “It’s risky. The way Davira runs things, one misstep could be deadly. I think we should save that as a last resort. We’ll see what we can get from Dorland and farther south first.”

  Jace released a quiet sigh. Valcré would be the easiest way to gain supplies, but Trask was right. With Davira’s nationwide decree that anyone suspected of worshiping Elôm could be killed and sacrificed to Aertus and Vilai, any contact outside of camp was a high risk. Valcré would be the most dangerous of all, being directly under her insidious influence. Anyone had license to murder for any reason; all they had to do was claim the victim had been a believer in Elôm. Davira was so bent on destroying believers, she didn’t care how many innocent lives it cost in the process.

  Jace cast a glance at Leetra. Her pinched lips and clenched jaw gave away her concern. He didn’t blame her. After all, Timothy was right in the thick of it. Once Daniel had told them of the gathering of believers in Valcré, Timothy had felt Elôm calling him there. He and Aaron had left just as fall set in. Jace admired their courage, but it didn’t relieve the worry they all carried for them and the other believers within the city.

  Trask turned his attention to Warin, who oversaw the stables and their livestock. “How are the animals? Will we have enough feed for them?”

  Warin nodded, though with some hesitation. “I believe we’ll scrape by if we’re sparing and the winter doesn’t drag out overlong. I will see that we’re extra cautious at feeding time.”

  “Good.” Trask looked at Darq again. “You and Glynn see to getting the dragons ready to leave.” His gaze switched to each person he addressed in turn. “Kaden, select some of your men to head south. I’ll gather funds for them to purchase any provisions they can find. Jace, I’d like you, Holden, and whoever else wants to contribute to continue hunting and trapping around here whenever you can. Even a small yield is better than nothing.”

  Jace gave a nod. While hunting and trapping was neither easy nor pleasant this winter, he would do whatever he could. Surely, there were still some animals wandering the forest.

  “Meanwhile, Balen, Warin, and I will take stock of what we have here and in the other camps and implement a better rationing system. Does anyone have any questions?” Trask looked around at the group.

  “What should we tell everyone about the situation?” Daniel asked.

  “The truth,” Trask answered. “Supplies are low and food is scarce, but we’ll do everything we can to make sure everyone is properly fed. It’s a serious situation but not dire yet. I don’t intend to let it become so. I believe Elôm will provide.”

  Everyone agreed, and Jace prayed silently over the situation. They just had to hold out until spring. Food wouldn’t be so scarce, and they could turn their attention to taking back Samara now that Sam had persuaded the talcrins in Arda to join their already strong alliance with the cretes, giants, and Dorland ryriks. From there, they could figure out how to reclaim Daniel’s throne and finally set things right in Arcacia.

  Now that they had settled on a plan, Trask dismissed them. Though most of the men lingered to talk, Jace was anxious to get to the cabin. He just had one more thing to see to first. He caught Daniel’s eye and the look that said he wanted to talk. Jace turned to Kyrin.

  “I need to talk to Daniel, and I have some work to do, but I’ll come see you later.”

  She cast a glance at the prince, her lips lifting in just the hint of a smile. “All right. I’ll probably be helping Mother or over at Lenae and Warin’s cabin. Now that Mother and I are caught up on new militia uniforms, I promised Meredith I’d help her make some new clothes for her dolls.”

  They smiled and parted, and Jace made his way through the men toward Daniel.

  * * *

  Daniel drew in a deep breath as Jace approached him. Drat his racing heart. Who knew such a moment could wreak so much havoc on one’s nerves? He’d been so confident before this, but what if Jace refused him? He had every right to, as Elanor’s older brother and only family member in camp. And to think, Daniel had been less nervous about his coronation.

  But this was different and completely new territory. He’d never had any true interest in anyone before. No one had captivated him the way Elanor did. Never mind her beauty; she was everything he’d ever hoped to find in a potential wife—kind, joyful, faithful, strong… real. She left all the other women who had practically thrown themselves at him over the years far behind. It didn’t matter to her what he was, just who he was. The craziest thing was that his father actually would have approved of the match, providing he knew nothing of her faith. She was, after all, from a noble bloodline—not that it meant anything to Daniel.

  With another quick breath, he cleared his scratchy throat and focused on Jace, who pinned him with a measuring look—not hostile, but one that said he took the matter seriously. While Jace’s mixed blood had never bothered Daniel in any way, it certainly made the man intimidating at times like these. Daniel had no doubt Jace could take on every person in this
cabin and come out the victor. He’d certainly have no trouble against Daniel.

  “I take it Elanor has already spoken to you,” Daniel said when Jace reached him.

  Jace nodded. “Just before the meeting.”

  Daniel wasn’t sure if it was a relief that Jace already knew his intentions or not. He paused a moment to see if Jace would deny him outright. When he didn’t, Daniel said, “I’d like to talk to you as well.”

  The two of them stepped to the far end of the meeting hall, away from the others who still mingled, and Daniel raced to gather his thoughts. If this were his old life, his father probably would have taken care of everything—contacting and negotiating with Elanor’s father. Well, he’d always wanted to live a normal, unprivileged life. He had that now, for the most part, and facing down a woman’s male relatives was part of it.

  He faced Jace with what confidence he managed to retain, ready to accept whatever answer he received with dignity. He wasn’t about to pull rank if this did not go in his favor. He’d never force Elanor or her family to agree to a courtship or marriage. While his father would have, Daniel never wanted to be that type of man or ruler.

  “First, I want to say how much I admire your sister. She is one of the very few truly genuine young women I’ve met over the years. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her over the last few months to the point where I look forward to any time we can spend together. I’ve given it a great deal of prayer and consideration, and I very much desire to pursue her seriously through courtship with your permission.”

  He fought a wince and hoped this rehearsed speech of his didn’t sound as stilted to Jace as it did to his own ears.

  Jace’s cool gaze seemed to pierce right into his soul. He resisted the urge to clear his throat during what seemed to be an eternity-long silence. He’d never wanted anything in his life quite like he wanted to pursue this relationship with Elanor. Neither had he faced the prospect of being denied something like this before.