Soul Seeker

12: Allies or Enemies

With their sleds ready, Tonraq and Ciara bringing up the rear, they set off.

"This is good," Tonraq said, bringing his sled as close as he could to hers. The wind masked his words. "We can let them lead us straight to the guardians."

"We can wait for another chance to attack," Ciara replied. "They're too trusting." She was filled with a strange mix of relief and disappointment that she had not managed to do it. She hated the churning in her gut and wished she could just get it over with, but it was easier said than done.

What a mess she had made of things.

"It would have been helpful if Sköll had decided to stick around," Tonraq said.

Ciara clutched the vegvisir. "I miss him," she admitted.

"Even though you knew him for less than a day?"

"We faced death together. I've never had to rely on someone so completely before. It might sound ridiculous, but I felt like he was the first person to meet me and completely accept me, unlike everyone from Nome."

"What about me?"

"We grew up together, it's different. You watched me slowly turn into the person I am now. But he... he immediately understood."

"I suppose I can understand that."

"You're more important, of course."

"I should hope so!" he said. "I'm glad you didn't kill Fell."

"I'm not just giving up," Ciara snapped, and he said no more. The tension between them was a real, tangible thing, interrupting what had once been an easy, close friendship. Its loss was like having a limb cut off.

Ciara had to get her bola back. She trained her sights on Isa, who had tied it to her belt like a trophy, obviously mocking her. Ciara was determined to swipe it back. A bola couldn't kill, there was no reason she shouldn't have it.

They glided through the snow and between clumps of trees with Fell in the lead. Mountains were ghostly shadows in the distance, half-hidden by mist, and hills dotted the land around them. The ground sloped and they headed into a lush valley where pines, larches and undergrowth grew, protected from the harshest winter wind.

"We can stop to hunt here and eat while we tell you our plans," Fell said, looking over his shoulder. "This is as good a place as any to find game. Isa, build a fire here while we track. The girl stays with you."

"I can hunt," Ciara said. "I'm probably better than all of you put together –"

"I don't trust you to wield weapons."

"Can't someone else stay with her?" Isa shot Ciara a furious look, as if she had made the decision, not Fell.

"You're capable and I know you won't let her out of your sight. Sebastian, Tonraq, this way."

Oh, so Tonraq was addressed like an equal, but Ciara was just 'the girl', was she? Fury smouldered in her blood.

Ciara didn't miss Tonraq's worried look before he vanished behind trees.

Fell's sister busied herself collecting dead or dying branches, which would be drier than healthy ones and so would burn better. She blinked when Ciara dropped to her knees beside her in the snow and started to assemble the fire, propping bits of wood up to leave plenty of air gaps.

"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

"Helping. What does it look like? I don't fancy eating meat that's half raw, I want a proper fire."