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“The horses are restless,” Sebastian announced, managing to force his gaze away from Brook to address Zafir. “Too much time cooped up in the livestock compartments.”

Aron scooted in next to Brook and reached for a hot biscuit that had tendrils of steam still rising from it. He tore it open and scooped a hefty portion of peach jam into it before stuffing the entire thing into his mouth.

Beside him, I saw Brook’s gaze shift sideways to watch him, her lip curling in disgust, as she picked listlessly at her own food.

“We can’t stop here,” she stated, turning to Sebastian who stood at attention, his shoulders back as if he were one of her soldiers. It was her call, though. Zafir was there only to protect me. Brook was the one in charge of the army that escorted us. “We’re too close to the Scablands,” she said, as if she hadn’t just learned this bit of information herself. “We can let them off to stretch their legs at the next major depot . . . after we leave this territory.”

Aron snorted, and Brook’s gaze shot to him. “What? I suppose you have a better idea.”

“I jus’ don’ . . . ,” Aron started, but crumbs spewed from his mouth, spraying the table in front of him. He reached for Brook’s cup and took a swig, ignoring her scathing glare. When he finally swallowed, choking down the rest of the biscuit in a huge gulp, he tried again. “I just don’t see how you’re going to get that many horses off, and then back on again, during a single stop. Do you really think the engineer is just going to hold the train for you? For Charlie definitely, but not for you, Brook.”

Brook smirked at him, her jaw set, her eyes glinting like hard steel. “Is that a challenge? Because I don’t need Charlie’s help on this. You just watch. I bet I can get him to stop and wait . . . without mention of our queen here.”

“Oh, you’re on.” Aron laughed, slapping Brooklynn on the shoulder. “Can I come with you when you ask him? I gotta see this.”

Five hours later we were standing on a wooden platform above the rails. It took several moments to regain my land legs, to adjust to the firmness of the motionless ground beneath me, but it felt good. Normal. Steady.

Several cars down from us, I could already see Sebastian supervising as the horses were unloaded, their hooves beating against the makeshift gangway they navigated, and I wondered how long the timbers would bear the animals’ weight. Sebastian didn’t seem to share my concerns over its sturdiness, he seemed more worried over the horses’ well-being as he handed them off to awaiting soldiers two at a time to be walked about the unpaved streets.

I shuddered, pretending my chill was a result of the weather, rather than the horses we’d soon be riding in place of the train. The idea of mounting the beasts shot cold terror straight to my heart.

Still, it was colder out here than I’d anticipated, and although I couldn’t actually see my breath, I could feel it crystalizing within my chest, becoming something denser than normal air, harder to expel. I wondered how long until there’d be ice on the ground. Until we saw the first flakes of snow.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Zafir stated. “The farther north we travel, the closer to winter we’ll get.”

I frowned at the guard’s upside-down logic as I wrapped my arms around myself, understanding his meaning nonetheless. The summit was being held in the mountainous region of Caldera, Queen Neva’s land. I’d been warned the climate could be inhospitable.

I lifted my already icy fingers to my lips and blew on them.

“Do you want me to send for your coat?” Zafir asked, always attentive.

“I’m fine, Zafir.” And when I saw that he didn’t look convinced, I added, “Really.”

I glanced around at the tiny town nestled in the jagged hills, just inside the northern border of Ludania. Technically, we were still in Scabland territory, and it still had that same sharp-edged feel to it, as if the town itself had been chiseled from the rocky terrain. Everything, other than the sidewalk we stood on, seemed to be crafted from some sort of stone slab or brick. I saw slate and granite and shale.

The overall effect was as chilling as the wind that whipped through the nearly uninhabited streets. The only sign of life came from the chimneys on every roof: Smoke rose from nearly all of them.

I wondered if this was what Brooklynn had in mind when she’d said we would stop at the next major depot, but I knew it wasn’t. The next depot was more than three hours away, and Sebastian’s complaints for the horses had grown more uncompromising with each minute that had passed.

I turned to see Brook coming out of the lead car, the train’s engine, accompanied by a man wearing a black wool suit with polished brass buttons. Golden fringe hung from his shoulders. The engineer, I assumed. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he gazed adoringly at Brooklynn on the step above him. She gingerly laid her hand in his, allowing him help her down the steel steps.

Aron rolled his eyes as he stood on the walkway, watching them. I could practically read his thoughts, which I was sure must mirror my own: as if Brook needed the man’s help. She was about as helpless as a full-grown tigress.

I bit my lip as she led the engineer in our direction, making it look too much like she’d tethered him to a leash. He didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, quite the opposite. If the unflinching grin he wore was any indicator, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

“Are you sure it’s no inconvenience?” I heard Brooklynn coo in a voice that sounded nothing like her usual commanding tone. “I wouldn’t want to put you too far behind schedule.” Her hand, which was on his forearm now, slid lower, until her fingertips brushed the bare skin at his wrist.


Tags: Kimberly Derting The Pledge Young Adult