MORNING STRUCK A FEW hours after leaving the nixies' hideaway, giving light for Calder and I to fully see our surroundings. I kept my eyes on him as much as I could to take note of his behavior, which had changed since our steamy kiss. His face was stony and his muscles hitched just like when we first met, and I didn't like it. Was it something I did? Was it because of what happened in the heat of the moment when he lost control of his powers?

Calder hadn't said a word since then. He was in the position of the same brooding man he used to be, who would tell me nothing of what was going on. I cleared my throat and watched him straighten himself on his horse at the sound.

"How did you know of that place, and that it was good to hide in?" I asked. "You didn't have to stop and think a single moment when you told me where to go."

Calder took a moment to contemplate his answer just as he did before, and my irritation of it resurfaced.

"I used to go there when I'd run away from my mother as a child, and hide from her guards," he replied. "I only tried it twice because both times that I was returned to her she beat me for my defiance."

My chest tightened slightly as an image of young Calder bruised and bloody crossed my mind. I swallowed hard.

"You knew a lot about the nixies too, and the dwarf. How much were you taught on all of this realm's creatures? No one, not even the Clan has informed me on any that there are. Creatures or not, they're my subjects too."

"My mother provided me a field guide my father had constructed on all of the creatures. It labeled drawings of them and their habitats, abilities, and what they eat. He was always fascinated with them from what little I can remember of him. But when she gave it to me I was told to use it as a weapon at my disposal. A lot of the pages she used as instructions on how to kill or control them, whichever she could get by with. Some of the creatures have become extinct by her hand just like the fey, apart from what she's made me kill."

It gave me a slight anger at the fact that not only had Sylvi destroyed my people, but that she murdered innocent creatures too. How many casualties had their truly been the years I was away? How many more were going to be spent if Calder and I couldn't find the sword?

I didn't want to imagine. I quickly changed the subject because I knew what was really weighing on me that I had to address to Calder.

"What. . .was all of that back there?" I asked, looking ahead of me to maneuver my horse around a fallen tree.

"What?" Calder replied, but it sounded off, almost surprised. I mentally groaned and turned my gaze to him.

"Calder, you've been quiet since we left the hideaway. I don't want to go back to tha-"

I stopped when I noticed Calder staring off into the distance, the look on his face now alarmed. I followed his eyes to see a shape, but I couldn't make out what it was.

"What is it? Another creature?"

"Not exactly," Calder spoke gravely.

A throaty growl ripped through the being's chest, stalking towards us with clangs echoing across the way. It sounded just as the iron knights did when they moved and it made my gut lurch. As it came close enough to make out what it was I gasped, covering my mouth. The horses reared with neighs of alarm.

"It's an iron wolf," Calder spoke in disbelief.

Before I could even ask how that was possible the beast charged. There didn't seem to be any time to react as Calder's voice rang in my ears.

"Go!"

The wolf howled like a beacon call, spooking my horse once more and throwing me off. I screamed as I fell and hit my back hard against the snowy ground.

"Eerika!" Calder called my name, jumping down from his horse. I tried to sit up though my head was spinning, and when my vision was clear I noticed the wolf now close. Calder was running to my aid, but I quickly alerted him of the beast's attack.

"Calder, look out!"

Calder quickly turned around, unsheathing his sword and striking the beast in the head. I rose myself off the ground not sure of what to do. The wolf snarled as if the strike had no affect just like the iron knights, and my panic set in. Calder quickly turned to me, his eyes as wild as the horses'.

"Run! Run as fast as you can, and don't stop! Find a place to hide, I'll come for you!"

"No, I'm not leaving you this time!" I refused, gasping when the wolf tried to chomp at Calder's arm.

"Go!" Calder shouted, hitting the beast with a blast of ice.

With my chest in knots and hesitant to go I stepped backwards, tripping over a rock. Scrambling myself back up I started forward, but froze when another sight appeared before me. Two traitors dressed in armor, older than the ones Calder saw earlier, noticed us. They gripped onto their sheathed swords.

"Look, it's the princess!" one of them pointed.

"Let's get her for Her Majesty. Come on!" said the other, and the two also charged. My heart threatened to crash through my ribs, screaming at me to move but I was paralyzed.

A cry from Calder rang behind me, and I jerked myself around to see him gripping his arm. I tried to run towards him but a hand suddenly covered my mouth with two strong arms constricting me. I screamed, muffled under the traitor's dirty grip.

"Well hello there," the other one spoke to me slyly, a thin smirk plastered on his pale face. "Haven't you caused quite a stir in My Majesty's kingdom since you arrived. Is that your little friend over there, your protector from the true queen? Looks like he'll be busy for a while so we have a chance to chat."

I jerked against the other faery's hold but to no avail of breaking free. I looked over at Calder still in deep battle with the iron wolf, enduring his own struggle and no chance to help me.

The faery in front of me reached out and stroked down my neck, a shiver coiling through my spine. If my hands had been free I would've slapped him across the face, but they were bound behind me with no way of using my powers either. I was trapped.

"Such a pretty," the man cooed. "I can't seem to understand how a small thing like you has the queen so out of sorts. You probably couldn't even hurt a little pixie, could you? Let alone defend yourself."

The man restraining me laughed, the other following. I threw the one in front of me a sharp glare and grunted into the other's hand.

"I believe she wants to speak," the one in front pointed. "Remove your hand, Egil."

Egil did as he was told, and with my speech free I sneered at the man in charge. "Touch me again and I'll tear your testicles off to turn into an icicle and shove it up your ass."

The man laughed as if I was speaking child's play, stepping closer and taking my face in one large hand. "I would much rather have the pleasure of shoving it up someplace else, Princess, but sadly my duties come first. Oh, but what the hell? The queen does not even know we've found you yet. I'm sure we both could fit something into the schedule. In fact I have always wondered what it would be like with at least one of the Arnesen sisters. Haven't you Egil?"

I spit right into the leader's face and he jerked himself back with a growl, wiping it away. Before I could blink his hand slapped across my face, making it sting from the hard impact.

"What are we going to do with her, Vegard?" Egil asked, holding tighter of my now slumped body.

"We're taking her back to the queen, obviously. She can deal with the little brat there. I'm ready for this mess to be done with."

Not a moment after the words left Vegard's mouth did a giant icicle shoot up from the ground and skewer him, blood painting the snow.

"And so your wish be fulfilled," Calder snarled to him, finally free from his battle as the iron wolf laid in its own stabbed position. I gave a small scream in surprise of Vegard's end, Egil taking quick action and starting to drag me along.

Calder conjured an ice wall from the ground that was maybe ten feet high, as well as on the sides so there was no chance for escape.

"Let her go," he ordered Egil who looked around him unsure how to react. He pulled out his sword and held it to my throat, making his own threats to somehow save himself from despair.

"I'll do it. Don't think I won't," Egil said. "The queen wants her dead anyway. I would be greatly rewarded for finishing the job myself. It can all be over in one swipe. You wouldn't even have a second to give her your powers to save her. So you better just stay right where you are, Pretty Boy."

"Calder," my voice shook, a tear slipping down my cheek.

Calder's conflicted eyes darted back and forth from me to Egil, clenching his jaw before lowering his sword.

"That's good. Just like that," Egil nodded. Then a chuckle erupted in his throaty voice. "You know you look real familiar to me. I just cannot seem to place it. What was that name you called him, girl? Calder? Calder. . .Oh, this is rich!" Egil exclaimed with another laugh, "You're the queen's son!"

"You should remember me well," Calder sneered at him, "You were one of the men who held me down while she tortured me!"

Egil sighed blissfully, "Ah, such a good memory. We thought you were dead. How glad the queen will be when she finds out you're not. And that you have changed sides, protecting the princess! No surprise to me though, you always were soft. You uh, you got feelings for her too?"

Calder clenched his jaw once more in silence, and again Egil cackled. "What a pickle you're in! It's quite sad really. You get to watch someone you care for die right before your eyes just like the other one, and then I get to kill you. What a great day for me."

Egil's hand then raised with his sword to strike me, Calder's scream echoing across the forest.

"No!"

In a single second of Egil being off guard and focused on his swing I broke a hand free. I shot an icy spike through his crotch and he cried out in pain, stumbling back and releasing me entirely. I made an attempt to run to Calder but Egil's sword caught my leg and sliced my thigh. My own cry of pain rang out, and I fell to the ground with Calder dashing towards me.

Egil was able to pull the spike out and still stand, clutching himself as he bled. Stumbling forward he raised his sword to deliver the final blow. I tried my best to scoot away from him, my blood dragging across the snow, but it was no use. I closed my eyes to accept the fate, letting my family and Calder be the last thought.

Egil roared, but then it was replaced with the sounds of wet garbles. I opened my now widened eyes to see a frozen spike running straight through his neck from Calder. Egil fell to his knees and went face first into the snow.

I tried to catch my breath, tears streaming down my face at everything that had just occurred. Calder was quickly knelt down at my side, his hands shaky as he cupped my face and stroked my hair.

"Are you ok? Are you ok?" his voice was alarmed and painful, worried eyes darting all over my face.

"My leg," I strained to say, dizziness starting to come over me from my loss of blood.

Calder quickly placed a hand over the wound to stop the bleeding, using the other to rip off a strip of his cloak to use as a tourniquet. Tying the cloth above the wound and clotting the area, he wiped his hands in the snow and held me to his chest.

"I'm sorry," his voice shook, kissing my forehead. "I'm so sorry."

Gently picking me up into his arms he placed me on my horse. "We have to find a cave to settle. You can't travel through the day or into night until I clean and sew up the wound," Calder said. "I know of one but it's at least four hours from here. Can you hold on until then?"

Though still dizzy I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."

Calder hesitated a moment but then quickly mounted his horse, and we both started in a gallop down the path.