Frost (26 page)

"You grow tired, Amora." His eyes were wide, glittering.

I didn't answer. Instead, something charged my muscles with wild strength, pushing me forward. I flung myself at him.

Leif shouted in surprise as I drove him back, swinging at his head and shoulders so fast that he was barely able to get his heavy sword up in time. I aimed for his head, and our swords crashed together. The blow vibrated through my arms, but I pressed down on his blade, forcing him to struggle for a few desperate seconds before he managed to throw me off.

He swung at me, and hot adrenaline pulsed through my veins as I danced back. I found myself smiling, a death grin, teeth bared, chest swelling with a strange, fierce happiness.

I ducked low and swept my foot out and Leif stumbled, off-balance, his arms pinwheeling. His broadsword fell from his grasp, clattering to the cement floor.

He hit the ground a second later and landed on his back with a sharp grunt.

A smattering of applause jerked my head up, and the room snapped back into focus. My limbs felt heavy and strange now that they belonged to me again. Numbly, I lifted one hand and stared at it.

What the hell had just happened?

The ladies of the court clapped, some tittering behind their hands. They swept their skirts up and exited together in a rustle of silk, still giggling and darting looks behind them, leaving a heady wave of perfume in their wake.

The queen remained behind, and she beckoned to me, a smile on her pale face.

My sword suddenly felt foreign in my hands. It was alarming, like I'd suddenly discovered that a part of my body didn't actually belong to me.

I looked at Leif, who was still sprawled on his back, clutching his head. Had I really done that? A thin sheen of sweat coated my skin, and it had started to turn cold and sticky.

Panic crept in. My hands felt numb, and I wanted to drop the katana. I gripped it firmly instead, stumbling over to where the queen was standing. I stayed silent. If I said something, my voice would shake and give me away.

The queen smiled, and though her face still looked carved from marble, her eyes shone.               Were those tears? 

She placed one hand on my arm. "My daughter has truly returned. My dear, Erik told me about your genetic memories. Today, you clearly accessed them. Leif is talented, but there is no way he could have taught you so much in one week." Her gaze roamed over my face like she was drinking me in. "You are truly ready for battle."

Ready for battle?

My breath hitched, and cold terror slithered down my spine. Fighting Leif was one thing, but there was nothing in me that felt like I was ready to start chopping heads off.

So, Leif hadn’t been lying to scare me after all. The queen really did expect me to fight in some insane battle. She was still staring at me, waiting for something, but terror squeezed my throat and glued my mouth shut, so I only nodded.

Queen Eira smiled. "Make sure you attend training every morning. I've asked Erik to teach you our history. He tells me you are doing well. You've exceeded my every expectation."

I mumbled a thank-you, hoping she would leave soon. My legs weren't doing a very good job holding me up anymore, and all I wanted to do was retreat to my bedroom and collapse onto the bed.

The queen and her procession finally left, and I turned to find Leif behind me, clutching his broadsword. For a moment I thought he was going to come at me again, but he just stood there and glared.

"What?" I stepped back, the point of my katana wavering in the air between us.

His face was flushed, his lips pale and trembling. "Again."

Something told me he wasn't going to fight fair. He might not kill me in front of a room full of people, but I could see him wounding me badly and passing it off as an accident. Nothing about him seemed rational.

"I can't. The queen said to meet Erik in the library for history lessons. He'll be wondering where I am." It was a partial lie. I was supposed to go to lunch first. Then the library. Technically, I could stay and fight, but I had no intention of letting him stab me.

Leif strode forward and seized my shirt, twisting it and pulling me closer. "You’re disobeying my direct order?"

"I am obeying the queen, as you should be." I was proud of how steady my voice sounded.

His hand slammed against my cheek with a resounding crack, snapping my head back, and pain seared through my cheek and jaw. I blinked and shook my head, and the room blurred as tears welled up.

The only reason I didn't stagger back was because of Leif’s grip on my shirt. My face throbbed, but I was too stunned to react.

He 
slapped
 me.

It was one thing to be clipped in hand-to-hand combat, but it was another to be bitch-slapped out of nowhere. "You're a sore loser, Your Highness." My voice shook, and I blinked hard, forcing the tears back.

"Do not 
ever
 think to lecture me about the queen. She’s
my
mother, not yours. When her fascination with you fades, you’ll cross the line and she’ll have you executed, a fate many have suffered before you. Don’t be fooled by her kindness." He released my shirt and shoved me backward.

The room swam around me, and I staggered and then caught my balance.

"Go on, then, if you're too much of a coward for a rematch."

I almost wanted to, just to see him end up on the floor again. But there was no guarantee the genetic memories would resurface a second time, and he might end up killing me in round two. Besides, my head was still spinning, and my entire body felt heavy.

I shoved through the doors and into the hallway, nearly blind with tears of pain and fury.

I hated him. It had taken me a few weeks to realize just how
much
I hated him. In my old life, there had been people I didn't like, but it had never been like this. I'd never hated anyone with such white-hot fury. For now, it even surpassed the initial panic about this battle the queen had talked about. I was too angry to really think about it.

Servants passed by as I hurried through the halls, but I kept my head down, hoping no one would notice my tears.

Someone loomed in my path, forcing me to look up. A servant, taller than usual, and pale, with elegant features. She studied me with sullen, blue eyes. Her face was smudged with dirt, and her hair was in tangles, but I still recognized her.

"Edda."

She was barely recognizable as the proud noblewoman I'd first met.

"Amora." She folded her arms over her chest and glowered at me. "You look upset."

 
Like you care
. "Right."

"Cousin Leif is giving you a hard time. I've heard." She gave me a venomous smile. "The servants talk."

I kept my mouth shut. There was no way I was taking the bait.

"It's probably because he realizes you're a freak."

Okay, bait taken.

Clenching my fists, I took a step toward her. "What, because I'm half human? You're a servant now. How do you come off high and mighty?"

"You're a genetic mutant." She moved back, keeping a few feet between us. Her ruby-colored lips curled in a sneer. "Do you know why you could freeze me like that? Because Amora could. You're not even a real person. You're just a genetic copy. A freak of nature. Eventually, she’ll take you over."

Something hot and bright swelled in my stomach, fear so intense that prickles of rage crept over my skin. "You have five seconds to get the hell out of my way, Edda."

She stepped to one side, obviously content that her barbs had hit home.

I marched past, holding my head high until I'd turned the corner, out of sight.

What the hell had she been talking about? Nobody had said anything about being taken over. It felt like I'd swallowed rocks.

Skipping the dining hall, I went straight to the library, where I could think in peace. I was surprised to see Erik already waiting. That was good though. Maybe I could get some answers from him.

He looked up when I entered, and his smile faded."Amora, what's the matter? You look upset. Was it Leif again?"

It was so much more than that. The strange feelings during the fight. The battle. What Lady Edda said. I hardly knew which problem to bring up first.

"Yes...no. I mean..." I yanked a chair out and sat across from him, taking a deep breath, wondering if I was going to sound like a crazy person. "Is she just going to take over at some point?”

 He looked stunned. "What? Who?”

“I mean Amora. In the training room, I had this super-intense fight with Leif. It was like...it wasn’t me. Worse than usual…" I hesitated, struggling to express it.

Erik sighed, scraping a hand through his hair. "It's complicated. Essentially, your DNA is fused with that of Amora's. When I say you inherited her memories, I mean all of them, including muscle memory."

The thought that some freaky DNA might be taking over my body was slightly terrifying. "So she was right. I really am a genetic freak." Horror curled my gut, and I took a deep, shaky breath. "She really could take me over."

He shook his head. "It's not like that. You have part of her in you, yes.” He brushed a finger over my hand, sending tingles up my arm. "But you're still you. The majority of your DNA is human. You'll find that muscle memory will take over in a tight spot. It may seem like something is controlling you, and my suggestion is to let it, since it will save you. But you'll always snap back to you."

I frowned. "Are you sure? Lady Edda said—"

"Lady Edda?" He leaned back in his chair, arching a brow at me.

My face started burning. "Okay, I get it. She obviously hates me, so she said it to freak me out. But you don't get it. This didn't
feel
like muscle memory. It's not like that. It was like... like I wasn't in control of my body.” I shuddered.

"It felt bizarre because, though it's technically muscle memory, you've never actually done any of that stuff before." Erik smiled. "So it would feel very foreign and, at the same time, strangely familiar."

That was a pretty accurate description. The knot in my chest started to unravel a little bit. "Okay, that's a relief. It's good to know that I'm not
actually
going to turn into her."

He ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I'm sorry if everyone here keeps making you feel like...like you're someone else. I know the queen is projecting all of her hopes and guilt onto you. I know Leif hates you because you remind him of her. And..." He paused, his eyes fixed on my face like he was trying to memorize it. Or Amora’s, more likely. "I'll try not to think of her every time I look at you, but it is difficult."