Midnight Frost (25 page)

“Come,” Nike said. “She has given you the only gift she can. Let us leave Eir in peace, as she has asked of me.”

We walked back through the woods until we reached the cavern. Instead of going back inside, I stared at the bracelet, then at Nike.

“You’re always playing some sort of game, aren’t you?” I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my voice.

“What do you mean?”

I threw my hands wide. “I mean—this. All of this. Me. My friends. Coming here. The Reapers poisoning Nickamedes. You planned it all, didn’t you? So I would come here, and Eir would give me the laurels and mistletoe.”

She shook her head. “I did not plan anything, Gwendolyn. The Spartan librarian being poisoned was what was always going to happen. You and your friends made your own choices, and you used your own free will, just the way you always do.”

I didn’t understand how some things could seemingly be predetermined, while my friends and I still had free will about others. Trying to puzzle it out made my head hurt, like always. Still, I kept staring at the goddess. There was more to all of this than she was telling me, and I let her see the questions and suspicions in my eyes.

After a moment, she nodded her head.

“I admit that I had . . . hopes you would prove yourself to Eir, that you would show her the goodness in your heart,” Nike said. “She had been . . . undecided about getting involved in the Pantheon’s fight against Loki. But you convinced her to give us a weapon that we needed, that
you
needed.”

I stared down at the silver laurels once more. “A weapon? So is this how I’m supposed to kill Loki then? With these? I thought I had to find a spear or something—that mysterious shadowy thing that’s on the fresco on the ceiling of the Library of Antiquities that you showed me.”

Nike shook her head. “You know I cannot tell you that, Gwendolyn. I can only give you the tools you need to fight Loki and his Reapers. How you use them is up to you.”

“Of course you can’t,” I sniped. “Because that would just be too freaking easy. Because that would just make too much
sense
.”

She kept staring at me.

“Call it whatever you want,” I finally muttered. “It just sounds like gods and their games to me.”

“War is nothing
but
a game, Gwendolyn,” she replied. “One with a winner—and a loser.”

I didn’t tell her I was tired of being part of her games—and most especially the Reapers’ tricks. If Nike didn’t know that by now, well, she wasn’t as smart as she seemed to be—or as powerful. But there was nothing I could do but tuck the bracelet under the sleeve of my snowsuit. I would have to add it to my list of things to research. Sometimes I thought I spent more time in the library looking through books these days than Nickamedes did. My heart twinged at the thought of him. I wondered how he was doing—and whether he was even still alive.

“I know you are upset with me, Gwendolyn,” Nike said. “But it is not easy, trying to win a war, especially against an enemy as foul as Loki.”

I sighed. “I know. I just hate that I’m caught in the middle of it all. I never wanted this, you know?”

“I know,” she replied. “I never wanted it for you either. But it is what must be done.”

I frowned, wondering what she meant, but the goddess leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, the way she always did whenever our time together was coming to an end. It was a brief touch, just a whisper of her lips against my skin, but once again, the cold, fierce waves of her power washed over me, giving me the strength I needed to continue. And this time, the cold didn’t seem to vanish—instead, I felt it seep into the silver laurel bracelet, until it felt as if a string of snowflakes was encircling my wrist. But the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. If anything, it was a reminder of the goddess—and her faith in me.

Nike straightened up and stepped back, and the snow began to swirl around her once more. “Be well, Gwendolyn.”

She bowed her head and clasped her hands together once more. She stood in front of me for a moment longer. Then, she was gone, swallowed up by the snow, as if she’d never even been there to start with.

I woke with a start.

One second, I was outside by myself in the snow. The next, I was in the middle of the gryphons’ cavern. I sat up, yawned, and rubbed the crusty sleep out of the corners of my eyes. I glanced to my left to see that Logan was sitting up and staring at me.

“You’re awake,” I said in a soft voice so I wouldn’t disturb the still-sleeping gryphons.

He gave me a wan smile. “You didn’t think I’d miss the rest of our trip, did you, Gypsy girl?”

I snorted. “Oh no. Why should I get to have all the fun?”

He laughed, then gestured at the creatures that were sprawled around us. “You, um, want to tell me how we wound up here? And why we’re both not a pile of bones yet?”

I told him how Daphne, Rory, and I had helped the baby gryphon on our way up the mountain and how the creatures had returned the favor by saving us from the storm.

When I finished, Logan nodded, but then his face turned serious. “Well, gryphons or not, I want to thank you—for taking care of me. I know it would have been easier if you’d left me behind on the trail.”

“I couldn’t leave you behind. I would never do that.”

His mouth flattened out. “Maybe you should have.”

I stared at him. Ink-black hair, ice-blue eyes, muscled body. On the outside, Logan looked the same as always, but I could see the difference in him—in the droop of his shoulders, in the shadows that haunted his eyes, and most especially in his smile. It wasn’t the fun, confident, teasing grin I remembered. No, now his smile just seemed . . . sad. The same sort of sad smile that Rory’s parents had had in their photos—and my dad in his. I was so
sick
of seeing those sad, defeated smiles.

I knew Logan was hurting, but I was too. Maybe it was my frustrating conversation with Nike, maybe it was all the nightmares, or maybe it was simply everything that had happened over the past few weeks, but once again, that mix of hurt and anger bubbled up inside me—and this time the anger won.

“Oh, quit feeling sorry for yourself.”

Logan blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I said, my voice growing harsh. “Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Yeah, something horrible happened to you, and the Reapers tried to turn you into Loki’s little soul puppet. But you know what, Spartan? Horrible things have happened to all of us now—and more terrible things are in store. So suck it up and get back in the fight.”

“I don’t understand,” Logan said, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “I thought you weren’t mad at me.”

I let out a breath. “I’m not mad at you because you attacked me. I’m mad at you because you’re giving up—because you’re
quitting
. I thought Spartans never quit.”

Logan sighed. “But you don’t understand. I could be a danger to you and the others. Loki . . . I could still be connected to him. I don’t want to risk hurting you again.”

I couldn’t stop the tears from filling my eyes or the words from tumbling off my lips. “You’ve already hurt me. You broke my heart by leaving, by going back on your promise to me. You said you’d always be there for me, fighting right by my side against the Reapers, and you left—you just
left
. Without even giving me a chance to say good-bye, or to tell you that I understood.”

“I was afraid you’d try to convince me to stay,” he whispered. “And that I’d let you.”

“I know,” I whispered back. “I know that you just wanted to get away after what Agrona and the Reapers did to you, but it hurt all the same. It still hurts, knowing that you’ll be leaving again the second we get back to the academy and Nickamedes is okay.”

Logan didn’t say anything. I got to my feet and turned away so he wouldn’t see me brushing the tears from my eyes. I’d just finished wiping the last of them away when I realized I could see daylight through the cavern entrance—real daylight and not the twilight world I’d been in with Nike and Eir.

I drew in a breath, lifted my chin, and faced Logan once more. Because no matter how much I would have liked to find someplace to curl up into a ball and cry, we still had to hike the rest of the way down the mountain so we could get the ambrosia flower to Nickamedes in time.

“It’s light outside,” I said in a dull tone. “We should get moving. Ajax and the others will probably come searching for us soon.”

Logan nodded. We didn’t look at each other as we got ready to leave.

 

I packed up my sleeping bag, grabbed my backpack from the bed of needles and grasses, and hoisted it onto my shoulders. I also walked over to the wall where I’d propped up Vic last night. The sword let out a wide, jaw-cracking yawn, then regarded me with a sleepy purple eye.

“Good,” he said. “You’re up. That means I can finally get some sleep. Don’t wake me unless there is something to kill.”

Before I could even say anything, he’d snapped his eye shut. Less than a minute later, he started snoring and talking in his sleep.

“Bloody Reapers . . .” he mumbled. “Going to kill them all . . .”

Vic didn’t stir as I picked him up and belted the scabbard around my waist.

With that task complete, there was nothing left to do but to finally turn and face Logan again. He had gotten to his feet, although he was a bit wobbly. He clutched at his side, but he seemed to be a little stronger than the day before. I took a sip of water from the bottle I’d been carrying in my backpack, then gave him the rest. He downed it in one gulp. I also offered him the last packet of granola that I had, but he shook his head, telling me he didn’t want it. Neither did I, so I stuffed it into one of my pockets.

“Can you walk?” I asked. “Do you want me to check your wound again?”

He shook his head. “I can make it, with your help. I think we should leave the bandage alone. Otherwise, the wound might start bleeding again.”

I nodded, stepped forward, and slid my arm under his shoulder. We fell silent, although he leaned on me as we slowly headed outside.

When Logan and I stepped out of the cavern, the cold was like a slap in the face, and the bitter chill instantly seeped through all my layers of clothes.

But the worst part was the snow.

More than a foot of the white stuff had fallen overnight—a thick, heavy, wet snow that would be difficult to walk through even if Logan wasn’t injured. Not to mention the fact that we were deep in the forest, and I didn’t have a clue as to where the trail was—or how to find it.

“Where’s the trail from here?” Logan asked, voicing my thoughts.

“I have no idea. Maybe the gryphons can take us back to it.”

Our movements in the cavern had woken the gryphons, and they’d followed us outside, screeching, yawning, and stretching, shaking off the last of their sleep as Logan and I had. I helped Logan lean against the side of the cavern while I went in search of the leader. He was standing outside with the others, with the baby snuggled by his side.

I looked at the adult gryphon, wondering if he’d really been with Eir in the clearing earlier, but I had no way of knowing.

I cleared my throat. “Um, so I was wondering how my friend and I can get back to the trail? You know, so we can walk the rest of the way down the mountain?”

The gryphon cocked his head to the side, as if he didn’t understand what I was asking. I pumped my arms up and down by my sides and marched in place, trying to show him what I wanted. The gryphon stared at me a moment longer, then dropped down onto his belly in the snow. He screeched, spread his wings wide, and then waggled them at me before making a little hopping motion, like he was about to take off into the air. He did that over and over, but I didn’t understand him any more than he did me. I looked at Logan, but he shrugged.

“Don’t look at me,” he said. “I don’t speak gryphon.”

“Oh, it’s so bloody
obvious
,” Vic grumbled. “He wants you to ride him.”

I looked down at the sword. “I thought you were going to sleep.”

“Hard to sleep with all this bloody screeching going on,” he muttered. “Apparently, I have to translate as well as stand guard. My work is
never
done.”

I ignored the sword’s snit and faced the gryphon again. “Do you really want us . . . to ride you?”

He nodded.

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

The gryphon narrowed his bronze eyes and screeched again. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. And really, we didn’t have another choice anyway. Not if we wanted to get off the mountain in time to get the ambrosia flower back to Nickamedes.

“Come on, Gypsy girl,” Logan said, grinning. “It’ll be fun.”

I sighed, thinking that his idea of fun was far, far different from mine.

 

I helped Logan climb up onto the gryphon’s broad back; then I got up in front of him. I also grabbed Ran’s net out of my backpack and used it to tie Logan, Vic, and myself to the creature—because I really,
really
did not want to fall off. I also hoped the net would make the three of us that much lighter. I’d seen Black rocs carry more than one rider, and the gryphon probably had the same sort of strength, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt.

The gryphon seemed amused by my wrapping the net around and around all of our bodies, and he gave a little huff, as if he was laughing at me.

“What?” I muttered. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re the only one with wings here. Logan and I can’t fly like you can. If we fall off, well, we won’t even have time to scream on the way down.”

The gryphon let out another huffing laugh.

Finally, when I was as ready as I could be, I gently put my hand down on the gryphon’s head and smoothed out his bronze fur.

“Please take us back,” I said.

The gryphon let out a loud, fierce, wild cry and launched himself into the air. In the space of a few heartbeats, we’d shot up hundreds of feet into the sky. My hands tightened around Ran’s net, and I felt Logan’s arm slide firmly around my waist.

“Easy,” he murmured in my ear. “If Vivian and Agrona can do it, so can we. The gryphon isn’t going to let us fall. So just relax and enjoy the ride.”

It took me a few minutes to unclench my fingers and jaw enough to do that. The gryphon flew at an easy pace, his wings spread wide, sailing up and down on the air currents. Slowly, I began to enjoy the high, airy, weightless sensation. It was almost like we were a feather floating this way and that on the breeze. Eventually, I was able to look over the side of the gryphon’s body. For a moment, I wished I hadn’t, as the forest, trees, and rocks zipped by us below, becoming a white, green, and gray blur. But I slowly got used to the sensation, and I realized just how wonderful it was—like being completely, utterly free.

I wondered if this was how Vivian felt whenever she rode her Black roc. I wondered if she got any happiness out of soaring through the sky on the creature—or if she ever enjoyed anything besides hurting other people. But I pushed thoughts of the Reaper girl out of my mind, determined to enjoy this moment for as long as I could.

The other gryphons joined us in the air, even the baby, and they formed a sort of honor guard around us. I found myself laughing and waving at the creatures, even as the wind tore away my happy chuckles and sent them sailing down to the ground so very far below. Behind me, I could hear Logan laughing and cheering, as well. He was enjoying the ride just as much as I was. Even Vic chimed in on occasion with a
Jolly good show. Jolly good show, old boys.

We flew down the mountain, and I got glimpses of the winding trail that we’d first come up. Once he sensed us relaxing, the gryphon picked up the pace, pumping his wings back and forth, and flying faster and faster. Soon, we left the mountaintop completely behind and were zooming over Snowline Ridge. Below, the people and cars on the streets looked like tiny toys half-buried in the snow. I leaned over the gryphon’s side and waved, although I doubted anyone could see me. A few people looked up as the gryphons’ shadows slid over their heads, but they quickly ducked back into whatever shop they’d come out of. I kept laughing.

Finally, though, the academy came into sight. Like everything else, snow covered the grounds, but I still spotted the wall that ringed the campus, as well as the buildings on the main quad.

I leaned forward. “Set us down there,” I told the gryphon. “Right in the middle of everything.”

The creature nodded, let out another screech, and started circling down toward the ground.

One kid looked up and caught sight of the gryphons. He started yelling at his classmates, and, soon, everyone’s heads were turned up in our direction. All I could hear was the wind roaring in my ears, but I could imagine the chatter of conversation on the ground.

People came rushing out of all the buildings, mouths open, eyes wide with shock. It took me a few minutes, but I finally spotted my friends among the mix. All I had to do was look for a splash of head-to-toe pink, and I saw Daphne, with the others standing beside her. I waved, even though I wasn’t sure they could see me.

Finally, the gryphons glided to the ground right in the center of the main quad. Whispers swirled all around me, but I ignored them as I untied Logan, Vic, and myself from Ran’s net and the gryphon’s back and slid to the ground.

I pulled off my glove and put my bare hand against the gryphon’s side. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything.”

And then I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to show the gryphon how much I appreciated his helping me and Logan—and saving our lives.

The gryphon bowed his head, then nudged me with it. I knew what he wanted, and I laughed and scratched the top of his head. Once more, I felt the creature’s warm feelings of friendship and gratitude wash over me.

“You know,” I murmured, “if you’re ever out in my mountains, I’d love to take another ride sometime.”