She didn’t leave deep footprints. One of the advantages of being the Snow Queen Evander guessed. Though she was no longer winter’s master, she was clearly still its friend. She simply glided across the slippery, snowy white surface. But she couldn’t go completely without making a mark and within a minute of realising she had bolted, Evander found her trial and followed it. He had his bow out, an arrow sitting in its shaft, ready to strike if he needed to.

He felt no emotion other than determination. Guilt, embarrassment, rage, everything would have to wait until she was back in his custody. He ducked beneath a branch and stepped out into an opening. It was a wide clearing with a circle of trees around it. It was a lake. A frozen lake. Evander tested the surface gingerly and heard it crack beneath his heavy boot. It only looked solid. There was likely less than a hand’s width of ice between himself and the deadly cold water below. He couldn’t risk crossing it, even though Meredith’s light footprints clearly showed she had done so.

As he began to skirt the outside of the lake he saw there was a hole in the centre of it. Something had broken through. He felt his heart twist in his chest, fearing the worst. Then out of the hole, a pale limb appeared, a hand shot straight into the air and suddenly the ice erupted upwards into an ornate staircase that Meredith climbed out of, clad only in her thin wool tunic. She tossed her wet hair over her shoulders and as she did so she caught sight of Evander on the shore, bow and arrow sighted at her thin breast.

She gave him a look of such astonishment that Evander was dumbfounded for a moment. Then the ice cracked beneath her feet and suddenly she plunged into the water with a shriek. Instinctively he reacted, throwing his bow and arrow aside and launching himself out onto the ice, sliding across its surface on his belly until he reached the hole. He grabbed one of Meredith’s hands and began to drag her up.

“Ow!” She cried. “What are you doing? You’re hurting me! Let go!”

“I’ve got you! Come on!”

“Let go I said!” Meredith yanked her wrist free and pulled back, still half in the broken ice hole, her torso and legs deep in the freezing cold water. She glared at him. “Can’t a woman bathe in peace? I told you I stink.”

Evander gaped at her. “It’s ice water! No one bathes in ice water!”

Meredith raised her eyebrows. “Snow Queen.” She said and Evander’s neck burned in embarrassment. The futility of his rescue dawned on him and he scrambled backwards, bunching his weight together as he tried to get far from this humiliating spectacle as possible. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”

“What…” And that’s all he managed to say before the ice caved in beneath him and he plunged into the freezing cold black of the lake. A million tiny shards of ice pierced him all over and he screamed in pain, water filling his mouth and blinding his eyes. He thrashed about, trying to reach the surface but he sunk far from its rim. And the icy cold water was paralysing. Suddenly something bubbled up beneath him and he was launched upwards, pushed past the water, through the hole and into the air, flopping on the surface of the lake. He couldn’t think, couldn’t move…all he could do was shake wildly and Evander knew that he was going to die. Without a change of clothes on hand or a fire, he was out of options.

“Damn fool!” Meredith’s voice barked at him and he felt his collar gripped and was dragged across the lake’s surface at a lightning pace. “All I wanted was to bathe. I’ve been in the same clothes for weeks on end, not to mention I still have cell mould beneath my fingernails and soot in my hair from the furnace. Is it too much to ask for a woman to be clean? My hair could have started sprouting mushrooms! And now you’ve gone and been damn heroic and made a fatal mistake.” She berated him the whole way back to their campsite, which was fortunately not far away and heaved him onto his bedroll. Evander was dropping in and out of darkness, his chest so tight it was constricting his breathing. He had stopped shaking now, nearly comatose. He didn’t flinch as she pulled his coat off, which was attempting to freeze to his other clothing. His boots and socks were removed as well until he was in his tunic and trousers only. It felt like it had taken hours for her to do but it was mere seconds and suddenly Meredith forced him upright against a tree, sat on his lap facing him and wrapped her arms and legs around his body.

Even in Evander’s befuddled state he knew this was highly inappropriate. “What…are…”

“Stop talking.” Meredith snapped. “I’m concentrating.”

And somehow…with her body pressed against his, she began to draw the cold from his limbs. It didn’t start from anywhere in particular. It just happened all over. She was like a sponge, soaking up the ice, the cold and the death from his body. And in the absence of the cold…warmth began to spread…and then his body began to shake. He shook so hard his teeth clattered together and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop himself.

“Your body is attempting to warm itself up.” Meredith said in his ear. “Do not fight it.”

Evander couldn’t have, had he even tried after that. He was out of control and knew nothing else until the shaking had subsided and Meredith pulled back. Her complexion was nearly white against the black backdrop of her damp hair. Her eyes were startlingly blue as she looked at him. His attempt to speak only resulted in chattering teeth.

“I have removed the deadly chill from you but we are both wet. You need dry clothes.”

She clambered off him and dug through his satchel. Evander couldn’t have been modest had he had the presence of mind to do so. He stripped out of his wet clothes and pulled the dry ones on almost violently. When he turned to Meredith he saw her emerge from behind a tree, having changed beyond his sight. She tied her hair back and looked at him.

“Can you start a fire?” He shook his head, still trembling all over. “Then sit again.” This time she sat in his lap with her back to him. She took his arms and wrapped them around her. “Just relax. Let your body do what it needs to do and I’ll take the cold away.”

Evander did so, surprised that the body he held wasn’t warm at all. She was cool and pulled the cold away from him, pooling it into her body so that his own body heat could warm him back up. Embarrassingly for Evander some of his body heat was coming from his body’s reaction to a beautiful woman being in his arms. He wanted to let go but his arms were stiff as though he was frozen in position. Instead he lifted his eyes to the heavens and prayed that Meredith would show an uncharacteristic moment of restraint and not comment on his biological response.

“What were you thinking?” She asked, probably not expecting an answer.

“You ran away. I thought…”

“I left my outer layers in a pile over there.” She nodded in their direction as if their presence justified everything and anything. “I may enjoy the cold but I didn’t want to travel wet so I removed them.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder. “We’ll stay like this for another hour and then we should move and try to find a tavern. You’ll do better when you can have a hot meal…or a bath…or both.”

His nod could have been mistaken for trembling but Meredith didn’t seem to need an answer. She also didn’t make any remarks on their intimate situation, even once they were on horseback and travelling along a road. Evander’s body was wrung out and he felt both stiff and crumpled all at the same time. They stopped at the first village they came to and Meredith was swift in ordering a room, hot meals and paid excessive money for a bath to be drawn. It was a large, round tub filled with water in their room and Meredith ordered Evander to go straight from the water to sit in front of the fireplace and then left him alone. When he thought he couldn’t stand the beast growling in his belly anymore she knocked on the door and entered with two enormous plates of steaming stew, bread and butter.

“I don’t think they’ve ever seen a piece of silver before.” She chuckled. “The entire village is bending over backwards to make sure we are accommodated. I think this could be the tavern owner’s own room.”

Evander attacked his meal without an ounce of the decorum he had been trained to do as a prince. His manner was probably reminiscent of a savage but he didn’t care. When he was scraping his bowl clean he looked up…and saw Meredith’s amused expression. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cleared his throat, embarrassed.

“That was surprisingly good.”

“Indeed.” She licked her teeth and smiled. “I asked for the best.”

“You speak their language?”

“I was born around here…somewhere.”

“You don’t know where?”

“No.” Meredith threw him her piece of bread and he bit into it, astonished at how hungry he was. “I didn’t really know much about the world beyond the view of my home. I know there was a forest and considering the tree that grew at its centre, probably one of the oldest forests around. There was an odd shaped lake nearby where I skipped stones. I remember that the forest was extensive and that it snowed in winter and was cool in summer. And I could speak the language of my father.”

“So here…but further north?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. I really don’t know for sure.” She looked up. “Give me your hands.” Evander put the last piece of bread in his mouth and held them out. She studied his fingers and pressed the tips. “There does not seem to be any permanent damage. But in the future I would not take to swimming in ice water if I were you.” Evander swallowed his mouthful and nodded. Meredith let go of his fingers and looked at the fire and he continued to look at her. Her alkaline features were sharpened in the warm glow, light glancing off her skin as if it was scared to stay. Her curls were rich and springy again and in her eyelashes…it looked like there were tiny snowflakes dotted along the very tips. Her breath was white even though the room was warm and she sighed deeply. “Why did you try to save me?”

Evander started. “That’s a strange question.”

“Not an unreasonable one.”

“I thought you were drowning, or dying, in that ice water. I’d forgotten that you prefer the cold to anything else.” Evander watched her turn to him, one eyebrow raised. “Am I wrong?”

“I can understand forgetting that I am the Snow Queen and trying to save an ordinary human from freezing to death,” she said as if his response was a touch stupid, “but only last night you were damning me and in your eyes I read deadly intention. You would have happily killed me then.”

“I would have happily killed you right up to the moment before you fell through the ice.”

“What changed?”

Evander breathed out and shook his head. “I couldn’t watch you die.”

Meredith frowned. “But you have slain dozens of the enemy, my soldiers.”

“Hundreds probably.”

“And I was their Queen.”

“Because I killed them in battle does not mean I enjoyed it.” Evander explained. “In the heat of battle you land a fatal blow and move on. I did not sit around, watching them die as if it was entertaining. And I could not watch you drown or freeze. I get no enjoyment out of it.”

Meredith thought about this and Evander was astonished that she was puzzled by such a remark and even more astonishingly that she was listening to what he said. And then something else dawned on him that he hadn’t realised.

“I never said thank you.” He blurted.

“For what?”

“For saving my life. You didn’t have to.”

Meredith shrugged. “We have a very long way to go and the road is dangerous to a woman travelling on her own. Once the snow melts and winter is over, I will be virtually powerless.”

“So you rescued your bodyguard cum jailer?”

“And I wanted to see what it felt like.”

“What felt like?” Evander asked.

Meredith looked at him…or rather, she looked at the vial around his neck. Though it held the ashes of someone neither of them had met, its small insignificant presence had a profound effect on those who saw it. She touched it with her cold fingertips as though trying to see something that was invisible. “Saving a life instead of taking it.”

Evander felt his cheeks burn. “And?”

Her eyes rose from the vial to his and she blinked, bringing his face with the unshaven jaw, the scar on his chin and the blue of his eyes into focus. “I’m tired.” She said abruptly, standing up. She was held in place when Evander grabbed her hand.

“And?” He insisted.

Meredith sighed. “And…maybe you were right. Maybe I don’t know truth. Maybe I need you to teach me.” She pulled her hand free and shook off the brief vulnerable moment with a half laugh. “If Jé Kinah can change, maybe I can too.” She climbed into bed without any more ado and snuggled down. Evander noticed that she didn’t make any snide remarks about him sleeping in the same bed as her and for that he was grateful. With the fire dying down, the room was deliciously warm and he was content to curl up on the rug in front of the fire.

He was warm and safe and content with his life for a brief moment before Meredith said,

“Who knows…maybe you’re my Luka.”

They travelled for weeks. Meredith kept insisting that the land they crossed was all part of one country. Evander struggled to comprehend this. The country just kept going and going, sometimes flat and sometimes covered in mountains. It was astounding and surely, there had to be more than one country governing it all. He remarked as much to Meredith who snorted at his ignorance.

“The world is far bigger than you realise.” She said. “In fact, my grand war seems dwarfed in comparison.”

While Evander could hardly agree with that, having seen firsthand the destructive nature of her army and the villages her vile beasts had laid waste to, there was no doubt that the world Evander had thought was the centre of it all…was turning out to be just a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things. The distance had its way of making other things smaller too. The threat of being followed and captured was all but gone. Evander’s purse was significantly reduced. He regretted not sewing coins into his clothing…and then realised that if he’d done that, regardless of her power, Meredith would have struggled getting him out of the ice pond.

Even she had changed.

She still talked. It seemed it was simply how she was and what she did but there was less…unkindness to her tone. She didn’t provoke him cruelly although she was prone to jesting and teasing. The sneering, nasty streak that had dominated everything she said or did had mellowed revealing an altogether more…pleasant side.

Evander shook his head, unaware that Meredith saw his motion and smiled at him, knowing he was debating internally. Maybe she hadn’t changed at all. Maybe he was the one who’d changed. After all, he didn’t find her chatter as annoying anymore. It had its moments but he had learned to drown out what she was saying. And sometimes her honesty was, indeed, refreshing. She simply said what was in her head. It meant there was less room for misunderstanding.

Perhaps it wasn’t as simple as one or the other.

Perhaps they had both changed.

Evander shifted in his saddle and settled again as they followed a barely visible track that wove its way through the hill country.

Her comment about him being her Luka still unnerved him. He didn’t like to think about the implications. Did that mean she thought he would die soon? Or, heaven forbid, fall in love with her? Evander had found it best if he simply didn’t think about the statement at all and while he constantly reminded himself that she was a dangerous and vindictive woman who still couldn’t see the atrocity of her actions, he found that the reminders were becoming harder and harder to believe.

He also couldn’t believe how cold it still was.

“When does this country thaw?” He roared after a heavy branch dumped its soggy contents of snow on his head. He shook it off and glared at Meredith who shrugged at him.

“Wasn’t me.” She chuckled.

“We’re over halfway through spring and I swear its getting colder!” Evander swore. “I thought I’d be enjoying a bit of warmth by now at least. When do we get out of this blasted country?” He hated that she just laughed at his frustration.

“We’ve barely scratched the surface,” she chuckled at his furious expression, “and that’s just the part that we’re crossing.”

Evander slumped. “I’m going to go mad.” He pressed his fingers to his forehead. “Jé Kinah…I’m coming. I promise.”

That night, to add insult to injury, it snowed. A wild, freezing wind whipped across the hollow they had chosen to take shelter in and when dawn broke, their world was pristine white once more. Meredith was ridiculously delighted, dancing about in the cold with reckless abandon without shoes. Evander was cold just looking at her.

“Would you please saddle your horse so we can move out?” He demanded.

“I am enjoying the last snow of the season.” She laughed. “In no time at all there will be no snow…and nothing for me to draw power from.”

“Good.” Evander’s humour didn’t return for most of the day and Meredith didn’t help with her teasing. The anxiety he kept hidden had risen to the surface and he was sullen and quick to bite. They reached a slight ridge where they dismounted and Evander pointed to a curl of smoke against the side of the mountain to the south of them. “We’ll aim for that. Whatever it is, it’ll be better than sleeping outside again.”

“You sound like me.” Meredith chuckled and then laughed harder at his expression. “You could curdle milk with that look.”

“Look, I don’t know if you remember, but we’re fugitives. I am a traitor and you are the former leader of a deadly army.” Evander glowered at her. “The least you could do is realise that this isn’t a game!”

“Didn’t you ever play tag?” Meredith rolled her eyes. “I am sorry for your concern. You’re worried about my other half. You’re worried about being caught. You’re worried about what you did…but I’m not. I’m free.”

“No, you’re not!” Evander’s voice echoed across the valley. “You’re not ‘free’. You’ve just run away from the consequences of your actions. That isn’t freedom. That’s a lie. You’ll never be free until you pay the price for what you’ve done!”

Meredith gazed at him in shock, surprised at his outburst. Evander was surprised also but he turned his back, took his horse’s reins and began to lead it down the embankment. He was starting to worry constantly about Jé Kinah. Where she was, how she was…if he was ever going to find her. If they didn’t start to see a change in the landscape or in the seasons…he might start to believe he was going around in circles and would never get out. It was like a terrible nightmare, running as hard as he could yet going backwards. Why couldn’t she just…

…and then a snowball hit him in the shoulder.

Evander spun around and saw Meredith’s eyes wide, her lips clamped together, frightened yet trying not to laugh all at the same time. He wiped the snow away.

“Really?” He growled. She nodded and then flung her second snowball. Evander dodged, feeling his anger boil over and strode towards her. “Enough!” He roared…and then she emptied all the snow on the tree above him down on his head. Evander could hear her squeals of laughter as she ran past his position…and something cracked inside of him…for the better. He broke out of his snowy blanket, sending snowflakes flying and bellowed. “I’m going to get you for that!”

Meredith ran like the wind, her power causing her to skip across the surface with almost no resistance whatsoever. She could hear Evander chasing her with a bear-like grace and certainly a bear-like sound. Her heart was pounding wildly and she slid this way and that until she skidded to a stop at the top of a decline. It was several metres deep and soft with powder snow…which was good because Evander couldn’t stop his charge and slammed straight into her. They tumbled down the embankment, rolling over and over and over until, breathless at last, they stopped.

Meredith looked up at Evander. She noted that his eyes were not as blue as hers but that they reflected a new sky perfectly. His hair had begun to grow despite his vow to shave it and it was straw blond. Not white gold but a proper, golden hue. She saw his eyes rest upon her and she started laughing which set him off and soon the air was filled with their cackling.

Evander looked down at Meredith. No one would believe if he told them that this young, fresh and innocent woman had brought so many countries to the brink of devastation. The way she was, now, in this moment, she couldn’t have been more different had she tried.

“My goodness,” he gasped for air, “how did you and Jé Kinah ever fit in one person?”

Meredith’s joy vanished in a heartbeat and she shoved him back and sat up. “We were having such a lovely time and then you go and bring up her.” She said bitterly, brushing her clothes down.

Evander was astonished at the change and at the speed at which it had happened. “If you hadn’t forgotten, Jé Kinah is the reason we are both here.” He pointed out and whistled. Their two horses, that had watched their childish game with bored eyes, loped towards them.

“How could I forget!” Meredith barked. “You never stop talking about her. Jé Kinah this. Jé Kinah that…if I didn’t resent her already…”

“Why?” Evander demanded as she swung into her saddle and he followed suit, reaching out and grabbing her reins so she couldn’t take off. “You were one and the same.”

“No, not the same and certainly not one.” Meredith retorted. “Everything I did was never good enough! All the elf children used to laugh at me or pity me…I’m not sure which was worse. Because of my humanity I was shunned. I couldn’t climb as high or run as far or do anything as good, as fast, as clever as them. So they didn’t ask me to play their games or invite me to see their village. And every time they looked at me, I saw the distance between us grow more and more.”

She kicked her horse and Evander allowed both of them to start moving.

“Surely among the human children you would have found more acceptance?” He asked.

Meredith gave a loud, “Ha! Human children were worse! Elves were aloof and pitied me. Human children were cruel. They resented my elvish skill. That I could use a bow and arrow almost better than their parents, let alone them. I had the best aim, I was faster and stronger and clever…”

“So you were never asked to play their games either?”

“Oh no. They asked all the time. My favourite was hide and seek.” Meredith’s mouth flattened into a straight line, her tone sharp and mordant. “I would hide and wait for hours to be found…only no one was looking. I fell for that several times, my human heart hoping that one day, someone would look for me.”

Evander felt a pang of sadness. “Your parents loved you, I am sure.”

“My father did. He loved me. He told me many times.” She sniffed. “He also told my mother that many times. And as for my mother! Every time she looked at me I swear I saw disappointment in her eyes that I wasn’t full elf. That I was…corrupted. Oh, and as for your beloved Jé Kinah? There was always doubt in me, questioning my actions and my ability. I wanted to climb a tree but part of me thought, ‘no, I’m not a full elf. That would be too difficult.’”

“So you never climbed a tree?”

“Oh I climbed that damn tree…I fell out of it too.” Meredith rubbed her elbow, remembering. “Mother said, ‘do not try to do that which you are not capable of.’”

Evander winced. Meredith clamped her teeth shut, reluctant to allow any more sorrow to pour out of her. She had just confessed more to one person than she had ever done in her whole life. She was surprised to feel tears threatening and blinked them away, the drops frosting on her cheeks. Evander didn’t say anything and for that she was grateful. She couldn’t stand any sympathy or pity or empathy…or anything. She didn’t want to be told that he was sorry for what happened to her. It wouldn’t change anything. It would only highlight that it was all wrong.

That she was wrong. No wonder she had been tossed aside that night. The memory seared across her mind and years of resentment rekindled the fire of anger in her heart and her beautiful face turned into an ugly sneer.

“Well I showed everyone, didn’t I? I captured the power of ice and snow. I tamed a volcano. I raised an army. I trapped the only dragon left on earth in my icy prison. I waged a mighty war on all the pathetic humans that once turned their backs on me. I became a Queen, worshipped by thousands! I was both feared and loved!”

She turned her furious gaze onto Evander who looked at her without fear or sympathy…or judgment.

“No. They didn’t love you. They didn’t know you. If they had taken the time to know you, then you would have known the truth about love.”

She felt her jaw tighten as her chin quivered. “And what truth is that?” She very nearly spat at him.

“That none of that stuff mattered to someone who truly loved you.”

And for the first time since well before she could remember, the Snow Queen failed to hold someone’s gaze. She couldn’t stare at the kindness in his face and maintain her resentment shield that covered her broken heart. So she turned away, forsaking her pride so that she wasn’t vulnerable.

Evander had the presence of mind not to say anything else about the matter. He simply led their two man party to the spire of smoke, paid the woodcutter good money to spend the night out of the cold.

Six more weeks passed of them negotiating the land. The nature of the landscape had taken a turn for the wild. Evander and Meredith had been able to travel along roads and come across properties and small villages here and there. But it had been over two weeks since they’d slept indoors and ten days since there had been any conversation other than their own. On top of that Evander needed to hunt for their food which took away from valuable travelling time. He was relieved that the land seemed to be abundant in small wildlife that was fairly easy to trap and kill. But he had also seen the carcases of deer which had been killed by something far bigger than he’d like to come across.

And then, even though he thought it was impossible for it to happen, the land became even more inhospitable. But Meredith insisted that they were going the right way.

“I came this way before. It isn’t easy and we may have to abandon or kill the horses to do so but it is possible.”

Evander didn’t like the idea of giving up their mounts. He had been concerned they wouldn’t be able to feed them but it seemed as though, at long last, that the land had opened its arms to warmer weather. It wasn’t particularly warm but the ground had thawed and there was a great deal of green to be seen. The horses ate greedily and their thinning bodies filled out a little. Evander began to hope they would make it through with both horses…until they were traversing a narrow path with a steep drop down one side and a cliff up the other and Meredith’s horse slipped. It twisted as it fell and she shrieked, half thrown from the saddle. A pathetic but hardly little plant saved her life as the horse thundered and crashed down to the base of the valley. Evander leapt off his horse and pulled her up to himself. She clung on, panting in fright.

“Is…it…alive?” She gasped into his chest, shaking from her brush with death.

Evander shook his head. “No. I do not think I dare climbing down to retrieve anything from it either. We have to keep going.”

When the trails they followed turned into paths that only goats could skip along, they dismounted the horse and took most of the belongings on their backs. When it was wider they took riding the horse in shifts. Their progress slowed dramatically and Evander began to sink into despair. He only managed to keep going by putting one foot in front of the other. He couldn’t think of anything else except Jé Kinah, the thought that she could be in terrible danger or tormented keeping him awake at night and fretting during the day.

Then, one day, the land started to open up and but instead of there being forests, there was nothing but desert. And they had arrived during summer. Evander removed his coat and looked out at the barren landscape in astonishment.

“From that,” he pointed behind him, “to this?”

“This land is very different to everything you know.”

“Meredith…there’s nothing out here!” He turned around. “We’re not going to find a lamp out here!”

“That’s because we need to go that way…” She pointed and Evander suppressed a growl. She only ever pointed east.

“Let me guess…Far East.” He looked at their horse and meagre provisions. “Merry, we don’t have the supplies for a desert journey.”

“We’ll buy them.”

Evander turned around, astonished by her words. “From where!”

But she was right. There was life out there. Nomadic people groups with homes that they packed up and shifted, taking their herds of goats and cattle with them. They were unlike anyone he had ever seen before. Their round faces were tinged with yellow and their eyes were slanted. Their hair was either as black as night or being overtaken by grey. There were no other colours. Their clothes were rudimentary as were their tools and their lifestyle was practically barbaric. Meredith seemed to flow with these people but Evander shied away from their grasping hands.

Meredith laughed at him. “It’s your hair.” She pointed. “I think we could use that to barter for goods.”

She was not wrong. The moment she clipped off some of his hair and gave it to one old woman, a flood of people rushed Evander and he pushed them back, feeling their hands grab his clothes. Fortunately for him, he was a good head taller than any of them.

“I’ve changed my mind!” He called out to Meredith who thought it was hysterical. “I’m not going to shave my head! Call them off!”

Meredith spoke some basic words of their language and, while she wasn’t fair like he, she was still a foreigner and the people loved to chatter to her and touch her face and hands. They were always invited to sit around their fires at night, for while it was summer, they were still quite high up and the nights were cool. And despite Evander’s initial assessment of them, he realized they weren’t as primitive as he once thought. Their craftsmanship was remarkable and they seemed to be able to live off practically nothing. Children wandered around alongside dogs and chattered in their strange tone to him while wrinkly old men laughed and clapped him on the back. Evander just smiled and nodded when that happened.

One particular nomadic group moved in a direction that took them further east so they stayed with them for over two weeks. One day Evander emerged from his tent, pulling his coat on and rubbing his hands together. A little old lady approached him, the one Meredith had given his golden lock to, and pressed something into his hands. She had made him a pair of gloves. Her needlework was impressive and he thanked her profusely. She just smiled at him with all five of her teeth and he hunted around for Meredith who was speaking with the leader of the nomads.

“How do I say thank you in their tongue?” He blundered.

Meredith came over and thanked her for him. The old lady seemed pleased by this and scurried away. “You’ve made a friend…or a fiancé.”

“They’re beautiful.” Evander looked up. “Fiancé?”

Meredith laughed. “She is saying goodbye. They are heading South.”

“And we want to go east.”

“You’re starting to understand.” She teased. “The leader said we can reach the Forbidden City by a road that is beyond that forest. The road will take us…”

“Wait, what was that?” Evander stopped her. “The Forbidden City?” Meredith nodded as if it was entirely normal. “Forbidden?”

“I’m hoping that your fair hair and our western faces will make it not so forbidden…” She shrugged. “Besides, it’s been a long time since I was here.”

“I see…” Evander didn’t but he was ready to start prying information out of her. “What about provisions?”

“See those two packs?” She pointed to two packs that the nomads carried almost permanently on their backs. “The leader has put food, water and essentials to help us through.”

“That’s generous of him.”

“Not really.” Meredith cringed. “We no longer have a horse.”

Evander spun around and saw the leader astride his mount, looking very pleased with himself. “But…but…”

“The forest we must get through is so dense a horse would never make it. He’ll be happier with these people.”

“Until they eat him.” Evander sighed. “I do not suppose I have much of a choice.”

“Not really…no.” She grinned. “Let’s go.”

“Does nothing dampen your spirits?” He called out and then stomped after her, resigned to the fact that, for the time being, Meredith knew better than he.

The nomads bid them farewell, Evander suffering the pulling and stroking of his hair because it would be the last time they would ever see him. Then they set out. It took two days to reach a rocky ridgeline which descended into a forest that, in his opinion, Meredith had highly understated. It wasn’t dense. It was impossible! They stumbled up and down steep valleys and hills, unsure if the tree line was ten feet or a hundred feet from the peak. They had to cut their way through the tubular foliage and more than once they nearly fell down hidden ravines with raging waters at the base.

In the close quarters of the forest and in the heat of summer, it was almost unbearable.

“I’m almost wishing for winter!” He called out.

Meredith was flushed and didn’t answer. It was clear that this place was draining her energy more than anywhere else. Even the desert had been cold at night but here, in the sweltering heat, she was suffering. Her hair was lank and lifeless, her eyes had paled and were rimmed with red. She drank their water supplies so quickly they had to replenish at every stream they came across. Fortunately there were plenty of those and, if the stream bed wasn’t jagged, she stood in the water as long as she could.

Sleep was hard with the sound of insects like birds and animals around them. Evander swore he could kill and eat them. Meredith made him feel sick when she had many cultures did.

They lost count of days…weeks…it was all endless jungle and they both began to secretly despair that they would ever carve their way out of it. Then suddenly, after pushing through a particularly dense thicket, Evander stumbled out onto a road. He turned around on it, astonished. Meredith reached her hand out of the jungle and he pulled her free. She looked around, pushing her hair back.

“There.” She said. “I knew it was here somewhere.”

Evander was so delighted at the presence of a road and the lack of claustrophobic jungle that he began to laugh and laugh and laugh.

“You should be careful not to misplace things.” He chortled and Meredith raised an eyebrow at her. “What? You’re allowed to jest but I am not?”

“The difference is I am funny.” Meredith hoisted her pack onto her shoulders and groaned.

“Let me take your pack for a while.”

“You’ve got your own to carry.”

“Oh don’t be noble. It doesn’t suit you whereas I am a prince and a knight.” He pulled the pack off her and they began to walk along the road. “So this road takes us to the Forbidden City.”

“Yes.”

“And the lamp is in the city?”

“Last time I was here.”

“Which was…”

“A long time ago.”

Evander frowned. “You know how you said you were honest and that only Jé Kinah omitted truth?” He looked at her pointedly. Meredith shrugged.

“Very well. Have you ever heard the story of Aladdin?”

“No.”

“There was a common boy from a village in this land. His father had been a tailor when he lived but he had died when Aladdin was young, leaving the boy and his mother to fend for themselves. I rather imagine that Aladdin was a bit of a pickpocket. One day a man arrived and professed himself to be Aladdin’s uncle and insisted he wanted to set Aladdin up as a wealthy merchant if only he’ll help him find a lamp.” Evander was concentrating on carrying two packs so he just nodded, saving his breath for breathing. “The man was not his uncle. He was a sorcerer from the far west and had discovered the location of a dangerous cave filled with mystical items, one of which was the lamp. He needed the boy to go in and get it for him.”

“How did a man from the far west discover a magical lamp in the far east?” Evander’s curiosity overrode his exhaustion.

“The sorcerer had procured a ring with a jinni trapped inside. The jinni told him about the lamp and the sorcerer had wished himself into the far east to seize it as his own. But when the sorcerer tried to kill Aladdin he ended up trapping the boy, the lamp and the ring in the cave with no way in or out.” Meredith pulled her pack off Evander and slung it over her shoulders. Her skin felt like it was raw and she couldn’t help but grimace yet kept up her story flow. “Aladdin discovered the jinni in the ring and wished himself back to his mother. She thought the lamp could do with a polish and when she polished it, an even greater jinni popped out.”

“Two jinni?”

“A lesser and a greater jinni.”

“What did the boy wish for?”

“How do you know he wished for anything?”

“An impoverished family with a greater jinni at their beck and call?” Evander chuckled. “There are kings that would kill for that privilege.”

Meredith pursed her lips. “You think you are very clever don’t you?”

“I know I am.”

She rolled her eyes. “The boy became rich and powerful, married the Emperor’s daughter and, when the Emperor died, became the leader of this enormous nation.”

“That’s a nice story.”

“It isn’t over.” Meredith said firmly. “The sorcerer, fuming that he’d lost both jinni, disguised himself as a trader of lamps and was granted an audience with Aladdin’s wife, Princess Badroulbadour. He offered new lamps for old and she, not realising the lamp was the source of her husband’s power, gave it up.”

“Oh dear.”

“The sorcerer ordered the greater jinni to move the palace all the way back over to the west, to Maghreb where he was from, Princess and all, leaving Aladdin alone with only the lesser jinni.”

“Did the lesser jinni reverse what the greater had done?”

“The lesser jinni wasn’t good for much more than travelling so Aladdin used it to wish himself to Maghreb where he killed the sorcerer, regained the lamp and put everything back the way it was.”

“That’s also a nice story…”

“It’s not finished yet.” Meredith said in an exasperated tone. “The sorcerer had a brother and he travelled all the way from the west, farther than even we have come, to avenge him. He presented himself as an old healer woman to the princess and she welcomed him into the palace. But the jinni warned Aladdin about the disguised brother and Aladdin kills him and then they live happily ever after.”

“So this jinni of the lamp, it will be able to rescue Jé Kinah from wherever she is?”

“That’s what I think.”

“And how do you know all this?”

Meredith sighed. “I told you. I travelled east after Jé Kinah and I were separated.”

“All on your own? Barely beyond childhood?” Evander raised his eyebrows.

“I was half adopted, half employed by someone.”

“Omitting again?”

Meredith rolled her eyes. “I know the story of Aladdin because when I was travelling east…so was the man that wanted to avenge his brother’s death.” Evander stopped and stared at her, Meredith turning around when she realised he wasn’t walking beside her anymore.

“You were his companion?”

“I had no one else in the world, having been abandoned by everyone and everything imaginable. He offered me food, clothing, shelter and in return I had to help avenge his brother.”

“Who was a despicable man by all accounts.”

“I didn’t find that out until afterwards!” Meredith protested. “It’s not as if I…” Evander felt fear constrict his heart as her pale skin became deathly white and she raised her arm and pointed. Evander spun around, throwing himself to one side and felt the wind of an attack streak by where he had just been standing. He hit the ground, skidded and looked up to see a huge cat, almost red in colour and with streaks of black across its back and white on its paws and belly, growl at him with far too many teeth before turning its attention on Meredith. She was frozen in place, her big eyes unable to move from the cat’s mesmerising gaze.

It padded on enormous paws towards her, deep rumbling coming from within its belly and Evander saw its fur bristle on its back, its tail whipping back and forth and its hind legs quivering for the kill.

“Hey!” He yelled, pulling his scythe from his pack and getting up onto his feet. “Hey! Over here!” The cat turned and its amber eyes bored holes into Evander. His courage was in danger of running away a split second before he did but he planted his feet and squeaked out, “Hey!” once more. It started to weave towards him, its motions so fluidic that it was hypnotic to watch. Evander’s hand grew slick with sweat and he swallowed at about the same time as it collected itself…and leapt.

Meredith’s shriek filled the air as the body of the giant cat blotted out the body of Evander and they both went crashing to the ground, rolling off to the side of the road. Fear kept her rooted in position long after quiet returned to the jungle. She felt as though she was a rusted tin soldier trying to move her legs as she forced herself forward an inch at a time. She stiffly approached the huge body of the cat, Evander’s legs sticking out from beneath it. A wave of stomach cramping nausea swept over her.

“No…” She whispered. “It’s not right…”

Suddenly the beast shifted and she jumped back, ready to run until she noticed that Evander’s legs were kicking out. Courage fuelled her strength and she gripped the shoulders of the cat and heaved with all her might, the scythe sticking out of its chest. Evander gasped for air, plastered in blood. The cat’s and his own. It had managed to sink its enormous and sharp teeth into his left shoulder and had torn through clothing, skin and muscle. The vial of ash had slipped down, the leather tie severed in the attack. The wound was deep and Evander was clearly going in to shock. Meredith knelt down.

“What do I do?” She gasped. “Evander, what do I do?”

“Me…Me…” He shook, his bloody hand touching her face, streaking red across her white cheeks. “Me…”

“I’ll go get help.” She stood up and looked around. She was in the middle of a jungle! Where would she find help? She looked down at Evander and saw his eyes glazing over and his body shaking. A strange sensation overtook her, one she had never felt before, not even when he’d foolishly risked his life to save her from the frozen lake. Then it had been curiosity based, a need to see what it would be like to save him. Now, looking down at him as he started dying, she felt a wild rage well up inside her that was fuelled by something she had never felt before.

“I’m going to save you Evander,” she vowed and knelt down, “but it is going to hurt.”

Her slender fingers bit into his bloody shoulder and his cry of pain echoed her own as she poured ice into the wound, stopping the flow of blood and sealing the edges. She kept going and going as the power inside of her became less and less until she had all but emptied herself out…except for a single drop. Incoherent she collapsed to the ground beside him, one hand still over his heart and her body closer to death than his.

Evander was brought back into consciousness as, what felt like, a red hot poker was jammed into his shoulder. He yelled, arching his back and descending into immediate panic when he realised he was pinned down. A firm hand pressed his forehead and suddenly he blacked out again.

He dreamt he was standing on the jungle road, his heart like a lead weight in his chest. He heard someone call his name and he turned and saw Jé Kinah standing behind him. She was dressed in ivory lace and both light and shadow danced off her elegant figure. Her pale green eyes grazed his body softly and a sob rose in his throat, his arms immediately reaching out towards her…

…then someone else called his name and he turned to see Meredith standing on the opposite side. She was in a gown of floating midnight blue, her dark tresses dotted with silver stars and her bright eyes sparkling. She smiled unreservedly at him and held out her hand. Evander hesitated, doubt flooding him and indecision rooting his feet to the ground as though he was a tree.

He turned back to Jé Kinah who was walking away. He opened his mouth but only cold air gushed forth. He ripped his foot from the ground and took a step in her direction when he heard Meredith scream. He twisted and saw her consumed by fire. And then the fire came for him, roaring, hissing…with a voice and life all its own, its dark eyes blazing in the flames and its dark shadow stretching out black wings that blotted out all light and life…

He jolted upright, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. His heart was rampaging like a wild beast and he pressed his right hand against it, frightened at the force at which it beat. Then needles of pain shot into his body and he seized up. The pain made his senses swim and he groaned as his stomach cramped. His mouth was dry, his tongue was thick and he croaked out a desperate plea in the dim light.

A door opened and he was temporarily blinded by the brilliant sunlight that poured in. The silhouette of a little man appeared in the doorway. He shuffled forward, his features coming in to being. He had a long plaited beard, wiry, wild eyebrows and a face like crumpled paper. He made a noise at Evander’s conscious state and waggled his finger at him, chattering away. Evander jerked back as he reached out for his arm but the man was not dissuaded, taking his injured limb with a bony gentleness and peeled back the layers of padding. He was nodding and talking but Evander had absolutely no idea what he was saying.

“Where am I?” He asked and the man gave a breathless chuckle. “There was a woman with me. Woman?”

The man seemed to think Evander’s words were most amusing and possibly wanted others to share in his merriment because he turned and headed for the door. Evander half rolled, half fell onto his feet, his head hitting the low ceiling as he chased after the man. “Wait! The woman I was with. Her name is Meredith. She has dark…brown…”

Evander couldn’t believe his eyes. He was standing on tiny veranda that led to a series of narrow paths that wove their way down to the bottom of an enormous valley. All the slopes that Evander could see had been carved into giant steps, each with a number of little fences and gateways so that they could drain out into each other, because every single one was filled with water and long stalks of grass. There were lots of little houses built into nooks dotted all around the highly unusual harvest. And knee high in the water were dozens of men, women and children all wearing flat cone shaped hats. The sight was completely astounding and Evander stood with his mouth open, aghast at the sight.

The man chirruped at him and Evander turned and saw him beckon Evander to follow. The injured prince did so, faint but determined and followed the man to a courtyard made from several houses all clustered together. Branches interlocked overhead, creating a delicious cool shade over the table made from chunks of stone and several wooden planks. On the table was a body draped in a cloth. The man pointed at it and nodded, his eyes bright.

Evander’s knees wobbled and he closed his eyes.

“What did you do?” He whispered. “Merry…” He stumbled towards the body, his eyes stinging with tears that burned like acid. “Oh Merry…”

“I think he’s hoping you’ll let him keep the meat if he skins it.”

Evander spun around, ignoring the pain shooting up in his shoulder as he looked at a figure standing in the shadows. Even without being able to see her face properly, he knew from the confident, to the point of arrogant, slouch that it was Meredith.

“You’re alive!” He exclaimed.

“Just.” She said, stepping out of the shadows. She held out her hand and opened her fingers to reveal the tiny vial of ash in her palm. Evander’s hand immediately went to the empty space where it normally hung and felt a quiver of horror that he had nearly lost the one thing Jé Kinah had entrusted him with. “What would you do without me?”

Evander took the vial and pocketed it safely then wrapped his right arm around her and pressed her close. “I thought you were the one…”

“No…I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. “Evan, you’re choking me.”

“Sorry.” He let go and gave a weak smile. Meredith was wearing a moss green wrap tunic with cream trim and tie at the waist. The sleeves were long and the cuffs were wide. The tunic sat over her long skirt and her hair was scooped into a cream scarf, a single curl having broken loose and drifting by her cheek. “I thought…”

“You’re quite the hero. Apparently these giant cats are hard to kill and this one has been terrorising the local villages for some months.”

Evander pulled the sheet back and looked at its body, frozen in a vicious snarl. He felt a shiver of horror, the last few seconds of consciousness revisiting him and he dropped the sheet. “Tell him he can have it.”

Meredith relayed what she could in her broken native tongue. The man seemed to understand and beamed brightly. “He is letting us stay in his home. We should probably go back there. You’re hardly well enough to move just yet.” She put her arm around him and he let himself lean on her. As they passed by the incredible sight of the fields of grass in water Evander paused.

“How long…”

“I really don’t know. I was not exactly awake when we were found. I think it was a relative, like an uncle or a cousin who was coming here to help his family with the harvest that came across us.” Evander stumbled up the steps, ducked his head and sank down in relief on the bed. “You lost a great deal of blood. Lie down.”

He did so, gazing up at her as she poured him a cup of water. “What did you do?”

“I told you, I wasn’t awake.”

“You know what I mean.” He touched his shoulder. “I remember burning pain and the numbness…from something cold.” Meredith walked away, her unusually unresponsive state making him nervous. “Merry, did you use your power?”

“A little.” She shrugged and leaned on the doorway with her back to him.

“Merry…”

“I did what I needed to do to keep you from dying.” She retorted defensively over her shoulder. “If I hadn’t you’d be dead and I’d probably be bartered off as someone’s wife.”

Evander was tired and his body was growing heavier by the second. “Like you’d submit to that. You don’t…love…any…one…”

The pallet he was on creaked as his body relaxed onto it and within seconds Evander’s laboured breathing became slow, shallow and steady. Only then did Meredith moved back into the room. She looked down at his sleeping form her expression bathed in shadow and tucked a blanket over him, taking care not to touch his shoulder. She brushed his hair away from his face and felt a lump in her throat.

“No,” she said in a hollow tone, “I don’t.”

Evander’s injury kept them at the village for over a week. He suspected the villagers would have been happy to have them stay longer as they had become quite the attraction. The population of the village doubled and then tripled and there were celebrations every night with Evander and Meredith as the guests of honour. The hide of the predator cat was strung up as a trophy and Evander was fairly certain one night they had been served some kind of cat stew.

The villagers tried to lavish them with gifts. Meredith kept saying that it would be an insult not to take them but Evander wondered if she was just enjoying the attention. He did accept a pair of wide leg trousers and a light brown shirt with high collar, buttons down the front and no sleeves as well as a wrap belt. His boots he kept as did Meredith but, with the flat cone hats on their heads, they were hard to distinguish from the rest of the villagers.

Evander’s shoulder was going to take several weeks to heal fully on the outside and possibly months for all the tissue to knit itself back together. But for the most part, he was pretty fortunate. It could have been a lot worse. He was itching to get moving but with Meredith and the villagers all keen for them to stay, he felt like he was fighting a losing battle. And so, one night, he simply stated that he was leaving in the morning. Meredith looked like she was going to argue then clamped her teeth shut and nodded. Evander breathed out a deep breath. He didn’t need her becoming difficult again.

That night, however, was the night the village was raided.

Evander, Meredith and their host were woken when people started screaming and they dashed outside to see several buildings already on fire. Their host squawked in alarm and started running for the little courtyard. Evander ran inside, grabbed their packs and threw Meredith one. “Time to go.” He said.

She didn’t argue, following him closely in the cloudless night but already their escape routes were cut off. The raiders, huge, heavyset men that towered over the frightened villagers, roared obscenities at them and herded them into the courtyard where most of them cowered. Evander did not, glaring at the leader of the raid, a balding man with his long, greasy hair tied in a rat tail and his beady eyes sparkling at them with devilish intent. Suddenly he pointed and spoke with his thick lips and tongue. Evander wanted to turn but didn’t dare take his eyes off him.

“The fur, the giant cat fur. He’s pointing at that.” Meredith hissed from behind him.

The big man growled something intelligible and the villagers became very quiet. He leered over them and commanded them to speak. Their host muttered something.

“He’s asking who killed this animal.” Meredith swallowed. “See what he is wearing?”

Evander blinked. The leader of the raid was wearing the skin of a giant cat like a cape. Then it dawned on him that they all wore skins. Some wore foxes, others wore bears but he was the only one with a giant cat.

“Why does he want to know?” Evander asked.

“Maybe he wants to buy it?” Meredith said lamely.

The raider bellowed at them and went to strike the woman closest to him.

“Hey!” Evander shouted, pulling his hat back, exposing his foreign face. “I killed the animal.” He pointed at the skin and then himself. “That was me!”

“Evan…” Meredith muttered.

The leader walked up to Evander and grabbed his chin. He studied his fair features and pulled hard on his hair. Meredith saw the other raiders talking amongst themselves, pointing to their leader and to Evander. Revelation dawned.

“He thinks you’re a threat to his leadership.” She moaned.

“That usually means a duel.” Evander shoved the leader who was so used to terrified, subservient villagers that he looked at Evander in astonishment. “I challenge you!”

Meredith rolled her eyes. “There he goes being all noble again.”

Despite the language barrier, the leader guffawed, knowing instinctively what Evander had just said. He rumbled something loudly and the raiders bashed their swords against their shields, shouting their approval.

“Wait!” He snapped. “If I win, these people are not to be harmed.” He spoke over his shoulder. “Get our host to explain that.”

Meredith did and their host relayed it in a quivering voice. The leader, with yellow teeth and yellow nails, chuckled darkly and then nodded. The villagers scurried to the outside ring of the courtyard and Evander took up position opposite him. The raiding leader had a sword twice as thick as Evander’s and his shield was round and two feet in diameter.

“How are you going to kill him?” Meredith berated Evander as he removed his hat and held out his hand for a blade which turned out to be a scythe. “He’s twice the size of you.”

“I’m hoping he’s twice as slow.”

“You’re hoping?” Meredith swallowed. “Look at the size of his sword compared to yours! One swing and you’re dead.”

“I wish I had a shield.” Evander looked down at his injured arm. “I couldn’t hold it anyway.”

“Wait.” Meredith stepped in front of him and pressed her hands to his chest. “This is going to feel…odd.”

Evander’s chest became very cold very quickly. His body instinctively curled away from what she was doing which was forming a breastplate of ice across his body.

“Cold!” He yelped.

“Snow Queen.” She said and stepped back. “It won’t last long. Please…be careful Evan.”

Evander looked at her. “Evan…I like it.” He gave her a push backwards into the shadows and felt the weight of the scythe in his hand. His chest was tight from the cold and he wasn’t sure it would do much against the raider’s sword. But all too quickly the fight began and Evander discovered something.

The raiding party leader was fast.

Despite his size he moved quickly. Evander had to shift and duck, trying not to injure his wounded arm further yet unable to protect it entirely. The giant sword swooped down to cut his legs out from beneath him. Evander jumped the blow and went immediately into a squat, narrowly missing the upward swing that would have taken his head off. He slashed upwards and his opponent roared. Evander dashed backwards and quickly took stock of the situation. He had cut the raider’s arm, not enough to make him drop his sword but he had weakened him. He sprinted towards the bull headed man, faked left and then lunged right but the huge shield swept towards him and he skidded, sliding scant inches beneath the rim of the shield and heard it bury itself in the ground behind. Had it been a second faster, Evander’s body would have been missing its head. Evander slashed again and the big man went down on one knee, his calf cut.

His anger only made him faster and he swung around, Evander not moving fast enough and copped a blow to the chest with the sword. He was flung through the air and hit the side of a building, crumpling to the ground. The villagers gasped and the raiders roared their approval.

Meredith clapped her hands over her mouth and prayed.

Evander had felt the blow. It should have cloven him in half. As it was he almost certainly had cracked ribs but he shook off the pain and stood up, the laughter of the raiders falling silent. He pointed the scythe at the leader who looked at him, amazed…then charged. Evander wavered on his feet, his sight swimming until he blinked and the world came into focus…and he dived right, landing on his sword arm.

His opponent slammed straight into the wall, splintering boards with his weight and practically knocked himself out, falling to his knees. Evander stood up, grabbed the man’s hair and pulled his head back, laying the scythe at his throat.

“Do you yield?” He demanded.

The hideous man snarled like an animal and Evander didn’t hesitate. He had seen murderous intent in eyes before and recognised it in this man. With a gurgle the man slumped to the ground and Evander stumbled away, fell to his knees and blacked out…again.

“…water…Evan…”

Light flicked through the tubular bars of their mobile cage and Evander opened his eyes and winced at the sun. He grunted and held his right arm up, feeling it protest and he groaned.

“Well you would challenge a man twice your size to a duel.” Meredith muttered and he looked over at her. They were in the same cage and being wheeled behind two horses that huffed and snorted at the extra weight. A canvas made from poorly stitched animal hides had been draped over the cage but it had slipped, allowing the light to come through. Their cage was surrounded by raiders and was one of several in the caravan that rumbled along the road. Evander squinted carefully.

“How long?”

“It is midday. You snored.”

“Of course I did.” Evander collapsed onto the cage floor as a raider looked it. He snarled at them both and poked a thick, dirty finger through the cage. Meredith bit down, just missing it as he pulled it out. He gave a dark chuckle and said something to his walking companion. They all roared with laughter. Evander opened one eye. “That did not sound pleasant.”

“No. It did not.” Meredith offered him water and he sipped carefully.

“What of the village?”

“The initial damage was all they did. It seems they chose to honour your challenge…but they took you prisoner.”

“You mean us?”

Meredith shrugged. “Sure. Us.”

“I thought you would have kept to the shadows and been counted as one of the villagers.” Evander pressed his fingers into his ribs and tried not to yelp at the pain. “That ice shield of yours was effective.”

“Yes. And it numbed the real pain…which you are paying for now.”

“I know, I know. I’m stupid.” He closed his eyes and breathed out deeply.

“Yes. You are.” Meredith looked down at his serene face and felt a tremor run through her. “You are so utterly stupid.”

How many times would he attempt to save her life and be hurt in the process?

Why couldn’t he just stop and let her receive her consequences?

Why was he the last thing she thought about when she went to sleep and the first person she wanted to lay eyes on when she woke up?

Why did she want to stay in the village, with him, forever?

Meredith closed her eyes and turned her head. She reminded herself of what she was really doing. That she was going to regain all that she’d lost. She wouldn’t be softened or humbled by a man who was clearly entirely in love with someone else.

She wouldn’t give up everything for him.

And she certainly would never tell him that when the raiders had gone to drag his unconscious body away, she had flung herself over him and refused to budge. She wouldn’t be able to stand the look of pity in his eyes and the rejection when he chose Jé Kinah over her.

The raiders travelled without stopping all day. Though there were a few villages along the horizon they didn’t deviate. Maybe they had filled their quota and were heading home? Meredith wasn’t sure. She did know they were heading North, away from the Forbidden City and the lamp.

It seemed there was nothing and no one that would save them now…

…unless it was the army of the Emperor.

The attack came as the raiders were making camp for the night and it happened so fast that, in the darkness, Evander and Meredith couldn’t tell who was winning. Their cage was covered and all they could see was the light of the fire through the holes in the canvas and all they could hear were the screams and grunts of the raiding party along with some unified yelling. Evander pressed against the cage bars in vain despite the pain in his shoulder and his cracked ribs. Meredith looked through the tiny holes, desperate for a clue as to what was happening. The cage was crashed into and they were thrown backwards, the cage slipping from the cart it was on and hitting the ground hard on one corner. The bars buckled and snapped, allowing them a chance to squirm free.

Once out Meredith and Evander looked around at the chaos, soldiers in uniforms of red and gold chasing down fleeing raiders. Carts were on fire, horses were screaming and bucking their way free of their tackle and the glint of swords and the clash of metal filled their senses. Immediately they started edging away from the chaos, hoping to lose themselves in the dark night. A man on horseback, his head covered in a layered helmet, looked directly at them. He turned his horse’s head towards them and gave a loud cry, thundering fast and eating up the ground between them at a startling speed.

Evander yanked a sword from a fallen raider and brandished it at the soldier, standing in front of Meredith. The rider skidded to a halt just before them and the horse reared and screamed, flinging its head and tearing up the earth with its hooves. The horse landed heavily and the soldier pointed his sword at them and spoke fiercely.

Evander swallowed, seeing more soldiers join the first one. The man repeated his words.

“You can say it as many times as you want, I don’t understand you.” He blurted.

“Wait…” Meredith frowned and tried a few broken words in their language.

The man eyed her sharply and spoke again.

“What is he saying?” Evander hissed.

“I’m not sure.”

“But you speak…”

“There are dozens of dialects in this land. I do not know them all. I have a rudimentary understanding.” She attempted to speak again and the soldier tilted his head. He waved his hand and another soldier brought the giant cat skin forward. Evander moaned.

“Not that blasted thing again.”

“I think he wants to know if you killed it.”

“Of course he does!” Evander snapped. “Everyone wants to know. Yes, I killed that.” He pointed at the skin, then to himself and nodded.

The soldier removed his helmet, revealing fine eyes, black hair shaved into a strange top knot style and a scarred cheek. He dismounted and walked towards them, reaching out with his hand. Evander jerked but Meredith put her hand on his shoulder and held him still.

“Wait…” She said and Evander allowed the soldier to touch his hair, rubbing it between his fingers. He studied Evander’s face and then pointed back the way the raiders had come and spoke basic phrases slowly. “I think this is the captain and he and his party were hunting down the raiders.” Meredith explained. “The village, they’ve come from the village. They must have told them about us.” He spoke again and Meredith frowned in concentration. “He says he’s been looking for us friends…or foes…”

“Which is it?”

“I’m not sure…” They both took a step back as the captain barked something and the rest of the soldiers bowed. The captain did the same, firelight gleaming against their armour. “I think he said friends.”

Evander’s knees wobbled. “Can I put this down?”

“Yes.” Evander dropped the sword and half collapsed. Meredith put her hands on his shoulders and looked up. She hoped she was begging for help in their tongue. Whatever she said, it seemed to work as Evander was immediately moved to their physician’s tent. The captain spoke again and Meredith replied as best she could.

“What…did he…say?” Evander as the physician stripped off his shirt and began pressing and poking him.

“I can’t be absolutely certain…but I think he is taking us to the Emperor.”

“Emperor?” Evander shivered. “Doesn’t the Emperor live…”

“In the Forbidden City.”

The captain of that particular regiment of the Emperor’s arm was unable to escort them the entire way to the Forbidden City. But, after ridding their land of the raiding, murderous hoard, he insisted they accompany him to his stronghold which was a large brick tower attached to the longest and biggest wall Evander had ever seen. It seemed it went on forever, skirting over the top of mountains and dipping down into valleys. Huge towers broke up the wall and they were home to regiments of soldiers.

It took two days to reach the stronghold and after three nights there, allowing Evander’s body a chance to mend the muscle that had only begun to heal, they were sent with an escort to the Forbidden City. Evander was dressed in the dark red garb of a soldier, less the actual armaments. His boots were still his own but everything else had been changed. The fabric was quite good quality and the fit was loose so as to allow air flow. There was little in the way of female attire in the stronghold but Meredith’s clothing had not suffered like Evander’s had.

The physician was a little miracle worker and despite some strange treatments Evander felt a great deal better. His ribs were bandaged and the pain he experienced when breathing had lessened dramatically. Coughing hurt but he could handle that easily. His shoulder would scar, there was nothing that could be done about that but after ten days on horseback he could remove it from its sling and was relieved to feel sensation in his fingers.

“I thought I was going to lose it for a while.” He remarked to Meredith who sat on the horse beside him. She glanced over at him and smiled.

“They know their medicine here that is for certain.”

Evander flexed his hand several more times, feeling the sinews pull and release then rested it once more. “How long until we reach the Forbidden City?”

“The great wall crosses almost the entire country. It’s a defence against those savages that attack the village. We’re following it all the way to the Forbidden City.”

“And when we get there?”

Meredith shrugged. “We’ll kindly ask the Emperor about his magic lamp.”

“Uh huh…” Evander rolled his eyes. “And how do you think he will answer?”

“Maybe he will want to reward you with it.”

“Somehow I doubt it.”

Their journey was devoid of events of a dangerous nature and for that Evander was grateful. He had been fast approaching a point where his body would have simply given up. Even noble princes and knights had their limits. But the journey was not void of interest and it seemed that every day was filled with astonishing sights and cultural extremes. He felt like a child, pointing things out and discussing them with Meredith who gave her experienced yet admittedly still naïve opinion.

And then, rising out of the lush green landscape of farms, was a walled in city. It was a fortress unto itself with a high wall around it. Inside there were huge plazas of space and many large buildings with sloped red roofs. There were extensive gardens and incredibly detailed statues. It was surrounded by a man made moat so that it could only be reached by bridges through guard towers. Hugging the land around the city were slums and shanty villages that they had to cross to enter. Evander saw houses built on stilts so that, when the moat flooded, their homes were not completely engulfed in water. He saw children with bent backs, carrying loads that a donkey should have borne. There was a terrible gap between the Emperor’s wealth and the poverty of those he governed and Evander felt an instinctive dislike of the man that they were about to meet.

But first their presence had to be validated and then, after their escort leader spoke vehemently with the guards at the gates to the city, they were taken to what Evander decided was a preparation chamber. There he and Meredith were separated and he was taken to a bathing room where he soaked away the countless leagues they had traversed. He swore he was stained with elements of his journey, the sand of the desert, the scars from cutting himself on razor sharp rock, the crushed touch of leaves from the jungle…

When he emerged he found a sharp blade and gave himself a very close shave for he noticed that, while the men of this country had beards and moustaches, they were always very neat, plaited and controlled. Evander felt it was easier to simply scrape his chin and cheeks clear and ruffled his fair hair that had grown back down to his shoulders. Clothes were laid out for him and he had never worn their like before, despite their style being remarkably similar to what the peasants had worn. But where their clothes had been coarse, what he dressed in was so soft it hardly felt like clothing at all. His trousers were dark grey and cuffed in royal blue. His tunic had sleeves and was blue and trimmed in grey with beautiful stitched detail all over. He hadn’t risked taking the vial off even when bathing and he felt its cold touch beneath the tunic, reminding him always of his true purpose. He tied his waist with a red belt and, without shoes for his boots and indeed all his former clothing had been taken away, he was deemed fit to appear before the Emperor. A servant led him into the heart of the Forbidden City where Meredith joined him.

She was dressed in a deep plum and black gown with gold detail. Her slender waist was also tied with a scarf and behind her a train of silk washed out in elegant waves. Her hair was back to its usual radiance and coiled in succulent curls on her head and pinned with several gold pins. She gave him a smile, pleased with his obvious approval.

“You look lovely.”

“I know.” She gave a little laugh. “I was born to be an Empress.”

Evander’s mind twitched and a thought occurred to him that hadn’t done so in quite some time. That he had actually been escorting a dangerous woman who had managed to put an army together and marched on civilized lands with her power of ice and snow. Though they had certainly passed from acquaintances to being familiar with each other, her desire to be powerful and ultimately adored had not left her heart. She had not changed perhaps as much as he hoped she had.

“You look very fetching.” She said when the pause between them became too long. He looked up and gave a weak smile. She tilted her head, noting his abrupt change in mood but before she could ask, more servants arrived. They stood side by side and were escorted into an astonishing grand hall filled with pillars that were coated in gold and carved with all manner of strange beasts. The ground beneath their feet was coated in petals and above their heads were drapes of silk pinned in place with crystal broaches. The colours were bold and bright and it was almost impossible to see the Emperor for all the distraction.

He was a stocky man with an impressive hat and long, blue black hair. He stroked his long moustache as they came closer as though appraising their appearance. Evander felt a little uneasy without a weapon on his person when he noticed the bodyguards glaring at them.

“Is this Aladdin?”

“No. If there hasn’t been a takeover by another family, this is a direct descendant.”

“What is his name?”

Meredith winced. “I can’t pronounce it.” They stopped before the throne. “Bow as low as you can.” She whispered and they both did so, Evander feeling his ribs protest. They stood up straight and the Emperor seemed pleased with their level of respect. A little man hobbled forward and made introductions as Meredith attempted to relay their names. She had become far better at speaking their language in the time it had taken to reach the city so Evander hoped that things would proceed more smoothly.

The Emperor listened to the story Meredith told, nodding and making some noises that sounded promising. Evander guessed that they had impressed him when it seemed they were invited to dine with the Emperor. He didn’t like the way the Emperor’s eyes kept appreciating Meredith’s elegant form but then it was difficult not to. She had such confidence and beauty that eyes naturally wandered to her face and then to the rest of her. She also ate with confidence while Evander struggled mightily with the strange utensils and baulked at many of the dishes he was offered. It was also unnerving for the women to serve him for all of them seemed unable to do so without stroking his hair. The Emperor found this rather amusing so Evander put up with it as best he could.

“Merry,” he called across the low table as he batted away another hand on his hair, “do you think you could ask him about the lamp now?”

Meredith nodded and began to speak to the Emperor who listened intently. The little man that had introduced them before was an interpreter of sorts and was able to fill in the gaps. Evander felt his tension rise as the Emperor frowned at them, wondering if the good will they had engendered by saving the village and the novelty of their being from the west was about to be undone.

Suddenly the Emperor guffawed and stood up. He nodded and waved for them to come.

“I think he’s taking us to the lamp.” Meredith explained as they did so.

“That was easy.”

“Yes,” she made a face, “perhaps…”

Easy was not the correct term. The Emperor led them to a locked room. The guards bowed low and opened the doors so that they swung inwards and the Emperor ushered them in. On a pedestal in the middle of the room was a beautiful white pottery lamp encrusted with jewels. Evander felt his hands itch to take it.

“Evan,” Meredith said, “that’s not the lamp.”

“What do you…” Evander looked up. The room was enormous, over thirty feet high and a good arrow’s flight long. And on hundreds of shelves around the entire room were thousands of lamps. Bronze lamps, gold and silver lamps, sparkling lamps, dull lamps, rusted lamps, large and small lamps, tall and squat lamps…there were so many lamps that Evander’s head began to swim.

“That’s why he does not mind showing us the lamp at all.” Meredith whispered. “It is lost in here, somewhere.”

Evander’s lip curled and his hands bunched into fists when he heard the Emperor chuckle behind him. He couldn’t believe after all this time, after all this way, he was stumped by a stupid puzzle.

“I will rub every single one if I have to.” He vowed quietly and turned to her. “Merry, ask the Emperor if I could have one,” he frowned, “Merry?”

The Emperor had taken her hand and was looking at her in a manner that made Evander’s blood boil. He said something that made Merry blush and Evander took a step forward. In the blink of an eye two bodyguards stepped in front of him, blocking Evander from the Emperor and his captured western prize. The Emperor looked at Evander and waved his hand to the lamps and then tightened his grip on Meredith’s hand. Evander’s eyes widened and then narrowed.

“Not on your life…” He muttered and a sword flashed in his eyes and he felt the tip touch his throat, all manner of hospitality having vanished as the true reason for the Emperor’s delight in them became apparent.

“Evan, don’t.” Merry’s face was flushed and she swallowed down her ire, smiling weakly at him. “It’s alright.”

“No it’s not.” Evander could feel the tip point pressed harder into his skin. “Merry…”

“He’ll kill you, Evander and take me any way.” Meredith was drawn away by the Emperor. “Don’t die for me. He’ll let you have the lamp in the morning.”

Evander’s heart hammered as he was forcefully escorted to his chambers which were lavish but still a prison. He turned around and banged his fists against the door, trapped in his opulent surroundings as the Emperor did who knows what to Meredith. The thought made him sick and he looked around the room for a weapon, an object…something to help him escape. He couldn’t let that happen to her. It didn’t matter if she was an evil woman or a dangerous one…or guilty of everything and anything! He couldn’t let that happen to her.

Fortunately for him, there were many candles throughout the Emperor’s palace and Evander discovered that the fabric tapestries, hanging silks and linens were all rather flammable.

He set his curtains, the linen on the bed and anything else he could find alight and then fanned them into a blaze with his over tunic. It was a little scary how quickly the inferno erupted into being and he had barely enough time to throw himself behind a large vase as the guards came rushing into the room. Evander hit the second guard over the head with a small statue, relieved him of his sword and ran out of the room. Servants and soldiers appeared from nowhere and Evander ducked and wove his way through the extensive palace, desperate to find where the Emperor slept.

In the end all he had to do was follow the one servant running away from the fire for she was sent to alert the Emperor. Evander sprinted after her and when he saw her go to enter grand chambers which were guarded, he raised his sword and charged the chambers, red rage blinding himself any scrapes or wounds he received as he cut down the guards and forced his way into the Emperor’s bed chamber.

Meredith had been escorted to the Emperor’s chambers with a tight grip on her arm. Her heart was pounding and she felt sick. Though she had jested with Evander many times in the past, she had never been intimate with a man and the imminent possibility with someone such as the Emperor was a horror she had never even dreamed of. However she knew that should she or Evander refused to comply, it would be Evander who would pay the price.

How many times had he nearly died protecting her?

What had he given up in order to secure her freedom?

What was she thinking!

The truth of the situation struck her like a cleaver, slicing her heart in two. Evander didn’t save her from judgment in order to free her. He did it so he could find and save Jé Kinah! He wasn’t thinking of her at all. Every time he saved her it was because she knew the way to find his one true love. There was no affection, no kindness in him towards her. He didn’t care about her wellbeing apart from her ability to do what she had promised. He certainly didn’t love her!

Meredith was so stunned by the extent of her foolishness that she walked limply into the Emperor’s bedchambers and sat on the bed. Her throat was closing over as she realised what she had nearly done. Here she was, a stone’s throw from the very thing that could restore her back to the power that she once was and she was thinking about him! She had nearly given up everything for a man that didn’t love her. How could she have been so blind to the original sin that had started it all in the beginning?

The Emperor had entered the room and shed his outer layer without her noticing for her inner turmoil was all consuming. The first she knew of his presence was when he stroked her face and said something about being an exotic westerner. It was then that Meredith saw the ring on his index finger. Her eyes widened and she gasped, instinctively grasping for it but the Emperor shoved her on the bed and pinned her down into the sheets. Meredith suddenly panicked, kicking and twisting, revolting horror sweeping over her. How dare he treat the Snow Queen in this manner! She tried to slap him away but couldn’t free her hands and cringed away from his salty lips on the curve of her neck which made her skin crawl.

“Get off me!” She screamed and thrashed about. “I’ll make you pay for this insolence!” But the Emperor was heavy and terrifyingly adept at keeping a reluctant woman pinned down and Meredith began to fear the worst…

…when Evander appeared in the doorway like an avenging angel. His blond hair tousled and wild and his blue tunic making his skin fair and his eyes even bluer than they had been before. His fury reached fever pitch and as the Emperor pointed furiously at him Meredith suddenly grabbed his hand and ripped the ring from his finger, sending it clattering across the ground. When the Emperor saw what she had done he went after it but Meredith suddenly turned the tables on him and became the attacker.

“Evan!” She cried. “The ring! The lesser jinni!” The Emperor snarled at her and tried to pelt her with his fists but Meredith kicked out at him and pushed him off the bed with a loud thump. She then threw all the linen over him, tangling him in the mess as Evan hunted madly for the ring.

“I’ve got it!” He cried just as a contingent of guards poured into the chambers. “What do I do with it!”

“Wish the Emperor and the guards away! Quick!” Meredith’s scream was silenced as the Emperor, who had fought his way free, slapped her. Her face felt as though it exploded and she fell backwards and then slid off the bed, cradling her cheek in shock. She looked up at Evander who put the ring on and closed his eyes.

“I wish that everyone other than Merry and myself were gone from this palace…and into the slums outside the walls!”

And then, abruptly…there was silence. The guards were gone, the Emperor too…all who were left was Evander and herself. The silence was eerie. Meredith got to her feet shakily, her face red where she had been struck and her wrists bruised from the Emperor’s cruel grasp. Evander walked over to her and gently took her injured face in his hand. She looked up into his blue eyes that gazed at her with such concern and that her heart trembled in her breast.

“Merry, did he hurt you?”

“No, not really.” A tear of pain rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away and gave a weak smile. “It was a fortunate occurrence actually.”

“That was fortunate?”

“He was wearing the lesser jinni ring.”

Evander looked down at the rather chunky ring with an opaque red stone in a claw setting on his finger. “That is a rather bold risk for him. Why didn’t he use this to his own advantage?” Meredith’s fingers itched to take the ring from Evander but she knew she could never over power him. She was about to speak when a small voice called out,

“He was unaware that I was trapped within his ring.” Red smoke oozed out of the stone in the ring and seemed to pour itself into an invisible mould that became a person about half the size of an average human being. As the image completed itself, the red receded and more natural colours appeared, giving the jinni a vaguely far eastern cultural appearance. Details were difficult to see and the more he was peered at, the more his features blurred. Once he had fully formed he picked up his feet and crossed his legs, apparently able to float and raised himself up so that he could look his new master in the eye. “Fool.”

“Excuse me?” Evander blinked.

“Forgive me my master, for I did not mean you.” The jinni rolled its eyes. “My former master was an ignorant fool. He has possessed me since he assassinated his father twelve years ago but never discovered my presence. Perhaps it was for the best for if he had found me, he would have made me tell him where the lamp is.”

“You mean…he doesn’t know?” Meredith gasped and then cringed away from the jinni’s empty gaze.

“The secret was lost after Aladdin’s passing. Aladdin had grown tired of the attempts by men with evil intent to secure the lamp for themselves. So he filled a room with all the lamps he could buy and told no one of its true appearance.” The jinni spoke quickly but his words were the kind one heard from a man of learning and Evander felt as though he was listening to one of his old tutors again.

“So you can tell us where the greater jinni is?” Evander asked eagerly.

“Yes.” The jinni raised its eyebrows…or the slight curve of his face where the eyebrows would be.

“Well?”

“It is in the lamp room.”

Meredith was struggling not to fidget as she followed Evander at a fast pace towards the lamp room. The jinni gave hints along the way as to where it was. There were no guards at the doors, they were probably knee deep in filthy water by now, so Evander just shoved them open and hurried in. Meredith looked around the room, wishing she had paid more attention to the appearance of the lamp all those years ago in order to remember what it looked like. At the time it didn’t seem like she would ever have need of it again and there were so many in the room that the details in her memory had blurred.

The jinni sighed as they arrived in the lamp room. “My master, forgive me for correcting you but, you could have simply wished yourself here.”

“You could have said as much.”

“Forgive me again master but I am not supposed to speak unless spoken to nor am I supposed to answer a question I have not been asked.”

Evander chuckled, embarrassed. “I apologise jinni. I have never had access to power such as yours before.”

“He’s just a lesser jinni.” Meredith said, annoyed that their search for the lamp had stalled.

The lesser jinni looked a little put out. “Lesser, greater…I may not possess the power that he does and I am capable of little more than transporting people and small objects around the earth but my knowledge is unsurpassed. Ask me anything.”

“Is the she-elf Jé Kinah still alive?” Evander questioned without hesitation.

The jinni blinked. “Yes.”

“Do you know where she is?”

Meredith gave a little gasp.

“Yes.”

Evander worried his bottom lip and then breathed out. “Very well. This is my wish jinni. I wish you to bring her to me.”

The jinni sighed. “No.”

“What do you mean no? You said you can transport people.”

“Forgive me master for I cannot do that.”

“Told you, lesser jinni.” Meredith said smartly and the jinni glared at her again.

“I know you…witch.”

Meredith blanched and Evander looked between her and the jinni. “What do you mean you know her?”

“I was here before, remember?” Meredith swept her arm to all the lamps. “Which lamp is the right lamp?”

The jinni looked at Evander. “Master, I cannot grant the request if you do not ask it.”

“Which lamp…”

“He will not be able to help you either.”

Evander paled. “What do you mean?”

“The greater jinni cannot bring the she-elf to you.”

“Wha…why not?”

“Yes he can.” Meredith insisted. “He is great. He is powerful.”

“And yet he cannot.”

“Why can’t he?” Evander waved her away and she felt her hope slipping.

“Because the she-elf is in a prison and without sacrifice, she is not permitted to leave.”

Evander felt faint. “She is in a prison. She has been…this whole time…”

“Don’t listen to him. Ask for the lamp.” Meredith could hear the desperation in her tone. She prayed that Evander, who was so consumed by his concern for Jé Kinah, would miss her true motive and do as she said.

“Jinni, is there any way for me to save her?”

“Yes master.”

“Can you help me?”

“The greater jinni will be able to get her back. Just ask!” Evander’s expression flickered and Meredith gulped as he turned to her with a frown on his face.

“Why are you insisting on the lamp if it cannot save Jé Kinah?” Meredith stepped backwards as Evander looked at the jinni who bowed to him. “Jinni…why does Meredith want the greater jinni?”

“How do you think an ordinary human girl became the ice witch?”

Evander’s head snapped up to glare at Meredith whose teeth were clamped down hard together to keep them from chattering. His warm mouth that she had loved to make smile curled down into a frown and his brow furrowed as disappointment filled his heart.

“This is why you brought me here?” He said darkly. “You never wanted to free Jé Kinah. You just wanted your power back.”

“No Evan. It isn’t like that at all!”

“Liar!” He roared. “How could you? After all we’ve been through? I thought you had changed. I hoped you had changed.” He shook his head, astonished. “I am a fool.”

“Evan…please.” Meredith closed the gap between them and reached out her hands, clasping his in hers. “I never meant to hurt you. But I couldn’t end up…with nothing.”

Evander looked down at her pleading, desperate face…not realising she had slid the ring off his finger. The jinni immediately shifted to follow Meredith, for she was now his new master. Evander bellowed and tackled her to the ground but she slipped the ring on. “The lamp, jinni!” She cried, kicking Evander in the face. The jinni sighed and pointed. A single lamp on a wall of thousands glowed. Meredith twisted around in Evander’s grasp and shot a snowball at the lamp, knocking it from its high perch to the ground.

Meredith wrenched the ring off and flung it in the opposite direction of the lamp then pushed Evander backwards. She scrambled to her feet, not sure if he was coming after her or the ring. She sent a couple of ice bursts behind her to make the ground slippery and ran as hard as she could, her hands reaching out for the lamp. Suddenly another lamp crashed into it and it flew far from her reach. Meredith snarled and went after it again but Evander was a good shot and he kept striking the lamp further and further from her reach as he closed the distance between them. He tackled her with all his might, both of them falling hard against the polished floor, the lamp within her sights but out of her reach. Evander flipped her over onto her back and sat on her belly, his knees pinning her arms down.

“Let me up!”

“No. I will never listen to anything you have to say again!” Evander raged. “You promised! You said you never lied!”

“I was going to help you find her once I had the lamp!”

“Lies! You just want the lamp to regain your power and destroy everything and everyone I hold dear!”

“Get off me!” Meredith twisted and thrashed but there was no way she could get him to shift…so she made her hands icy cold and grabbed his arms. He flinched but refused to let go so she poured more and more power into her hands…until she could feel her life ebbing away. She wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t let this human man rule her life and keep her from her destiny! Even if that man would only have to tell her that he loved her and she would give it all up in a heartbeat, she couldn’t let him leave her with nothing. But just as the power drained to the last drop Meredith realised that she didn’t have the courage to die. She was terrified of the dark beyond, of having less than nothing. She let her hands fall back, her body going limp and her mind going dark.

She could hear Evander speaking above her, saying something…probably wishing her back to her cell in the chateau.

If only she had the chance to tell him that she was sorry…

…sorry for everything…