CHAPTER SIX
Isaac braced himself for the impact of traveling through a portal he had no control over, but nothing happened—at least, nothing happened until he got to the other end.
Then he found himself bracing for the cold instead as winter hit him like a punch in the gut and coated every inch of him in a tight fist.
He inhaled a deep, sharp breath. Then he exhaled it slowly, willing his mind to calm and waiting for his body to adjust to the temperature. That was one of the advantages of being a shifter.
He glanced to the side, where he saw Roxie looking perfectly fine. No shivering at all. Had she been human, she’d have already frozen over. This wasn’t the normal snow from his world, and he suddenly realized what Roxie was talking about when she said this place was dangerous for the likes of two teenagers.
Plus, Isabella would probably kill him if he ended up letting those two die, so leaving them behind was definitely the best decision there was.
They were in an alternate clearing with the same forest surrounding them, except the trees were all white now instead of brown. Roxie glanced at how he was doing with the cold, looking relieved that he’d adjusted. Still, he pulled out two coats from his bag, handing one to her. They put them on before she nodded her head and led the way out and into the forest, where he couldn’t sense any movement or detect any sounds at all. The snow even had no smell, unlike the crisp, earthy one back home.
When they finally left the forest, they arrived at a big clearing. Isaac instantly tensed when he saw movement in all the white. He prepared himself to shift, but Roxie put up a hand and shook her head.
“No. They’re harmless, as long as you don’t mess with them.”
Doubtful, he squinted his eyes to see them better. The movement he saw were animals, except they weren’t familiar ones. They had bodies similar to his, except furrier and differing in colors, from plain brown ones to spotty ones.
Their bodies were also covered in spikes that looked sharp and deadly.
“Those aren’t deadly?”
“No. The real danger is up there.” She pointed. Isaac looked up, surprised that he missed it.
It wasn’t clear due to the snow, but yes, there was a castle ahead—a large one that was completely white and looked like it was made entirely of ice. It was surrounded by storm clouds and what appeared to be even more intense snow formation falling down on it.
If they were near it, why weren’t there guards…
Almost instantly, he got it.
“So, if we mess with the King, then they mess with us?”
Roxie nodded, pleased that he got it. But now he was more troubled because he didn’t think the creatures in the clearing were the only ones here. There were probably thousands of them everywhere, and he and Roxie were outnumbered. But she didn’t seem to mind as she walked ahead, and soon he found himself falling in step with her.
“We’ll walk,” Roxie said. “The Winter King isn’t one for pleasantries, so we aren’t going to get any warm treatment.”
“He knows you’re coming?”
“He’s expecting it. He has my mother, after all.”
“And we’re just walking in there?”
“He thinks I’m friendly because I haven’t declared war yet. I’ll let him continue thinking it. I heard you’re good at strategy. You can strategize.”
Easier said than done.
“How long has she been there?” he asked.
“A few weeks. You were my last resort.”
She said it so reluctantly that he had no choice but to believe her. There were still so many questions in his head, but he saved them for later and opted to carefully watch his surroundings instead for any threats.
The creatures followed them not-too-closely as they kept walking towards the castle, but Roxie was right in their threat factor. They didn’t encounter any other obstacle as they went ahead. In less than an hour, they entered another forest area and finally reached a large clearing leading up to the castle. At this close of a view, Isaac could see that the ice castle was surrounded by a frozen moat.
Guards were posted at the main door, and Roxie boldly went ahead and introduced herself as the Autumn Queen’s daughter and him as her companion. Again, he wondered about her self-preservation before realizing the guards probably knew her as they quickly ushered them in without any more questions. Inside, Isaac quietly studied the castle rooms, which were filled with more ice but were surprisingly warmer than the outside. Ice chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and it would appear as though the King had a preference for silver.
They were taken to a round hall, one filled with more snow. Figures in white stood at the sides, and in the middle was a man in a silky silver robe, with snowflakes falling on his head. He was ethereal and glowing, an aura of power that made Isaac wary. Immediately, he already knew who this was.
As if on cue, Roxie bowed slightly before straightening up. Her whole body relaxed as a warm smile slid across her face. It was the first warm smile he’d seen from her, and surprise filled him when he saw her whole demeanor change. A dazzling feeling came over him, and he realized that this was part of her fairy charm—the one she hadn’t used on him when she could have done so when trying to convince him to help. Nice to know he wasn’t completely duped. His trust rose a tiny amount in her.
She had been saving it for someone else—someone more powerful.
The Winter King smiled back. It was cold and impersonal, a complete contrast to hers. Then he spoke. “Welcome to my kingdom.”
His brittle voice felt like icicles, and Isaac felt a trickle of unease.
“Thank you, kind King,” Roxie oozed out. “I am honored to be in the presence of someone as powerful and wonderful as you.”
The King’s eyes gleamed. “Let us cut to the chase, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s,” Roxie murmured. “Have you been treating my mother well?”
“Yes. Very well.”
They were acting like sincere friends instead of enemy and rescuer. The trickle of unease turned into a gush. Alarm bells rang in Isaac’s head, but he held still, preparing himself to shift and make a run for it in case something went wrong. No one moved, and the two fairies began to talk in murmured voices. Isaac’s ears perked up when he heard his name being mentioned, and the King glanced at him from head to toe, that same gleam appearing in his eyes.
He knew a predatory look when he saw one, considering he was a predator himself. The alarm bells now shouted, and he stifled the urge to shout at Roxie and tell her to abort the mission, because they were about to be duped. He was just going to have to grab her, shift and make a run for it, and—
Icicles formed on his feet. Then, his hands. Shock filled Isaac when he found he couldn’t shift at all, as his whole body except his head was suddenly encased in ice. He opened his mouth to tell Roxie to go, but the words froze in his throat when he saw that Roxie was safe and sound and now standing a few feet away from him, her golden eyes shining with the same shock.
And guilt.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “But I needed to do this.” She turned to the King. “Your Highness, this is my bargain. A non-fairy for my mother’s release. Do we have an agreement?”
The King smiled again, the coldness of it cutting through. “Indeed, we do.”
Rage filled Isaac, along with a feeling of helplessness. This wasn’t a rescue mission.
It was an exchange mission.
And he was the bargain.