House of Winter

Chapter 24, Part 2

SANNA

The refugees had only been here a week, according to the shopowner, and yet already the Kaio had built a fence around the camp. On one side the fence bordered the forest, on the opposite side the fence ran along the beach and was submerged at high tide. Fire soldiers guarded the side that bordered the village, in the shadow of an old salt refinery building that had started crumbling into the sea.

"The tides have changed," the shopowner explained. "That's why there are so many buildings that look like they've sunk into the water here. There's access down the shaft of the salt mine, if you can swim."

Sanna stared down at the sea water that lapped at the edges of the salt mine. "I can swim under there?"

"There's a passage. The soldiers know about it, but they're assuming the Vastiens won't find it. They don't expect anyone to try to break into the refugee camp."

Sanna left the bags with supplies on the hidden beach with Jinni and Sigrún, and then walked up the beach and towards the crumbling salt refinery building. The shopowner had given her specific instructions for where and how to swim into the camp, and yet staring in the darkness at the waves lapping against the crumbling building, Sanna was terrified.

She was used to swimming in the serene lake in Norrlund, which was so still and clear that she could see the bottom even when she couldn't touch it. Here, the ocean waves crashed against the stones of the building, showing their violent power.

Sanna let out a gasp when she walked into the water. It was freezing. She waded through the waves and then swam under the water, opening her eyes to the darkness of the depths. When she came up for air, a wave crashed over her and another tried to tug her away from the wall. She kicked hard, swimming against the waves and then letting another wave sweep her towards the wall of the refinery. The wave grew power and then it slammed her against the stone wall and she gasped out. She clutched onto the wall, feeling her way in the dark, until she felt the recess of the wall where it gave way.

The water gurgled as it was sucked into the gap in the wall. Sanna pushed herself high above the waves and inhaled, then swam down and through the hole in the wall.

As the shopowner had said, there was an underwater passage that led into the old salt mill. Sanna emerged within the crumbling ruins of the building, where the water lapped gently at the walls. Half of one of the walls had completely collapsed, and through it she could see the refugee camp.

Sanna swam to the collapsed wall and eased herself out of the water. The refugee camp was a mess in the darkness, but she could see Warrah the dragon sleeping in the shallow water against another half-submerged building.

"Warrah," Sanna said, her voice no more than a whisper.

Instantly the dragon lifted his head. He looked almost black in the darkness, but she could see the brightness of his eyes reflecting the moonlight.

In another moment, Ari was by his side, and then she was staring into the gap in the wall where Sanna was sitting.

Ari looked rough. Her hair was messy and the clothes she was wearing were torn, but she was alive. Sanna felt herself relax slightly to see her. For some reason, she had been terrified that Ari was dead, and now that she saw her here, she knew that everything would be okay.

"Tai is here," Sanna said in a whisper. "His ships just arrived in the harbour. We need to get out of here, now. There's a way to swim through. Warrah will fit."

"Jinni and Sigrún are waiting for us. Then we're flying straight to Sredsibirsk."

Ari took a step towards Sanna, and shook her head. "I can't, Sanna. These people are my people, and if they stay here they'll die. They have no defenses against anyone. The Kaio will not look after them. They'll send them back out to sea, to their deaths."

"There's nothing you can do for them, Ari," Sanna snapped.

"There's always something I can do," Ari retorted. "You would never understand. You would prefer to sit in a palace and pretend that nothing bad ever happens in the world. But I know that bad things happen and I can't just witness it and then turn away. I have to help these people. If you don't understand that, then you should go on without me. You don't need me, anyway."

"I do need you," Sanna said, feeling her heart break.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ari said. "I'm just slowing you down. I don't have my own kinnling and I'm terrible at magic. You can find Lumi faster than I can."

"I don't care about that," Sanna said. "I care about you."

"Why are you still here?" Ari said. "Take Jinni and go."

"I'm here to save you," Sanna said angrily. "Haven't you figured that out yet? I have no idea why, trust me! I have racked my brains and I can't figure it out. But for some reason I can't let you go, Ariane Domez. I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you again. I am here to save you. Now we need to go!"

"If you want to save me, you need to save all of these people too."

Sanna gritted her teeth. Ari had always been stubborn. "We can't save an entire village of Vastiens!"

"I thought you were smarter than that, Sanna," Ari said. "Of course we can. You're creative. Use your brain."

"Tai is here and he's going to find us soon."

"Well then we need to use that against him."

"They're a group of ords. They have no magic. They're useless."

"They're not useless," Ari said, and Sanna heard the anger in her voice.

Sanna glared at Ari, but she knew that she could not fight her on this. She stared around at the refugee camp. She could see the fire soldiers guarding the barricades.

"If Tai realises we've escaped then he's going to divert as many troops as possible to go after us," Sanna said slowly. "Especially if he thinks we've split up - he'll need twice the troops. We have three kinnlings. We have Jinni, Sigrún and Warrah. Then when his soldiers are distracted trying to chase us, that's when we free the villagers and get them back to their boats."

"But their ships are ruined. They're not sea-worthy."

"Then they need new ships."

"But is Tai really going to send all his troops after you and me?" Ari asked.

"No," Sanna said. "He's going to send all his troops after you and Lumi."

Ari frowned. "Lumi?"

Sanna grinned, and as she did, she moved from the shadows of the salt refinery and into the light of the moon, revealing her black hair.

Ari hissed in a breath. "I never saw it before. You look just like Lumi."

"Now imagine me riding a tiger," Sanna said with a knowing smile.

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elle xx