Shattering of a World: Thorns and Roses (Book #1)

Chapter 18

"That good-for-nothing pile of filth," Beatrix commented, outraged. "He brings a bad name to the kingdom, even if his ego can't comprehend that."

Katrina and Tarion came by The Platinum Tent to tell Beatrix what had happened with Eugene before they departed to the infirmary. Upon hearing the news, the natural redhead dropped what she was doing and insisted on coming with them to check on their friend. She went to inform her father, and although he wasn't exactly happy with his daughter leaving at a busy hour, he didn't stop her but told her to be back as soon as she could before things got too hectic in the tavern.

It'd been Katrina's idea to inform Beatrix, and she certainly couldn't wait to see Eugene's reaction when the three arrived. She felt as if Zuara tasked her to make this love spark happen; this was another priority of hers to juggle.

Katrina, Tarion, and Beatrix were halfway towards the castle as their breaths plumed into the air and little specks of snow began to make their way to their fate on the white surfaces. The roads were as mucky as ever, smearing and encrusting their boots and sometimes even their clothes. The mud squelched from their footsteps, and most of the time, it was slippery to walk on. However, Katrina's feet were friends with the earth, and even when it looked like she was close to falling, her balance was maintained by some strange miracle. Her only foe seemed to have just been anything winter related.

Katrina held in her laughter after the words Beatrix spoke and then said, "Sadly, there's going to be more guys like him, whether we like it or not. Uttune, at least, has the decency not to make everyone a 'Steinar.'" As she said that name, it felt like a harsh aftertaste.

"Well, you can take my word for it when I say that I'll be praying every night to the seven gods and goddesses for Steinar to fail one of the trials," Beatrix claimed, "or better yet, getting disqualified—for real. Call me crazy if you will—or even disrespectful—but I do not appreciate when someone plays dirty in any event."

"Heh, fair enough," Katrina acknowledged as a smile touched her face.

Tarion kept quiet most of the time, but his listening was never closed off. Katrina could tell he was still disgruntled about the voting but was doing his best to clear any negative emotions that tried to reach his face by doing what he did best: being stone-faced. With Zevian airborne above the trio like he was their protector, it seemed to help Tarion contain these unwanted emotions.

As screwed up the votes had seemed, Katrina wanted to try and move past that. Yes, Steinar managed to avoid disqualification, but she had the impression that sooner or later, misfortune would slap him in the face. So she decided it would be better to focus on the tasks she had at hand.

The trio finally turned up at the castle's drawbridge, the moat icy as ever. The servants pickaxed through the fragile, frozen overlays, creating webs of cracks and breaking them open to a world of water life to fish in. Uniniqua's fish wasn't mainly the best—not as good as Fasiqua's anyway—but the kingdom made up for it with its delectable, fresh fruits and veggies from the many greenhouses it had. Katrina remembered when she went fishing with Tarion and her father at her father's favorite lake; it felt like a lifetime since the last time she did that with them. As tedious as it had been sitting in the icy piercing howls of wind waiting for some fish to take the bait, it was gratifying spending quality time with those two.

As much as she hated to admit it, Katrina missed those fishing days.

The dark brunette recollected—when she and Tarion were younger—once, while her eyes gazed dully at the lake, she felt a greedy tug at the line of her rod, and she immediately sat up straight with exhilaration and tried to pull in her catch. However, what her hook snagged was putting up a good fight, and it even managed to drag Katrina into the lake knee-high. The water bit her skin—chilling her to the marrow—even as her clothes tried to protect her body. Nonetheless, her clutch didn't release as she used all her might to try and wrench her challenger out of the water.