Forged in Frost

Return to the Cabin

The night enfolds them in darkness as Evelyn, Alec, Caius, and Asher make their way through the woods, Caius still tugging Leo along by his collar. Leo growls through his gag. Caius smacks him on the back of the head to silence him. They're still moving through enemy territory. 

"I have a cabin deeper in the woods," says Caius. "We might be able to stay there tonight."

Evelyn's heart flips. Leo makes a short sound through his gag.

"That's your cabin?" Asher asks after a tense pause.

"You've seen it?" Caius wonders, surprised.

"Went for a walk when we were waiting for the rest of you to arrive," Asher says. "It's hard to spot."

"That's the point. Means the enemies won't find us."

"But will we find it in the dark? Maybe we should just keep moving."

"Toward what? We have no plan."

"Rescue Ilvara," Evelyn interjects, hoping to avoid that cabin at all costs.

"So we're walking straight to Esterden with this captive, then?" Caius asks. "I think we need some rest first."

"We should get rid of him," Evelyn mutters.

"How?" Alec asks. "He knows too much. We can't give them their spy back."

"We'll have to kill him," Asher says, grimly.

Leo thrashes in protest.

Caius laughs once, wrenching him to one side. "You surprise me, General."

Evelyn meets Asher's eye in the darkness, barely visible.

"I could find it with a blindfold," Caius says. "It's been a long day. Let's get some sleep."

Reluctantly, they agree. They have no valid reason not to.

Evelyn dreads every step to the cabin, praying the bandits somehow found and destroyed it. But its silhouette appears in the forest ahead, cradled as it was between trees and shrubs, unchanged from this morning.

Caius pushes inside, shoving Leo ahead of him. She could be wrong, but Evelyn could have sworn he chuckled through his gag. Evelyn only hopes no one will remove it.

Alec coughs. "Nice place."

"I lived here as a boy." Caius strikes flint at the hearth, setting the dry tinder ablaze. Warm orange light glows in the room, illuminating the grime and decay. The place looks worse in the light.

Evelyn stares at the table. At the obvious smear in the dust from where she had lain this morning. The marks from Leo holding her down, evidence of their struggle. When Caius pulls of Leo's hood, his dark eyes rove the cabin, landing on Evelyn and darkening further.

Asher is quick to grab the back of his neck, wrenching his head back by the hair. "We should take care of him now."

"I'm not against killing him," Caius says, calmly. "But he might be the only one who knows anything about the count and countess' capture."

Evelyn steps forward as Asher's dagger gleams against Leo's throat. Torn, she says, "Caius is right. He could be the key to rescuing them. We can't kill him."

Asher hesitates, then slowly releases Leo's hair. Leo jerks his head forward, making a sound through his gag. He indicates it with a lift of his shoulder, then hums something that sounds like a question.

"Don't take it off," Evelyn blurts. She glances between the men. "He'll just shout for help," she tries to amend.

"I'll tie him to the table," Caius says, and pulls Leo down to his knees, binding his handcuffed hands behind him to the table leg.