Summer's Frost

Chapter 24

       It felt like hours that we stood there in the snow, arguing. Eric was determined to either stay or take me back with him. Slick was determined to make him leave -- without me. I was determined to find time to sleep. My head pounds and my body aches. The adrenaline high from tumbling partway down a mountain and then finally being able to use these famed 'powers' I'm supposed to have has worn off.

"Let him come."

Slick turns to me incredulously. "What?"

"We don't have much of a choice. He'll follow us anyway."

"We could knock him out."

"True, but it isn't snowing, so our tracks wouldn't be covered. What harm could it do? We'll bring him with us as a... guest and if he doesn't comply or prove his loyalty, then he's stuck with us anyway."

"And by guest you mean prisoner," Eric huffed.

I smile sweetly. "Payback hurts."

"For the last time, you weren't --"

I put my hand up and look at Slick. "It'll be fine. Maybe Edric can do some sort of memory-erasing trick if all goes wrong?"

I don't think this is a good idea.

I don't think we have a choice.

I think we do. Knock him out, cover our tracks, wait until he leaves.

And how are we supposed to cover our tracks? I don't have the ability to make a little snow cloud follow us . At least, not yet. And I don't have time to practice.

What if we lead him back to the Winter palace and then knock him out and leave him for them to find?

I'm not going leave him in the hands of his enemies!

Fine.

Give him a chance. He's not that untrustworthy.

"Let's --" I stop. I  look around. "Where is he?" I hear a thump behind me, followed by the crunching of snow. A strange feeling passes through my mind, like a switch shutting off. Behind me, Slick is unconscious on the ground. "Eric!"

He stands there, no apparent weapon in hand. "Pressure point. Now, I'd prefer to keep you conscious. Are you coming with me, or not?"

I assume a defensive stance. "Not."

"Kas, please," he pleads. "I'm trying to help, I really am. I know you don't fully trust me right now, but I need you to."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Why would I? You just knocked him out, and then you practically threatened to do the same to me! For what reason? What purpose are you trying to serve?"

His voice fills with sadness. "You shouldn't be doing this. You shouldn't be running from everything and everyone. You ran from Summer, you ran from Winter, you want to run from me. Where are you going to go? Spring? Fall? They are not a welcoming people. They are a calm, even tempered people, but still distrusting of outsiders." His tone switches to sound almost angry, and pleading. "You need somewhere safe, you need someone to help you, like me."

"I don't know if you noticed, but for the first time, I freely accessed my powers. I used them without thought, on instinct. And it wasn't from you helping me," I jab my finger at his chest. "it was from you worrying me, scaring me."

"Kassie, listen," he takes a step in my direction, and I take a step back. "You can't trust him."

"What do you mean?"