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The king spoke over his shoulder to Dakjudr and the other goblins, who jogged off in different directions.

A few minutes later, he installed Gytha and Alexander in a room she had not seen before. There was a large flagstone section of the floor in the center of the space with a pile of thick furs near one side. Far above, a small circle in the ceiling showed twinkling stars in the infinite sky.

“Lay out those furs,” he directed Gytha.

When the furs were spread upon the stone, he lay Alexander on them. Wirkelshen hurried in carrying several poles and a large piece of thick cloth; he drove the poles into the ice and stretched the cloth upon it to form something like a wall just behind Alexander.

“What is that for?”

“It will reflect the heat back on him.” Eshkeshken bent over a box made of stone in the center of the flagstones. A moment later, Gytha felt warmth on her face.

“We have very little wood here,” Eshkeshken said. “But I have enmagicked it to burn without being consumed for many hours. The stove is too hot to touch, but you may come close to it. The heat is good for your human bodies.”

Alexander still lay pale and unmoving.

“Will he live?” Gytha could not help asking.

Eshkeshken’s cold eyes flicked to her and then to Alexander’s face. “The magic that kept him prisoner also preserved his life,” he said in a low voice. “He has lived far beyond human years, and suffered cold and torments humans were not meant to endure. Perhaps he has suffered too much to continue.”

Gytha’s heart twisted into a knot, hard and hot inside her chest, and she said fiercely, “No! He can’t die now!”

The ice goblin king put a hand on Alexander’s forehead. “He can,” he said softly. “Perhaps he should.”

Gytha pulled off her gloves and took Alexander’s icy hands in hers. His fingers were so cold they were stiff, and she thought wildly that he was half-frozen already. Eshkeshken’s gray hand rested on Alexander’s head a moment longer.

“I have done what I can for him,” he said at last. “If he wakes, get him to eat. Whether he lives or dies, we will return you to your people.” He turned to meet her gaze. “You have been a friend to me and to my people, and I will repay the debt I owe you.”

Silence filled the room, broken only by the muffled hiss and pop of the fire.

“I didn’t do much,” Gytha said.

Eshkeshken shrugged one shoulder and gave her a sharp-toothed smile. “Perhaps not, but your kindness was given when I most needed it. Out of your own despair and loneliness, you chose generosity and kindness when I had chosen bitterness. You presented a very clear alternative to me when I did not know I had a choice at all.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me for so long?” The deadly chill of Alexander’s hands sucked the warmth from Gytha’s fingers, but she did not pull away from him. She looked at his face and then back at the ice goblin king expectantly.

The king hesitated and then inclined his head in apology. “I was young when the queen took power, and she had not seen me in years. For many years, I watched and waited, avoiding her notice. I knew the bear prince was mistreated, but I did not know how badly. I volunteered to guard your prison for that year, knowing that it would take me out of the city she seemed to own.

“When I presented myself to her, I disguised myself, for I did not trust that she would not think evil of me and try to kill me. Dakjudr, loyal and courageous as she is, followed me in this, though I did not ask or expect it. Javethai did not recognize me, but she required a vow that neither of us speak a word to either you or the bear prince.” He showed his teeth in another cold smile. “I was careful with my words; I vowed to not speak to you as long as I served the queen. I said it with such meekness and sincerity that the queen did not realize that when Idecidednot to serve her ends, the vow would lose its power over me.”

Arenenak and Wirkelshen erected another fabric wall beside the first at an angle and stretched a cloth over the top.

Within minutes, the air grew warm enough for Gytha to notice the difference. She let down the hood of her coat. The air was chilly, but no longer dangerous to her bare skin. This warmth after so long in the lethal cold felt like a gift.

The ice goblin king sighed. “I should have done more for him, but I did not know how to break the queen’s hold on him, and I did not know whether I might not make things worse for us all. And I was afraid.” He looked up to meet Gytha’s eyes. “I thought my cowardice was prudence and my inaction was patience. But you waited in hope and courage, rather than merely mute endurance.

“The more I think of you claiming me as a friend, the more I am pleased by it.” He smiled again, his silver-blue eyes holding hers.

A soft, pained breath caught their attention, and they looked at Alexander. The bear prince drifted toward awareness.

“Alexander,” Gytha said.

He blinked, still dazed, and then he saw Eshkeshken, and a shudder went through him. “Don’t hurt her,” he croaked. He struggled to sit up, and Gytha put her arm around him.

“Why would I hurt her?” Eshkeshken’s gray brows lowered in a frown.

Alexander’s eyes darted around the room, wide and cautious. “I’m sorry,” he said at last. “I thought…I didn’t recognize you.”

Eshkeshken inclined his head solemnly. “When you are well enough to travel, I will send you home. You are no longer a prisoner here, but a guest. You will have food to strengthen you and clothes to warm you, and if there is any other way I might aid your healing, please be bold in your request.”