Page 65

For some time he remained silent, his face still hidden in his hands. Then he took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked up at her with his haunted eyes. “If the king can make me a bear, it is the safest way to get you south. I will carry you as far as I can.”

She reached out to slip her hand into his.

Accordingly, they were provisioned with enough food for a month. The food was arranged in a clever pack of soft graycloth that would fit over Alexander’s bear shoulders like saddle bags. Other preparations were made, too; new, warmer clothes had been made that fit Alexander’s gaunt frame better, and both Gytha and Alexander were provided with small items such as fat-soaked tinder, flint and steel, bone fish hooks, and strong fishing line.

When Eshkeshken and Dakjudr had showed them everything, the king and queen began to pack it all away with the quiet competence with which they had so long performed their duties as servants.

Alexander said, “This is generous, Your Majesty.”

Eshkeshken paused and looked up at him, his pale eyes catching the lamplight. “You have been generous to me. You have every reason to hold me in bitter contempt; if I had been bolder, you might have been free sooner. Yet you have not even thrown my cowardice in my face, much less shown any justified hatred.”

Alexander hesitated and then said, in a thick voice, “Your Majesty, if I ought not dwell in the grief and pain of what I have lost, you ought not dwell in regret.” His pale lips worked, and he looked down. “That is easier said than done.”

The ice goblin king paused, one gray hand on the gray cloth, as if he wanted to say something else. Then he nodded sharply and focused on the work. Without looking up, he said, “When you are ready, I will enchant you into the form of a bear. You can remove the enchantment when you wish.”

Alexander’s face had that mask of stillness again, almost entirely expressionless. He swallowed. “Do you know how far it is from Elestar to Gytha’s home near Langaholt?”

“Elestar?” The ice goblin prince frowned. “It is on the coast, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Eshkeshken folded the top of the pack over and laced it securely. “I don’t know Langaholt. Tell me how you got there.”

After Alexander had recounted the days he had run to and from Langaholt and the landmarks he had noted on his way, Eshkeshken nodded and said, “I think perhaps two hundred miles? Two hundred thirty? I think Gytha’s home is on the western branch of the Skjaldafoss, though farther south than I have ever been.”

The ice goblin king raked his gray eyes over them both and said, “You would travel faster if Gytha were also able to run and sleep without fear of freezing.”

Alexander flinched. “No.”

The king’s gaze flicked to Gytha’s face.

“Do you mean you would make me a bear, too?” Gytha asked. Her voice felt small and trembly.

Eshkeshken’s voice was gentle, and with a distant part of Gytha’s mind, she appreciated the effort that it must have taken to soften that sharp, gravely tone. “Only for a time.” His gaze slid to Alexander’s face and then back to hers. “Your bear prince possesses a strong mind and stalwart character. It is said that when the magic changes a human to an animal, it is difficult for the human to remember what they once were.”

The fear in Gytha’s heart fluttered like bird wings, and she took a deep breath that stung her lungs. She held Eshkeshken’s gaze for a moment and then looked at Alexander.

“I can be stalwart.” She raised her chin.

The ice goblin king smiled, his thin lips drawing away from his teeth. A year ago, Gytha would have been frightened by that smile. Now, she saw that he was pleased with her courage and stubborn hope, and he wished to help her. “I will make you both bears,” he said. “When you want the magic to be undone, you must wish yourself to be a human again, with a clear and fierce desire for your own natural form.”

He hesitated and then said, “I think the magic will be strong enough to allow you to wish yourself to be a bear again, and take the shape off again.”

Alexander’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to be a bear any longer than necessary to get Gytha south, to lands where humans can live.”

“What if the magic wears off while we are bears? What if we can’t change back?” Gytha asked.

Eshkeshken closed his eyes and tilted his head, frowning thoughtfully, and then said, “You will change back,” he said at last, meeting her eyes again. “When the spell wears off, you will return to your natural human form, even if you are not ready. I think the spell should last many years, probably longer than you will live, and while it is upon you, you can change back and forth as easily as thought, if you wish it clearly. Nevertheless, do not stay in bear form for too long. My magic will not have Javethai’s malevolence in it, but it is still goblin magic, strange to your human minds and bodies, and it may be difficult to remember yourselves in the bear form. If I were you, and I wanted to live and die as a human, I would not stay in the bear form for more than a few months at a time.”

Alexander shook his head hurriedly. “No. I have no desire for that.” He swallowed. “You are sure, Your Majesty, that we will be able to change back into humans?”

“I can put it on you now and let you try it before you depart.” There was a faint edge in Eshkeshken’s voice, as if he were perhaps a little offended but had decided to ignore whatever insult he had perceived.

The prince shuddered and then said, “Yes. I will try it before Gytha.” He met the ice goblin king’s gaze. “I am ready.”

Eshkeshken bowed. He stepped forward and put one pale gray hand on Alexander’s shoulder. He grimaced with effort and his fingers dug into the taller man’s jacket.

Alexander shivered violently once.