"What is it?" she asked, folding her arms.

  Hector found his words. "Marley's alive, he turned up at my house but he's pretty hurt. I need your help."

  "Oh!" Her hazel eyes widened then she rushed out of sight and returned a moment later, fully dressed and looking immaculate. "Let's go."

  They hurried downstairs and out into the icy morning air, crossing the bridge in swift strides. The guards stepped aside as they approached.

  "Morning," Thayne said to Quinn with a knowing look.

  She nodded at him as they passed. Hector was glad they hadn't said anything to give away his lie. Then the other guard shouted out behind them.

  "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

  Quinn glanced back at him then frowned at Hector. "What does that mean?"

  Hector shrugged. "I have no idea."

  Her eyes narrowed at Hector but he just picked up the pace and ignored her.

  Hector paused outside his house and turned to Quinn whose nose was wrinkled.

  "What a horrible place," she said and a pang of anger went through Hector.

  "Yes well, we can't all live in castles," he muttered, opening his front door and entering his home.

  Quinn followed and Hector noticed her cheeks had coloured slightly.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

  "I know exactly what you meant," Hector cut her off bluntly, walking over to Marley and dropping down beside him. "Just help him, that's why you came here."

  Quinn nodded, closing the door behind her and moving across the room to kneel beside Marley. "Where's he hurt?" she whispered.

  Hector lifted Marley's shirt, revealing the blood-stained bandages.

  Quinn let out a hiss of air at the sight of it. "Vale, a groll did that?"

  Hector nodded, looking grim.

  "Okay," she said, more to herself than to him. She touched the bandages and a flash of blue light cut them away from Marley's body, revealing the wound beneath.

  Hector grimaced at the three gouge marks that showed where a groll had gotten hold of him.

  Quinn let out a slow breath through her nose and he realised she was nervous.

  "You can do it," Hector mumbled. "You saved Chip."

  She met his eye for a moment and his gut churned uncomfortably. Hector slid back away from her, not wanting to be too close to her or her magic.

  Quinn lightly pressed both her hands to the injury and Marley flinched in his sleep but didn't wake. She closed her eyes in concentration as green light appeared beneath her hand, seeping into Marley's skin and closing the wound bit by bit.

  Hector watched her in silence, his heart racing from the sight of the magic. It was so deeply ingrained in him to fear it but, as he watched her, the fear subsided a little. The magic was healing Marley and that's what Hector had wanted. He had gone to Quinn for help even with the knowledge that magic was unnatural. If that made him a hypocrite then he would just have to accept that.

  Quinn dropped her hands and Hector realised he had been staring at her the entire time she had been healing Marley. He looked at the wound and found the skin completely healed with just a smear of blood remaining across his stomach.

  Quinn rubbed her hands together to remove the blood from them with magic then stood. Hector rose at the same time and Quinn looked up at him expectantly.

  An awkward moment hung between them then Quinn rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

  "Thanks," Hector said just as she opened the door.

  She turned back to him and nodded. "No problem. He'll probably wake up in a minute."

  "Good," he said. "It's almost dawn."

  "See you soon then."

  "Oh er- Quinn?"

  She paused, lifting an eyebrow.

  "I told the guards you were coming to watch the sunrise with me so..."

  Hector could tell she was fighting a laugh and the thought made him angry.

  "Okay, I'll handle it." Quinn stepped out of the door, letting it shut softly behind her.

  48

  The Pack

  Oliver woke to the sound of a creaking floorboard in the room. He sat up, squinting into the darkness.

  "Hello?" he breathed.

  The air was freezing and he noticed frost clinging to every surface in the room.

  "You can't fight the dead," a voice whispered.

  "Who's there?" Oliver asked.

  "Can't fight the dead."

  Oliver got up and his bare feet sank into an inch of snow on the floor.

  "I am the dead," the voice growled into his ear.

  Oliver swung around and found himself face to face with Xen, his black eyes full of murder-

  He awoke with a start as Rogan shook his shoulder.

  "It's time to go," Rogan whispered.

  Oliver nodded, rubbing his eyes to shift the sleep from them. He forced the dream from his mind but the knowledge that Xen was back in the kingdom had left him tossing and turning all night. Brinatin felt so close and yet so far away. They had to make it.

  He stood and quickly dressed, grabbing his bag which he had packed the night before. The darkness outside the window comforted him, knowing they would be disappearing before the Queen was even awake.

  Larkin yawned heavily, pulling on a pair of warm gloves. Oliver spotted Rogan's mage gauntlets discarded by his bedside.

  Rogan followed his gaze. "I'm not taking any chances. If we have to fight our way out of here, we will. We're getting out of Glacio, today."

  Oliver nodded, determined.

  "Come on," Larkin said, heading toward the door.

  Rogan barely had to knock once on the girls' door before it flew open. Anna stood there looking anxious.

  "Are you ready?" Oliver whispered.

  She swallowed and nodded, stepping out into the corridor.

  Quinn followed, yawning broadly. She rubbed her eyes and a flash of blue light appeared beneath them, making her look instantly wide awake.

  "Where's May?" Oliver hissed.

  "She went down to get Ely," Anna said, touching his arm.

  He nodded firmly. "Okay, let's move."

  They descended the stairs in silence and every footstep sounded like a thunderclap in Oliver's ears. They moved quickly and hurried toward the main entrance.

  Oliver spotted May's blonde hair as they descended the stairs and rushed toward her and Ely.

  Ely looked concerned.

  "What's wrong?" Anna whispered as she joined them.

  "The guards on the bridge. They'll alert the Queen," Ely said.

  "But Quinn walked past them earlier and they didn't say anything," Anna said, glancing in her direction.

  Quinn nodded as they turned to her. "Yeah but it was just me and Hector and we had a cover story." She hurriedly told them about Hector and Marley and Oliver felt a weight lift from his shoulders. The loss of Chip and Hannah had been hard enough to bear without then thinking that Marley had died to save him. Suddenly knowing that all of them were alive left him with a feeling that things were finally going their way.

  "I don't think we can come up with a good enough cover story for us all walking out of the palace with our bags," Larkin said derisively.

  "We need a distraction," May said thoughtfully.

  "No wait. If they're gonna realise we're gone whatever we just need a head start, right?" Quinn raised an eyebrow mischievously.

  "Yeah but-" Oliver started but Quinn strode confidently out of the palace doors before he could finish.

  "I guess we're doing it her way then," Rogan said with a grin.

  Oliver shrugged and headed after her, hearing the others following close behind. They slipped out of the palace doors and the cold hit him like a slap to the face.

  Quinn was waiting on the other side of the bridge with her hands on her hips.

  "Where are the guards?" Ely asked as they approached.

  Quinn pointed to a large boulder, evidently concealing their bodies. "They won't wake up for hours."

  "Someone will notice the guards are gone," Larkin said, shaking his head.

  "Not for ages," Quinn said.

  "It's done now, let's just move," Rogan said, glancing back at the palace as they hurried on down the hill.

  As they approached the stables, a high-pitched whistle caught their attention. Oliver spotted Hector on the other side of the courtyard, gesturing to them. They hurried toward him. His beard and hair were freshly trimmed, making him look uncharacteristically tidy.

  "Hi," he said.

  Quinn nodded to Hector, their encounter earlier that night clearly having dispelled some of the tension between them.

  "Where's the transport?" Larkin asked a little rudely.

  Hector nodded in the direction of the road. "Nearby. We need to get out of the city first."

  "Why?" Larkin asked.

  "Because our transport would wake the whole city up if I brought it here," Hector growled, strolling off down the road at high-speed.

  They hurried after him and had soon quickened to an almost jog as they moved down through the winding streets. Instead of taking the same route they had left the city via before, Hector turned sharply to the left and headed towards a stretch of farmland.

  After several minutes they reached a wooden fence which Hector jumped, landing in the snowy field on the other side.

  "Where are we going?" Quinn hissed.

  "We're not taking the road, this way is faster," Hector said, striding out across the field.

  "Are you sure we can trust him?" Ely looked to Oliver.

  He nodded. "Yeah, he wants out of Glacio as much as we do."

  Ely seemed satisfied with his answer and scaled the fence, dropping onto the other side. Oliver was glad to see him looking so healthy at last.

  Oliver pressed his hands onto the top of the fence and clambered over it. They marched after Hector toward two hills at the other end of the field. Oliver glanced back at the city and saw a few lights twinkling in the windows of people's homes.

  The palace loomed high up on the mountain as a dark shadow; somewhere up there the Queen was sleeping and they were slipping away under her nose. Adrenaline pumped through him and he picked up his pace, a smile spreading across his features.

  The pale light of dawn was just beginning to seep into the sky as they approached the other side of the field. Oliver looked up to the clouds that slipped over them and for once prayed that they would bring snow to cover their tracks.

  As they reached the fence the sound of distant barking and yapping reached his ears. They climbed over the barrier and Hector led them around a corner between the two hills.

  There, nestled between them was a sight that filled Oliver with hope.

  Two teams of dogs were attached to long, wooden sleds that were enclosed with a roof. A girl with black hair tied back with a red ribbon ducked out of one of the sleds and approached them with a bright smile.

  "Hi, I'm Immarelle," she said.

  "No time for introductions, we need to move," Hector said firmly.

  Immarelle folded her arms. "Well that's thanks for you. I've only spent the last hour getting the pups ready to sneak you out of Galice."

  "We're really very grateful indeed, my dear," Ely said, stepping forward and shaking her hand.

  "Thank you," Oliver said earnestly.

  Immarelle beamed. "Not a problem. Hector, you'll have to guide the second team. You do remember how right?"

  "Course I remember how," he muttered.

  "Zion's leading your pack, she's only a year old so she's got the speed but not a lot of sense. You keep behind me so I can keep her speed down."

  "Why in Vale didn't you put Minx on the front of this pack?" Hector snapped.

  "Because, like I've told you a thousand times, Minx is pregnant and I've been training Zion up to take her place while she's whelping."

  Hector went to retort and Larkin stepped in. "Look, interesting as this really isn't, can we just go before the Queen realises we're not in the bloody palace?"

  Hector nodded and Immarelle gestured for him to get on the other sled once more.

  Quinn walked straight onto Immarelle's sled then Ely and Larkin headed after her. Oliver led the way onto Hector's sled and the others followed. He had to duck his head under the curved, wooden roof and sat at the end of the righthand bench.

  There were furs covering the two benches on either side and, as Anna sat down beside him, she pulled one over them and sidled up for warmth. Hector sat facing away from them toward the dogs and Rogan and May sat down opposite Oliver and Anna.

  They placed their bags at the far end where a small wooden gate could be pulled across the back. May latched it into place and sidled up next to Rogan, draping a fur blanket over her knees.

  There were large gaps between the slats of wood that they could look out of. Oliver eyed their sled's dogs who were led by a fluffy white one with a curled up tail. She barked excitedly, setting off the others around her. Oliver recognised the large black dog, Drake, at the head of Immarelle's sled team.

  "Ready?" Immarelle called to Hector from her seat on the other sled, gripping the reins in her hand.

  He nodded and Immarelle shouted to the dogs. "Head out Drake!"

  He woofed loudly and the other six dogs jumped to attention behind him, wagging their tails. Their sled pulled away with ease, smoothly sliding along on top of the snow.

  "Head out," Hector commanded.

  Zion squealed and yelped her excitement then sprinted forward after Immarelle's sled, following the trail they left in their wake.

  "I can't wait to get out of Glacio," Anna whispered and Oliver squeezed her hand beneath the blanket.

  "Me too," he said.

  "How long until we get to the Gateway?" May asked.

  "Probably an hour or so," Hector called back.

  The icy wind whipped through the sled and May began rubbing her arms from the cold. Oliver felt warmed only by the presence of Anna beside him.

  "Cold?" Rogan asked May.

  She nodded and he opened his palm. A cloud of white swirled inside it until it grew to about the size of a pillow. It dispersed into the air and disappeared. The air within the sled became warm, somehow blocking the freezing wind.

  Hector shuffled away from Rogan on his seat.

  "Oh, sorry man," Rogan said guiltily.

  Hector shrugged but didn't look at him.

  Rogan made an exaggerated, wide-eyed look at Oliver and he had to stifle a laugh.

  ***

  The dogs took a path over the hills, winding across the vast, open landscape of Glacio. The snowfall came and Oliver hoped that their tracks had been covered before anyone had noticed their absence. The sky was growing ever brighter and an orange tinge on the horizon signalled dawn.

  After a while, Oliver began to feel stiff and shuffled around on the seat to try and get more comfortable.

  "My bum's gone numb," Oliver said.

  "I could heal it for you but I'd rather not touch your butt cheeks," Rogan said, laughing. "Girls?"

  May giggled, covering her mouth with her hands.

  "How's the curse?" Rogan asked, nudging May.

  "It still hurts but it hasn't got any worse," she said with a shrug. "I'm kinda getting used to the pain now."

  Rogan frowned. "I wish I could heal it for you. Sorry about, you know, when I tried to the first time."

  She looked away awkwardly. "Don't worry about it."

  Anna shot a look at Oliver and tried to suppress a laugh.

  They crested a steep hill and ran along the edge of the high ridge. Sunlight peeped through the clouds, making the snow around them shimmer and sparkle. They dropped over the other side of the hill and descended into a picturesque valley that swept far away from them towards a range of mountains. The wind had sculpted the snow to form dunes across the field. The sky was clear but for a smattering of clouds and the rising sun coloured the hills in pink, orange and gold.

  At the centre of the valley was a large tree, its branches bare. Snow had settled on the bark and icicles hung down from them, twinkling in the light. A rickety, wooden cabin sat at one side of the valley with smoke rising in a swirling column from a stone chimney. A warm glow flickered in the windows from the fire inside.

  They approached the tree which had a weathered hole in its centre. It was large enough for a man to step inside and keys glittered in the gnarled bark around it.

  "Halt!" Immarelle cried and Drake pulled up next to the Gateway.

  Zion slowed and came to a halt beside the other pack, wagging her tail happily.

  Immarelle jumped down and hurried to pat Zion on the head. "Good girl. Well done." She set about giving each of the dogs a snack from her pocket.

  "Good afternoon," a woman's voice called from the cabin. She appeared in the doorway and traipsed out into the snow towards them. She was a tiny old lady with grey hair poking out from under a woolly, cream hat and a delicate pair of spectacles balanced on her nose. She lifted her thick, cotton skirt as she waded through the snow, revealing sturdy black boots beneath it.

  "Hi, we're here to take part in the challenge," May said as she exited their sled.

  "Ah, wonderful. I'm Keeper Jade. You'll be the first to do the challenge since the Queen reopened the Gateway last night. She recalled the guards who were posted here, thank the spirits, they've been running me around like a house maid. Not that I'm complaining, of course. It was the Queen's wish for them to be here so I suppose I had to accommodate them. Anyway, follow me inside." She turned and headed back toward the cabin.

  Oliver exited the sled and shouldered his bag. Hector jumped over the front and produced his Lock from beneath his clothes, both Glacio and Brinatin's keys shimmering within it.

  "Err, where do you think you're going?" Immarelle addressed him.

  Hector pointed dumbly towards the Gateway.

  "Yeah, when you're done helping me link the sled teams together. I can't do it on my own."

  He sighed and dropped his pack to the ground.

  "See you then, Hector. I guess you'll be gone by the time we do the challenge?" Oliver asked.

  Hector nodded. "Safe journey, wherever you lot are headed."

  They said their goodbyes then followed Keeper Jade into the cabin.They entered the small building where a couple of armchairs were positioned near to a fire. The heat was a welcome relief from the cold but it did nothing to ease Oliver's nerves.

 

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