Frost Like Night by Sara Raasch

Author:Sara Raasch [Raasch, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-08-10T04:00:00+00:00

20

Meira

EVERY MINUTE OF every hour of the next three days is packed with readying the armies, settling the refugees, sending out scouts to watch Angra’s movements, and discussing war strategies until everyone practically topples over from exhaustion. What moments I can steal, I spend pacing the perimeter of camp, straining my magic to double check that I’m shielding everyone as best as I can. What sleep I manage is light and fleeting, giving me just enough rest to get through the next day.

No one asks why I do what I do or says anything about how I stare off into the trees with my jaw clenched. I wonder about this for half a heartbeat one afternoon, long enough to realize that everyone is as stressed as I am. Everyone knows we have a few weeks at most before Angra’s troops are fully gathered—which means we only have that much time to become a cohesive fighting unit.

And the more work we pack into each day, the fewer lives will be lost in the coming battle.

These thoughts fuel me when fatigue hits, and I need only glance at Nessa singing soft lullabies to the camp’s children to force myself awake. When we break for the night and my legs ache from pacing, I need only spot Ceridwen running through drills with her refugee fighters to find the energy to take one more step, then another.

These tasks are infinitely preferable to what awaits us.

“Meira!”

I bolt upright, chakram in one hand, magic surging down my other arm in a bundled ball of defense. But it’s only Nessa, bouncing in the middle of my tent.

“You’re never going to believe what’s happening!” she squeals.

I lower my chakram with a groan and scrub sleep from my eyes. “What’s happening? How long have I been asleep?”

But even as I ask that, I think, Not long enough.

“Since . . .” Nessa’s eyes drift upward as she thinks. “After midnight. It’s just past noon now, and everyone wanted to let you rest, but I knew you wouldn’t want to miss this!”

I twitch and lower my hands. It’s past noon?

Nessa’s face comes into focus, but my groggy confusion only intensifies when I see her outfit. Deep purple satin lined with gold trim curves around her body.

“I know we have to borrow things from Autumn, but this is a bit fancy, isn’t it?” I say.

Nessa spins to fluff the floor-length skirt around her sandals. “Isn’t it lovely? You should see Ceridwen! She looks like a sunset.”

I raise my brows. Nessa waves her hands.

“Oh, right, sorry!” She grabs my arm and yanks me out of bed, my chakram clanking to the floor, my tunic batting loosely at my knees. Only Nessa’s giddy smile stops me from protesting as she hauls me outside.

Conall peels away from the threshold of my tent and drops in behind us, having taken up his task of guarding me again since most of Mather’s Thaw left to escort our final refugee group. Where Nessa leads me isn’t very far down the road, and considering the number of people we pass, I’m grateful.

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