Kiss Of Snow - Elizabeth Briggs Page 0,1

tell that even with him behind me.

“I’m not sure I’ll make a good queen.” There. I’d voiced it. In the loneliness of the forest, to the one man I trusted with my safety above all others.

He scoffed quietly. Probably under his breath, but I heard him. “You shouldn’t worry about that. I can’t imagine a better queen for Talador than you.”

Even with my magic? Father had banned all magic in Talador, including what I’d inherited from my mother, who was an accomplished wizard. Fellina was my father’s first queen and only love. After she’d died, he’d married many more women, but Mother was the queen I most aspired to be like. I wanted to be a good leader to my people.

I just wasn’t ready. Not yet.

“I miss Father.” These were also quiet words, because in many ways I had no reason at all to miss him. With each new wife, and each year he passed on the throne, he’d grown harsher and colder. I’d worried over my magic, and especially Rose’s magic as she defied him by attempting to train herself. Thankfully, she had married King Raith, and in Ilidan she could practice her magic freely. But Father’s death had left me with the responsibility of Iris, and who knew how her mother’s magic would manifest in my youngest sister?

“I can understand that.” Keane spoke with no judgement, but it wasn’t the careful control a lot of the other staff had when they replied to me, and I was grateful for the honesty that shone through in our conversations. “You only get one father, and I’m sorry yours has been taken away.”

I took a deep breath, inhaling the icy air so it froze the sob trapped inside. I missed Father, but I wouldn’t cry for him today.

“We still don’t know how he got sick and succumbed so quickly.” I turned to face Keane and took in his dark gold hair and chiseled jaw. With his towering height and broad shoulders, I couldn’t ignore how striking he looked in the blue and white armor of my kingdom. My queendom now, I supposed.

But his dark blue eyes weren’t on me.

“Lily!” My name tore from his lips, his tone urgent. “Get behind me!”

My gaze snapped to the collection of black figures running in our direction. Bandits? They seemed a long way from the nearest road, but anything was possible. As they drew closer, Keane thrust his arm toward me as though he could shield me, while reaching for his ever-present sword at his hip.

I hesitated. My magic. I could use it now, without fear of repercussions from my father and his laws forbidding it. Would I be fast enough to stop them? I knew a few runes, but I hadn’t practiced like Rose had. If something I did backfired, I could end up hurting all of us.

One of the figures darted toward me, a gleaming sword held out in front of him, and he aimed it for my chest. Keane shoved me behind him, and I stumbled then regained my balance. He slashed at the man with his sword, only for us to watch the bandit disappear in a swirl of black smoke that drifted away in the breezeless air.

More men surrounded us, with swords that sliced through the air. We were vastly outnumbered, but Keane dodged and swirled, protecting me with his every breath, while I stood there feeling helpless. As Keane attacked, every single one of them dissipated in the same way, leaving a faint smell of bitter herbs behind.

But then one of them managed to break between Keane’s defenses and slashed at me. I darted away just in time so he only sliced through my cloak, shredding it immediately. It seemed the attackers could hurt us, even though they disappeared when we touched them. Keane stopped the man by throwing a knife into his forehead, saving me from another attack.

After Keane defeated the last one, he turned to me. “I don’t know what that was, but I do know we need to get you home.”

I nodded, the shock of it all momentarily stealing my words.

He didn’t walk behind me this time. We stepped quickly through the forest with Keane holding my arm to steady me and keep me close, while he looked all around us for more attackers. His watchfulness reassured me, but worry also began to gnaw in my gut. What had those men been? Apparitions of some sort, possibly illusion magic, but from where? From who? Had I