Page 23 of Veil of Winter

That kind of thinking was not like him and would leadto nothing good. God had given him a vision, and he’d given Princess Elyce a just cause, and God had a plan to sustain them.

He strained his eyes for something, anything ahead. He could see nothing but whiteness, hear nothing but the rushing of the wind. Then the path started to slope downward for the first time, a welcome prospect. Would they find themselves on the leeward side, which would shelter them from the wind? But they would still be too cold. They needed shelter.

They needed a miracle.

Darkness was overtaking them. Princess Elyce’s head lolled against his chest with the movement of the horse. She’d fallen asleep some time ago. He’d heard of men falling asleep in the cold and never waking. But as long as he and his horse were alive, there should be enough warmth to keep the princess from freezing to death.

He glanced around at Sir Oswalt and Ysabeau. They were very close and yet he could barely see them through the swirling snow and the darkness that was descending on them.

Gerard squinted. Was he seeing a flash ahead? Or was it his imagination? He strained his eyes but did not see the light again. His horse kept plodding forward, but his head was bowed. How much longer could he go on?

And then Gerard heard a sound. Metal on metal, a tiny clanging that was growing louder.

Gerard’s horse whinnied and drew up just before hitting a wooden wall. The abrupt movement startled Princess Elyce awake, and she turned to glance back at him.

He dismounted, careful not to pull the princess off whileshe leaned forward and held on to the horse’s mane. Sir Oswalt was beside him. The clanging sound was being made by several pieces of metal, beaten thin, tied together and hanging on a door.

Gerard knocked—or pounded, more like. He kept pounding, but no one answered. He seized the latch and pulled it free, then opened the door. He walked into the dark room with his palm on the handle of his knife, which was sheathed in his belt.

“Anyone here? We are travelers seeking shelter.”

Sir Oswalt came in on his heels, and they managed to light a lantern that was next to the door.

They looked around. Furs and pelts were stacked everywhere, but there was no sign of a person.

They went back out and motioned for Ysabeau, who had dismounted from her horse. The princess was trying to get off the horse but was struggling. Gerard reached up and, placing his hands on either side of her waist, helped her the rest of the way down.

“Thank you,” she said, getting her feet under her. He kept an arm around her, holding on to her elbow, while she leaned against him, for once not protesting his help. Perhaps she was starting not to despise him quite so much.

When she was inside, he and Oswalt led the four horses into the house, which made it quite crowded. Then he noticed a second room. He could barely see inside it, but once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized it was a small area with hay, a stable that opened into the house. They led the horses into it.

The women wrapped their arms around each other and shivered.

“I’m sorry that you will have to share the house with the horses,” Gerard said, “but they would freeze if we left them outside.”

They both looked up at him with tired faces. Princess Elyce said, “Of course. The horses need shelter too.”

Just then Gerard noticed Oswalt sending him a frown. He was thinking Gerard was soft in the head for caring what these women thought. Well, he wasn’t asking their permission. He was simply informing them.

“And you will need to take off your wet clothing.” Gerard sounded gruff and unfriendly. Oswalt’s judgmental frown must have affected him.

Gerard began stripping off his outer clothing. He quickly dug into his bag until he found something dry, then went into the dark stable with the horses and changed his clothes.

Ysabeau’s wide eyes stared at him as if he’d just asked her to do something terrifying, and she was still shivering.

“All is well,” the princess said reassuringly to her servant. “We will take off our wet cloaks so we can get warm.”

Princess Elyce sounded much stronger than before. Good. Perhaps she would be able to ride her own horse when they set out again in the morning.

Why did that thought make him feel disappointed?

Gerard set about making a fire in the pit to one side of the hut. It would be a risk, as their pursuers might see the smoke—that is, if the storm let up. It would also be impossible to force allof the smoke out through the small hole, but they had to have a fire. The princess would have to deal with smoky-smelling hair and clothes. He had a feeling she’d rather be warm.

The cold remains of the last fire were still rather fresh. Would the owner of the shelter come back and find them there? He was obviously a fur trapper, and trappers were not known for their hospitality. But Gerard was confident he and Sir Oswalt could protect the women from one or, indeed, any number of trappers.

Besides, they would be gone in the morning. The storm should be over by then.

When Gerard finished building a fire, Sir Oswalt was still rubbing down the horses, and the women had replaced their wet outer clothing with dry things from their bags.