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Ice Country(76)

By:David Estes


“Why are you leaving?” I ask.

“I trust Wilde,” she says. “The others do too.”

I can see that, but still…I can’t wait two weeks for them to return. I can’t. “More like you’re scared of Goff,” I say, my words an obvious lie.

She frowns again, takes a step forward. “Yer not thinkin’ straight. What happened to yer brother, it’s—”

“Don’t speak of my brother.” Fire’s burning in my chest, hot and cold and fast.

“—cloudin’ yer judgment,” she continues as if I hadn’t spoken.

“The only thing that’s clouding my judgment is you,” I say, taking my own step forward. Three steps away. I could almost touch her if we both reached out.

“We’re all tryin’ to help you ’ere.” Stop there, I think. Just stop there.

My eyes are burning but I don’t blink either. “Yah, I’ve heard that one before,” I growl. “But people don’t always come through for you, do they?”

“Are you sayin’ I’m lyin’?” Skye says, getting that look in her eyes, the one I saw just before she leapt on Big’s back in the dungeons.

I ignore it, goad it even. “Just confused. Wooloo,” I say in a mocking tone.

She pushes me away with both hands. “Go to scorch,” she says.

I scowl at her, take a step forward.

She charges, grabbing at my arms, trying to get ahold of them, to pin them, but I twist away and grab back, clamping my fingers on her shoulder for a quick second before she slips away. Arms outstretched, she manages a firm grip on my arms, and I grab her back. We grapple, frantic-like, as it turns into a wrestling match, and she’s strong, so strong, stronger than most guys I’ve fought before.

I push and pull and try to get an edge, but she’s pushing and pulling and doing the same and then dropping suddenly, throwing off my center of balance and I’m falling, falling, slamming into the dirt, scrabbling at her as she holds me down, throwing her offa me, rolling, getting on top of her and then I realize I’m not angry, I’m not angry, I’m fighting her but I’m not angry—least not at her. My guard falls away and she takes advantage and throws me to the side, gains the upper hand. But I’m not seeing her, at least not the her that’s here, who’s fighting me, I’m seeing the Skye who’s arms were reaching out through the bars, grabbing mine, want in her eyes and on her lips, and I don’t want to fight anymore, not one second longer, and so—

—I’m holding her and I think she’s holding me back and—

—my hands draw up her slender neck, run along her jawline, cup her chin, and then—

—I’m kissing her and she’s kissing me and the world blinks away as I close my eyes and—

—it’s just Skye, all around me, but she’s brown skin and short, dark hair and not gray and cloud-covered like the other sky and I think she’s the real Sky and—

—it’s like for this moment, for this one moment, Wes isn’t dead anymore and everything’s okay and we might be able to rescue Jolie and I’m happy and—

“Feve has a family, you searin’ Icy fool!” she snaps abruptly, pulling back.

I look at her but her words aren’t angry and she’s almost laughing. “What?” I say, breathing heavy, unable to decipher the meaning of anything but her lips, which I desperately want to kiss again.

“Feve,” she says. “He’s a married man. He wants to help you, but if we go back to the castle like this he’ll die, and his family will be left without him. If it was just us to worry ’bout, we’d be with you in a heartbeat. All we wanna do is get more warriors so we’ll have a chance.”

“Oh,” I say, feeling my face go warm.

“Is everything all right?” Buff’s voice says. I turn my head and he’s pushed aside a leafy branch and is watching us, amusement splashed all over his face.

“Fine,” I say. “Skye was just teaching me a thing or two about fighting.”

Skye rolls her eyes, but I can tell she finds it funny.

“Sure,” Buff says. “If you say so. We’re heading out now, so unless you want to keep…practicing…up here all by yourselves, with no one within miles and miles, you’d better get moving.”

I look at Skye and she looks at me, and then she rolls offa me and we head toward Buff. He turns to fight his way back through the woods and Skye turns to me. “That was one scorch-of-a good first kiss, Icy Dazz,” she whispers through those lips of hers.