Claus

Thirty-Four

The next day, while Cassian was called to speak with his mother's ambassador who had arrived, Klaus wanted Faryn to stroll with him through the castle's courtyard. As Faryn's boots crunched in the snow, surrounded by a group of Elves, she hoped Cassian would get a chance to pass the message on to either Clíodhna or Peter.

The courtyard was full of ice sculptures of different types of Acurials. There was a Huldra, which she recognized, because it was positioned between two dead trees, their bark white. Most Huldra lived on the edge of woods.

The clothes of the next sculpture were exquisite, even made of ice. The figure's face was handsome and refined, and his ears were sharply pointed. It was likely a Dalaketnon.

She'd never seen either type of Elf in person.

There weren't any Fae depicted in the courtyard besides for one sculpture who might be an ancestor of Perchta. There were plenty of Thorine and Cyra though. Scattered throughout were sculptures of beautiful Alkine, but it wasn't clear to her who they were supposed to be.

The one power Klaus knew she had was ice. Was he bringing her out here to taunt her? To say he didn't fear her?

They walked past a stream that had frozen around an ice sculpture of a Kelpie rising out of the water.

"Klaus, did you have something you wanted to say?"

The Elves around her tensed. Was one of them her father?

Klaus didn't stop walking. "I wanted to see if you would tell me where our mother is now that our uncle and cousin are no longer with us."

Had the castle learned about her phone call? "Nothing has changed. I still don't know where she is."

He ran a hand through his bronze hair. Did the cold bother him? Did it bother Nick? Was the Claus's chain of power also resilient to the cold? "I don't want to see her hurt. I just want my dad back."

She felt something tighten in her heart. Didn't see know what that was like? To miss a parent and want them back beside you?

"If she was guilty, Jack would want to hurt her?"

"Yes."

"And Uncle Jack?"

He sighed, stopping to look up at a sculpture of a Cyra, its wings outstretched. "He wouldn't want to hurt her, but I think he would if it came to it." He faced her, his face a mask of desperation. "Please, sister, if you know where she is, tell me, so I have a chance to save both my parents."

Faryn saw right through him.

If she dared tell him, he'd send her to the Frozen City, go after their mother with their cousin's and uncle's help, and once they had Nick back—from whoever had taken him—her mother would either join Faryn in the cells beneath the Frozen City or they would keep her locked up here, only dragging her out for appearances.

"If I knew where she was, I wouldn't have come here, Klaus."

He bowed his head and continued walking.

"You really think she did something to him?"

"I don't want to believe my mother would, but it's been clear she's been unhappy for a long time. And though my father hates to acknowledge it, he knows she's stronger than him." He didn't bother facing her as he said, "If you tell me where she is, I'll let you go. I don't relish locking my own sister up."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're lying." And she had just told him the completely logical point that she would not have come to Ruhnerium had she known her mother wasn't here.

"Do you really have a choice but to believe me? Have you ever visited the dungeons in the Frozen City?"

Faryn's heart started to race. "You'd send me there no matter what."

"Do you think I want to do that to my sister?"

A growl rumbled in her chest. "Don't call me that."

"It is what you are to me, right?"

"Half-sister."

"Is there a difference?"

"Only if we choose there to be one, and I do."

"Well, I choose for there not to be." He walked to another part of the courtyard, and Faryn and her guards followed.

"Maybe there's something else that will interest you. Tell me where our mother is, and I'll take you to your father."

Her chest tightened, and it felt as if her throat was closing. Her father. She had the information Klaus wanted. If her half-brother was a man of his word, she'd be able to see him. To look on his face. To see if they shared any features. If her mother truly was guilty, she had gotten Faryn into this mess and left her behind to face the consequences meant for her. At that point, why was she protecting her? Why did she want to be with her so badly?

She took a step away, putting distance between her and Klaus. She couldn't afford to think like that. Couldn't afford to be tempted. Klaus would never let her see her father. Her only hope of one day meeting him was through her mother.

"Klaus, I told you I don't know where she is. If you're going to continue this pattern of offering me things I can never hope to gain, then just let me go back to my room and stop wasting our time."

With a heavy sigh, he waved his hand, and the guards began to turn around. When he was no longer looking at her, she closed her eyes, locking in the tears that threatened to spill. What would she do if his next offer was impossible to refuse?

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