Sheer Cold

Chapter 3

Dahra yelped in shock, and backed away from the voice. Her bird screeched, disgruntled, and nipped her ear, hard. It had jumped to her shoulder the second Dahra moved too suddenly.

"What are you doing?" Queen Yana repeated.

"I-I was just, uh, sending a letter."

"Evidently. To whom, may I ask?"

Dahra's mind raced, but it was difficult to concentrate when she was being impaled by the Queen's unyielding, blue glare. She looked every bit the foreboding queen, with her white skin and black hair. Could she lie to the queen so directly? Especially when she seemed so frightening.

"I haven't seen Uncle in ages, so I thought that... It was about, er, time I spoke to him. Again."

One of Yana's eyebrows arched. "Is that so? He has been gone for almost two weeks. It must be hard on you."

Even Kiaran could have detected the underlying sarcasm in her voice.

The queen's eyes narrowed when she saw the envelope on the bird's talons. Dahra would've given almost anything she owned for Yana to have ignored that letter.

"Could I, please, have a look at that bird?"

As soon as she said the words, the tern abandoned Dahra and hopped onto the queen's shoulder. Traitor.

"It's really, just a *private* letter..." she tried to stop Yana, desperately hoping for a miracle. If Yana opened the letter, she would see all of Dahra's treasonous doubt... and Dahra couldn't let that happen. Fortunately, Yana stopped. Dahra knew that she wasn't the type of person who would invade anyone's privacy for no reason. But they could both see the red envelope.

"I know that you were eavesdropping on the war meeting yesterday." Yana said softly.

"What?"

"If you had just been innocently waiting for Kiaran, you wouldn't have run off after making a loud noise."

Dahra had no idea what to say. She was not eager to admit to anything.

"But I like you, Dahra." Yana continued, her eyes glittering. "Kiaran likes you... Even my daughters value your company. So I gave you a chance. A chance to prove your loyalty."

"What do you mean?" Dahra asked heatedly. She despised it when people started speaking in riddles.

"Knowing that you had heard our plans yesterday, I was curious to see how you reacted. I wondered whether you'd talk to somebody about it, or if you'd ignore the war plans..." Dahra's nails were figging into her palms. Yana was such a dramatic person.

"I must say, I'm disappointed in you. You obviously doubt my authority."

"Why would you think that I doubt you?" Dahra asked, trying to sound innocent and sweet.

Queen Yana's eyes narrowed. "The letter, if you will."

Dahra looked at the pale, slender hand outstretched before her. With her own trembling hands, she clutched the red message more possessively.

"You can't invade my privacy like that!" her voice was shrill and desperate.

"I am fully entitled to read any letter leaving this palace, or indeed, this kingdom. The letter, now."

For a second, Dahra tried to think of ways to excuse herself. A terrible sense of dread had settled over her, and made it hard to breathe.

All of a sudden, the letter was out of her hands and in Yana's. She screamed briefly, at the protuding ice dagger that had extended from behind her, impaled the envelope, and sent it straight into the queen's hands.