Soul Seeker

34: Breaking Fate

The next morning, Ciara woke feeling refreshed for the first time since she had set out from Nome. She'd forgotten the wonders of sleeping in a real bed with a real mattress.

Had Sköll booked a room at the inn? Ciara had seen no sign of him, and he didn't appear when she had breakfast with Sebastian by the fire: freshly-baked bread, warm and fluffy with a tough crust speckled with seeds, slathered with butter and honey.

Tonraq was sleeping in after his shift, Fell was currently watching Hati and Isa was nowhere to be found.

"Shall we go for a walk through the town?" Ciara suggested. "Where's Isa? Shall I find her and see if she wants to join us?"

She knocked on Isa's door, but there was no reply from within.

"Isa?" she called. "You can't still be asleep. I'm coming in."

She pushed her way into the room... to find that Isa was not asleep at all. Three dark figures moved in the dim light – Isa, entwined with a man and a woman.

"Out!" Isa snapped.

Ciara stumbled backwards and slammed the door between them, heat flooding her face with scarlet.

"Put the latch on next time!" she shouted, mortified.

"Knock next time!"

"I did!"

"Knock louder."

Ciara descended the stairs so fast that she almost tripped and fell multiple times.

"Where's –?" Sebastian began.

"Isa's... busy. Come on, let's go, I need fresh air."

Wisely, Sebastian did not ask questions. They wandered through the village, which reminded Ciara of Nome.

"Look, something's going on up ahead."

There was a commotion in the main square, where a crowd had gathered. They drew closer.

A gorgeous reindeer was prancing through the snow in the middle of a paddock, tossing a full head of antlers. It was larger and more muscular than most, long-legged and with a luxurious brown and white coat most hunters would sell their souls for.

Sebastian whistled.

Ciara elbowed her way past two huge men, ignoring the grumbling she left in her wake, to get to the front. She leaned on the fence.

"Step right up!" a man in an elaborate fur coat called. "The first person who is able to break in this reindeer gets to keep the spectacular beast, finest in the whole of Hagall! Sell it for a hefty amount of eyrir, skin it, use its meat, mount its antlers on your door, make a gorgeous coat for your wife. I'm taking bets! Feel free to bet on those brave enough to try!"

Ciara narrowed her eyes. She did not like the way he was talking about it. Reindeer had souls and spirits just like humans.

The owner cracked a riding crop against his thigh. Behind the steed, two men were dragging a fallen figure out of the paddock: the previous rider, who had clearly been unlucky.

The large cow snorted and pawed the earth.

"She's a beauty, even comparing her to Kvala reindeer," Ciara told Sebastian. Those bred on the steppes were known to be the best.

A boy vaulted over the fence. "I'll have a go," he called, his voice ringing with confidence. His blond hair was cut short at the sides, exposing darker roots, and he wore a dark blue coat with two rows of brass buttons.

"The Protectorate colours," Sebastian said.

The townsfolk hooted and jeered.

"Try your luck, city boy!"