Chapter 13 – As Cold as Ice

The dawn had just risen over the horizon, but Kaide could clearly hear the voices of Katsa and Po in the background as she let out a moan and rolled herself off the dusty mat she had been sleeping on.

"They'll be on your tail," Po was saying, insisting as Katsa continued to stare at him with a tortured expression. It seemed that despite Katsa's neutral tone when she had said that she was leaving Po behind, she had really been tearing herself over it inside. "You must not let them get close enough to talk to you. Think about disguising yourself. You're dirty and bedraggled, but any fool would recognize either of you. Katsa, I don't know what you can do about your eyes, but you must do something."

"Listen to him, Katsa," Kaide added, feeling the sleep drift away from her muscles. "We need to hurry, and with Leck hours away, we can't be held back by Po." Kaide gave Po an apologetic look that he didn't seem to notice as he continued to speak, this time looking at Bitterblue.

"Bitterblue, you must help Katsa if she's confused by any words she hears. You must help each other. Don't trust any Monsean, do you understand? You mustn't trust anyone who may have been touched by Leck's Grace. And don't for a moment think you can defeat him, Katsa. Your only safety is in escaping him. Do you understand?"

It was clear from the agitation on Katsa's face that she didn't want to. Kaide moved away to reach her leather bags, letting Katsa and Po sort out their issue.

"Katsa," Po insisted, his voice rough, yet gentle. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Kaide could hear Katsa's sigh, could feel the drooping of her shoulders as Katsa finally conceded.

"I understand," Katsa said, a slight choke on her voice as a tear slid delicately down her cheek. Po gave her another sad expression before using his finger to wipe away the tear.

Po turned to Bitterblue, bent down on one knee, and gently took her hands, staring deeply into her grey eyes.

"Farewell, cousin," he said, turning back to Katsa. Even from her hidden corner in the cabin, Kaide could see the love that he had for Katsa, and one again, jealousy reared up within her heart. Sometimes, it wasn't fair – Po and Katsa had things hard, but they had each other. Kaide wasn't sure if Helen fully counted – she had only just met her again, and she couldn't remember much from her first year of life apart from several emotions and feelings.

Katsa stood up and walked towards the door of the cabin, Bitterblue and Kaide following her. Kaide gave Katsa a significant glance.

"I'll go out with Bitterblue to get the horse ready. You can say your...goodbyes to Po." Kaide didn't wait, but instead grabbed Bitterblue's clammy hand and walked out towards the horse that Katsa and Po had brought with them, tethered to a tree. As she walked towards the horse, she saw, from the small window in the cabin, Katsa and Po kissing, passion on their faces. When they finally broke apart, Katsa gave Po a massive hug that must've caused pain to throb through his injured shoulder, before turning away. Kaide looked at Bitterblue, who had prepared the horse without her knowledge and had begun staring at Kaide.

"You envy them," Bitterblue stated, her eyes observant as Katsa walked out of the cabin, her face stony and clearly unwelcoming any chatter.

"I don't have something like that," Kaide replied, watching Katsa as she walked slowly towards them. "Leck murdered my birth parents purely because he wanted what they had. He wants me dead become I'm a threat. I've never had love like they have."

"Let's go," Katsa said sharply, resisting the urge to look back at the cabin where Po was, where he waited for Leck to come. She hoisted Bitterblue onto the horse, then looked at Kaide.

"The horse won't fit three and I don't think your endurance is like mine. I'll run – you take the horse," Katsa said, giving Kaide the reins. As much as Kaide wanted to say no, she knew Katsa was right. She needed every bit of energy she had if she was going to make it past Grella's Pass alive.

With a sigh, Kaide got the horse moving, as they began to follow the edges of the Monsean mountains and gradually went south. Their journey was constantly interrupted by waterfalls, cliffs and crevasses that made their hearts pound, as both Katsa and Kaide used their Graces to see if they could hear any sign of Leck's army which was swarming the forest below. The sudden increase in the cold and altitude altered Katsa to the fact that they were near the mountains. And as Katsa watched Bitterblue shiver in her blue dress, and Kaide turn steadily paler, she knew it was her sole responsibility to help them both. She could kill a bear, or anything with fur and make clothing for Bitterblue, and Kaide if there was enough. Bitterblue was her responsibility, and Katsa knew that Kaide knew that she would always put Bitterblue first.

It was as the horse began stumbling up the steep mountainside that Kaide decided that any further and the horse would go lame. She pulled at the reins, the horse skidding as it stopped, and slid off, carrying Bitterblue in her arms and setting her on the snow. Earlier that day, Kaide had taken another look through the bag that Helen had given her and found a fur jacket that had kept her warm. As much as she would've liked to give it to Bitterblue, it was way too long and big to keep her properly warm.

"Katsa, the horse won't go any further," Kaide said, her breath misting up into steam as the wind blew ferociously in her eyes. The cold had been almost unbearable at first, but as they went further up, while Kaide was aware that it was getting colder and harder to breathe, she didn't find it any more difficult than when they were at the bottom. Her Grace was starting to adapt to the conditions.

"I know. We can use the leather to make clothes for Bitterblue. I'd rather that we set the horse free rather than kill it, otherwise we'll just leave another trail for Leck," Katsa replied, grabbing Bitterblue's numb hands and rubbing it between hers. "We all need to make more clothing. I will get you all out of here alive. Kaide, you think you can make it?"

Kaide looked towards the mountains, Grella's Pass still not in sight. She thought about how cold she was, but also how her Grace had protected her from the true chill. "If I can stay warm enough and not get too tired...I should be able to. But unless you carry Bitterblue, she won't."

"Katsa can carry me," Bitterblue said, shivering as she spoke, her face blue.

"Let's not waste any time," Kaide said, grabbing the horse's saddle and handing it to Katsa. "I better let you deal with this. I can't protect others with my Grace."

Katsa took the saddle from Kaide and began creating several rough leggings for Bitterblue as Kaide watched on curiously. When she was done, she put the leggings on Bitterblue, and while they looked comical, they gave her some protection from the cold and damp.

"It smells weird, but it's warm," she said, as Katsa sighed in relief.

From then on, they began trekking up the mountainside. Whenever Katsa or Kaide found a tree, Katsa would make weapons and snowshoes to make their hike easier. When night fell, they could have a warm dinner of any game they caught, as long as they kept the fire low enough. Katsa would take off Bitterblue's shoes and check for blisters, and check her fingers for frostbite. Any furs went to keep Bitterblue warm. But as they got closer to Grella's Pass, even Kaide's Grace didn't seem to be able to cope with the elements. She was bundled in a many furs as Bitterblue was, while Katsa hiked with barely a tunic on. It was the discovery of an endless blizzard and a sudden sheer slope that revealed Grella's Pass, far into the distance and the trio's true challenge.

"All I'm going to say, Katsa, if I get out of this bloody pass alive, I'm going to flay you," Kaide said, her temper made short by the cold. Bitterblue was silent, but there was fear and determination in her eyes. Katsa took one look at Bitterblue and knew that she would not be able to climb and hike her way through the pass. She would need to make the decisions for Bitterblue, as Katsa was certain that Bitterblue would rather drop than admit that she was too tired to walk.

"I'm going to need to make a carrier for Bitterblue," Katsa said, frowning as she eyed the lack of supplies on the mountainside. "That way I won't exhaust her, and I'll be warm."

"Warm," Kaide snorted, rubbing her face on some of her furs. "I don't even know what that is even more." Crankily, she stomped off into the distance, drawing out a spare dagger as she began to hunt.

Katsa stared at her as she left, doubts flooding her mind. It would be her fault if they all died here. She was meant to keep Bitterblue alive. While she didn't have any responsibility towards Kaide, she would feel horribly guilty if something happened to her. Kaide was like a kindred spirit who also held hatred towards Leck, but unlike her, could do the deed. Katsa had to keep everyone alive. She had to. But while they could get water anytime by melting snow, food was getting scarcer.

She stared at the sun as it began to set, and led Bitterblue towards a small cave she could see in the distance. Katsa knew that Kaide probably would've seen the cave as she went hunting, and wasn't worried that she would get lost, even with the snowstorm that had been building all day.

"Bitterblue, can you get some kindling?" Katsa asked, drawing out a dagger as she prepared to go off hunting. Bitterblue nodded, disappearing into the snow, and Katsa hoped she didn't go too far. Her senses were on high alert as she disappeared to hunt.

Kaide couldn't help feeling cranky. It was the only way that she felt she could remain warm, with that blasted wind and the snowstorm that she felt was coming. As she threw her dagger, and missed again, Kaide let out a yell. Everything felt hopeless. How could she defeat Leck and avenge herself if she was stuck in this bloody mountainside?

"I hate white. Everything is white!" Kaide yelled out. Suddenly Kaide saw a flicker out the corner of her eye. Kaide was instantly silent as she slid her dagger into its' sheath and drew out her sword.

"Katsa?" Kaide said cautiously, before seeing a brown blur that launched itself at her.

Kaide let out a wild scream as she barely dodged the mountain lion. Her instincts were screaming flee flee flee!, but Kaide was at a loss at how to dodge such as fast creature. Kaide didn't care. She turned her back and ran to the nearest snow covered tree she saw, thankful that they slowed the lion down. As she left the trees, she saw two sets of footprints and sincerely hoped that the lion didn't follow her. But as she turned, she saw the brown flicker of the lion as it leapt at something.

"Katsa?" Kaide yelled, with astonishment and horror as Katsa calmly grabbed a dagger and attacked the mountain lion. It was a quick, but violent struggle before Katsa impaled the lion in the heart with her dagger. She came out with torn clothes and several bleeding wounds which she winced at, but she looked at Kaide with a pleased smile.

"Are you insane?" Kaide said weakly, as Bitterblue arrived, carrying kindling in her arms and staring at Katsa with an expression similar to Kaide.

"You're covered in blood," Bitterblue said, staring at Katsa. Kaide couldn't help but think that Katsa was mad. No sane human would ever go up against a mountain lion.

"I ran from that thing and you...killed it," Kaide said. "You're insane, you know that?" Turning towards Bitterblue, she smirked. "You better light a fire and get the medicines out. Katsa needs a little sewing up."

Katsa followed Kaide and Bitterblue as they walked into the cave, Kaide helping her drag the dead mountain lion. Bitterblue cooked some lion steaks as Kaide froze as much as she could, while the remainder of the lion pelt was drying. Katsa was fiddling with the bow that she was making, wincing every time she moved her arm at a certain angle, but pleased with the bow. It would give them another edge in hunting, as Kaide would scare any prey away if she was swinging her sword around.

Kaide wrinkled her face as she bit into the steaks once they were ready. "I never thought it would say this, but the day has come that I long for my veggies." Bitterblue nodded in agreement as Katsa joined in.

"Imagine bread, potatoes, anything not meaty in our mouths. Strawberries..." Katsa sighed as she began working on the lion pelt. The storm outside was getting stronger, but the cave they were in sheltered them well from the elements.

"I know where we can go once we get to Suncliff," Kaide said, fiddling with the fire. "No one will look for us there, because no one knows it's there. Even if they did, they would get torn to smithereens." A look of glee crossed Kaide's face at that statement, and Bitterblue glanced her way, clearly fearing for her sanity as well.

"But you haven't been to Suncliff in a while, have you, Kaide?" Katsa said, concentrating on the lion, but still listening to the conversation.

"Uh...not to that particular area in...a while," Kaide admitted. "It may not even be there. But I'm confident it will be. Damon..." Kaide stopped, remembering her childhood friend. "He wouldn't move, if he was still there. I don't even know if he's alive though...even though I've been to Suncliff plenty of times to see Murgon, I didn't want to tell her about my past."

Her was of course Blaire, who Katsa could tell Kaide was clearly avoiding mentioning. She knew why Kaide was angry with her, but what Katsa didn't say that was she suspected that Leck had tricked her and it never had been Blaire that Kaide saw sleeping with Leck. But even without that, Kaide's revelation of her Grace shattered any relationship they had. It seemed too..perfect.

"Who are your parents?" Bitterblue said suddenly, staring at the fire. "Why did Leck kill them, and what did he want?"

Katsa stared curiously at Bitterblue – Kaide clearly told her more than she had mentioned earlier in that cabin with Po. But eying the look of total panic on Kaide's face, she too became curious as to who they were. What would possess Leck to hate Kaide on sight, and who would her parents be that Kaide got so panicked?

Kaide looked hopeless. "Do I look like someone you've seen, Bitterblue? In Leck's castle?"

Bitterblue frowned, staring at Kaide before looking stunned. "Yes...but...she didn't have any children, did she? That means..."

"No. Bitterblue, I am not taking anything from you, is that clear? Is that clear?" Kaide looked close to losing it, and Katsa's hand went subconsciously to her dagger.

Bitterblue nodded, her eyes fearful as Kaide calmed down. "It explains my Grace. It was protecting me from day one."

"Who? Bitterblue, who?" Katsa said, feeling out of step. Bitterblue looked at Kaide with part awe and part shock as she turned to Katsa. "The former King and Queen of Monsea. The ones who died mysteriously and named Leck heir."

Katsa looked at Kaide, who looked annoyed more than anything. "His Grace covered the whole thing up, right? And he knew who you were the moment you ended up at his castle?"

Kaide nodded, looking mutinous. "I'm going to sleep," she muttered, before turning away into the darkness of the cave. Katsa looked at Bitterblue, stunned, before handing her what she had made out of the lion's pelt.

"Try this. It'll be really warm."

Bitterblue was warm, but with the constant cold and the wind that never relented, she looked as if she was about to drop. Every breath that Kaide breathed misted into smoke, and as they travelled even closer towards Grella's Pass, she didn't know how much more she could take. Katsa looked impatient, clearly eager to run. While Katsa's wounds were healing, Kaide noticed that even Katsa was shivering herself to sleep. The day came that they weren't battling just snow storms, but ice storms. It got colder. Everything was silent but for the sound of the wind. Kaide was aware that Katsa was constantly talking to Bitterblue, making sure that she wasn't suffering frostbite.

Suddenly, the landscape changed. There were no longer any trees, or shrubs in their path. It was no longer steep. Instead, they were faced with what looked like a flat expanse of snow, the sun shining brightly.

"Grella's Pass. We made it," Katsa said, breathing deeply. Kaide, was once again, feeling her temper.

"And we get to die faster. Yay!" Kaide said sarcastically. "It's a lot more dangerous than it looks. Never underestimate the mountains."

"I know," Katsa muttered wearily. The snowshoes she had made earlier went on, and she slung on a carrier on her back, in which Kaide helped Bitterblue into. She took a long drink as she sank into the snow, watching as the wind blew.

"I'm exhausted, Bitterblue's exhausted, and we have no cover. If we get hit by a storm, we're going down," Kaide said, sighing. She didn't even protest when she saw Katsa began taking off her clothing, leaving only several pieces of thin clothing on. She shivered in the wind as Kaide stared blankly, but made Bitterblue wear her clothes. She began muttering at Bitterblue, but Kaide tuned her out. They had just reached Grella's Pass. True, it looked flatter, and she felt warm enough, but she was going to tire faster than Katsa. Kaide genuinely thought that she wouldn't get out of Grella's Pass alive.

And then they began running. The snowshoes helped, and the fact that she wasn't carrying Bitterblue helped, but with the peaks looking distant, and every movement sending pain up her body, Kaide didn't know if she could make it. It was cold, and she was tired. She was not Katsa, who's Grace was survival itself. Her Grace could only protect her, and even then, it didn't suddenly come and shield her from the cold. It gradually built up, and by the time Kaide thought it would make her feel comfortable in the cold, she could be dead. Ice cold dead.

She was aware of yelling. The wind howling. The numbness she felt. The longing she felt to just sink into the darkness that was in the corner of her eyes. But Kaide held on to the whiteness, and kept running, until it wasn't white that was holding her, but orange. The orange of sunset. Beside her, Katsa stopped, admiring the sight.

"Not snowing," she said absently, and it subtly stuck in Kaide's mind that Katsa was weary too. But if Katsa was weary...what the hell was she? On the brink of death?

"Night is colder," Katsa muttered. "Run, run." And so Katsa kept going. But Kaide started to notice the surroundings around her. The horizon. And greenery that was poking from the white. They were over the peaks. And she was aware that Katsa was shaking, and that Bitterblue was yelling at her.

"Katsa," Kaide gasped, drops of sweat dripping into her eyes. Whereas Katsa continued running in minimal clothing, no matter how close to boiling she felt, Kaide kept her clothing on. It was a weird sensation, being too hot and too cold at the same time. Her body was close to collapsing, but Katsa had gotten far too cold without noticing it.

Katsa kept going, after shoving her fingers under her armpits, as Kaide kept following. Every step was pure agony, but Kaide knew what kept Katsa going was the thought of trees. Fire. The same things she was thinking.

And finally they were there. Trees. But everything...why were the trees going in that direction? Why was Bitterblue walking that way? Where was Katsa? It was dark, and this time, Kaide did not think as the darkness claimed her.

When Kaide opened her eyes, the sky was orange, her muscles were stiff and sore, but she could feel the warmth of the fire that still burned merrily, even through the night, and she felt the warmth from Katsa and Bitterblue as they slept beside her, their arms stretched out in what was clearly a hug. Kaide realised that she must've passed out from exhaustion when they had reached the trees. But they were in Sunder. Out of those mountains. Kaide closed her eyes again, taking the opportunity to sleep. When she opened her eyes again, Katsa was moving about, tidying up the campsite as Bitterblue remained sitting, looking at Kaide.

"You gave me a scare when you just dropped like that. You must've been so tired," Bitterblue said, sounding sympathetic.

"Maybe my Grace borrowed a bit of Katsa's abilities. Let's go get a bath and get ourselves to Suncliff, Kaide replied back, the hope once again filling up in her.

Leck smiled as the ship sailed into the port at Suncliff. Blaire and about ten of Leck's soldiers had gotten off the ship, waiting for their next orders, as Leck approached them.

"I believe that Katsa intends to take my dear daughter to Lienid, to dear Prince Po's castle. It is the most logical explanation. While I wait for them there, you go scout around Suncliff. Kill Kaide on sight if you see her, but leave the other two alive. It is more likely they are here rather than in Sunport – I bet they travelled through the mountains."

Leck stopped his train of thoughts. "So, off you go. Kill Kaide, and make sure that Katsa and Bitterblue get to Lienid. They're your orders. But, soldiers-." All of the soldiers turned to face Leck, faces waiting. "Leave Kaide to Lady Blaire. It will be much more fun that way."

Leck laughed as he turned back to the ship, as Blaire and the soldiers disappeared into Suncliff.

This'll be the last update until February because I'm going overseas and will have no time to write, so enjoy. And with the whole travelling in the mountains and Grella's Pass bit, it was a mix and match of the book, so don't get picky if the details are off. I've hoped you enjoyed this chapter, I don't own Graceling, and please review – I may squeeze in another chapter just before I leave if you're lucky. :P