Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"

It turns out that the wood-meadow is inhabited by a tall humanoid creature that starts chasing Lexi around and tries to harm her. At one point, it hits her so hard with a tree trunk that she flies in the air and smashes into the barrier. When it seems that all hope is gone, Rian offers Lexi a bargain.

Chapter 36

"What?" I asked.

"Let's make a bargain," Rian repeated, still kneeling on the ground. I noticed that he was holding a dagger in his right hand. "I will help you get out of the wood-meadow in exchange for one favour," he added.

"Are you out of your mind?" Cerys protested. "Do you really believe you can make a bargain with her and simply breach the barrier?"

Rian gave her a look. "It will be a blood bargain."

I glanced at him.

"You're insane, Rian." Cerys crossed her arms. "What makes you think that the blood bargain will work? I know you want to save her… We all want to do that… But–"

"Blood will make the bargain stronger and basically impossible to break," he said and fixed his eyes on the giant for a moment. Then, he looked at me and added, "All you have to do is cut your left hand and put it against the barrier. I will do the same. After that, we will be linked until you return the favour."

I swallowed hard. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"It won't work," Cerys cut in, stamping her foot in anger. "I'm telling you. There is no way it will work."

"Cer, stop it," Ciaran barked. "You're behaving like a spoiled youngling."

Frowning, she went on, "Do you know how I know it won't work? Because we would have already destroyed that fucking barrier and got her out of there. But we're still standing in the same damn place, doing absolutely nothing. I'm sorry, Lexi," she addressed me, "but all my brother is doing is just getting your hopes up."

"No, he's not," Ciaran broke in. "There's a chance the blood bargain might work–"

"Exactly. A chance," Cerys chimed in. "Why can't you both accept that it is over? That there is nothing we can do? Lexi said it herself. Just respect her decision." She crossed her arms and turned around, towards the forest.

Clenching his jaw, Rian looked at his sister disapprovingly, but didn't say anything. Then, he fixed his eyes on me and said, "We're running out of time, Lexi. What's your decision, honey? The blood bargain with me or giving up?"

With tears in my eyes, I realised that both of them were right.

As unkind as she might have been, Cerys just summarised the last several minutes we spent by the wood-meadow and pointed out that I had already given up, which was one hundred percent true. I really didn't see the point in making the bargain and trying one more time, since the giant was quite near us and it was a matter of time before it got me.

But, on the other hand, I had to admit to myself that I desperately wanted to live. That I wanted to try one more fucking time to get out of the wood-meadow and rest my aching body for a while. And it seemed that the only way to increase the odds of my survival was making a bargain with Rian, the heir to the Night Court and son of two powerful fairies.

I knew that the bargain was my last resort.

Having sniffled a little, I said, "Make it three requests for three favours, just in case it won't work on the first try."

Rian frowned. "But it will."

I glanced at the creature that was a couple of feet away from me. Its unpleasant smell intensified with each passing second and was slowly getting really unbearable.

"Fine, let's make the bargain," I added and fixed my eyes on the fairies. "If it doesn't work… thank you for trying."

Cerys groaned. "Mother above."

"What should I do?" I asked, turning my whole body towards Rian.

He lifted the dagger and said, "I'm going to cut my left hand and immediately put it against the barrier. Then, it's your turn, Lexi. You must place your left hand exactly in the same place."

I nodded.

"Ready?" he asked and drew the dagger close to his hand. "Remember, exactly the same place."

"Of course," I whispered and fixed my eyes on the dagger.

In one swift movement, Rian cut his hand and put it against the barrier. "Your turn, Lexi," he said quietly, looking at me expectantly.

"Unbelievable!" Cerys shouted angrily and we all set our eyes on her. "I'm bringing our parents and Uncle Helion over."

Suddenly, she disappeared.

"Shit. I'm going to stop her," Ciaran said and he also vanished.

Just like earlier, there was just me and Rian left now.

"Lexi, cut your left hand," he repeated, making me look at him, "and then put it exactly in the same place."

I glanced at my hands which were dirty and bloodied, and I realised something.

"Damn it," I said, looking straight at Rian. I could feel that my eyes were filling with tears, and that panic was slowly taking control over me. "I don't have a knife or dagger… I don't have anything I could cut my hand with."

Rian exhaled loudly, still touching the invisible wall. "So find something sharp, like a rock or piece of a bone."

"I'm not going to cut myself with a bone," I protested.

"Then find something else," he said. "And, please, don't panic, honey. That's the last thing we need now."

Looking around, I was trying to find something sharp that I could use to cut my hand. But there was only grass, several sticks and three or four round stones. Feeling downhearted, I closed my eyes and leant my back against the barrier, ready to tell Rian that it's really over this time.

Giving up is really my thing, I thought.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of breaking glass, coming from behind me, so I opened my eyes and lifted the source of that sound. It turned out that it was the small leather bag I got from Marella. I remembered now that while we were walking in the forest, I got quite thirsty and drank two bottles of water which I later put inside the bag. Immediately, I opened it and there it was – lots and lots of broken glass.

"Glass will do," Rian said.

I lifted one of the pieces and asked, "What if the injury gets infected?"

"I promise I'll heal you. Treat it as a free gift."

I looked at him.

"Trust me," he added. "Now cut your hand, honey."

Out of the blue, the creature roared loudly, so I turned my head towards it. For a few moments, I completely forgot about the nearing giant, because I was too occupied with finding something sharp. But it didn't forget about me.

Having realised there was something wrong with its soon-to-be victim, the creature roared once more and picked up its pace.

"Lexi, you have to hurry up." Rian's raised voice brought me back down on earth.

Without further delay, I squeezed my eyes shut and cut my left hand with the piece of glass I was holding. I knew that I had to place it exactly in the same place as Rian, so I forced myself to open my eyes. Hissing, I put my hand against the invisible wall.

"It's working," Rian said quietly. "The magic in the barrier has changed and I believe it will allow us to make the bargain."

"That's good," I replied, exhaling loudly. The injury stung like hell, so I had to remind myself that it was necessary to keep my hand placed on the barrier. "What now?" I asked.

Unexpectedly, Rian face became very serious. "You want to make a bargain with me," he said and shadows were slowly twining around him. "To get three requests, as you have called them."

"Yes," I whispered. I did not dare to raise my voice.

"You do realise there will be a price to pay for each one." When I nodded, he went on, "What's your first request, my lovely Alexandra?"

"I–"

"Think it over," Rian cut in. "We don't need any hindrances, do we?"

I nodded again.

"I would like you to save me and get me out of the wood-meadow," I said after a while. "Do whatever you need to achieve it. What is your price?"

He pondered over it and then replied, "A kiss."

"A what?" I asked, frowning.

Rian smiled. "You know, when your lips touch–"

"I know what a kiss is," I broke in, "but why did you choose something so trivial?"

He shrugged and then said, "I decided to go with something simple and that's why–"

Suddenly, something big flew through the air at great speed and landed next to me. When it hit the ground, my head and back were peppered with dirt and dry grass.

I shrieked.

"What the hell?" Rian asked with surprise in his voice. "What was that?"

Gasping, I turned my head right and saw a big rock. Immediately, I realised what that meant. I didn't have to look over my shoulder to know that the creature went back to its previous tactic and started throwing rocks and tree trunks in my direction.

"Oh, fuck," I said quietly, feeling my heart's pounding in my ears. "Rian, you have to hurry up with the bargain."

He frowned and looked up. "But we've already made the bargain," he replied. "There's nothing more I can do. I don't know why the barrier is still as motionless as it has been since we came here."

Our eyes met and this time it was my turn to frown.

"So it didn't work?" I asked.

Rian didn't reply.

I exhaled loudly, trying to hold back my tears.

I'm screwed, I thought, clenching my right fist and hanging my head.

"Cerys was right," I whispered, my voice shaky. I didn't want to look at Rian as I knew there would be pity in his eyes. "She knew this would happen."

He was still quiet.

"Thank you for trying. All of you," I added and lifted my head. I didn't care that a torrent of tears was now falling down my cheeks. Sadly, I knew that everything had come to an end, so I removed my bleeding hand from the invisible wall and rested it on my lap. "Thank you."

When Rian finally fixed his eyes on me, there was a guilty look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Lexi. I'm so sorry," he said quietly, drawing close to me but still keeping his left hand placed on the barrier. "I really thought that I could help you. That I could save you. I thought the bargain would allow me to breach the barrier and get to you. I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry that I failed you."

I could have sworn there were tears in his blue eyes, but that was impossible. He wouldn't shed them for me. He wouldn't shed them for someone whom he barely knew and who didn't mean anything to him. After all, I was just a stranger, nothing more.

"Thank you for trying," I whispered, feeling utterly helpless.

Another rock landed next to me.

Having glanced at Rian for the last time, I raised my right hand to my lips and kissed the tips of my fingers. Then, I placed them on the barrier. I didn't care if that seemed awkward. I just wanted to say goodbye to him as I realised that it was really over.

Not daring to look at my handsome muppet again, I turned around and buried my face in my hands, readying myself for being killed.

With hand on heart, I had never thought that I would die at the age of twenty-three, in a made-up world and by the hands of a hideous murderous giant. There were so many things I wanted to see before dying. So many things I wanted to experience before leaving the world for good. It was such a shame that I didn't get a chance to do such mundane things like finally getting a job, finding a nice flat, or meeting the love of my life and starting a family with him. It was such a shame that I truly ended up as a complete zero.

Crying silently, I was so caught up in my dark thoughts that I barely noticed a delicate tremble that shook the whole wood-meadow. But before I was able to raise my head and check what was going on, I felt something warm on my forearm.

A bit scared, I glanced left and only then did I see a human hand.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

Dressed in black armour and holding a curved blade in his right hand, Rian was kneeling on one knee next to me and smiling from ear to ear. He had also two swords at his back and a black shield lying near him on the ground. "Hello, my lovely Alexandra," he said. "I'm sorry that it took me so long."

I opened my mouth, not believing my own eyes. "Are you real?" I asked.

He shrugged, taking his hand off me. "I was touching you, wasn't I? So I have to be quite real." He flashed me a small smile and added, "It's a good thing that I came prepared, because it seems that magic doesn't work here."

I glanced at his weapons. "It's a very good thing."

"Lexi, I want you to promise me something." When our eyes met, Rian went on, "Once I'm gone to tend to that fucker over there, I want you to stay here. Don't go anywhere, please. I wouldn't have time to both deal with it and take care of you. Promise me."

I nodded. "I promise."

Silently, Rian reached out his hand and cupped my cheek, caressing it for a while. "I'm so glad that you're all right," he whispered. "You have no idea how desperately I wanted to get to you."

Willy-nilly, I felt that my cheeks turned red. "Thank you that you did get to me."

"You're welcome," he said, slowly letting go of me. "You do realise that you owe me a favour now. A kiss, if I remember correctly." He smiled.

I nodded, suddenly unable to answer him back.

"I will recollect my favour in due time," Rian added, his eyes wandering around my face. "Stay here and don't come any closer, Lexi. Zareen and Conri should be here any minute, so they'll join you on the other side of the barrier."

"Right," I whispered.

Then, he stood up and picked up his sword and shield, making his other weapons clatter. "Let's finally meet that sturdy piece of shit," he said, fixing his eyes on the giant. When he cocked his head and frowned, I also looked in the same direction.

Holding a huge rock above its head, the creature was standing perfectly still. It wasn't blinking or breathing, and it seemed that it got somehow frozen before it was even able to throw another missile in my direction.

Slowly, I stood up as well, wondering about its sudden stillness.

"That's strange, don't you think?" Rian asked, looking at me briefly.

"Before you breached the barrier, it was chasing me around the wood-meadow," I explained. "It's the first time that I see it so… motionless."

"I see." Rian sighed. "Well, I think it's time for me to examine it and beat the shit out of that creature."

"Be careful," I said, feeling really worried about him.

"I will."

Having glanced at me for the last time, he started walking towards the giant.

"Hey, you!" Rian shouted. "You huge hairless piece of shit, you hear me? I've got something for you." He slightly swung his blade and then readjusted the shield he was grabbing in his left hand. "Though, I'm not sure you're going to like it."

But the creature didn't respond and was as motionless as it had been when we spotted it.

Standing near the barrier, I was observing Rian anxiously. As he was drawing close, he kept talking to the giant, but it was too far away for me to hear this weird conversation. So I decided to take two or three steps forward to hear better, even though he asked me to stay away.

Unexpectedly, Rian turned around as if he realised that I disobeyed his request and wanted to scold me.

"I don't know if you can see that, Lexi," he shouted, pointing his blade at the giant, "but this creature is surrounded by a translucent wall that keeps moving like water. I don't think I have ever seen such a trap."

"No, I don't see that," I replied, taking more steps forward. I wanted to see that translucent wall myself.

Rian turned towards the giant and carefully touched the invisible trap with the tip of his blade. "I can't break through it," he said, encircling the creature and repeating the movement a couple of times. "It's solid."

"Maybe we should leave the giant alone and try to get out of the wood-meadow," I suggested, coming to a stop.

Having eyed the motionless giant for a few seconds, Rian faced me and said, "You're right. Let's find the way out."

As he started walking in my direction, I felt a little tug at my hair, so I immediately turned around. At first, I didn't see anything except dry grass, rocks and some tree trunks, but I sensed something cold around my wrist. When I looked at it, I noticed that the bracelet I got from Tarquin began shaking slightly.

Frowning, I lifted my hand and fixed my eyes on the High Lord's gift, but it stopped moving.

"You have to kill him," an eerie voice whispered in my ear.

Frightened, I jumped a bit and instantly looked around, but I didn't see anyone or anything near me. The wood-meadow and the forest around it were empty, yet the sensation of something cold around my wrist didn't disappear.

"Lexi, are you all right?" Rian asked, furrowing his brows. I noticed that he covered more than halfway to me.

Still glancing around, I answered, "Yes, I'm perfectly fine."

"Are you sure?" Rian kept asking, walking towards me. "Because you don't seem fine to me. Maybe you should sit down, honey. Just in case."

I shook my head, avoiding eye contact with him. "I don't need to sit down. I'm fine."

When I set my eyes upon the bracelet, it started shaking again.

"Tell your prince that I can't hold him any longer," the voice whispered again.

"What?" I asked and put my ear to the bracelet. "Who are you talking about? What prince?"

"Lexi, what are you doing?" Rian asked, his voice full of worries. "Who are you talking to? Oh, no. You must have hit your head pretty hard, so please, go back to the barrier and sit down. I'll be right next to you."

Lifting my hand, I started, "That's not it. I believe that Tarquin's bracelet–"

Unexpectedly, the giant roared loudly, evidently destroying the translucent wall Rian was telling me about. Then, it took a swing and threw the rock that it had been holding above its head in my direction. I had to duck to avoid getting hit.

"Hide behind the rocks!" Rian shouted to me and turned towards the creature. "Finally, you sturdy piece of shit," he added, launching into a run. His blade and shield were ready to – as he had called it – tend to it.

Faster than an ordinary human being, he covered the distance between him and the giant, and slammed into it, swinging his curved blade so quickly that my eyes had trouble to keep up. He was using his shield and blade at the same time, attacking his opponent on and on, and making it go around in circles.

Observing everything with bated breath, I didn't want to listen to Rian's order at first. I was so fascinated with the way he was moving around the creature and making great use of his weapons that I decided to stay in the middle of the wood-meadow and simply watch. A small part of me realised that it was safer to hide behind the rocks, but I was too amazed by his fighting abilities to seek shelter and miss such a show.

Yet, my bracelet started shaking once again.

When I peered down at it, I saw a pale, almost transparent female hand with long blue nails that was gripping my wrist. Immediately, a cold shiver ran up my spine and gave me goosebumps all over my body.

Slowly, I looked up and fixed my eyes on a woman.

Dark-haired and taller than me, she was wearing a long brightly-coloured tunic that was draped around her slim body. Lots of golden armbands and bracelets were covering her arms and forearms, and there was a splendid starry necklace around her neck. She was staring at me blankly, still keeping her pale hand around my wrist.

A ghost, I thought, feeling panicked.

"Come with me, human child," she said, motioning towards the biggest rock cluster in the wood-meadow. I realised that I recognised her eerie voice as she was the one who had been talking to me about killing someone. "I do not have much time," the ghost added and began tugging me towards the rocks.

Still terrified, I just stood there, unable to move. "No."

"Come, human child," she went on. "I will not harm you."

"Who are you?" I whispered.

The woman smiled slightly and said, "I'm Halimede. Come with me."

Willy-nilly, I allowed her lead me behind the rocks, hoping it wouldn't be a trap. My experience with ghosts was limited only to countless episodes of 'Supernatural,' though I was sure as hell that the Winchesters would never ever be so unprepared when dealing with otherworldly stuff.

In the distance, I still heard the sounds of the fight between Rian and the giant, so I kept telling myself that I could escape her if need be.

When we finally arrived at our destination, Halimede let go of my wrist and looked at the rocks. I followed her gaze. There, I saw a dark hole leading down and numerous bones scattered around the ground.

Just like earlier, the bones were either whitish or yellowish, but thankfully, I didn't notice any blood on them. Some had traces of multiple injuries and were severely fractured, some seemed intact and didn't show any signs of damage. This time, however, the number of bones was greater and to my horror, a lot of them formed a shape of a body.

Suddenly, the creature roared loudly, making me come back to earth.

"Too many had suffered because of the spell," Halimede said, making me look at her. "Too many had died because of him, myself among them. I was his first." She moved her long tunic slightly aside, showing me several dark spots on her stomach.

"Is it blood?" I asked.

She ignored my question and went on, "I have seen thousands of innocent mortals stepping foolishly through the gates, yet I could not do anything to warn them, because they did not see me. I have witnessed thousands of unnecessary deaths, but I could not stop them."

Halimede approached me, giving me goosebumps.

"I have been waiting centuries for someone who would finally be able to destroy his prison and put him out of his misery," she said. "It has been too long."

"Him? You mean the creature?" I asked.

Instead of answering, Halimede closed her eyes and disappeared for a moment.

When she returned, she added, "I do not have much time, human child. You can break the spell with the help of your Night prince. It has been already weakened by his blood and the bargain he made with you."

I frowned. "How can we break the spell?"

But Halimede looked around, ignoring me again. "So many innocent children," she whispered. I noticed that she became very sad. "So much spilled blood."

"Excuse me," I cut in, "can you tell me how to break the spell?"

"When it's finally over," she said quietly and I gasped, feeling really irritated with her dismissive behaviour, "I want you to burn all of the bones."

"Okay, we will. But please, tell me, how can we break the spell?" I asked quickly, hoping she would at least answer my third question.

Halimede closed her eyes.

"By killing him," she whispered and then vanished.

Pronunciation guide

Halimede = [ha - lee - mee - dee] (meaning: the sea-goddess of good counsel)