“Terrin!” Snow hissed in his ear, jolting him awake.
“Snow? What are you doing?”
He looked out the window; it had to be the middle of the night.
How did she get out of bed without me noticing? Terrin didn't mind having to share his bed. She was warm since she was no longer on the verge of death, and she didn't move around in her sleep unless she was having a nightmare. Unfortunately, she had nightmares often, and because he finally knew about her parents’ deaths, he didn’t have to wonder what made her sob in her sleep.
“Terrin, I have to show you something!”
By the time he got out of bed, she’d vanished like a ghost down the stairs. He tried to follow without making a sound on the old staircase, but his drowsy eyes made it difficult to navigate the creaking boards.
“Hurry up!”
Her voice echoed gently around the main floor, and he spotted her blonde hair ducking into the cellar. Terrin hated the cellar. It was dark, musty, and full of spiders. He followed anyways and found her hunched over a book beside a stub of candle.
She dragged me out of bed for a book?
“What is that?”
“A book of spells! I found it with the medicinal herb books downstairs. Most healers have one, whether they can use magic or not. It has lots of cures to illnesses that are otherwise unknown.”
Terrin shrugged. It made sense Ramer had a spell book, even though he disliked magic.
“What good will it do us? Only someone with magic in their blood can use spells.”
She looked at him like he was daft.
“My aunt is an evil sorceress, and I sometimes can predict the future. I’m pretty sure I have magic.”
“Your aunt is a sorceress?”
“Yes. She put a spell on me when she forced me to walk to Amora," she answered cautiously.
Terrin still didn’t know how much of her story was true—and he had serious doubts about her aunt being as evil as she claimed—but her grief and despair were real, so he decided not to push her further until tomorrow.
“Why were you looking through my father's books?”
“It is an old habit, but I was looking for a book on local history if you must know. You said you didn’t know exactly where Garthu Vore is, and it wasn’t in your atlas.”
“Then we’re going to have to visit the library.”
Her face lit up, and she gave him a bright smile.
“There is a library?”
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“Snow? Wake up,” Terrin groaned as he rolled over to face her.
She was snoozing soundly, unaffected by his movement. Today was the only day they would have to look for the book. For the last few days, they had spent all their time finding, drying, cooking, or crushing herbs, and avoiding the market at all costs. If they found a free moment, they spent it studying the cracked leather spell book, looking for something useful.
Today was Terrin's free day. Normally he spent it at the library, losing himself leagues away in different lands. He hated his normal routine: endless lessons on herbs, wounds, and plants. He felt bad for his friend, who had to learn all these things in such a short period of time. She didn't seem to mind, though. She absorbed anything new quickly. He was glad she was so willing to help, despite her obvious lack of experience. His father would have evicted her if she weren't so cooperative.
“Snow?" He shook her shoulder.
She didn't even stir.
Terrin sighed and studied her for a moment before an idea came to him. He grinned and started to tickle her sides. She convulsed and exploded in bubbles of laughter.
“Stop...it!" she gasped, trying to swat his hands away.
Terrin grinned at her as she cracked her eyes open. “Rise and shine!”
Her face flushed to rosy pink, and she pulled the blankets up around her.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“How dare you wake me in such a manner!” she squeaked.
Her eyes were alight like fresh coals. His smile grew.
“Now I know how to wake you up.”
“Do not ever do that again," she growled as she sat up. “What are we doing this time, categorizing leaves by their stem height?” she asked sarcastically.
“Nope, today we look for the location of Garthu Vore.”
She yawned and crawled out of the rickety bed. She had to borrow some of his clothes, which were too big for her slender frame. Her initial reaction to wearing his tattered apparel was surprisingly accepting. She even insisted on putting her hair up in a hat every time they went out. He would’ve never known she was a girl when they went into town. After learning she was being hunted, he was grateful she’d made the effort to remain inconspicuous.
An hour later, after he fed the animals and she fetched water for the day, they were hurrying down the main street of Glan’ak. For someone two years younger and only seventy pounds, Snow was strong. Terrin thought so, at least, as she yanked him through the hordes of people. Marketgoers jostled them from all sides, and the air was full of scents and shouts from venders selling an array of foods, tools, and household necessities. On a normal day, Terrin would casually stroll by and examine the handmade candies and pastries his favorite stalls offered. Sometimes he purchased one with the few coins Ramer gave him and watched the other boys in the village play sports as he sucked on peppermint sticks, dreaming of the day when they would invite him to play. Snow dragged him behind her against the bustling crowd, which drew considerable attention, and Terrin was afraid someone who knew his father would see them. Ramer had strictly forbidden him to go into town alone without permission.
“Snow! Stop, will you?”
She stopped in the middle of the road and looked at him innocently with her clear blue eyes. Terrin pulled her over to the side so they wouldn't get run over by the adults overhead, and he looked over at her critically. Her blonde hair was pulled out of sight inside a hat two sizes too large for her head. It slipped over her eyes, and she pushed it back with a sweep of her hand. She was in boy's trousers that barely fit her. For a brief moment, Terrin tried to imagine her in the fancy clothing he had seen courtiers' daughters wearing when they passed through on the way to the Land of Snow.
“What's wrong?”
“I'm not supposed to be seen going to the library, and you're a girl. You aren't even supposed to be able to read. Even though you don't look much like one at a glance, you still clearly are.”
“What do you mean? Is it because of my age?” she asked defensively.
“No, it's because women don’t need to read. Even if you were an adult, you wouldn't be allowed. Why don’t you know that? No one would teach a girl as young as you, even if you were a noble. How did you do it?”
She tilted her head and said truthfully, “No one needed to teach me.”
She started to walk again. Terrin shook his head, vexed.
She’s such a force of nature, Terrin thought in exasperation.
“Snow, you're going the wrong way,” Terrin called after her, a smirk on his face.
She stopped and a light flush appeared across her cheeks. A blonde lock fell out of her hat. In the sunlight, it looked like a streak of gold.
“Come on, Snow. Follow me.”
He gently tucked the strand of hair back behind her ear. She mumbled her thanks as he turned around and walked down one of the many smaller alleys branching off from the main road. A short while later, they arrived at a two-story, brick building. To Terrin's disappointment, the back door was locked.
“Great. How are we going to get in?” she asked hopelessly.
Without a word, Terrin pointed to one of the windows on the second story.
“That is way too high for us to reach. Are you sure it even opens?”
“I'm sure. The old man who looks over this library never remembers to keep it all the way shut. If one of us can get in, we can unlock the basement door."
He squinted and confirmed the window was slightly ajar before dropping his gaze to look around. There were all sorts of old wooden crates lying around in the alley, probably from ancient fruit shipments. They were only a block away from the markets, and it was common for vendors to ditch older crates when they were empty. He dragged one over. Snow caught on and started to pull another onto the pile. By the third crate, the pile was too tall to add more from the ground. Without consulting Terrin, she started clambering up the side. The stack wobbled precariously.
“Snow! I-I don't think that's safe...”
She looked down over the top; the pile almost toppled over.
“Do we have any other choice?”
He watched it sway and felt his chest tighten. If she fell from up there and hurt herself, he didn't know if he could explain it to Ramer.
“Terrin! I hate heights. Please hand me another box and stop staring at me.”
He gulped and grabbed another crate. He hated to think the term “partners in crime” fit what they were doing perfectly. He lifted the box high over his head with one hand and held the wobbling mass steady with the other. Terrin felt the pile lurch as the crate he was holding cleared the edge of the stack.
“One more,” she said shakily.
He nodded, forgetting she couldn't see him, and tried to nab a crate a short distance away. His foot touched the edge, and he pulled it closer, but Snow gasped sharply as she felt the pile tilt from the pressure Terrin had accidentally applied. For a moment, Terrin was afraid gravity would claim the stack and pull it to the ground. Thankfully, it swayed back towards him. Terrin let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and scooted the box he had been trying to reach close enough to grab. He held the bottom of the fourth crate with the tips of his fingers and stood on the points of his toes.
“Hurry!” he urged between clenched teeth.
His muscles started to tense, and his arms felt stiff and strained. The crate vanished from his hand. He’d made sure it was smaller than the others, so she wouldn't have to do anything stupid to get it under her. Terrin stepped back and watched as she crouched on top of the large pile. Her terrified expression was clear, even from the ground. She looked up at the open window and stared for a long moment. He saw sweat on her forehead, which wasn't anything new; she was always hot. She weighed her options on the top of the pile before she stood up and stepped onto the fifth crate. The stack quivered, but she didn't stop. Rather, she reached up, and her fingertips touched the edge of the window. She couldn't get in; she was too short. Terrin's heart plummeted.
“Don't do it!” he screamed, but she was already preparing to leap. He watched her take a deep breath and jump with all the strength she could muster. To his awe, she landed halfway in the window. Her hat flew off and her hair tumbled down around her. The force of the jump sent the crates crashing down toward Terrin. He dodged and landed on the ground as the pile fell with a thunderous boom.
“Snow!”