Marius’s other senses screamed that something was wrong.
The horse seemed to feel it, too. Azil’s steps slowed and then, eventually, stopped. She whinnied and shook her head, refusing to move even when Marius spoke to her softly, as he’d seen Felix do.
Not wanting to spook Azil further, Marius looped the reins over a branch.
“We’ll be right back,” he told the steed.
She stared back at him, brown eyes wide as if saying,Maybe you won’t.
Or maybe that was in Marius’s head.
Either way, he tightened his grip on his dagger and trailed a few steps behind his bodyguard through the too-silent forest. His breath formed clouds in front of him, the temperature dropping drastically.
Not far from where he left Azil, the trees thinned. The scent of death worsened, and his heart thundered in his chest.
Old magic hung in the air. It was a heavy weight pushing down on his chest. A warning. Leave before they saw what was hiding behind the thinning trees.
They didn’t heed the warning, walking on.
The air chilled impossibly further.
Each step felt like wading through sand—at first, it wasn’t difficult, but it grew more strenuous with each passing moment.
Goosebumps pebbled his flesh.
Snow fell in a silent flurry, and seeing more than a few feet in front of him was difficult.
And then, the trees fell away.
Vivienne’s arm shot out to the side, blocking him from going ahead of her. The action was unnecessary. He desired adventure, but he still had common sense and a will to live. Both screamed at him to be careful in this place where death so clearly reigned.
Hoarfrost Hollow.
It was as unwelcoming as the name made it seem.
Marius had Seen glimpses of the fabled location when he walked the silver planes, but they hadn’t come close to the terrifying reality in front of him.
Darkness resided here. It was everywhere—in the empty clearing, in the air, and in the snowy ground beneath their feet.
The earth seemed to thrum with an ancient, dark magic that made the hair on his arms stand on end.
The forest stood sentinel behind them. Even though the trees’ long, looming shadows fell over the moonlit clearing, none grew within the perimeter of Hoarfrost Hollow. There were no plants at all.
Shivers crawled over Marius’s arms.
It was here, in Hoarfrost Hollow, that his sister and her husband had defeated the evil queen and taken her place as the rulers of Eleyta. He’dheard the story many times, but he’d never quite been able to picture the scene. Until now.
It made sense that Queen Marguerite and her Blood Ruby had met their demises here.
Evil resided in this empty place.
On the night Luna and Sebastian defeated the old queen, crimson roses had spread across the land, originating in Hoarfrost Hollow.
Any signs of those flowers were long gone.
It was like an invisible line divided Hoarfrost Hollow from the rest of the world.
On one side, trees, plants, and life itself existed.