The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [94]
She stroked the top of the nearest wolf’s head and he gently nipped her sleeve. The rest slunk off down the passageway, throwing back mental messages in the affirmative. The other remained, morphing into a bipedal form, his dark eyes penetrating. ‘We need to talk, Kreshkali.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘There’s a blizzard out there and I don’t think your girl’s going to make it.’
Rosette opened her eyes, blinking slowly. It seemed much quieter than she remembered. Calmness surrounded her like a warm, woolly blanket. Everything was still except for the dancing orange lights. They leapt and played against the ceiling above her—light without sound—ever so peaceful.
Her eyes opened wider. Ceiling?
How was that possible? The last thing she recalled was being stuck in the middle of a blizzard. Rosette scratched her head. The biting wind had been left behind. She was either dead or sheltered. Toss a coin, it didn’t matter. It felt good. If she concentrated really hard, she could just make out a distant, thin wail. It sounded like an elderly voice, calling from far away, soft, vague and echoing.
‘Where am I?’ she asked aloud.
No answer. Rosette pushed her braids away from her face. What could have happened? She remembered being freezing, and angry. She’d been trying to get somewhere. That’s right; she’d been following An’ Lawrence towards shelter. They must have been heading for this place. A cave? But then something had happened. Everything had gone from icy stabs of pain to a warm and dark silence. It was wonderful. She reached her arms over her head, brushing past the soft fur coat of Drayco. The rise and fall of his warm body stretched out next to her was reassuring.
‘So this isn’t a dream?’
A delicious heat penetrated her every pore. Dry furs were nestled around her, their plush depths cushioning every move. As her eyes became accustomed to the dark, she noticed a red ember-glow defining the outlines of a cavern. It was a huge space.
Drayco, what’s happening?
The temple cat yawned massively. I’m sleeping. It’s warm and safe. You should do the same.
She closed her eyes. All right.
At least the temple cat wasn’t alarmed. If he said she was safe, then she was. But where was An’ Lawrence?
Her eyes popped open again. Suddenly she registered that she and Drayco were not alone in the warm furs, not isolated in their protected nest. She also realised why those pelted furs seemed so soft and comforting on her skin. She was naked. Lifting the covers slightly, she recognised the Sword Master’s long tanned arm draped across her hip and his hand resting lightly atop her thigh. Stiffening, she tried to recall how this might have happened.
Blank.
He didn’t share her alarm. His breathing came in the deep and rhythmic flow of sleep. No matter. She was alarmed enough for the both of them. She slipped from under his arm and sat upright, accidentally smacking him on the head with her elbow.
His eyes sprang open and he reached for his sword, looking towards the entrance.
‘What are we doing here?’ Rosette shouted at him.
His face relaxed. ‘So you didn’t die.’ He stretched. ‘I wondered if I’d ever hear that screech again.’
‘Answer the question!’ She kicked his legs.
An’ Lawrence chuckled, the sound reverberating through the cave. ‘I was saving your life, though no doubt I’ll soon wish I hadn’t.’ He yawned and closed his eyes. ‘Go back to sleep if you can. We’ll ride when the blizzard passes.’
‘I don’t remember my life needing to be saved. I don’t remember finding this cave and I certainly don’t remember getting undressed and crawling into the furs with you. What’s going on?’
He moaned and rolled over. ‘Go to sleep, girl.’
She kicked harder. ‘Not until you tell me what, by the darkest underworld serpents, happened!’
He turned back. ‘Nothing happened, unless you count the fact that I kept you alive.’ He propped himself up on his elbow. ‘Rosette, calm down. The blizzard had us stopped in our tracks and you were frozen and soaked to the bone—your skin was blue and your eyes glazed over. Scylla found shelter just