Free Llewellyn’s Song by Samantha Winston

refreshments for our guests. Come sit down. We have much
to discuss and little time.”
    “So you too have heard,” said Llewellyn softly.
    “Many of my people have been lured away by the tempting
promises of a wandering ice demon. He promised more land, better hunting and
riches for all. It seemed too convenient to be true. The ones who left were
young and foolish. They have been stirring trouble on the borders and so I send
my troops or go myself to apprehend them. But this new demon is too clever for
me. By the time I arrive he has faded away. And I hear his army grows stronger.
Many rocs have joined him. But the worst news is that he has somehow joined
forces with the behemoth king. That’s why so many of their kind have fled. The
old, the sick and the weak are being pushed out of their lands.”
    “The one I killed looked old,” said Llewellyn, nodding. “So
the Mouse King has somehow found a way to return.”
    “Yes, and despite my warnings many of the younger ice demons
have decided to join him. He wears not the same face, nor rides a dragon. This
time, I think his strength lies in the behemoth king, for how else could he get
so powerful in so short a time? He must wear the disguise of an ice demon
though, and somehow he fooled the rocs into joining his side. That was a heavy
blow. The rocs guard the passage through the mountains to the north, and if our
people cannot use it anymore, we will be hampered in our summer migration.”
    “I will return to Hivernia with this news. It grieves me to
see your kingdom under such a threat. Be assured that Branagh will send his
army here, and we will combat at your side.”
    “Your offer is generous. I hope it will be timely. As you
can see, it is winter solstice soon, the most important of our traditional
fêtes. I will use this as a chance to gather my troops together. We will be
waiting for Branagh’s army.”
    An ice demon came bearing a silver tray with drinks. Tamara
took one and winced. The cup was freezing cold. The drink was icy, but
delicious. She found herself enjoying the sweet wintergreen and spice flavor.
    “Come, I will show you to your room,” said Frostbone when
they had finished their drinks. “Tomorrow, at first light, the sleigh will take
you back to the standing stones. I wish your visit could have been longer, but
I have much to do before winter solstice. If the war is not over by spring
thaws, we will surely lose everything.”
    “I know that.” Llewellyn didn’t touch him, but he raised his
hand and held it with his palm facing Frostbone’s chest. “We will make haste.”
    Frostbone nodded and held his hand out too, nearly, but not
quite touching Llewellyn. Then he left them.
    Their room was made of ice. Windows with ice panes looked
out over the endless tundra. The moon had risen, casting everything in a
silvery glow. Tamara sank down on the bed. It was hard, being made of carved
ice, but it was covered with a pile of deep furs. “I thought that demons were
unable to speak our language.”
    Llewellyn nodded. “Most cannot. Frostbone was under the
Mouse King’s spell for a long time. They are immortal, or nearly so, unless
someone cuts their heads off. I don’t know much about their way of life. In the
summer they retreat to deep caves of eternal ice. Here, in this land, they can
live for most of the year. But Thaw finds it eventually, even if it is for a
short time. If the Mouse King is not defeated, he may take over this land and
enslave the ice demons once more. Frostbone is afraid of that.”
    “I would be too,” said Tamara. She couldn’t suppress a
shudder of fear. The last time the Mouse King had enslaved Rog, a mighty
dragon, and had used his power. Now, if Frostbone spoke the truth, he had the
behemoth king’s might. If only she hadn’t left her tribe! She had to be able to
convince them to send a troop of warriors. She hugged her knees to her chest.
She could still do that. It would be at great risk though. The penalty