"Yeah, I know."

She heads inside.

" and you say it isnt embarrassing. "

Actually, more like outside because there was a walk to get to the stable. A blast of frigid air blew into the foyer. The land beyond was dark and cold. A pristine, frozen courtyard stretched before her, trees, flowers, statues and fountains encased in the clearest ice. Great jagged crystals, some taller than her head, jutted out of the ground at random intervals, spearing into the sky. A group of fey dressed in glittering white sat on the lip of a fountain, long azure hair rippling down their backs. They saw Isiea, snickered behind their hands and rose. The nails on their fingertips glimmered blue in the half-light.

"It's not. Ethan is a worthy opponent."

" if you say so. "

"I do."

'' good for you. "

She ignores them, headed for the stable.

"It is."

"Where do you think you're going, half-breed?"

Snow swirled, stinging Isiea's face. When the blizzard receded, she was surrounded by the four fey girls who had been sitting at the fountain. Tall, elegant and beautiful, with their pale skin and shimmering cobalt hair, they hemmed Isiea in like a pack of wolves, full frosted lips twisted into ugly sneers.

"Ooh, Snowberry, you were right," one of them said, wrinkling her nose like she smelled something foul. "She does reek of a dead pig in the summer. I dont know how Mab can stand it."