“Rune,” she said, cradling his head in her lap. He smiled, though he was deathly pale. “Use your Rime Ice,” Elma said quickly, her words falling together like tumbling stones. “Your secret’s out now, use it, hurry. It healed me.” “You’re a queen,” Rune murmured, lifting a blood-encrusted hand to tangle in her hair. “The land needs you. I’m just a prince. Not as powerful for me, I’m afraid.”
