Authors: Michele Barrow-Belisle
Fire and Ice (40 page)
She shrieked, as the violent vacuuming of her life forces sucked out of her. A glowing curl of black smoke spilled from her body, coiling and snaking its way toward me. It was the energy force of her magic⦠black, which symbolized the evil.
Her prahna penetrated me, with a force that made me cry out. My bones vibrated as the dark energy entered my body, merging with my own. Crashing thunder echoed through the forest, the skies switched from black to white rapidly, followed by a blinding white explosion, throwing us both to the ground. Convulsions wracked me for several more minutes before the violent trembling finally came to an end.
When I climbed to my feet, Octãhvia rose across from me. She looked⦠di
fferent. Empty. Like a shell of her former self.
Adrius raced forward, his cloak flung back, fire smoldering in his eyes. He took one look at Octãhvia then rushed to my side. My mouth fell open, as a flood of emotions stormed me at the sight of him⦠Fear,
relief, joy, love.
“You're⦠you're alive?” I cried and hugged him, tears stinging my eyes.
“Of course I'm alive.” He frowned, trying to make sense of what was happening. His hand brushed my cheek with a butterfly caress.
Merry laughter peeled through the forest.
"Our hero, to the rescue. Now, the fun begins," Octãhvia snarled with an icy grin.
"No," Adrius said with a fieriness that rocked my soul as he faced her. "Now it ends.”
She lunged at me, teeth bared. Snarling like the wild tigers she kept as pets. Adrius jumped in front, pushing me out of the way.
“I don't think she has any powers,” I shouted.
Adrius eyed me suspiciously for a moment, before moving toward Octãhvia. She wasn't using magic to stop him.
Her musical laughter lit up the sky, the icy notes sending an avalanche of chills cascading down my back. Leaping away she kept us both in sight, pausing to weigh her options. Her desire to kill me burned in the depths of her soulless eyes, but without magic that desire battled an instinct to survive. Adrius was a skilled warrior and she had to know a fight would not end well for her. And yet she inched closer to me, searching for any opening to attack. Finally, she backed away, retreating toward the forest.
Adrius stepped forward. “You don't really want to leave now. Her soul is the one you want and she's there.” He pointed to me. “If you kill her, all of that power could be yours. Imagine what you could do with it.” He moved closer to her. “And without it, you have nothing.”
Her eyes snapped to the direction he was pointing, landing on me briefly before returning to him.
An amused grin spread across her face. “I have more than enough left in me, darling. More than enough to suck out your soul,” she hissed. “You think you'll feel nothing but you're wrong. The pain will be excruciating and you will beg for death before it's over, elf.”
I raised my hands preparing to defend him somehow, but all I could summon was a small tremor.
Octãhvia laughed. “Without the knowledge of how to u
se it, the magic will be useless in your hands.”
Branches cracked and snapped, and there was a rustling of leaves. A group of her guards crept out of the forest, inching forward.
She inclined her head slightly and clenched her fists sending a shower of ice slivers raining upon them. As the last of her warriors crumpled to the ground thin wisps of light curled away from their bodies. Without glancing in their direction, she inhaled deeply, drawing their souls into her. It regenerated some of her magic, but nowhere near all of it.
“Killing them isn't going to restore your powers,” I said, still trying to focus, the way I had earlier to access the energy.
Her head whipped around to face me, eyes narrow and savage.
“Absorbing my prahna will do you no good once the poison takes hold. Once you're dead, I'll take my power
and
yours.”
Something sharp pierced my skin, like a pin prick or needle. I grabbed my arm instinctively, as the searing pain began to spread.
Her eyes flickered to me, and then back to Adrius. His jaw tightened. My legs wobbled and then gave way, and I landed in a drift of snow.
With a satisfied smirk, she turned to leave.
“Come on, Octãhvia,” his velvety voice taunted. “You know I'm no match to your cun
ning sorcery. No one compels the elements like you do. Don't leave now when things have just become interesting.” He looked at me, and for a split second a flicker of worry shifted his expression. It was there for a moment then gone. “If she dies, this will be the only chance you'll get at possessing her soul. Leave now, and it will be too late.”
She paused, a flurry of snow swirling at her feet. Errant flakes landed on my skin and this time they didn't melt.
“Does it satisfy you to know you've already lost?” He smiled, impassionate and menacing. She glared at him, her eyes wild with vengeance.
“It satisfies me to know you will never have her.” She moved to the left, and he met her there carefully blocking her path. “The binding curse is unbreakable, your bondage to me eternal. And her corpse will have turned to ash long before she will ever belong to you,” she spat the words as though they were poisonous.
He remained cool, unaffected. At least not externally. Coyly he stepped closer⦠baiting her. “She is of fey blood. Her body cannot die. And she already belongs to me,” he said, sounding calm and unworried.
The pain in my arm traveled up past my shoulder and spread to my neck and chest. Even lying in three feet of snow, my skin was searing.
Their unspoken standoff continued, as he matched her every muscle twitch with lightning speed. His fingers caressed the hilt of his sword and flames leapt high into the air. Finally, tired of their dance, she lunged.
Adrius aimed his sword sending a stream of fire at the Ice Witch.
Octãhvia countered with a stream of razor-sharp ice daggers. Fire and ice collided sizzling the air with black rain, smoke, and sparks lighting the sky. The searing heat from the flames penetrated her icy shield knocking the witch to the ground.
I
staggered to my feet as my wounds began to heal. Octãhvia directed a stream of ice at me, which Adrius shielded me from with his burning blade. More of her animals lunged at us from the forest, and Adrius turned his flame sword on them, fighting them back
.
Summoning as much strength as I could manage, I raised my hands, and pictured the Inner Eye gathering power from the elements around me.
From the hurricane of fire and ice, I sent a flaming shard of ice hurling toward Octãhvia. It struck her heart, piercing it through just as another fragment pierced my side. With a howling shriek, like air hissing out of a balloon, Octãhvia crumpled to the ground, contorting and writhing in pain. Blue green veins pressed against her translucent skin ready to burst throug
h. Her eyes rolled back in her head, foam oozing from her ashen lips. The cold body of the witch withered and disintegrated, crumbling into a fine powder, becoming no more than white dust⦠indistinguishable from the snow blanketing the ground. Tens of thousands of glowing white wisps burst from her chalky remains, before swimming through the night sky and vanishing with a collective sigh.
I sank to the ground, weak and numb.
There was a sudden gust of wind, and the leftovers of her evil reign dissipated into the air. She was gone.
My head fell back into the melting ice and snow. It worked, we won, and Mythlandria was safe. Jubilant cries and cheers spread through the forest. They sounded hollow, drifting further and further away. I lay on the ground⦠a gaping wound where an ice shard had lodged in my side was now pulsating blood. The pain was dull and distant, and I was only dimly aware that it wasn't healing. Something was wrong.
Throwing his sword to the ground, Adrius rushed to my side. “Lorelei, speak to me.”
Several others ran to me. Last of all was Zanthiel. He pushed everyone aside to get through, his expression freezing when he saw me. I was motionless in the melting slush.
“She's hurt. We have to get her inside. Back to the castle,” someone said. There was a lot of commotion and shouting. Then Adrius gathered me in his arms, and we were in motion, racing toward the Citadel.
“Lorelei, open your eyes,” he urged. “You have to stay awake.”
“Is it over?” I whispered, my lips were brittle and cracked. I could taste the salty metallic tang of blood.
“Yes, it's over.” His voice was strained, tight.
“Where is she?” I tried lifting my head.
“We won. She will never hurt you, or anyone else, again.”
“Good.” I mustered a thin smile. Lifting my hand, I stared at the sallow, bruised skin. I was exhausted. Sleep would feel so good right now, I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and drift into a deep slumber. My head rested against his chest
. Just a little napâ¦
“I'm c-cold. Just closing my eyes for a second⦠I won't f-f-fall asleep.” My lids slipped close.
“No! Stay awake! Stay with me, Lorelei.” He shook me fiercely. “
Listen
to meâ if you let the sleep take hold, you will never wake up. The poison seeps through your blood numbing your mind to the pain. And your body will slowly freeze to death from the cold eating its way from the inside out.”
“You're always so dramatic.” I smiled weakly. “Don't worry about me, I'm fine,” I whispered. “I'm not dying, just⦠sleepy⦔ Each word slurred into the next, becoming barely audible.
“Stay awake,” a distant whisper insisted, forcing its way into my peaceful slumber. “Open your eyes.” The warm soothing voice was followed by a colder urging, “
Sleep
, let
go
â
allow
the sweet slumber of
death
,” it caressed. “I will bring you back.”
Alarmed, I tried to force my eyes open, but the weight was too strong.
“Open your eyes. You can't go to sleep now. Stay with me!”
Foggy waves of darkness were pulling me under.
“I need you to live.”
They were the last words I heard, although I had no idea whose words they were. His voice trailed off⦠the sound drifting further and further away, until there was nothing. From the silent blackness I slipped into a dream. They were calling me, trying to convince me to come back. But it was so peaceful here. Death could not have been this tranquilâ¦This
easy
. Nothing but pain waited for me in this imaginary world that had become my reality. I didn't want to wake up. It was easier to sleep. To drift endlessly in this hazy dream. I could take sanctuary in the emptiness of the abyss. Free from poisoned words and daggers. Peace. Blissful peace. Another voice drifted by.
“Does she breathe still⦠is she of the living?”
I wondered what the answer would be, but no reply was offered. Another voice dialed in, like someone had changed TV channels and turned up the volume.
Please, Lorelei. Fight this. You have to come back to me. I need you
â
I love you.
It was familiar. Had I seen this show before?
Death beacons you. Welcome it, Ilyandra,
whispered another.
Familiar also⦠and yet completely alien⦠Like something I welcomed and loathed at the same time. Then the channel flicked again and the voices were gone, leaving nothing but static, the dull white noise of my mind. No, this was easier. It was the other way that was so hard.
In dreams my mind drifted aimlessly. It made no sense why I was more obsessed with Adrius than usual â and more consumed by Zanthiel. I was wandering in the mist, and ran into the arms of someone familiar. And I was with Adrius, and he was kissing me with a fierce hunger that shattered my self-control. The sweet taste and delicious scent of him filling me, yet leaving me craving more. Arching me backward, he placed tormenting kiss after kiss, and each time his lips left mine for even a second, an insatiable ache raced through me, making me whimper. As the dream faded, I knew. Thisâ¦
This
was what I had to come back for. Death was so final. It's life that's full of possibilities.
But then Adrius was ripped from my arms and someone else was in his place. Someone cold. He pulled me into his arms and it felt comfortable and
right
. Amidst the sharp tang of herbs, cool tender fingers caressed my face trailing down my neck and collarbone. And when his cold lips pressed against mine, I peeked up to see stormy silver eyes boring into mine, penetrating me with their icy hold. His kisses stopped and with a whiff of smoke he was gone, but the smoke continued to rise, billowing in an ominous black cloud. I couldn't understand the burning sensation.
Scorching waves distorted my view as Adrius reappeared with someone else wrapped in his arms, a girl with flaming red hair and my eyes. I was burning in a flameless fire, and the girl with red hair smiled. I screamed while blistering heat seared my flesh, peeling it from my bones in charred flakes. Bound to a stake, my body cindered and slowly turned to ash.
Drenched in sweat, I woke up, my heart pounding wildly. Cold, sore, and terrified, I squinted up at the unfocused face of an angel peering back at me, in a room that wasn't mine. I blinked up at him â was I dead? â Sandpaper scratched the inside of my throat.
“Good Morning, Lorelei.”
I would recognize that velvety tone anywhere.
“How are you feeling?” concern brimmed his beautiful eyes.
“I'm fine,” I managed, with a cough.
He scrutinized the nurse for confirmation and she nodded.
Then she bowed and left us alone.
When his worry lines lingered, I repeated. “See. Fine.” Drawing in my knees, I clutched the silky pillow. “So what happened⦠where are we?”
“You were struck by a poisoned ice shard. It worked its way through your system, spreading cold like a virus through your veins.”
Adrius paused and shifted, rubbing the back of his neck. It was strange to see him squirm.
“The potions and elixirs proved useless. We had to keep you from freezing before your natural ability to heal could set in. I used the only thing I could⦠what I
had
to do⦠to save you. Body heat. Mine.
I stared a second longer, feeling my skin flush with embarrassment.
“Oh.”
“For a while I worried you might not come back to us. But Hawthrin assured me sleep was what you needed to heal.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“By human time, six days, seventeen hours, thirty-seven minutes and forty-two seconds.” He smiled. “Give or take.”
For a moment I remained speechless, then swung out of bed as Adrius helped me into a plush floor-length bathrobe that spilled onto the floor as I moved. I wandered to the balcony, breathing in the view. The trees and flowers flourished as through never encased in an icy tomb. Not a trace of snow remained.
In one swift moment, memories washed over me with dizzying speed, flooding me with images both disturbing and surreal. I shot Adrius a look. It really was over. But what I saw on his face wasn't relief.
“What's wrong?” I traced the side of his face, marveling again at how soft it was in comparison to its chiseled appearance. Warmth seeped into my fingertips.
“I'm so sorry, Lorelei. If I had never come to Drearyton Cove, you would never have left. And all of this would be no more than a passing nightmare. You would awaken from it and be safe⦠Living a normal, human life.”
“But I'm not a normal human, Adrius, am I?”
“You could have been.” He was pensive, distant. It always made me uncomfortable.
“Maybe⦠but with your belief in destiny and prophecies, how can you be sure? How do you know that one day, when I turned forty or something, some weird transformation wouldn't happen and I'd be led here anyway? â With or without you.”
“I have no way of knowing.” He shrugged and I stepped into the circle of his arms, nestling closer.
“This way is much better. This way, I get to be with you. At least for a while,” I added in a whisper.
“I've never wanted you to give up anything for me, Lorelei.”
“Why is it so hard for you to see I have nothing to give up? â¦only to gain.”
A cool night breeze brushed against my shoulders. Silhouetted against the moon, the pale light couldn't hide the fact his face was lined with pain. I hated for him to torture himself this way.
“Being here makes sense to me. This⦔ My hands swept the air. “â¦All of this would have been too much for most people, for
normal
people. But for me, it all⦠makes sense⦠somehow.”
“You didn't believe at first either,” he reminded me. “For a while, I had to convince you it wasn't a dream.”
“Yes, but when you touched me⦔ I placed my hand on his. “And that electric current coursed through me, I knew you were real.
This
was real. And for some crazy reason, I was meant to be a part of your world. It was the reason I didn't fit in mine.”
He shook his head imperceivably staring at an invisible spot in the sky. I twisted my fingers in his silky hair.
“I've never been normal. It's a relief to finally know why.”
“You are too amazing to settle for normal,” he purred, catching my hand and pulling it to his lips. He brushed my knuckles with a lingering kiss, before releasing me and leading me back to my room. There he tucked me into bed, swaddling me in layers of feathery blankets.
I sighed, avoiding the subject we both knew was coming. I'd be leaving soon, and all of this might be nothing more than a distant memory. The thought of being apart from him was almost unbearable⦠and if it wasn't for my mother⦠I bit back a pang of guilt. I had no idea what I'd find when I returned, but the longer I stayed, the worse my chances for a happy ending became.
Reading my thoughts, Adrius said quietly, “You will heal her. You know you can.”
“You're wrong.” I rocked my head back and forth on the pillow. “I don't know that. I wasn't able to save her the last time. Only lessen her pain. She has no idea what I can do, because I've never used my gifts around her.”
His gazed turned incredulous. “Why?”
“My grandmother warned me not to. She said Mom wouldn't be able to handle it. When Gran was alive, I didn't question it. And after she died, I figured it would freak Mom out too much to find out.” I stared into the distance. A current of regret tugged at my stomach like a powerful undertow. “I wish more than anything I could free her of this illness for good.”
“Look at me, Lorelei .You
can
.” His lovely face became pensive. “It's what I promised you. That once you uncovered the prahna of your Faerie magic, your gifts will amplify and you'll be able to cure her⦠permanently.
I didn't feel the same confidence. “I hope you're right,” I said leaning back into the warmth of his chest. His fingers toyed with my hair, until my eyelids grew heavy.
“You're tired, I should let you sleep.”
“No,” I protested, forcing them open. I wove my fingers between his. “Don't go.”
“Shhhhh,” he whispered. “It's okay.”
Warm lips pressed against my forehead, and my anxiety melted.
“You can sleep. I'm not going anywhere.”
When I opened my eyes some time later, Adrius was gone.