by Zora Marie
She felt the girl’s wrist in her hand as her head breached the surface of the water, just in time for the ice to crack and drop the tree. A shudder went through her as she hit the hard sand, her feet still in the water as someone took the girl’s wrist from her grasp.
Zelia tried to catch her breath in gasps as she watched an Elf tend to the girl. The girl didn't draw in air on her own, so he pinched her nose and blew into her mouth. Her chest rose and fell once, then twice.
The girl shivered as she rolled to her side, coughing up water.
Zelia breathed a sigh of relief and sat up on her knees. Her hair was plastered to her face and neck. She raised her hand towards the shivering girl, but paused, staring at the cracks that wove up her fingertips. She had toyed with fire earlier that morning and the use of ice so soon after had its price. The prickling of pain shot through her cold fingers, shouting that she needed to pace herself.
The girl gave Alrindel a nod as he approached. What’s that about?
Then she remembered the freezing water that covered both of them and made it fall away from them in a puff of snow. Still, her hair clung to her face from the static caused by the sudden loss of moisture. Alrindel scooped Zelia up and she lost her train of thought.
“I'm glad you saved her, but you're not supposed to be exerting yourself like that.”
Her side throbbed, and she clutched it, leaning her head against him as his warmth staved off the cold.
“I know, but why did the tree fall? It’s not even windy.”
“I don’t know, but let’s let Eleanor and Eadon worry about that.”
“Fine. Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for the hunt?”
“Maybe I should stay here with you.” They walked back along the edge of the lake.
“No, you should go. Skylar here can keep me out of trouble, or maybe it's the other way around.”
Nikolas wrapped his arm across Skylar's shoulders.
“Here, I'll keep them both out of trouble.”
Alrindel rolled his eyes. “Fine, but only because it's the last hunt before hard winter hits and with Nikolas to feed, we’ll need the meat.”
“Good. Now, would you put me down? I have legs,” she wiggled her feet with a grin, “and Eadon said I am allowed to walk.”
“Promise not to go running off again?”
She raised a sarcastic eyebrow. “Me! No. That wasn't running, and he never said anything about ice skating.”
“Zelia.” He glared at her.
“What? He didn't.”
Eadon stood in the doorway, arms crossed, as Alrindel put her down. Her grin fell away as Eadon started in on her. “Are you going to make me spell out all the rules?”
“It won’t stop me.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, and you don’t understand.”
“Then tell me.”
“I stood by, tortured, and even killed innocent beings for three hundred years. Now that I'm free, I refuse to stand by and watch—” she broke off as she realized what she was saying and who she said it to. Guilt and shame ran through her, and she looked away.
Eadon reached out to her, but she pulled back. Her lip quivered, and she took off down the hill.
She collapsed against a tree at the far side of the lake, her breath coming in short gasps as she struggled to fight back her thoughts and her guilt before they could consume her. She could hear footsteps behind her she could tell weren’t from an Elf as they clumped along through the fallen leaves. It was then she realized that Eadon had asked her to tell him in a softer tone, one that begged her to open up and she had snapped at him.
She forced a deep breath to steady her breathing as she waited for Nikolas to reach her. If it had been Eadon coming to check on her, she would have apologized as guilt tied a knot in her gut, but she didn’t owe the wolfblood such things.
“Thought you could use some company. And I brought you this.” Nikolas tossed a hooded pale blue cloak over her.
Really? She heaved a sigh from beneath the thick fabric. Nikolas let out a deep throated chuckle as he sat against a tree across from her, and part of her was thankful that he didn’t coddle her like the others. Besides, his light-hearted teasing reminded her of Rogath.
“You know, Eadon always knows just what to say, but he’s lost when it comes to you.”
“Pretty sure everyone is,” she muttered with the cloak pulled around her, glad for the warmth it offered.
Nikolas pulled a knife from his belt and whittled as they sat in silence.
Hours passed before he tossed his finished work into her lap. She spun the smooth stick in her fingers, the end a finely carved wolf, its head tipped back in a howl.
“It’s yours.”
He brushed the dried leaves and wood shavings from himself as he stood. “We should head back. I believe Eleanor wanted to see you over lunch, if it's not too late for that now.”
Zelia twisted her hair and stuck the carved stick through the tightly wound bun as she walked.
“Looks good and if you ever need to go vampire hunting, you'll have a stake ready to go.”
“A lot of things exist, but vampires are not…” She stopped mid stride as she passed an open doorway into the hallowed halls of the trees. Her heart fluttered at the muffled sound of a familiar voice that she just couldn’t place. “Where are you going?” Nikolas asked as she turned and headed down the hallway.
Zelia waved him off, “Go on ahead and let Eleanor know I’ll be there in a minute, please.”
Nikolas grunted his displeasure at being a messenger but left her to go her own way.
“You know that you need to tell Eleanor about this,” Eadon said.
With the sound of Eadon’s voice, Zelia cursed herself for eavesdropping. Eadon had always prided himself on being a safe place for patients to open up. She wanted to move away before she could hear more, but that sweet and silvery voice spoke again, “I know and I will, just not yet. Please, I don’t want Auntie Eleanor to send one of us away.”
Auntie Eleanor? Zelia thought and forced herself to leave before she revealed herself. She hadn’t realized Erolith’s daughter was here, then again that wasn’t her business. Still, she wanted to know why she knew that voice, as she couldn’t recall ever meeting the young princess of the Drakeon Empire.
Lost in thought, Zelia walked to her room, but before she could enter Eleanor called her name. “We need to talk.”
Zelia shook herself from her thoughts and followed Eleanor to a room higher up in the tree. The room was empty except for a scrying bowl that sat in the middle of the room. An open archway led to a small balcony at the far end of the room. Eleanor had enchanted this room to prevent prying eyes and ears from hearing what went on within its walls, so she had seldom been permitted to enter.
“What is this about?” Zelia asked.
“I wanted to wait but if anything happens… Well, you need to know what has really been going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Vainoff and I have been speaking. When we created you, Asenten seemed to have been the driving force behind your creation, but after what Kafthry said happened to you on Hyperia—”
“You spoke to Kafthry?”
“Erolith spoke to him for me when Saria gave her report. Let me ask you this, what happened to make you leave Hyperia?”
Zelia took a step back, retreating from the memory. “I heard chanting, like I did in The Cave and then… I killed a guard. I was hurting them. I had to leave.”
“The chanting, was it more than one wizard?”
Zelia gave a slight nod.
“We believe Xander is the one behind everything that’s happened.”
“But Asenten was the one who kept me trapped.”
“He was just a pawn, like we all have been.”
“Why not confront him?” Zelia asked.
“We will, but not yet.” Eleanor seemed to lose herself in thought for a moment. “Thank you for being honest with me. You sh
ould go eat.”
Zelia studied Eleanor’s expression before she left the room with more questions than answers.
4
As the sky lightened with the first rays of sunlight the next morning, Zelia fell to her knees near the lake, a puff of snow rising from the freshly covered grass. She had hardly slept as her ribcage constricted against the metal plate and her mind raced through her scattered thoughts. Why do I know her voice? Why don’t I remember? She had always known Xander likely manipulated her mind. He was the only one who could have, but she had no clue how much he had changed or why he would have bothered to mess with such memories. She had always assumed Asenten was the driving force behind everything that had happened, but maybe not.
The light crunch of snow gave way to a silvery voice. “Are you okay?”
Zelia’s heart lurched into her throat and she turned away, letting her hair cover her face. She wasn’t ready to face her, not without knowing what else lay trapped within her own mind. The snow crunched as the girl sat beside her. “Zelia, that is your name, isn’t it? You’re the one who saved me from drowning yesterday.”
Just leave me, please. Zelia almost begged in her thoughts, but didn’t say a word.
“That’s okay, we don’t have to talk.” The girl picked up some snow, and it crunched as she packed it. “Here, this is for you.” She leaned forward and dropped her work into Zelia’s hands.
It was reminiscent of Dain, the black wolf that had set in motion the events that freed her. “It’s beautiful, thank you.” Zelia looked up at the Elf who was about her size. Her silvery hair shone white in the starlight.
“I only wish it would last longer, maybe one day I can make you one of glass. You know, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself. I’m Linithion, Queen Eleanor’s niece. And no, we haven’t met before, well prior to you saving my life yesterday. I’ve only lived here for a few years.”
“Wait, you’re the Princess of the Drakeon Empire. Why are you here?”
“Um, that…”
Zelia watched her struggle over what to say. “You have powers like Eleanor, don’t you?”
“Not exactly…” Linithion rubbed her thumb over her fingers as she avoided meeting Zelia’s gaze. The way she did it reminded Zelia of Alrindel’s tick. It seemed to be a common tell among archers. Then Linithion heaved a huge sigh. “I see another person’s biggest fears and parts of their past when I make skin contact. I’ve been learning to control it, but I wasn’t in control when you saved me…”
“Oh… What did you see?”
“I…”
Their eyes locked for a moment, each reading the other’s feelings deep beneath the surface. Zelia couldn’t help but see how lost Linithion was. But at the same time, she could feel her meadow green eyes piercing her very soul. It was the first time she’d felt that way without wishing to pull away.
“You don’t know how to put words to what you saw, do you?” Zelia pried her eyes away from Linithion’s.
Linithion shook her head, but as soon as she stopped their eyes met again. “I don’t. But if you ever need to talk about anything, know that I’m here.”
Zelia pulled away from her gaze and looked around at the untouched snow. Only their footsteps disturbed the sparkling blanket. Elves could walk across the snow without a trace, but Linithion had made deeper impressions, purposely warning of her approach.
“How about we do something fun instead.”
“Like what?” Linithion’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. Zelia raised her hand and Linithion sat back in surprise as the snow pulled from all around forming a small podium.
Zelia set the little wolf sculpture on the podium and offered Linithion a hand. “Let’s make a surprise for the others to discover.” Linithion hesitated for a moment before taking her hand.
They walked the main pathways, making archways from the snow that covered them. They stopped at the vine fence to the pasture.
“You should make something with the snow from the pasture. It would make it easier for the horses to graze,” Linithion suggested.
“And what should I make with that much snow?”
Linithion plopped down with a sigh. “I don’t know… Wait, how about something for Eleanor and Eadon?”
“Like what?” Zelia laid back in the snow. It was getting light out and it wouldn’t be long before the paths would be busy once again.
“Like this.” Linithion held out a small snow sculpture of a gazebo. “Only with columns made to look like trees and vines, like everything else here.”
Zelia raised an eyebrow as she took the little sculpture. “I take it I’m not the only one that thinks the two of them should give up on hiding their feelings for each other.”
“It’s why neither one of them have ever had children of their own. Because of their difference in social status, they’ve never acted on their feelings, even though we all know that rule is rubbish. Maybe we can change that?” Their eyes met and Zelia read something in Linithion’s gaze before the Elven princess blushed and looked away.
“Well, something that big will take more than what I can do in this form. So, don’t freak out.”
Linithion fell back in the snow when Zelia turned to ice. Thankfully, her clothes hid the metal plate and shrapnel hidden within.
“Shall we get to work?” Zelia pulled her hood back, no longer needing its protection from the cold. Her frosty hair crunched with every move.
Linithion’s eyes didn’t part from hers as she nodded. “Uh…”
“I’d offer you a hand to your feet, but you’d get frostbite if I did.” Zelia made the snow stand Linithion up before turning to the field. The snow obeyed Zelia’s every command. It swirled off the field and into the opening on the far side of the lake. There it stacked and blew around in a mini blizzard until she lowered her hand. It felt good to create rather than destroy with her powers.
The last few flakes fell to the ground as they came to the other side of the lake. The girls watched the horses hopping around the green field for a moment before turning back to the gazebo.
“So, what else do you think it needs?” Zelia asked.
Linithion spun around, admiring the delicate leaves made of snow. “All it needs now is Eleanor and Eadon.”
“Good, then I’m done being a block of ice.” Zelia shuddered as her normal color returned, and her hair blew in the wind.
“Let’s go warm up and wait.” Linithion froze as she took Zelia’s hand. “Are you always this cold after that?”
“Well, I was a block of ice a second ago. Don’t worry, I can’t get frost...”
Linithion’s face went slack and her eyes dilated. “No, you can’t get frostbite, but your heart could stop.”
Zelia jerked her hand from Linithion’s. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“I…” Linithion shook her head as her eyes refocused. “I didn’t mean to, it just kind of pulled me in.”
“Please, just don’t touch me.” Can’t have you see everything like Rogath did. He hides it, but it hurts him to see it all.
“Zelia, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“I know, just…” Zelia trailed off, not sure what to say. “We should get inside, want to race?”
Linithion perked up at the idea and took off for the tree, shouting, “Sure!” over her shoulder.
The girls were just about to Zelia’s room when they heard footsteps coming from the room down the hall. They darted through the door and plopped down in front of the hearth.
Linithion giggled, “You know, I think this is the most fun I’ve had since coming here.”
“Me too.” They locked eyes until Zelia noticed Skylar’s dark figure in the doorway.
“And what have you two been getting into?” Skylar asked.
Linithion spun to her feet. “Snow.” There was a mischievous sparkle in her eye as she smiled.
Skylar raised an eyebrow as he went to the balcony.
“It snowed last night? Oh… did you two do that?
”
They couldn’t help but laugh as they glanced at one another.
Skylar turned to Zelia. “You’re acting awfully funny this morning.” He looked Linithion over. Zelia could see in his eyes that he knew Linithion had caught a glimpse into her past.
Skylar shook his head and some of his black hair fell into his face. “Well, whatever you did Linithion, feel free to continue. I’ve never seen her so happy, not even around Alrindel.”
“Zelia?” Eadon’s voice called out from the door below her balcony.
“Yes?” She peered over the rail.
Eadon cleared his throat and stared up to her. “Did you do this?”
“Do what?”
“This!” He waved his arm across the snow-covered field.
“Make it snow? No, the weather did that on its own.”
Eadon shot her an irritated look. “I mean all the arches and the huge gazebo made of snow!”
“Me? No, not at all. It must have been one of the young frost giants running around these parts,” she said, with the most sarcastic tone she could muster without breaking into a laugh.
Eleanor appeared beside Eadon and gasped at the beauty of the snowy scene before glancing up. Zelia nodded in reply to Eleanor’s unspoken question.
Linithion leaned over the rail. “Good morning, Auntie Eleanor.”
“When did you two become acquainted? I thought I told you to stay away from Zelia?”
Eadon took Eleanor’s hand. “I meant to tell you about that. Zelia is the one that saved Linithion from drowning yesterday.”
“Oh…” Her eyes widened when she realized what that meant. “Oh.” Her gaze shot up to the balcony. “Linithion, why didn’t you come talk to me?”
“I’m fine Auntie Eleanor. Really, I am.” Linithion grabbed Zelia’s hand. “Come on, let’s go show them.”
Linithion stopped in the doorway and looked back at Skylar.
“You too, bounty hunter,” Linithion spat the words out.
“Oh, I will get you two little squirts!” He cracked a grin and grabbed his cloak from the next room before running after them.
