by C S Patra
Kian stared at the invitation and was starting to come up with a plan. “Do you mind if I keep a hold of this? I might know someone who is looking to go to the ball but lost their invitation.”
“Keep it. I’m sure they’ll find more use for it than I would,” the shopkeeper said. “I do hope that they have a wonderful time out there. It will be the event that they can’t forget.”
“Thank you.” He pocketed the invitation and took all the other things. “One more question before I live; by any chance, do you know when the first train leaves from the station over here?”
“I have only ridden the train a few times. I usually don’t have a lot of coins for a long trip, but I do know most of the trains leave around dawn. The very first one goes to Farenza, which is much smaller than Losalle. It’s also very cold up there though nothing compared to the Frost Kingdom. If you need to get supplies for the cold, that is the place that you want be in.”
“I will take that into consideration,” he agreed. “Thank you very much for your help. Let me give you a little something more for that.” He added two more gold coins on the counter. “Use that to buy whatever you need.”
“Oh, I couldn’t! This is your money!”
“Trust me. I will be fine. I’ll feel better paying more for what I bought,” he explained. “You have helped me out more than you realize.”
“Thank you, kind sir. I hope you make it to the Frost Kingdom safely.”
Kian left the store feeling a little better about his good deed. He knew that he couldn’t stay out too late because Alice and Lavinia were waiting for him. He was also a thief that was wanted in many parts of this world so he had to lay low. So far, he hadn’t stolen a thing, but he was highly tempted. He just had to keep his hands in his own pockets and keep moving forward. He avoided eye contact but listened to all the conversations around him.
“The Frost Kingdom wants to start war…”
“I hear they are trying to call in reinforcements from other kingdoms.”
“We should be on guard. People everywhere will be in danger.”
His ears perked at that, but he couldn’t interrupt all the whispers. They were coming from everywhere so he tried to make sense of it. As he walked on, eyes to the ground and hands buried deep into his coat pockets, he listened to them.
“The Frost Witch wants to wage war on the Petal and Sugar Kingdoms…”
“Those kingdoms want to take over and only one will prevail. The question is which one is the strongest and what does that hold in our future.”
“Will we even have a future? Those three witches are dangerous. If any of them gain power, this world may not exist anymore.”
He swallowed as he heard these words. They were all talking about some battle between all three kingdoms, yet he couldn’t understand it. As far as he knew, no one was heading off to war. Themasa was peaceful at this moment and the king had never mentioned any problems with the neighboring areas. He didn’t see why anyone needed to go into a war.
The one thing that worried him was the mention of The Frost Witch. He never encountered her or knew what she looked like, but he knew what she was. Her powers went beyond any sorcerer’s and she could control the cold with ease. If anyone dared to cross her, they were asking for a death wish. He never wanted to run into her, but he was curious about this. Why were the people of Losalle so scared? What were they worried about and when was this war supposed to come? It didn’t seem like anyone was prepared for battle.
What are we getting ourselves into and why do I feel like we’ll be caught in the middle of it?
He didn’t have answers to the questions now, but he needed to find them soon. This journey was about to take a turn in a direction none of them had expected.
Chapter 16
Lavinia looked down at the invitation that Kian had found and ran her fingers across the fancy writing. Themasa had balls like this and she had seen their invitations, but they weren’t anything like this one. A part of her was feeling guilty that were going to crash this party. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I’m not sure if I will have a costume for it.”
“Vinnie, you are a princess. I’m sure you will have a million gowns that will be fit for that ball.” Alice pointed out. “I’m far more concerned about myself. If we do make it in there, what do we do after that? How is that going to help us get rid of our curse?”
“I was going to mention that part. This ball isn’t just a ball for the people of the Frost Kingdom. Sorcerers and witches are also invited to them. If we could get a hold of one of them, then maybe we can find out a way to remove those curses,” Kian suggested. “I feel like it will be much easier to find one of them in the castle then trying to move through the snow and ice. The problem will be trying to find one of them in there.”
“I’m guessing that you didn’t find out how to tell a sorcerer apart from the others.”
“Of course not. I was told that they are in disguise like everyone else. They don’t want to reveal too much about themselves. That’s part of the ball. We have to be able to tell them apart as they are playing tricks on each other,” he explained. “Trying to find the right person will be tough.”
“I was afraid of that,” Lavinia sighed. “However, getting our foot through that door will be a start. I do have a gown and I think we can probably get masks for the costumes. The main thing we have to be careful with is not revealing ourselves. The last that I heard, my father’s men are making their way toward Losalle. We need to get out of here by tomorrow so we stay one step ahead of them.”
“What will happen if they do find us?” Alice asked. “How do we explain ourselves?”
Lavinia took a deep breath. She had been thinking about how to handle this but didn’t want to do it now. “I will come up with a way to keep us out of trouble. We just need to make it to The Frost Kingdom in one piece first. Then we can worry about how to handle my father’s guards. We have to keep moving until we get where we need to be.”
“That’s the problem,” Kian admitted. “I have tried finding someone who would be willing to take us further, but they don’t have any other modes of transportation that can withstand the winds. A lot of them are frightened about having to deal with the cold. In fact, they said that the best way to get through the Frost Kingdom is either by an ice serpent or an ice dragon.”
“An ice dragon,” Alice repeated. “You want us to get to the Frost Kingdom on an ice dragon?”
“Yes. I know it sounds strange, Miss Alice, but you must believe me. The more I see these sculptures, the more I believe that they exist. Our friends, Light and Dark, were all around that garden that was full of them. I think they were trying to tell me that they exist. They were trying to show me that this was the only way.”
“And how would those two know that? They don’t even talk,” Alice sighed. “I’m not sure how we’re going to get through all this. Before we even decide a plan for the ball, we need to get there first and hope that we don’t freeze to death on the way.”
“You don’t need to worry about provisions, Miss Alice. I’ve got all the equipment that we will need to get us through the cold. The first half of the journey would be us taking the train from here to a small town called Farenza. It’s not as big as Losalle and they don’t have as much there because it is colder, but it is a good place to stop for the night. People are often traveling from there to the Frost Kingdom. Even if we can’t find a dragon, we could possibly find someone who can help us out.”
“That works for me. When do you think we should leave for the Frost Kingdom?” Lavinia asked.
“The first train that leaves from here will leave shortly after dawn. I suggest we get some sleep as soon as possible and then pack everything so we can be at the station. If we miss that train, we will have to wait until noon for the next one. I’d rather not risk waiting too long over here. I’ve been hearing rumors about the king’s men trying to make their way up north. We have to ge
t out before they find us.”
“They are catching up,” Alice murmured. “I did notice a couple of people watching me but I wasn’t sure if they were looking at me because they were suspicious. I did my best to avoid any eye contact.”
“That is good. We don’t want to get too friendly with anyone,” Lavinia said, going over to her bed. “All right, since the first train leaves around dawn, we need to get some sleep. We have a very long day ahead of us. Maybe we may have to stop in Farenza and get some information from the locals. If people in Losalle know about the dragons and serpents, they must know a lot more.”
“You make a good point, Vinnie. I was about to suggest turning in now.” Kian stifled his yawn. “It has been a long night and it’s only about to get stranger as we go further. I will see you both in the morning.”
“Have a good night, Kian. Don’t forget to wake up at least an hour before Dawn so we can make it to the station.” Alice reminded him.
“I will be ready, Miss Alice. If anything happens tonight, please let me know. If the guards show up sooner, wake me up and we will get out of here.”
Once Kian had left the room, Lavinia started to look at the bright blue dress that Alice had borrowed from her. This gown would be perfect for the Frost Ball as it would fit the entire atmosphere. Even though she hadn’t heard much about the ball, she figured it would be no different from the ones in Themasa. She knew it would be filled with people, dances, drinking, and lights and decorations galore. She had watched plenty of them from the staircase and made sure no one else saw her. For years, she wanted to go down those stairs in her fancy gowns and mingle with all the guests. She wanted to play with the children that were there and admired everyone that was walking around. She wanted to meet these people and eat the food that was lined up on the tables. However, she never got that chance. Before the party started, she was sent to bed and not allowed to leave without permission. The guards were always outside of her door to make sure she stayed in one place.
What they didn’t know was that Lavinia had a way out of the room and she could sneak around without anyone knowing. It was a small hole behind her drawer that no one had seen or bothered to fix. The whole was big enough for her to crawl through and pop out on the other end. Once she had made it out, she would hide in the stairwell and watched as people poured into the ballroom. The entire that she watched them, she wanted to run down those stairs and join everyone. She wanted to be able to stay up late, eat the food that was being offered, and just get to know the people of Themasa. She saw many faces but didn’t know the names that went with them. All she ever knew was that castle that she lived in with the bars on the windows and the locks on the doors. The only people she recognized were her parents, guards that protected them, and the servants who helped around the castle.
“Are you all right, Vinnie?” Alice asked when she saw how glum Lavinia looked. She was now going through her clothes but not bothering to fold them. “Did I accidentally leave a stain on your gown?”
“Oh no, you kept my gown in good shape! I’m not worried about that,” Lavinia murmured. “I just realized that the Frost Ball will be my first ball ever. It will be the first time I see people dancing and talking with each other. I will see their costumes and I will be able to eat the food on the table. It is technically the first party I have ever been in.”
“You never saw a ball in Themasa?”
“I wish I could have seen a ball in Themasa. Well, I saw them from a hiding place but I’ve always wanted to be part of them. My mother and father, on the other hand, didn’t think it was a wise idea for me to be at one.”
“What if you didn’t touch anything?”
“It didn’t matter. They were afraid I would accidentally bump into someone and my secret would be revealed. They worried a lot about how the rest of Themasa would see me. I have read the books about curses and people with curses were treated. Needless to say, I see where the fear comes from. I never bothered to argue with my father and mother about this. I didn’t want to die over something I couldn’t control.”
“Maybe you didn’t have to be in the thick of it but you could have watched from the distance.”
“That is what I did. It’s what I’ve always done. Watch from a distance.” Lavinia looked unhappy at the very thought of this. “Everything in my life has been done from a distance. Everyone’s always been so scared get close to me, including my own mother and father. I’ve wondered what it’s like for one of them to hug me. How does the human touch feel without the other person falling into ashes?”
“I wish I could tell you,” Alice murmured. “I want to find that out myself. Leaves and flowers are lovely but I don’t want them to grow everywhere. Just let the flowers grow in the places they are meant to grow. I really wish I knew why I had this curse. Some people think it was a blessing but I disagree. It’s not fun to walk around with this ability.”
“We’ll both make our wishes come true, Alice,” Lavinia promised. “One of these days, we will both know what it’s like to hold someone. I just want it to be with someone special and I hope that it is soon.”
“So do I,” Alice whispered, her eyes never leaving Lavinia’s face. Bit by bit, she was feeling something she had never felt before and she liked it. “So do I.”
Chapter 17
The night was cold when Alice woke up from the knocking on her door. At first, she wasn’t sure what it was and assumed that someone had gotten the wrong room. Things like this were happening a lot but she recognized this knock as Kian’s. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was surprised by the presence of Light and Dark in the room. She almost screamed until her eyes adjusted to everything and she recognized them.
“Oh, you two!” She whispered. “Don’t do that next time. If you need me, be gentle with waking me up.”
They nodded toward the door where she heard the knocking. She threw on the robe that was on the end of her bed and went over to it. On the other side, she could hear Kian talking quietly. “Miss Alice! Vinnie! It’s time!”
“Don’t worry, we’re awake!” She slowly opened the door to find that he was already dressed. “Do we have to leave right now? I would think we’d have time to eat something before we go.”
“I’m afraid not, Miss Alice. I got word that the king’s men are heading toward Losalle now. I’m not sure how far they are but I don’t want to risk staying here too long. You should wake Vinnie up and tell her to get ready. Be as quick as you can be. I want us all to be downstairs within fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes is not a lot of time, Kian.”
“I know that but it’s better to be early than to be late. If we are lucky, we might be able to get something to eat at the station. I don’t want to waste more time in the inn. The quicker we get to the Frost Kingdom, the quicker we may find a solution to everything.”
“I understand. We will both be downstairs soon. In the meantime, can you entertain these two?” She nodded toward Light and Dark. “I’m not sure where they always end up going but they love to show up at random moments. I can’t get them to talk at all.”
“To be honest, I don’t think they can but they certainly understand us.” Kian motioned Light and Dark to come with him. “Come, you two. We have to wait and keep an eye out for the king’s men. If we do see them, you’ll have to help me distract them.”
“If you do see them, make sure you tell me and get us both out of here.” Alice told him. “I’ll wake Vinnie up now.”
After Light and Dark were gone with Kian, she went to Lavinia’s bed and whispered to her. “Vinnie! Vinnie, we need to get up now! Kian wants us to be at the train station early.”
“So soon? I just feel asleep.” Lavinia woke up and rubbed her eyes. “I don’t even know where anything is. Have I packed all my things? Who is going to take the bags downstairs? What are we going to_”
“Oh, Vinnie! It’s all right!” Alice stopped her. “Kian says that your father’s men are on th
e way but they aren’t here yet. We do have time to wash up before we leave. You can’t take too long though because the train will depart from the station. We need to move before they get here.”
“Of course. I should have figured my father would still be on my tail,” Lavinia sighed as she rolled out of bed and went over to the wash room. “I don’t know how my family doesn’t understand that I meant to leave on purpose. I don’t want to go back until I am free of my curse!”
“Did you ever leave a note to say that?”
“What good would that have done? They would try to talk me out of it.” Lavinia pushed the door to the wash room open and went inside. “My father and mother are not as understanding as you think. When it comes to me, they would rather keep me hidden. They’re ashamed of the fact that their daughter turns things to ashes with her touch.”
