by Candy Crum
Arryn’s eyes fluttered open several times, and each time she caught a glimpse of some new surrounding before someone knocked her out again. She had no idea where she was or who she was with, though she was sure she’d seen Talia at least once.
What had happened? Had they won the war? The situation had looked promising last she remembered, when she came off the wall with Amelia just after having called the storm.
As Arryn slowly began to awaken again, she was painfully aware of the drastic temperature change. Her face felt as though it was burning from the cold.
She became aware of someone carrying her, someone warm she curled into as she fought the pain in her head. Even the throbbing behind her eyes and in her temples was nothing compared to what she’d felt when Scarlett had taken over her mind.
And there it was.
Her eyes snapped open as she remembered everything that had happened. Looking up, she saw that it was Jackson who had been carrying her.
“Well, good morning, sleepyhead.” Talia’s smooth, sing-song voice was both horribly loud and quiet at the same time.
Unsure how that was possible, Arryn pushed against Jackson, frantically looking around as she did. He set her down, and she toppled over into more than a foot of snow. Her eyes took in everything around her.
Talia’s voice had seemed so loud because it was quiet there in the mountains of the Frozen North, and she’d seemed quiet because the sound had been absorbed by the thick snow and vast openness.
“Oh, hell,” she muttered, fear in her voice. Not much scared Arryn, but at that moment she felt afraid.
She lifted her arms and threw them out in front of her, conjuring only enough power to shove Jackson back a few inches. As she stared at him, slack-jawed, she noticed the red-stained cloths that were wrapped tightly around her wrists.
“Oh, you don’t want to move too quickly or forcefully, dear,” Talia offered. “You’ll tear open your stitches.”
Arryn looked at her in confusion. “My stitches?”
“Well, we didn’t want you waking up before you got to your new home, and we had to keep bleeding you along the way because, as it turns out, you have the ability to heal relatively fast even without actively calling your magic. I assume that’s a druid thing?”
Arryn shook her head, unsure how to respond. “I… I don’t understand.”
Talia smiled as she leaned forward, her thick, black cloak fanning out over the untouched snow. “That’s probably a side-effect of the blood loss. You’re gonna be a little loopy for a while. I’ll make things easy for you and explain.”
There was a pause as Talia stood and walked over to Arryn, blocking the intense morning sun as she looked down at her.
“I need you out of my way if I’m going to accomplish what I want to. Killing you seemed like just letting you go. It would be too easy, so we decided it would be fun to bring you all the way up here.” Talia motioned around her. “This is the Frozen North. Temperatures here are so cold that nothing can live. In other words, even if you waste your energy healing yourself—and it’ll be at least a couple days before you can do that because your body will be fighting the cold—you’ll end up starving to death.
“If you heal yourself enough to travel, you’ll waste your energy. If you use enough magic to create food, you’ll be forced to stay here because you’ll be weak. If you create fire to keep warm, you’ll be stuck here. Do you see a pattern? You’re doomed, no matter what you do. You’re going to die here. It’s going to take a while, though, because you are one of those people who refuse to give up. You’re going to use your hatred for me as fuel. But in the end… you’ll die up here, cursing the day you shook my hand.”
Arryn couldn’t believe it. Talia hadn’t only kidnapped her, she’d really gotten the best of her.
Talia and Jackson weren’t the only ones present. There were several others from her group. She would have needed them to teleport as far as she had. They’d collectively used their powers to move Arryn north.
Memories of the other times she’d awakened started to come back. The random places. The random faces.
“How long have we been traveling?” Arryn asked.
“Three days,” Talia replied. “We made it in six jumps. Every night we had to stop for food and rest and to make sure my dearest sister received proper care after the attack in Arcadia. Everyone was so concerned for you.”
Arryn shook her head, her anger bringing with it a bit of comfort. She didn’t feel quite so weak now that she was coming around to her situation.
“You bitch,” Arryn spat.
Talia laughed, but it immediately cut off when she suddenly became excited about something. “Oh! I nearly forgot.”
Reaching into her cloak, Talia pulled out the very box Arryn had risked her life to steal. Like the knife from Amelia’s office, Talia had managed to find it and steal it back.
“Look familiar?” Talia asked.
Arryn nodded, enjoying feeling a bit more like herself. “Well, would ya look at that? It sure as shit does. You found my lockbox. Thanks! I’ve been searching all over for it. I can take it off your hands.” Arryn completed her sarcastic remark by extending one of her weak arms as if she actually expected Talia to give it to her.
Talia shook her head and laughed. “You know, if you weren’t completely against everything I stand for, I think I’d like you. You’re quite funny.”
Arryn snorted. “You should see me after having some of the Chieftain’s wine. He makes it himself, the drunkard.” She leaned forward, putting a hand next to her mouth as she quieted her voice for a moment. “He drinks too much with the young people because he says we think he’s cool. Actually, if I’m honest, he is pretty cool.”
Arryn laughed for a moment, leaning back and putting her weight on one hand in the snow like it was the most natural thing to do.
Never losing her smile, she said, “Hey, I have an idea! I’ll bring you back some of his wine after I stop into the Dark Forest to grab an army of pissed-off, blood-thirsty druids on my way back to Arcadia. You’ll love it. Really. It’s delicious.” Arryn placed her fingertips against her lips, kissing them before pulling them away and wiggling them in the air.
“One would assume you were drunk on it now,” Talia told her, her voice reflecting slightly less amusement.
“Damn, I wish! You know, it’s only been a few weeks since I arrived in the city, and I hadn’t really expected to move again so soon. But you know? I think I like my new apartment. It’s cozy, and it’s a lot comfier here in the snow than in that lumpy-ass bed in my jail cell. Talk about bedhead! I looked awful! But from the looks of it, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Am I right?” Arryn smiled and pointed at Talia before motioning around her head at her hair.
Several of the group behind Talia had to stifle their laughter at Arryn’s comments.
“That’s enough,” Talia snapped. “Even though I shouldn’t because you’re having such a good time here already, I’m going to show you something.”
“Oh!” Arryn exclaimed excitedly. “I can’t wait.”
It was taking every ounce of energy she had to be a smartass, but once she saw how much it was getting to Talia, she couldn’t hold back. It wasn’t like she could attack her—
Or could she?
Arryn closed her eyes as she tilted her face up into the sky, acting as though she were enjoying the early rays of sunshine. It was colder than she’d ever felt before, but she shoved her hands down to the frozen dirt beneath the snow.
Cathillian had once told her that he could kind of recycle energy, using the naturally occurring energy in nature to pull into himself. Sure, it took power to pull it, but what was used was far less than pushing power out to heal.
He’d said that he could sense her ability to do it, but she’d never tried—until now.
It was slow at first, but after the first couple seconds, Arryn could feel a small amount of her energy returning.
“Did you pass out?” A
rryn heard Talia’s hard voice ask.
Arryn quickly pulled back, allowing her eyes to revert to their normal dark brown before opening them.
“No, but I wish I had. So, what did you want to show me?” Arryn asked.
Talia closed the box, a white envelope in her hand. “This is what you were after, I assume?”
She eyed the envelope. “Is that the letter Doyle delivered to you right around the time of the Battle for Arcadia?” Arryn asked.
Talia nodded.
“Then it is indeed what I was looking for. Again, I can take it off your hands. Really, it’s no trouble.”
Talia shook her head. “You’re an idiot. What would you even do with it? You’re stuck here, you…idiot.”
“Oooh! Someone has a big vocabularyyy!” Arryn stretched out the last word, her voice soft and high-pitched as if she were talking to a baby.
Talia lifted her arm, rage on her face.
“Ah, ah, ah!” Arryn cautioned, wagging a finger in the air. “If you throw so much as a single fireball, you’ll be stuck here with me. You need all your strength for jumping. I might not have the skill to do it, but I know how it works. You used a lot to get me here. Would you like me to tell you how we’ll be spending our time if you stay?”
Talia growled. “No.”
“Oh, but it’s super-quick. Not gonna lie… It also sounds pretty fun. You see… You’ll be spending your grand adventure here dead, and I’ll be spending my time using your frozen corpse to sled down the side of the mountain.” She put her hands in front of her, lifting and dropping them as if she had reins in her hand for emphasis.
“Have fun dying here in the wasteland,” Talia said flatly, turning as she placed the lockbox in one pocket and the letter in the other.
“Oh!” Arryn exclaimed. “I almost forgot! One more thing…”
“What?” Talia sighed as she turned, her eyes widening as she found Arryn standing behind her.
“This.” Arryn threw her arm out and quickly yanked it back, causing Talia to hurl toward her by virtue of Arryn’s telekinetic power.
Arryn spun out of the way just in time, punching Talia in the face and taking her down. They wrestled for a few moments before Talia grabbed Arryn’s wrists. The wounds had closed, but hadn’t yet fully healed, and Talia was easily able to jab her thumb through the stitches so that blood poured down her forearms.
Lashing out, Arryn quickly headbutted Talia in the face, who loosened her grip enough that Arryn could punch her one more time before rolling away. She needed to reserve her energy for what was to come.
She’d gotten what she was after.
“You crazy bitch!” Talia exclaimed as she stood, stumbling back to her group.
“I’m a crazy bitch? Fuck…” A confused expression crossed Arryn’s face as she looked at the snow-covered ground before looking back at Talia. “What’s that make you then?”
Talia stomped forward, but was quickly pulled back by the others. “You’re going to die here. Alone. Freezing. Starving. I want you to think all about the people you left in Arcadia, because they’re next. I’ll kill them with my bare hands, and I’m going to watch their last breaths slowly escape them. Then… I’ll go for the Dark Forest. I’ll burn that motherfucker to the ground.”
Arryn smiled—and judging by Talia’s expression, it was not the response she’d expected.
“Good luck with that,” Arryn said, amused. Talia shook her head, stepping back into line with her terrible friends. “I’ll be seeing you very soon. When I do, I won’t be alone. Promise.” Arryn winked, and the group vanished in an explosion of magic.
It would take a few minutes before she could draw enough energy to stand, but she was confident that she could.
Reaching into her cloak, Arryn removed the letter Talia had shown her. “What an idiot,” Arryn remarked out loud to herself as she opened the letter to find it addressed to T and signed by A.
It wasn’t exactly proof, but it would go a long way toward doing what she needed it to. She just hoped her friends had been smart enough to continue their work on the city and would keep everyone else safe. She could take care of herself.
After about ten minutes, Arryn put her hands back in the snow and healed herself a bit more. Though it used less energy than a normal healing, it still used far more than she could risk, but it closed the wounds on her wrists and would allow her to stand. That was all she needed.
Tucking the letter away in her cloak pocket, Arryn stood and looked around, finding the south side of the mountain using the sun. Once she did, she took her first unsteady steps.
I don’t give up that easily, Talia. And I’m coming for you. She took a few more steps, her eyes flashing.
I’m coming for ALL of you.
FINIS
Author Notes - Candy Crum
Written August 8th, 2017
Wow! Book two is now in the hands of JIT, and I can’t believe it. Tomorrow is both release day for The Undying Illusionist as well as my boys’ first day of school.
Brandon will be in sixth grade. And that will be in the 6th Grade Center—which is in this weird “in between”, year-long purgatory between elementary and middle school. It’s super weird and something I’ve never experienced, but from the sound of it, I think it will do him some good to have a transition!
Matt will be in fourth grade. I’m shaking my head right now thinking about these things! Unbelievable.
So, to celebrate all these new beginnings, we had quite a day. We spent the day with family—and my grandmother is hilarious, so it was great—and then we went to go see Spider-Man: Homecoming.
At the risk of gaining/keeping/losing some of you… I loved it! It was amazing. No pun intended (actually, yes… pun intended). I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it.
The last few weeks have been pretty crazy. A lot of driving. A lot of family time due to some unfortunate circumstances (which are A-OK now!). A lot of playing catchup on this fun book. It’s been a long ride for a couple weeks, and I’m so happy to have all of you here with me.
I thank you guys all the time, but I’m going to do it again. Since this is book two, I can officially talk about what the KGU has done for me.
Blown my damn mind.
I saw review after review come in, and each one gave me that weird feeling you get when you can’t decide if you want to jump for joy, or throw up because it’s so awesome you can’t handle it.
Actually… Now that I said it… I am pretty sure those are the same thing. Ha!
But seriously—It’s been unreal, and I LOVE seeing those reviews coming in. I love seeing those comments coming in on posts on the Age of Magic fan page. I read them all, and I actually took some of them into consideration (the ones that offered suggestions) and put them into this book!
So, if you left a suggestion and you find it weird that the change miraculously appeared in this book…
Now you know why!
Also… I wanted to share a bit of a family story. One that I actually used as inspiration for a scene in this very book—one of my favorites actually.
In the first part of the book, Samuel and Ren are in a bar, and Ren is having a bit too much fun drinking. Almost all of that scene is fiction, but I was writing that day and I couldn’t get, “summa muh bitch” out of my head.
For some reason, it just wouldn’t go away. Then I remembered a funny story that my mom told me years ago.
My grandmother Candy McKinley (yep, same first name, and yep, the same one I mentioned above) was a foster parent. She had several kids over the years, but this story spawns from a sweet little boy and his hilarious big brother.
My grandmother went to the kitchen to fix breakfast for them and sat the youngest in the high chair which—at that moment—sat next to the fridge. When she opened the door, it opened toward the high chair, so the little boy was completely hidden right then.
She grabbed what she’d needed and closed the fridge—and found quite the surprise.
/> The little boy had been so curious to see inside, he grabbed hold of the fridge door and held on tight, trying to pull himself out.
My grandmother accidentally helped him.
When it closed, he’d been pulled out of his high chair and was hanging from the door, laughing. He’d ridden it all the way until it was fully closed.
His slightly older brother (around five years old) walked in the room, placed his hands on his hips, shook his head, and in all his tiny glory said, “Well, summa muh bitch.”
My mom still laughs when she remembers that story, and I do, too because I think of the funny stories of my own kids.
So, that was what spawned that scene!
Funny kid things are my favorite, FYI. So, feel free to leave your own favorites as a “Hello” to me in the reviews! I’d LOVE to hear them. I’ll even make a list of my top five and share them on my site. It’ll be fun!
My personal favorite was my youngest, Matt, calling a peanut butter sandwich—and there is NO way you’re ready for this one…
A “keekobody quits-switch.” I literally had to pick up an angry toddler and hold him directly out in front of me while taking him from cabinet to cabinet so he could point it out. He’s never living that one down, by the way.
But rounding back to the series and the awesomeness that is the KGU… You are all wonderful, and I truly feel blessed to be here. A BIG thank you for welcoming me, leaving amazing reviews, and just overall showing a huge amount of support.
All of you are badass.
Glancing back over this, I don’t know if Michael will have to curb my excessive exclamation point addiction (he made it sound like a joke, but it REALLY is a problem!), but I have awesome news for you guys.
The title of book three will be (drum roll) The Frozen Wasteland!!!! I say we leave those. That’s exciting news!
So, I will leave this here, and see you guys again in a couple weeks with the next one! <3
