Winter Moon (Jelsa)

Chapter 25: Elsa

I watched the knife spiral down towards me. Time seemed to slow, and I caught a glimpse of the fanatic light in Kynes's eyes.

I released all the power I had been building up inside of me. It shot from my body like an explosion, freezing the priest solid. 

The knife, however, seemed unaffected. The blade sizzled and steamed, and Kynes was already melting. Whatever power he had, I didn't want to find out.

I didn't have much time. 

Thrashing, I concentrated my power on the chains. If I could just get them cold enough, they would snap like twigs.

"It seems I underestimated you," Pitch's voice was angry.

I yanked harder. I was so close.

The chains snapped as Kynes unfroze and plunged the knife towards me.

Rolling, I tumbled off the platform and hit the ground with a thump as the knife struck stone. Without thinking, I scrambled to my feet and ran blindly away from Kynes and into the dark. Thrusting my hands in front of me, I iced over the path ahead. While it wasn't as good as night vision, the ice coated the space in front of me from floor to ceiling, giving me a dim awareness of where I was. Somewhere to my right, there was a door that would take me out of here. I dashed towards it, steady despite the fact that I was walking on ice.

"Seize her, Kynes," Pitch howled. His voice was like a cold night wind. 

I reached the door. My power was going wild now, spiraling out of control. It blasted down the door and surged ahead, freezing the cracks in the stone passageway ahead. 

I let it go. There was no point in trying to control it. I ran through the halls, not stopping to look behind me. I flung open another door, and afternoon sunlight filled my vision. I careened into an abandoned alleyway.

That was too easy. Something was wrong. It was almost as if Pitch was letting me go.

"Don't worry," Pitch's voice called from behind me. "You'll be mine before this is through."

I ran out of the alley as fast as I could. The street I arrived on was relatively empty. Several shops were catering to customers and a few groundships rumbled by, but there wasn't much. Then, I realized the ground was frosting over beneath my feet.

"Conceal it, don't feel it, don't let it show," I whispered to myself. Slowly, the frost dissipated, and I reeled my magic in. 

Move, I told myself. You have to get out of here.

Jamming my bare hands into the pockets of my school uniform, I took off down the street, aiming for the Tower, which I could see in the distance.

Was I in a different sector? The buildings here seemed to be made mostly wood instead of stone. 

As I walked, the streets grew more and more crowded until I stumbled into a market square. People streamed past me, jostling and shoving each other. I cringed away from the movement, willing my magic to stay buried. 

In the center of the square I spotted a fountain. There was a girl standing on top, looking back and forth like she was searching for something. As I neared the fountain, I realized the girl was Astrid.

Hiccup was tugging on her coat sleeve, trying to convince her to come down.

"Astrid? Hiccup?" I called.

"There she is!" Astrid said triumphantly. She jumped down and hurried towards me. "We've been looking for you all day!"

"How did you end up in the Day Sector?" Hiccup asked. 

"It's a long story," I answered. "Where's Jack?"

"Beats me," Astrid grumbled. "He's been missing all day."

"So have you!" Hiccup frowned. "Seriously, what happened?"

"I can explain everything, but is there somewhere I can get secret passage out of Skyara? Or at least somewhere safe I can stay for a bit?" I queried.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged looks.

"We know a place," Hiccup said.

"I don't like that place," Astrid wrinkled her nose.

"We don't have any other options," Hiccup pointed out.

"Yeah. Okay. Let's go," Astrid decided.

We walked in silence; I kept glancing back to check for Kynes. 

When we arrived at an inconspicuous wooden house, Astrid knocked a complicated pattern on the door.

A woman opened the door, scrutinized us, and let us in.

"Who's the newcomer?" the woman barked. Her mousy brown hair was pulled into a bun, and her green eyes watched me warily.

"A friend," Astrid said sternly. "We need access to the Secrets Door."

"Secrets Door?" I whispered to Hiccup.

"It's... complicated. You'll see," Hiccup sighed. 

The woman led us down a hall in her cramped home. There was another wooden door at the end. A man stood in front of it, eyeing us contemplatively. He had graying hair, and a fierce expression. His eyes were solid white, as if he had gone blind long ago.

"You two may head in," the man said to Hiccup and Astrid. "As for you, here's how this works. If you want in, I need a secret from you as payment. And it can't be any secret. It has to be something of value. Your deepest secret. The more value the secret has, the more protection you get."

"What?" I demanded. He couldn't be serious. 

"You heard me. Don't worry. I won't tell your secret unless you give me reason to," the man grinned, exposing his yellow teeth.

A secret of value. I had plenty of those.

"How can you tell? What if I lie? Or say a secret not of value?" I demanded.

"Let's say that I have talents beyond the ordinary. Do not lie to me. The more valuable the secret, the more protection you get."

"Do you want us to go inside? We don't have to hear your secret if you don't want us to," Astrid nudged me gently.

"Is there anywhere else we can go?" I asked.

"This is the safest place," Hiccup told me. "Not just anyone can get in the Secrets Door."

"Okay," I said softly. "You guys can stay though."

"Well?" the man prompted.

"My name is Elsa Arena," I blurted. "That's my secret. Now let me through."

The man smiled crookedly. Suddenly, his body flickered, like it was a conjured image, and I caught a glimpse of a young woman with dark hair and bronze skin, giving me a warm smile. She practically glowed with light. Then the old man returned, and I thought I had imagined it. 

The door swung open of it's own accord. The man nodded at me and said, "Welcome to the Cistern, Your Highness."