ICE

176. Healing

IT DID NOT take long for Caelan to complete his new fake-human creations.

As he worked to finish them, Ravenna remained seated on the ground, her fingers absently fiddling with the blades of grass that surrounded her. She watched with curious eyes as his hands moved with the skill of a prized sculptor, manipulating the magic into distinct faces. Once completed, the small family of three stood eerily quiet in the center of the field, waiting ever so patiently for further direction from Caelan. None of the fake-humans moved. No blinking, no breathing — each humanoid spell appeared to be completely lifeless.

It sent chills racing up and down Ravenna's spine.

The sight also brought forth memories — bittersweet memories of her first few days on the run with Vyses, back when she thought that he was her friend. Those memories made her feel stupid. Looking back, it wasn't hard for her to see why she had felt that she could trust Vyses. He was friendly to her and appeared to take care of her, providing her with food and a roof over her head. He even attempted to help her.

Yet now, she could see through it all. She could see the ulterior motives that were at play, and the way that he'd used her own trauma and general distrust against her.

As the fake-humanoid spells waited, Caelan worked quickly to create a portal. Ravenna watched with interest as a sphere of white magic opened in front of them, carving through the air like a knife through butter.

"This portal should open a little ways outside the town of Wai. It's a water town that is a few days away from Zeporia," Caelan explained.

Ravenna nodded. She remembered Wai. It was one of the first few towns that she, Vyses, and Lyth had entered. It was also one of the first few times that they had posed as a family together.

Anytime they approached a new town, or came across humans while traveling the forest roads, the trio had posed as a family. Pretending to be a family was safe — it provided an easy explanation for their travels. A family rarely was questioned or appeared suspicious.

Creating a fake family would either be a very smart move — or one that Vyses easily saw through.

"You might want to add one more child," she warned Caelan before he ordered the fake-family to enter the portal.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"It will make the scenario a bit more convincing," she explained with a slight shrug.

His hands glowed bright white. Another sphere formed, only this time he did not manipulate it much. The fake-mother reached out toward Caelan, taking the spell into her arms — a baby.

"That should do it," he said softly.

Once the family disappeared, the portal followed suit, melting into the earth and vanishing. Caelan and Ravenna slowly made their way back through the streets, toward the lowly abandoned building that housed the secret entrance to the castle.

A heavy silence coated the air as they walked. Ravenna kept her gaze focused ahead, staring into the world with unseeing eyes. Remnants of her anxiety attack still plagued her. It weighed her body down, as if her blood had been replaced with metal. A sense of tiredness had flooded through her, clinging to her muscles and her heart. Her mind, however, felt as though it was on fire. Her thoughts raced within her mind — a chaotic tornado that was hard for her to piece together and rationalize.

It was hard for her to imagine how the next few days would go. She knew the basics. Vyses would approach the walls of Zeporia with his army and attack. There might be a brief waiting game, where he attempts to take Ravenna and Caelan by surprise. Or Vyses will just attack head-on.

After that, well, it is a mystery.

She found it hard to visualize the possibilities. So many things could happen — so many bad things could happen. It made her head spin.

Ravenna sucked in a deep breath, attempting to stifle the anxious feelings that swirled to the forefront of her mind again. Her gaze shifted upward, toward the multicolored sky that hovered over their heads. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes.

She shifted her gaze downward, toward her hands. Tiny tendrils of ice danced atop her skin, pirouetting between her fingers and across her knuckles.

Would her magic be enough to take down Vyses?

Would Caelan's?

"What are you thinking about?" Caelan's gentle voice shattered through the mental-walls that had erupted around her, holding her captive within herself. Blinking, she looked around and realized that they now stood in front of the castle.

"Everything," she said. Her voice sounded shaky, even to her own ears.

Caelan watched her with sad eyes. "Are you feeling anxious about what is to come?"

She did not know how to respond — not to the emotion that swam within his gaze. Another sharp breath entered her lungs and escaped. "How are you not?"

He shifted his gaze toward the castle. With a snap of his glowing fingers, the front doors opened and he guided her forward, into the grand foyer. The walls of the castle ecased them and brought some semblance of security. A soft sigh echoed throughout the massive room. Ravenna watched Caelan carefully.

"I have been on this earth for many years," he told her. "And I have encountered situations similar to this one before. Humans often find themselves in massive wars, fighting for power and control. This is not the first — and certainly won't be the last."

She shifted her gaze back down to her hands. This information was familiar and did not bring that much comfort. Knowing that it could happen again only brought forth even more dark thoughts.

Caelan sighed again. The sound wrenched her gaze back upwards to meet his. His eyes were warm as they gazed down at her. "I guess my experiences have worn me down," he said, a dark chuckle brushing past his lips. He shot her a half-hearted smile. "I do still have anxious feelings about what is to come. But those feelings revolve more around the fate of those important around me."

"I see," she said.

His hand reached out, his fingertips grazing her cheek. "I do not dwell on those feelings, though," he told her. "As I know with great certainty that we will succeed in this endeavor."

She forced a smile and said nothing else.

It was easy to tell that Caelan saw through her. He did not press her on the subject any further, however. Instead, he offered his arm and guided her toward the dining hall — which she hadn't entered since her last visit at the castle, when the fake-Tylat insulted her.

As they entered the dining hall, Ravenna was surprised to see a large spread of food waiting for them, spread out across the massive table.

"Food heals the soul," Caelan explained as Ravenna approached the table.