[wattys 2018 shortlisted]
Humans see her as a dangerous threat -a witch that must be executed. With the uncontrollable ability to form ice at her fingertips, Ravenna is forced into hiding amongst the humans, stealing to survive. That is, until she h...
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"THAT REALLY HURTS," the glowing Vyses said. Heartache plagued his expression and his fingers curled around the hilt of the dagger. "Not the dagger."
His hand lifted, fingers curling tight around its hilt. In one fluid movement, he wrenched it free from his chest. Crimson magic glistened atop the icy blade. It shattered — slivers of tiny ice rained to the ground.
"That didn't hurt," he said. "The fact that you genuinely just tried to kill me though, Ravenna? Now that broke my heart."
Ravenna's eyes narrowed, but she didn't bother to verbally respond. She widened her stance, bracing herself for an attack. Her hands curled into tight fists. Sharpened ice crystals danced across her knuckles.
Caelan lunged forward, his glowing white sword arcing through the air. It sliced through Vyses's torso.
Vyses remained standing. He started to laugh again, the sound echoing throughout the remnants of the throne room. Larger pieces of stone and debris detached from the ceiling, plummeting toward the ground. Her eyes widened as the edges of Vyses's hair started to disintegrate into small, fiery pieces of ash that fluttered toward the ground. The disintegration spread like a wildfire throughout this body, until nothing but a smoldering pile of ashes remained.
His laughter still echoed through the air around them.
Then the volume of his laughter suddenly amplified. Ravenna whipped her head toward what remained of the only doorway into the room. Another Vyses emerged from a cloud of swirling darkness. He walked further into the room, his eyes locked with Ravenna.
"I feel like my entire world has just ended," Vyses told her. He ignored Caelan completely.
Even with the distance between them, Ravenna could see the streams of tears that glistened on his cheeks. He smiled at her — a broken, pained grin that seemed permanently fixated to his face. His sharpened canines glinted in the patches of sunlight that streamed pierced through the ceiling above them.
"I already lost Ellie to Caelan. Now I've lost you too."
"Vyses," Ravenna started to say. Her voice was gentle. She lowered her fists, the blue glow fading from her skin.
He took a staggered step backwards, away from her. One of his hands clutched at his chest, as if she'd really stabbed him through the heart. The other palm flattened against his forehead. He stared downward, that contorted smile still plastered to his face.
The laughter started again. This time, the sound was gnarled with a tormented sense of agony. Glowing crimson eyes focused on Ravenna, staring through the hues of blue and red magic that coated the air between them. Those eyes stared through the confidence that kept her standing upright.
His glistening, tear-filled eyes saw right through to her soul.
"Now," he said, his voice tainted with emotion, "I have nothing left to lose."
