An Inferno of Ice - The Storm Series, Book 1

Part 14

After eating a meal consisting of so many courses that I lose count, King Rudolph rises to his feet. There's no need to call for everyone's attention, because every single eye falls upon him as he moves. "My kingdom!" Rudolph calls grandly, his voice echoing many times in the complete silence. "I bid you're welcome to this annual celebration. On this day one thousand years ago, Icelandia was discovered by its first settlers. These are our ancestors, and one day we shall be ancestors to others. Let us take this time to reflect and appreciate how far our planet has come! But now, it has come time for a dance!" I feel unbelievably nervous as I stand alongside Damon. Rudolph and Ileana proceed onto the round wooden dance floor first, then the prince and I follow. The people of Frostglimmer watch from a respectful distance as the Frost family and I take our places. Rosalie chooses a young man dressed in pale gray as her dancing partner, and they walk a few steps behind myself and the prince. "Leave everything else up to me." Damon tells me quietly as music begins to play. "Just destroy that crown. I will take care of the rest." Deciding yet again to put my trust in him, I nod. The king and queen face each other in the center of the floor, and Rudolph rests his left hand on his wife's waist. Meanwhile, Ileana puts her right hand on the king's shoulder, then their other hands clasp together. In a single motion, they're dancing, the queen's skirts swirling in a cloud of lustrous purple fabric as she matches Rudolph step for step in an elegant waltz. "Follow their lead," Damon murmurs in my ear, and I jump, realizing that it's now our turn. As the king and queen whirl past us, the prince leads me out to the center, and we mimic the pose that his parents had started out with. Though I am thankfully familiar with ballroom dancing, it still feels unreal to be holding the hand of an actual crown prince, letting him lead us into a waltz that makes my dress billow out around us. As we pass each other, I meet the queen's eyes. Her smile is radiant, and I look away quickly. I'm not here for what she believes I'm here for. Looking around at our audience, I see many people whispering among each other, staring at me in confusion. They're obviously wondering who I could possibly be, but they will soon find out. I return my attention to Damon, who appears completely at ease. How can he not be tense, I marvel. He meets my eyes, and although his outward expression of calm neutrality doesn't shift, his gaze is reassuring as if to say 'you can do this'. My breath stutters for some unknown reason. All too soon, the moment of truth arrives. The music ends and King Rudolph sweeps his wife a deep bow and kisses her hand that is still held in his. I nearly gasp out loud when Prince Damon copies his father's gesture, his lips surprisingly warm on my unprepared skin. "Good luck," he whispers as he guides me toward his father amid thunderous applause from the watching crowd. I go tense as soon as I'm handed off to the king. Ileana takes the hands of Rosalie's partner as Damon takes those of his sister. At the first touch of Rudolph's hand on mine, I flinch as though burned. Although I've never experienced that particular sensation, I would imagine the sharp, almost painful tingling feeling that immediately threatens to make me pull away comes pretty close to it. Grip tightening on my fingers, the king glares into my eyes as we begin to dance. Up close, I can see the smile lines around those cold eyes that tell a story of warmth and laughter. The story of a different man. That thought makes me softened just a little, but my determination hardens. I will give Rosalie and Damon their father back. "I do not know what you think you're doing with my son, girl, but I assure you, I will see it stopped." he proclaims, just loud enough for me to hear over the music. "I will not have a stranger like you threatening my family!" He spins me smoothly around the dance floor, and my skirts flare out around my legs. It's difficult not to become dizzy from the speed at which we are moving. If only he knew my true purpose here, I think to myself, but I say nothing in reply. Before I know it, the song ends and the king is bowing politely to me. now is the moment, I tell myself. Even though Rudolph doesn't sync nearly as low as he had for his queen, I seize the opportunity to reach up with my free hand. The moment I take hold of the crown, a scream is nearly torn out of me. Dark power arcs from the ice onto my skin, and an intense pain unlike anything I've ever experienced before lances through my hand, up my arm, and into my body. My first instinct is to fight back, to bring my power forth in self-defense, but I can't do it. The crown is still on the king's head. If I release my fire now, it will kill him. As evil as he feels at this moment, I have to remind myself that it is not his fault. The influence of the crown is what's making him this way. So I grit my teeth and bear the pain as I tug at the crown beneath my fingers. It doesn't even budge. Horrified, I'm too slow to prevent Rudolph from straightening up and grabbing my wrist. "What do you think you are doing, you foolish girl?" he demands furiously. Instead of answering, I make another grab for it. But in a blindingly fast burst of movement, Rudolph is yanked backward out of reach. I look around frantically for the cause, but no one is close enough to have done it. Prince Damon is efficiently guiding a shocked-looking Queen Ileana and Princess Rosalie safely off of the dance floor. The young man that had danced with the youngest Frost heir has disappeared into the crowd. With no time to waste, I pursue the king. "Please," I call to him, trying to sound as calm as I can despite my fear as I hold out my hands. "Just give me the crown. I promise everything will be okay once you give me the crown! Please, your majesty!" King Rudolph glares at me as I hear audience members gasping in confusion and fright. "Usurper!" the king bellows, loud enough to make me jump as the sound echoes around the enormous room. "Infiltrator! Spy! Guards, capture her!" I hear a flurry of motion behind me, and I act quickly. I race forward towards the King once more. People scream as I grab hold of his arm and prevent him from getting away. I rise up on my tiptoes and yank at the crown with my free hand, ignoring the pain that flares up again in response to the touch of the dark power contained within it. At last, the ice crown comes free, so easily that I fall backwards from the excess momentum. Unbelievably cold and surprisingly light, the evil, corrupted crown sparkles in my hands. In fact, it's so much more beautiful up close that I hesitate for just a split second too long. Before I know what's happening, uniformed guards have lifted me back onto my feet and are trying to pry it from me. Knowing that this is my last chance, I release my hold on my power. My hands burst into flames, first burning orange, then red, then blue as they spread up my arms and engulf my entire body. The ice crown doesn't stand a chance. The dark webs of magic in fusing it crumble under the strength of the inferno, and soon there's nothing left but water that quickly vaporizes into steam. The guards cry out in alarm and retreat from me so rapidly that their formal shoes squeak against the floor. A massive wave of heat bursts out of me, coating every surface of ice near me with condensation. I know what will happen if I keep this up. The walls and ceiling will weaken, and the Frost palace will crumble just as the crown had. With a massive effort, I rein in my control. The fire goes out, leaving me standing in the center of a charred wooden dance floor with not a mark on me. It is done.