Heir to the Ice Queen (Book 1)

CH 22

     Two hours before the sun rose, Elis so elegantly graced us with his presence. And to my luck, not only did he criticize me when we had our one on one training, oh no, this time he came early to criticize me on my training with Nazim.

     "You're form is weak, your punches lack strength, you're kicks hardly make it off the ground-" he started judging.

     Nuri and I both growl in unison, "Does he ever say anything nice," I whisper to Nazim.

     "Sometimes."

     "Nazim!" Elis orders, "End your training early, it looks like Evie needs more help then I thought."

     Saving my breath from arguing, I just handed Nazim the sword and he walked back into the castle without saying anything either. The sun was bright today, just like it was every day here in summer, and I wondered if anyone ever got tired of eternal brightness. I know I sure was. The constant squinting of my eyes during the day was going to cause my flawless skin to wrinkle.

     "So, are we going to fight now too? Morning noon and nights just the two of us? Because if that is the plan, I think we'll last less than two days before one of us kills the other," I said when he stood across from me.

     His dark chest was bare, no armer or leather to shield himself, as he soaked in the sun. Whatever we were doing today he felt confident enough not need any protection from me. He stood with his shoulders back and his arms behind him. His dark eyes didn't move from mine, even when seconds passed and the moment turned uncomfortable. I opened my mouth to speak first, but when I did a fire erupted on my right foot, one that he started.

     I yelled at the shock of it over the pain. The flames circled with the heat waves of todays weather, like they were taunting me. After moving my bare foot wildly in the air and screaming - practically ordering - for him to stop, did he do so.

     "What was that for!" I roared.

     "We have tried speed, formation, and now today is blocking," he stated as he looked me up and down, "Maybe you'll be better at this one." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

     Without another warning, or even a movement of his body to give him away, he burned my foot this time and I was using my own energy to push away the flames but it didn't listen to me. The flames simply kept burning my foot until it started to blister. Slowly his flames bit into my skin and I saw it redden with irritation. Elis stopped each time it did so, and instead of waiting for me to heal, he burned another part of my body, hoping I would block him.

     Elis was impatient and refused to let me heal, or he arrogantly said that my healing should be quicker with the amount of power I held. I wanted to freeze him with ice so cold it burned him, my agitation was rising to the surface with Elis and his unhelpful training, but really I was frustrated with myself. This was blocking, something so easy that I should be able to do not matter if I was in winter or in summer, but instead I was struggling.

     "Haven't you ever blocked something before with ice? This shouldn't be hard Evie," He gritted with frustration, "Even then youngest royal who never uses his ability can block me half of the time.'

     I didn't say anything, arguing with him would just start another fight, a fight I doubted I would win in my current state of exhaustion. I haven't used any fire of my own but my body was acting like I was, draining quickly at trying to stop his. It was pathetic of me really, I've rarely held back his flames the hours we have been out here. 

     And my breathing was heavy, my heart was beating fast for practically doing nothing. Not to mention the sun was the strongest I've ever felt it. There was no comfort in it, my skin was irritated and hot. I couldn't even let Nuri near me, his body heat and fur just added on to my discomfort.