Soul of Ice

Chapter Twenty-One

"On to a more exciting piece of news," Pascal continued as he waved a different guard forward, who held a small sheet of paper in his gloved hands. "The Firelight Ball is a week away. And as befitting, it is time to announce the current, tentative wraiths among you that we will be selecting as guests to accompany us."

Suddenly, it was as if Iker and Luria and all the wraiths that had been called out and lead away had been forgotten. Excitement and anticipation replaced the previously tense and anxious atmosphere. Astra straightened a bit too, interested in who would be selected, although she already had a pretty good idea based on the rankings she'd kept a constant eye on.

She shoved down that ridiculous, optimistic thought—what if she'd been chosen?

"Riviera, Jemma, Anyali, Ciril." There was a small pause, and Astra wondered if it was deliberate, or if the guard had simply just lost his spot on the page. "And Tyanna."

A hum of conversation began among the wraiths immediately following the fifth name along with a palpable sense of disappointment among the population. Astra herself let out a sigh, although she couldn't be certain whether it was of relief or disappointment.

"I'll expect the five chosen wraiths to be present in my quarters at eight o'clock at night, after dinner, three days from today." Pascal flicked a finger at the gathered crowd as he turned around, exposing his back. Clearly, he didn't see the wraiths as a threat. "Dismissed. Return to your barracks and your daily activities."

Astra watched as the waves of wraiths walked toward the doorway she stood in, passing silently.

Somewhere in the middle of the pack, a hand reached out and snatched Astra's, pulling her along and surprising her. Astra had to struggle to contain the sudden ice power that leapt to her fingers at the first sign of a threat. Too much. It tingled at the surface of her skin, threatening to break out and overwhelm her. She dug her nails into her palms, trying to stem the magic.

"What the hell." Riviera, then. Astra didn't have the concentration to spare to focus in on the other wraith's face or where she was leading them. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Riviera demanded. Her voice was quiet, but her tone was harsh and cutting as she dragged Astra down a hallway, hiding amidst the crowd of wraiths all heading toward the same destination.

"What do you want me to say?" Astra hissed back. She curled her fingers in to form fists. The headache was coming back in full force, beating in time with the pulsing magic in her. By the Seam, what had they done to her. "Look," she said, gritting her teeth. "Can we talk this over in private? Preferably a spacious and empty room?"

"So I can beat you up again without any witnesses, huh. Fine idea," Riviera muttered.

Astra didn't bother splitting her focus to spit an insult back. They followed along with the crowd for a bit longer before Riviera made a sharp turn, pulling Astra after her, and lead them to a hallway that none of the other wraiths went down.

It took much too long for Astra to notice that the hall was unusually deserted of guards. Perhaps they had all congregated in the dining hall along with the wraiths. Another thrum of her magic, in tandem with a spike of pain in her head, chased away any other thoughts.

Astra barely noticed the creak of a door as Riviera shoved her into a dim room. Her headache smoothed slightly; at least there were no obnoxious lights in here.

An aged bench was near the opposite wall. She stumbled toward it and nearly fell as she sat down.

"I don't think you realize just how close you were to top five," Riviera's frustrated voice rang out right after she slammed the door shut. "You were eighth! Fourth and sixth got picked off today. They'd been around for six or so years anyway, so it made sense. If you'd just been one place higher..."