Infirmitate

ONE | 1803

Alexa's POV

It's impossible. I watched the ice cut through his heart. I felt the twin pull die with him. I don't know what dark Magic is at play here, but I intend to get to the bottom of it.

~IΠҒIRMITΔTΣ~

January 1803
One month after the attack on the Great Hall.

~IΠҒIRMITΔTΣ~

"The winter crops are doing incredible, thanks to your weather controlling powers, Head Elder. Not a person or animal will go hungry this winter." Farmer Abel smiles at me gratefully as we stand in the middle of the market.

Carts of winter foods and meats are the most abundant. There are several cloth racks as well, stocked high with warm woolen fabrics and fur-lined leather boots and gloves. The cobblestone roads are littered with thin patches of snowflakes.

"That is good to hear Mr. Abel. I can't wait to try your popular oyster stew." Farmer Abel squints his old, wrinkled eyes at me and shakes his head with a smile. "Don't try to fool me, Head Elder Ramsay. I've tried every meal in the book since you were born and not once have you ever liked oysters."

I laugh and nod my head reluctantly. "You got me, Mr. Abel. I just can't seem to get past the taste." I say my goodbyes to Farmer Abel and make my way back to the Ramsay family home. The town is steadily getting bigger, even with all that's been going on lately.

Thanatos hasn't attempted another attack and I don't believe he will for a while. I can feel it in the twin pull that coming back from the dead took a lot out of him. He will need time to recover before attacking again.

I've tried locating my brother using the twin pull but he always blocks me out before I can get through to him. He hasn't said a word to me since the attack. Sometimes, I can faintly feel his emotions, but he hides them very well.

It sounds crazy to say, but I miss him. Something happened to Thanatos that made him turn to dark Magic. The Magic proved to be too powerful for him and it took control of his body, maybe even his mind.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself. I try not to think about the possibility of him doing all of this by his own free will. I won't believe it.

I take off my cloak and mittens after closing the large oak door behind me. I walk silently down the long hallway and up the staircase. I take a brief look in my room and find Riki sleeping on my bed.

I call the young black panther over to me and we walk down the hall leisurely. We continue down the dark hallway until we reach the elegantly designed oak double doors. I take out my small set of keys from my dress pocket and unlock the doors with a soft click.

Riki barges through the doors, not waiting for me to open them all the way, and rushes to lay down on his personal cat bed. I chuckle and close the doors to the room behind me.

I turn back around and take a moment to look about the capacious office. One side of the room is where the archives and Laws are kept, the Head Elder library. The other side is a Magic training floor where I can practice new Magic without being disturbed. The middle of the room is where my desk is placed, along with Riki's bed to the right of it.

Tall glass windows run along the entire wall across from the double doors. A thick, red rug in the shape of a triangle lays in the center of the room. Golden designs trace the edges of the rug. This is, by far, my favorite piece of furniture in the grand office.

The triangle is considered to be the strongest shape in the world. Every time I look at it, I am reminded that I must remain strong, like the triangle, if I want to accomplish my destiny-whatever that may be.