[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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
RAVENNA'S GRIP ON Tylat's wrist tightened until her nails pierced the surface of his skin, drawing blood. Her gaze focused intently on the dagger. "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice surprisingly calm.
Tylat's jaw clenched. His ancient eyes watched the ice that danced around her knuckles. It took him a moment to respond. Finally, he grumbled, "I know the truth."
A million thoughts raced through Ravenna's head. She sat upward, her eyes narrowed. "I must apologize, I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "The truth about what?"
"Do not feign ignorance, girl," Tylat snapped. "Rumors travel through the wind, faster than wildfires. I know all about the murderous wizard and witch traveling from town to town, enslaving those within them and massacring the resistance. I know all about the dark magic that gifts you those powers, girl."
"I don't use dark magic," Ravenna said simply. "And we don't enslave people."
His gaze sharpened. He wrenched his arm free from her grasp and took a step backward. Small pearls of blood trickled down his hand, toward the stone floor beneath him. "You are either incredibly stupid or a horrible liar," he remarked coldly.
Ravenna glared at him. "I don't use dark magic," she insisted. Caelan had warned her of the existence of dark magic, but never told her much about it. All she knew was that it involved spells that dealt with necromancy.
And she had no reason to want to communicate with or revive the dead.
He scoffed at her. His grip tightened on the dagger in his hand. "Dark magic, ancient magic, whatever you with to call it. It is all the same. It is not easily controlled by the weak."
She stiffened. The only ancient magic that she'd encountered was through the spell-book that Caelan had given her. It was so old that it almost had a mind of its own. She hadn't performed many spells from it though. She'd only really taken the time to read through it. Her fingers curled around the edge of the mattress. "I've read through a few ancient spells, at most. That doesn't mean that I am using dark magic."
"You do not know then," Tylat stated.
"Know what?"
Tylat pointed at her with a bony finger. "I see through you and all that you claim to be. You are not human. Not natural. An abomination created from a spell."
It took a moment for Ravenna to realize that Tylat spoke seriously. It honestly took her mind a good second to process the fact that he genuinely meant each word. Each utterly ridiculous and impossible word.
Her face morphed with confusion and her lips parted, a snarky retort ready.
"I've only encountered this ancient spell once before," Tylat snapped, his expression cold, and her response died on the tip of her tongue. "It had been used on a young child. I know exactly what you are, girl. Your magical abilities only exist through the use of dark magic, as dark magic was used in your creation."
