Ice and Fire: Opposites Attract

Ice and Fire: Opposites Attract. Part 2

Ephelia's POV

The relief I felt after he opened the freezer was instantaneous. I looked up and met the eyes of the man. They were bright red, and they softened when he met my gaze.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

Another man spoke up. "We need to know where the portal is."

I actually smiled. "You'll have to kill me first."

The first man said, "Darius, just stop." He turned back to me. "Tell us where it is, and we'll let you go."

I snorted. "Do I look like an idiot? Besides, I don't even know where it is."

"That's a lie," the man called Darius spoke. "Iyn, she has to know where it is. You said she was a guard."

"No, I didn't. I said she killed three of my men. Then I saw her open a portal." He looked at me again. "Are you a guard?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Then why don't you know where the portal is?"

"For this exact reason."

"Do the other guards know where it is?"

"Yes."

"Why them and not you?" Iyn asked.

I was quiet. His eyes narrowed. "Who are you in Glacieria?"

"I told you; I'm a guard."

"The guards know where the portal is. You don't. You're not just a guard." He paused. "Don't the King and Queen have a daughter?"

I didn't like where this was going. "Yes."

"What is her name?" he asked.

"Yvonne," I responded, figuring answering that question couldn't hurt.

Darius spoke up. "I thought there were two daughters, twins, if I'm not mistaken."

I shook my head. "No. Just Yvonne." I would not tell them I was the King and Queen's daughter. They would use me against them.

Iyn nodded. "Fine. Darius, we're going to move her to the Tower."

I followed them to the cliched tallest tower and was shocked at the decorating. It was outdated but nice, all in red and black. I turned around and they were gone. I heard a lock click on the outside. They were smart. They knew I would freeze the lock and break it, so they locked me in from the outside.

I tried to open a portal but was unable to.

I searched the room for something to do and ended up finding a box of ancient books under the bed. They were mostly about Fire demons and their history, but I found a few on the other types of Demons. I found The History of the Ice Dimension and skimmed through it, looking at pictures of former royal families. Near the end of the book was a portrait of my parents and a pair of toddlers that was obviously Yvonne and me.

I ripped the page out of the book and froze it before shattering it on the floor. I walked to the room's only window and could feel the heat radiating from outside. But somehow the room I was in was kept below freezing.

I watched a large red dragon fly past the window and thought about the Yeti in Glacieria with their white fluffy fur. I wondered if my family was looking for me and if Yvonne actually cared that I was gone.

The stone door opened.

Iyn's POV

I was using Mikah's fire bowl to watch her. Mikah was a small guy with the heart of a lion. His glasses were always sliding down his narrow nose and he had stunning blue eyes. He waved his hands in ways only a seer could and moved the flames to the sides of the bowl, leaving a clear picture in the middle.

I watched her look through books that she found under the bed. I saw her tear out one of the pages and destroy it, making me wonder what she had to hide.

Darius walked in and told me that supper was ready and that my family was visiting tonight. Probably with another "proper girl" to set me up with. My mother thought that it was unacceptable for a king to have no queen.

He sent Darius to fetch Ephelia and walked to the dining hall.

Ephelia's POV

The man from before, Darius I think his name was, entered and said, "The king wishes you to join him for dinner."

"I would sooner rot in here than eat with that montorra," I sneered.

"It wasn't a request; I will drag you out of here," he growled.

I sighed and looked in the mirror, realizing I looked horrible. "Ready to go!" I chirped.

He led me to what must have been the other side of the castle. We passed many Fire demons that stared and whispered. I'm sad to say that I arrived in the dining hall with minor burns. I saw Iyn sitting at the head of the table, talking to an older version of him. The women, who must be his mother and sister, stop talking when they see me.

Iyn noticed me and stood. "Ephelia, I would like you to meet my father, Jerron, my mother, Miranda, and, what was your name again?" he asked the girl.

"Emily," she said. Huh. She must not have been his sister. Then who was she?

"Everyone, this is Ephelia."

"This is the Ice Demon you caught? A female? I was under the impression that it was a male," Jerron said. "How could a female take down three Fire Demons?"

I snarled and bared my fangs. I opened my mouth to reply, but Iyn beat me to it. "Father, I never said she was a male. I only said a Ice Demon killed three of my men. Ephelia, won't you sit down?" He gestured to the chair on his left.

I slowly and cautiously made my way to his side with everyone's eyes following me. I couldn't help but stare at the Fire King. Shaggy black hair reached his shoulders and fell into his blood red eyes. He had broad shoulders and had the slight tan all Fire Demons have. I could see his fangs and red horns sprouting from his forehead, though his were a little longer than mine.

A bowl of soup was placed in front of me and I could tell that it had been chilled. A glass of ice water sat a few inches away from the bowl and I was about to take a sip before I thought about it. Had they put something in it?

I held it out to the King. "You take a drink."

"How dare y-" Jerron started before the King held a hand up, silencing him. He grabbed my goblet and took a large gulp.

"How do I know there isn't something in this that only works on Ice Demons?" I asked, still suspicious.

He smirked. "You don't. You'll just have to take my word for it."

I decided to believe him and took a few sips, determined not to drink the whole thing. I only ate half of the soup and sat my spoon down. "I'm leaving."

"You have not been excused," Miranda snapped. "Iyn will tell you when you have been dismissed." She smirked, proud of herself.

I leaned in towards her. "Iyn is not my King." I stood up and walked out of the room. Sometime, during my walk, I started to stumble. Everything was blurry; the world was spinning. I fell and starting coughing up blood. The cold, blue liquid streaming from my lips. I could feel my body heating with fever.

Footsteps quickly approached. "What happened? What was she given?" I recognized the speaker.

"Only a disorienting potion, Your Majesty. I had the cook slip a little into her soup and water. Fire Demons are immune to it, but it is not supposed to have this reaction."

I was convulsing now, blood and foam spilling from my mouth. My eyes and nose were leaking blood also. I grabbed my stomach, trying to stop the vicious coughs racking my body.

I was dying.