[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...
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THE KING'S ROYAL chamber was the most extravagantly decorated room in the palace.
White-diamond walls stretched high above Ravenna's head.The outermost wall appeared to consist entirely of glass.Through the crystal clear glass, a beautiful landscape was depicted. It was so clear and bright that it appeared hand painted — a masterpiece created from the hands of only the best artist. Lush evergreen hills rolled across the foreground, dotted with small bushy trees and patches of colorful wildflowers. White peaked mountains carved through the horizon line, creating a jagged edge to the vibrant azure colored sky. A thin turquoise colored ribbon stretched from the base of the furthest mountain to the very edge of the palace grounds — a freshwater river glistening in the sunlight.
The view caught Ravenna by surprise and she froze, momentarily mesmerized by it, until Eoin forcibly dragged her forward. Only when she found herself standing at the end of a massive, rectangular bed did she willingly pull her gaze away from the view.
The royal bed was a relic itself. Four thick column-like posts stood at each corner of the bed, constructed entirely of engraved gold. Floral filigree patterns decorated every visible surface.
The mattress was covered in deep violet colored sheets. The color was so beautiful, something that Ravenna rarely saw. It was incredibly hard to create and expensive, and therefore was reserved exclusively for royal blood. She had only seen it a few times before — including a few violet dresses tucked away within her new wardrobe.
In the center of the bed, tucked beneath a thin layer of violet, laid the king. It reminded Ravenna of viewing a corpse during funerary ceremonies.
Ravenna noticed that none of the royal harem were present in the room. It struck her as odd, considering the scantily clad women seemed to accompany the king everywhere. Important meetings, extravagant feasts — there were always at least two women on either of his royal arms.
Instead, however, the room overflowed with servants of all genders. Each wore the same plain alabaster colored tunic like Alyss and Miera, only with light blue threads woven into the edges of their sleeves.
A slender woman stepped forward. Her attire matched the others, aside from the light blue pendant that sat atop her chest. She bent forward at the waist as Eoin approached. "Your highness," she greeted.
"Have you made any progress?" Eoin asked her.
The woman shook her head. Her expression was calm and collected, yet Ravenna noticed a hint of nervousness swimming within the woman's dark brown eyes. "I have never seen anything quite like this before," she admitted. "There has been no response to any of our methods. Not yet. His majesty hardly appears to even be breathing on his own."
Eoin's jaw clenched tight at that. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Then he glared at the woman, his expression fierce. "You are the head royal physician. You were hand selected, years ago, for this position with the expectation that you would be able to perform the necessary treatments to keep members of the royal family alive."
