The Seelie Curse

Chapter 74

Rowan cries out as the ice slices into her chest, perhaps a few centimetres beneath her collarbone. Just from Astrila's shock-filled cry, tinged with fear, Rowan knows that it must have just barely avoided her heart. The shard doesn't just pierce her skin though, once inside her it begins to spread, overtaking the fire in her veins.

Rowan tries to pull her fire inward, to burn out the ice, but she's too late. She can't summon her fire anymore, it's already been snuffed out by the cold. It keeps spreading, sending chills wracking through her body. Ciorsdan takes advantage of Rowan's weakness to dart towards her and pull Rowan against her chest.

Even with her mind slowly succumbing to the cold, Rowan knows what the Merrow Queen is doing. She's turning Rowan into a human shield in the hopes that it will stop her friends. As if she knows where Rowan's thoughts have gone, Ciorsdan smiles down at Rowan, baring her bright white teeth in a wicked grin.

"I won't let you break this curse."

Astrila tilts up her chin, her eyes flickering towards Rowan with an attempt at reassurance in her gaze. But she can't truly do anything, not with Ciorsdan so close to Rowan. But then Rowan feels a flicker of wind brush against the nape of her neck. It's a warm breeze, summoned from far away.

Rowan's eyes widen slightly and she can see Astrila smile just barely, the smile is so faint that Ciorsdan could never see it. Astrila's eyes flicker down, just for a heartbeat, and Rowan looks. There, sliding on a silent wind across the frozen ground, is the stone that killed the Seelie Lord. The one that almost burned Rowan alive.

The stone is making its way across the earth, unnoticed by Ciorsdan. As Rowan watches, still straining against Ciorsdan's hold, the stone slips between their legs and presumable rises behind them to touch Ciorsdan's skin. Rowan waits with bated breath, waiting for it to touch Ciorsdan and release her. But nothing happens.

Not until Ciorsdan's face fills with rage and she tightens her hold around Rowan's neck just as a ball of water floats in front of her. The stone is floating inside it. Rowan looks to Astrila with wide, panicked eyes, and she can see her own expression reflected in her friend's face. There is a whisper as the ball freezes solid and drops to the earth, rolling into a slight dip in the frozen ground.

Ciorsdan snarls at Astrila and then digs her fingers into Rowan's neck, her nails like talons. She curls inward, tearing into the flesh. Rowan swallows, knowing what Ciorsdan wishes to do. She wants to rip Rowan's throat out. But she doesn't, she pauses again, one finger held over Rowan's pulse. She smiles and croons to Rowan, her voice soft and lethal.

"Scared, are you? Do you think this will be quick? Do you think you deserve it?" She waits for a response, but Rowan stays silent. Ciorsdan's voice picks up an edge. "Answer me!"

Rowan shakes, she doesn't know if it's from the fear or the cold. "I'm scared, okay! I'll admit that I'm scared."

Ciorsdan grins again, a kind smile. But it's a farce, there is cruelty beneath it. "Well, you won't get a quick death. You'll get something far, far worse. I have the princess of the Unseelie Court in my grasp and you think I'll just end it like that? No, you and all the Unseelie shall suffer for tainting this world with your blood. So what shall it be, another shard of ice to slowly freeze your heart? Magic to choke you? Rip you open from the inside?" She grins at Rowan's expression. "I can do that you know, my magic is like invisible hands, although my ice is just as lovely, don't you think? This forest is beautiful now, all ringed with frost."

Rowan's eyes sweep across the clearing. The trees are tinkling in the wind, a frozen leaf or twig occasionally snapping off to shatter on the ground. It is beautiful, if you don't look past the frost to the dying forest.

"You're killing the forest."

Ciorsdan laughs. "You think I care, little heiress? My world is watery, beneath the waves. I don't care what happens here on land."

"Anything that happens here will affect the seas."

Ciorsdan tilts her head. "Really? I'm not sure I believe that." She smiles. "You know what? How about I let my world kill you. How does drowning sound?"

Some of the frost coating the ground and trees begins to melt, pooling together into another ball of water. Ciorsdan keeps adding more and more to it, despite Kyma trying to pull the water away from the other side. Ciorsdan just smiles at the girl.

"I can do this a lot longer than you can, young princess. You'll exhaust yourself before even having the chance to succeed. So just give up."

Kyma shakes her head. "No. You're not touching my friend."

Ciorsdan clicks her tongue. "I thought you would say that." She flicks one hand towards Kyma and a dart of ice sinks into the girl's chest. Ciorsdan smiles as Astrila jumps forward to grab her cousin before she can hit the floor. "Don't worry, she won't die. Not like this one will. I just need her out of the way."

Now that Kyma is no longer counteracting Ciorsdan's pull on the water, it quickly forms a ball three times the size of Rowan's head. Rowan sucks in a fear-filled breath as Ciorsdan releases her and starts to back away, her hand slipping down to her bag and the runestones within. Rowan's adrenaline is fighting the ice creeping through her blood, but not quickly enough for her to react in time to defend herself as the ball of water surges towards her.
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Did you think Astrila's attempt to take Ciorsdan down would work? What is the ice sharks doing to Rowan? What's going to happen now that Ciorsdan is trying to drown her? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out