ICE

154. A Wicked Smile

RAVENNA STRUGGLED TO breathe, to remain in control. A seed of fear and unease planted itself within her stomach. Her gaze flickered around the room. She became increasingly aware of the shadows that covered the walls — and the many pairs of faint crimson eyes that watched her from within them.

"What is going on?" she heard herself ask. Her voice sounded calm, but distant to her own ears.

She cautiously met Vyses's gaze. His eyes were cold and calculating. He tilted his head slightly, allowing his cheek to rest within his palm. Strands of long alabaster hair fell forward across his face. "Where is the talisman that I gave you?" he asked. His voice was light, almost cheerful — and yet laced with an undertone of danger.

Ravenna glanced at Lyth, watching him with wary eyes. The undead-boy twitched every few seconds, as if a current of electricity sizzled through his muscles. His gaze remained focused on her. A sense of regret and remorse swam within his irises.

When she did not immediately answer Vyses, the white-haired man heaved a loud sigh.

Lyth took a trembling step forward. His skin continued to twitch, and started to stretch. It caused his bones and muscles to contort, creating inhuman shapes within his body. "Answer him," his voice called out. His voice echoed with desperation. "Please just answer him."

Ravenna's jaw clenched.

It was easy to tell that Lyth had no control of the body he'd been given. Each step that he took, each breath that expanded within his chest — it all was being manipulated by Vyses. The emotions that Lyth displayed made that notion quite clear.

"It broke," Ravenna stated. She crossed her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow at Vyses. "I do not know how. I just know that it cracked and then vanished from my neck."

Vyses stared at her for a moment. He seemed to weigh her words within his mind, searching for any ounce of truth. She did her best to remain nonchalant with her expressions. She wanted him to believe her.

His eyes narrowed. Her body tensed.

He did not believe her.

"Arrest her."

The command echoed throughout the throne room. The shadows that covered the walls began to bleed — humanoid-like creatures quickly emerging from the churning vortex of darkness, their crimson colored eyes glowing. Before she could react, Ravenna was surrounded on all sides.

From a quick glance, she was able to distinguish the fact that the Imperial guards surrounding her were not human. Each one had the same bruised, pasty skin that Lyth had and vibrant colored eyes. Each wore the iron plated armor of an Imperial guard and carried a sharpened sword in their hands. A diamond of crimson magic was embedded within the center of their breastplate — the source of the spell that granted them life.

The spelled Imperial guards lunged at Ravenna. The seed of fear sprouted through her stomach, twisting tight around her heart and expanding throughout her chest. It rendered her frozen, unable to move a muscle. Instantly, her magic reacted. Jagged spikes of ice erupted from the ground at her feet, narrowly missing the guards that surrounded her. Her lips moved quick around a whispered spell — a spell that she had cast many times before with ease. She tried to focus through the chaos that ensued around her, to force her mental vision into reality, as she had before.

A thousand daggers should have materialized around her, like a cloud of death. Yet nothing happened.

She could feel her magic tearing through her body, reacting as the men around her lashed out with their swords. Each blade was met with a spike of ice. Her ice reacted to the attacks before her mind could even register what was happening. The sharp clash of metal shattering fresh ice echoed throughout the room. Movement blurred around her. She couldn't focus. She couldn't control it.

Ravenna struggled to suck in a deep breath. Her heart thudded loudly within her chest. Losing the talisman had weakened the control she'd held over her magic. She needed to focus, to ignore the fear and overwhelming anxiety that flooded through her. She just needed to regain control of her emotions.

But it was too late.

A single blade zipped through the air, quicker than her ice could react. It slashed at her chest, knocking her backward. Pain blossomed across her heart, her lungs, and splintered through her veins. Blood seeped through her dress and raced toward the ground.

Hands grabbed at her. Her knees cracked against the stones beneath her. She struggled, pulling away from the hands that ensnared her. The sharpened tips of swords pressed against the skin of her throat. Her struggles ceased. A clammy sense of nausea and weakness washed through her. She felt faint. She did not dare to move.

Shackles were clasped around her wrists. The metal glowed with a faint cast of crimson. A spell, she guessed. Probably to keep her from using magic or escaping.

A string of vicious curses flew past her lips, loud and aimed like daggers at Vyses. It took all of her strength.

A bright, wicked smile remained stretched across his lips as he watched the guards drag her from the room. 

~

hey friends!

I genuinely can't express how much I appreciate you all so much!!! I know that it really sucks having to wait for a new chapter, but I definitely needed these last few two weeks to just breathe. Things have been so incredibly crazy and mentally, I'm not the best at the moment. I am slowly getting back to normal though and I am doing better so regular updates should continue! 

Thank you so, so much for your continued patience and support! ❤❤❤