ICE

169. A Storm of Butterflies

CAELAN'S WORDS REPLAYED within her mind.

"Well done."

There was a strong hint of proudness that dripped from his tone. It sent the cluster of butterflies that lived within her stomach into a fluttering storm of chaos. She pressed her lips into a wrinkled line and shifted her gaze downward, toward the floor. A sense of warmth flooded through her cheeks.

"Well?" Caelan said, instantly regaining her full attention. "Are you going to test it out?"

The warmth in her cheeks burned hotter. Her lips tugged back into a scowl and she muttered, "Yes, yes. Don't rush me."

He folded his arms across his chest and watched as she climbed to her feet. She shook her head — a feeble attempt to rid her mind of the slivers of romantic thoughts that had appeared within it. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath. She had to concentrate.

"Oh my, I think that all of this waiting around has caused me to visibly age," she heard Caelan remark.

Her eyes popped open. She shot him a steely glare and grumbled, "You hush."

He smirked at her and let out a small chuckle. "Try to attempt the shield that I taught you again. Or even the spell that you used to create your ice soldiers," he said. "You should find it much easier now."

Ravenna nodded. She sucked in another deep breath and then turned her back to Caelan — lest his seemingly ever-present smirk distract her again. Her hands lifted and she concentrated. It had been a while since she'd attempted the spell that allowed her to create an ice soldier. She had to squash the nerves that swelled up within her stomach.

Her hands began to glow a bright, light blue color. Small wisps of ice danced around her fingertips and her gaze focused on a nearby section of the ground. Her lips moved around the whispered words. A stream of light burst forth from her fingertips. It hit the stones that covered the floor, collecting on top of the stones like a puddle of liquid. The liquid-like magic trembled and moved, stretching upward into a tall humanoid figure.

The spell was almost muscle-memory at this point. She imagined one of her usual ice soldiers, allowing her memory to guide the magic that left her hands. It did not take long for the ice soldier to take shape.

When the form of the ice soldier was complete, Ravenna reopened her eyes and lowered her hands. She stared at it for a moment, nervous again. A thousand anxious thoughts flitted through her mind. Most prominently, she couldn't help but wonder if the soldier would have a sentient mind of its own. It was the most crucial element to the soldier's that she had created previously with the help of the talisman.

She noticed Caelan step closer from her peripheral vision. Her gaze shifted completely toward him, watching his reaction carefully. His brows were arched, a sense of surprise cracking through his typically stoic expression. "I don't know that it worked yet," she admitted. "I haven't created one in a while. And the talisman may have added to the spell that I had used."

Caelan moved closer to the ice soldier. His gaze examined it. "It appears similar to the soldiers that I encountered and destroyed. The armor is a bit different though."Ravenna nodded. "Vyses had added a spell that enhanced its armor. It was the same one that allowed him to steal control over them."

"Tell it to do something," Caelan said.

She returned her gaze back to the ice soldier. It stared at her, its empty eyes blank and carefully carved face expressionless. "Jump," she ordered. In her head, she visualized the ice soldier jumping upward.

The ice soldier mimicked her imagination. It jumped upward, its heavy feet crashing down against the stones beneath them. The ice that formed its legs and feet cracked with the impact. Ravenna grimaced. She lifted her hand again, another slender beam of magic shooting out of her fingertips. The magic coiled around the ice soldier's legs and feet, smoothing the crack instantly.

Caelan's expression held a hint of excitement. He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. One hand lifted, his fingertip tapping against his chin. "Is it able to do tasks on its own, though?" he asked. "Can it fight on its own, without needing your guidance like the others?"

A small frown tugged at Ravenna's lips. "I'm not sure," she answered him. "I did everything the same. So it should."

She held out her hands and performed the spell again. A second ice soldier materialized in front of them. She took a step back, putting some distance between her and the two soldiers. Caelan moved beside her.

"Fight," she ordered.

A fraction of a moment passed, filled with silence and stillness. Then the two ice soldiers launched themselves at each other, fists swinging. A symphony of sharp cracks resonated throughout the room, bouncing off the walls in an endless echo. Icy fists slammed against icy faces in fast, calculated movements. Each movement made was methodical and evenly matched — based on wherever the deepest cracks had formed on their icy bodies. Both ice soldiers fought hard to destroy each other.

One solid blow ended the violent dance. Ravenna grimaced as the final punch cracked against the chest of the first ice soldier that she'd created. The soldier burst into icy shards, which rained down to the stone ground beneath them like a fierce hailstorm.

She lifted her hand and snapped her glowing fingers. The winner of the fight melted to the ground, erased from existence. Lowering her hand back down to her side, Ravenna became aware of Caelan's attention. It was focused on her again.

That storm of butterflies returned to her stomach.

He still stood beside her, but had angled his head toward her. His gaze was fierce, and filled with that sense of proudness again. "I think that some modifications can be made," he told her. "Specifically to their armor. There are spells that can be used to strengthen it a bit. I can aid you in finding one, but you will need to perform the spells yourself."

Ravenna nodded. Vyses had modified the armor of her old ice soldiers as well — only the spell was his own. As much as she wholeheartedly trusted Caelan, she very much appreciated that he intended to let her modify the ice soldiers on her own. The thought of someone else being able to add on their own spells to her soldiers again triggered a flutter of anxiety within her heart. She did not want to lose control of yet another army of her own creation.

"Now," Caelan said, regaining her full attention. She watched as he turned his body toward her and took several steps back — putting some distance between them. A smirk had weaseled its way back onto his face. "Are you ready to train again?"

She pointed to her crown.

He shook his head and his hands began to glow. "No crown," he told her.

She lifted her hands and lightly grasped the smoothed edges of the crown. For the first time in a very long time, the crown released its grasp on her forehead. She set it down onto a nearby table and then turned toward Caelan. A wave of determination flooded through her and her hands began to glow.

And training resumed.