[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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ANOTHER ROARING CRACK thundered through the throne room. Ravenna's attention pulled upward. Snaking through the ceiling stones, a large crack formed across the length of the room. Dust and small fragments of stone rained to the ground.
Ravenna's gaze focused on the humans. Their eyes glowed bright crimson. Her eyes widened in horror as a large piece of stone broke free from the ceiling, crushing a human and two ice soldiers beneath it.
Her fingers grasped at Vyses' robes, ice crawling across her knuckles. She wrenched him closer. "Release them!" she gasped, "Release them now!"
The action started Vyses.
For a single heartbeat, his eyes widened. His crimson-colored irises clouded with a childlike sense of fear. His gaze shifted away from her, toward the humans that fought along the edges of the room.
Her grip on his robes tightened. A thin sheet of ice crawled across his shoulders, his chest. She glared at him and shook him, hard. "Do it, now!" she screamed at him.
The gleam of crimson faded from his eyes. A flood of frantic shouts and heroic commands filled the throne room, drowning out the clash of swords. Ravenna released Vyses and turned toward the humans. With a wave of her hand, the ice soldiers melted from existence.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Caelan dart forward, toward them. Lyth appeared to his right. Dark shadows crawled across the child's skin, his sunken face marred with false rage. He lashed out at Caelan.
Caelan blocked. His blade moved swift, piercing through undead muscle and sinew. Lyth's knees buckled.
The sword in Caelan's hands vanished. Caelan's hands darted out, swiftly catching the child's thin body. His stoic expression faltered, torn with remorse and the heavy weight of guilt. Gently, Caelan eased Lyth to the ground. Lyth's shadowed body started to disintegrate — crumbling into crimson-colored ash.
To her right, Ravenna heard Vyses curse.
She swung at him. He jolted backwards and created distance between them. Ravenna did her best to focus. Ice ghosted across her skin and concentrated around her fists. The crown on her forehead glowed bright. A sea of daggers formed around her. Vyses broke into a sprint. Her daggers shattered against the stones and debris that surrounded him — a trail of splintered ice forming at his heels.
Larger pieces of the ceiling started to break, plummeting to the uneven floor. The jagged stones shattered the ground around them. The walls trembled, unstable. Ravenna lifted her hand. A thick shield of ice arced over her head, protecting her from the falling debris.
It wasn't safe. The structure would not hold up for much longer. She and Caelan needed to finish Vyses — and fast.
Her gaze skirted around the room, searching for the alabaster haired man. Flattened against the walls, a small group of guards remained frozen, their eyes wide with fear.
