Breaking the Ice (Book 1)

Chapter Eleven (part two)

FLARE

Even though the two were extremely suspicious, they were Flare's best ticket out. He followed them into the tunneled exit. Sunlight nearly blinded Flare as he shielded his eyes. This wasn't his first time leaving the volcano, and he promised himself that this would be his last. He'd never return, not to his idiot parents or the palace. The strangers ran into the forest at the mountain's feet. Flare followed cautiously up in the treetops, leaping from one branch to another. Once the strangers thought they were a safe distance away, they sat down to rest.

The larger one of the two pulled off their hood. His hair was light blue and he had animal ears. Flare snarled, so the stories were true. Icees truly were part animal. But what surprised him more than the fact that there were Icees in his home was that he couldn't have been any older than Flare.

He watched closely as the Icee pulled the cloth over his other eye. This one was pink and scarred, forcing Flare to wrinkle his nose. How could anyone look twice at him with such an injury? He put two fingers over his eyepatch, where his own defective eye hid.

"I've never met a Heatling before. So they can really control fire." The Icee shuddered, Flare couldn't help but smile at this.

"Yeah, I wish I had a special power." the smaller of the two huffed. They sounded more female, could she also be an Icee? The male Icee gave her a smug smile. It seemed the Icees' smugness truly was legendary.

"Oh, here's your jacket." the smaller one grabbed a white jacket from her sack. The Icee took off the cloak completely and took his own jacket back.

The smaller one turned her head around, surveying their surroundings. When the coast seemed clear, she pulled back her hood. Long, raven hair rolled out, the shorter strands framed her pale face. Flare leaned forward to see the color of her eyes. They didn't seem to have any color to them. With black hair like that, could she be from the Clan of S-

No.

Flare leaned closer. She had round ears like him. Other than her eyes, there was nothing else magical about her. The Heatling's heart sped up with excitement, ringing in his ears. His eyes widened as he grinned maliciously. His fingers pierced into wood, smoke sizzling from his hands.

Whatever she was, Flare didn't like it one bit. He couldn't wait to fight her. He couldn't wait to find out just what kind of abomination she was...