White Fire

Chapter Ten: Witch's Closet

The room was made of stone, with built in shelves holding an array of items (potions in jars, old books most likely written in a different language, and vases of varies sorts). I couldn't believe my eyes when I took the sight of it in. Cora was right, no one had been in here for years.

"This room is part of the original castle. Most of that castle was destroyed a thousand years ago. It took them a decade to restore it to its original glory. It's rumored that the only part of the building that remained untouched was the witch's closet," Luca explained.

"How do you know this?" Titus asked, earning an appreciative snicker from Cora.

"I like to study history," Luca told them. "You should thank me." He then walked over and picked up an old book. I watched as he studied it with curiosity. "It's written in a language I can't read."

"What's this?" Cora made her way to a shelf that held a box. She cautiously opened it and gasped as a brilliant green light shimmered throughout the room. Once the light diminished, a clear jewel with a green center lay inside. I walked closer, noticing the piece of wire that went through the middle of it, forming a necklace.

"It's a necklace," I said, now standing exactly beside Cora. I didn't wait for permission to pick it up, I grabbed it and began examining it immediately. The stone felt cold in my hands, colder than pure ice, and it seemed to freeze with its own energy. It was a nice feeling, indeed.

"Let me see," Cora grabbed the stone from
my hand and gasped. She then dropped it on the ground just as her fingers began to freeze.

Titus grabbed her hand as Luca bend down to pick up the stone.

"Ah!" Luca quickly removed his hand, taking a step back in pain. His finger had frozen in the exact location the jewel had been when he'd touched it.

"What happened?" I asked, watching as Cora's palm began to unthaw. "I've never seen that happen. We can't freeze each other. So how can a stone freeze us?"

"I think the better question is, how were you able to touch it but we weren't?" Luca asked, still holding onto his hand as it began to return to normal. I shook my head, completely baffled.

Kneeling down, I picked up the stone, tossing it in my hand. I felt the coldness, but it was nowhere near freezing. It was bearable, in fact, soothing.

"I have no idea," I admitted. None, what-so-ever.

An hour later, I was thankfully in bed, but I wasn't able to sleep when my misery kept me company, even with the soothing, cold stone laying against my chest. The four of us decided that it would be best for one of us to keep the stone until we figured out what it was. Since I was the only one who was able to touch it, I knew it would be me.

To keep myself from seeing the face of the man I had killed, I kept pondering on the origins of the stone. Was it equivalent to the Dragon Stone? If so, was there a mountain in which it thrived? I'd never heard of any stories of such stone. Something powerful couldn't have been lost with time. No, the stone was simply that, a stone. And yet, its endless possibilities kept me awake.

When 5am came, I groaned with frustration. I didn't want to move even an inch. The guards had to drag me the distance to the training location. Thankfully, the strong Northern winds gave my body a shake, causing me to be fully alert before the Prince began.

Today, he was shirtless, and his muscles caused my mouth to gape open. Perfectly lined stomach muscles dominated his entire stomach region. His biceps were also strong and defined, and his shoulders were broad and thick, indicating that he was indeed an alpha male. He wasn't as big and as meaty as Titus, but he looked just as strong. If he hadn't been such a devious person, I would've found myself crushing on him, but he was repulsive. I'd never.