Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 31

     The next week we spent training. Alagan was having a course on how to be immortal with Ray in secret, but with the twins, Aunt Palma and Nazim, we didn't mind being in public. They needed the space anyways. Of course Ivory was the more open minded out of Alagan's new students. She always raised her hand eagerly wiggling it in the air for attention. And the one who looked a bit more sheltered was Nazim.

     "Look, Evie, this just isn't for me," he said to me when we were alone on patrol one early morning.

     "Just give it a try."

     "It's ridiculous," he muttered under his breath. I grabbed his hand to make him stop, he turned to me and I noticed his shoulders weren't as straighten.

     "I believe him Nazim. I honestly do, and it's not just because he's my brother. Just look at me, and tell me that ten years ago Nazim would have been here today, fighting by a winters side - let alone known someone who had two of the lands powers, hu? Or that we, just a few weeks ago, would have ventured out to a new strip of land in the middle of the ocean that didn't belong to the seasons Nazim. How can you look at the past couple years of your life and not believe that there is more - that we could do more?"

     He took a step back from me. His face like a piece of stone as he leaned against a pine tree. Nazim was quiet for a while, lost in his thoughts, and I made no noise to hurry him.

     "It embarrassing," he finally admitted. "Almost a slap in the face that royals like me have just accepted our fate. That we worked hard our entire lives to get the respect royals with powers have, yet not enough. It's always us who needs to give more to the cause."

     I felt for my cousin then, and he was right. Of course he was. I mean, he was a warrior from birth - but no one ever saw him as a Prince. No one even addressed it, except for me. He always felt like an outsider.

     "Even the royals with powers have room for improvement - most of them with their personalities but that's another topic," I said light heartedly. "But if anyone can do it, it's you cousin. You are a natural leader, not just out in the battle field, but you have what the rest of these silly kings don't."

     He looked at me then, his brown eyes like the trunk he leaned on. "And that is?"

     "Compassion," I replied. Nazim's chin went up a fraction higher. "Also you have the best temper out of all of us, so you would certainly master fire in a heart beat."

     Nazim finally broke out in a smile. "Yeah, you're right. It took you about a year to truly be good at it? I'd master it in a month."

     I roared a laugh from deep within my belly. "Fine, if you're so ready then catch this," I said as I tossed a palm size ball of fire gently to him. He turned his body and let it fall into the snow, it made a sizzling sound as it melted into nothing.

     "The two of us are going to create a lot of trouble," he said as response.

     "Oh, absolutely," I replied with a wicked smile.

     We had just made it back to the castle, through the main doors when a knight still in riding gear bowed right in front of me. "Rise," I told him.

     "Good morning your Majesty. This letter came in today from spring." He held out a scroll that's seal was yet to be broken. My hand latched out to it, but I didn't open it right away.

     "Thank you Dylan." He bowed and exited through the doors Nazim and I just came in from.

     "I'll go call a council meeting," my cousin said.