Embers of Frost

Chapter 3 - Dawn

Dawn threw the sheepskin hood to the side, before pressing an ear against the wooden door. She couldn't hear Madison trying to force herself in, much to her surprise. She wasn't expecting the woman to give up so easily. But why should she look a gift horse in the mouth? She sighed in relief and walked over to the window.

The mist on the windowpane obscured her vision as she cleared it away with a gentle hand, gazing outside. Icicles were hanging down from roofs, the streets covered with a thick layer of snow. Shining light from lamps the guards were carrying could be seen, on the lookout for any miserable fellow that had dared to venture out after sunset. The tempting thought of melting away all the ice shot through her, but she swallowed it down. It wasn't safe to use her powers outside. The less people knew about it, the better it would be.

Dawn couldn't remember exactly when she had learned of her ability to manifest fire, except that it had been close to the day the incident occurred. Learning to control it had been the most difficult part, and yet even now she was nowhere near close to mastering it. In the beginning, she had a few victims but fortunately, none of them had died. Gemageia was already going through its darkest times; a magic-user on the loose would do nothing but fuel the people's anger.

There had been several uprisings in the kingdom since years now. The friendship that had once existed between the magic-users and normal people had perished long ago. No one even remembered those times now. All King Asher now lusted was for power, and a world where order ruled over all.

Order. That's all the king ever wants. Dawn sighed again and traced her fingers across the window. Her fingers formed words on their own until they spelled out a single sentence: I miss you, Dusk. Leaning her forehead against the window, she closed her eyes.

"Well, now, isn't that adorable?"

Dawn whirled around, her fists tightly clenched. A girl slowly stepped out of the wall, dark shadows enveloping her tall frame. Once her shoe was dislodged from the wall, the dark shadows rapidly retreated, the surface still again. She glanced toward Dawn's tense figure, a grin sneaking its way onto her face as she walked towards her.

Dawn relaxed slightly and let out her breath. "What do you want, Abigail?" Dawn asked, loosening her fists.

The girl patted down her dark hair that had been curled upon her head. She gazed at her with wide bluish-green eyes, watching her every move. Then she smiled. "Have you considered my proposition?" she asked. "As I've always said, it's an honor to be a part of our coven. Not everyone gets a chance at it."

Dawn never understood why Abigail even bothered to visit her anymore. She had been coming secretly since around six months now, dropping in unexpectedly. Once she even burst in on her when she was changing, the memory still engraved in Dawn's mind. But there was only one thing she always asked her: will you join our coven?

Her answer had remained the same since the very start: no. Little had she known that it wouldn't go well with the coven leader. Instead of backing down, Abigail doubled her efforts and kept repeating the question over and over. Dawn had given up hope to be freed from her now.

I'm never joining them, no matter what. However tempting the offer might sound, I won't.

"I've already told you," she finally said, trying to keep her tone even. "I'm not joining your coven. You can't force me to, understand? Now stop pestering me already!"

Abigail shrugged nonchalantly, flopping down on the bed. It let out a sharp creak, but managed to hold her weight. "I thought you might have changed your answer," she said. "We can help you find your brother, Dusk. We have people of all kind in our coven; transporters, camouflaging ones, super-fast runners and of course, me. Dusk will be with you in no time if you join us. But if you still insist on refusing, well, it's going to be your loss. You won't ever find out where he is... or if he's even alive."