Argent Eye

33

When I opened my eyes, I had to squint at the volume of light that suddenly entered my pupils. When recent events started to rush back to me all at once, I sat up quick, ready to defend myself if Haydn was still around.

But there was no one here.

I was still in Greenwich Park, but there was no one. No Haydn. No Ronan. No David. It was also snowing, and a thin layer of snow coated the grass.

I quickly stood up, brushing the snow off my clothes, and realised that the shard of metal that I'd just been stabbed with was gone. I lifted up my top, just to make sure someone hadn't pulled it out without me noticing, but the skin there was smooth. Not a mark to be seen.

Then I began to panic. Where had Haydn taken them? I looked around, confused at how the whole place seemed different. And I didn't mean the fact that it was snowing.

Was I dead?

"Hello, Millie."

I turned at the female voice, heart pounding. But, I relaxed when I saw a woman standing there. She was beautiful- pale skinned, with bright, blue eyes that seemed to shimmer in the intense light here- the sun was hidden behind clouds, but that didn't seem to stop it making the entire place extremely bright. She was tall, and thin, and her silvery hair hung straight down her back, reaching right down to her bum cheeks. Weaved in her hair were what looked to be delicate snowflakes, and wrapped around the top of her head was a beautiful kind of crown that hung just above her eyebrows, made of silver beads and blue sparkling gems- it matched the strange but very beautiful outfit she had on, which didn't cover a lot of skin, but focused more on the necessities. A thin veil wrapped around her stomach and cascaded down one leg like a thin layer of frozen water, and had tiny little crystals embedded in it that glistened in the strange light. Her feet were bare, half buried in the snow, but she didn't seem like she was cold.

In fact, I didn't feel cold at all.

"Um, hello." I said, wondering where she'd appeared from. "Have you seen anyone around here recently? Like, doing weird stuff?"

The lady laughed then, and took a few gentle steps forward. "Millie, you are not in your world anymore."

"I'm not?" I asked, looking round at the familiar, yet unfamiliar, snowy park. "This is Greenwich Park, right?"

"It is and it isn't. It's not the Greenwich Park that you know."

I frowned. "It sure looks like it."

"But does it feel like it?" She asked, and I looked at her then. I mean, it did feel different, but I couldn't put my finger on why. It was very quiet- no sounds of cars rushing past, or dogs barking, or kids screaming. The air seemed lighter, for some reason. Cleaner.

"It feels different." I confirmed, slowly nodding.

The lady nodded. "My name is Ice." She said, finally standing within reaching distance from me. When she was close, I could feel a wave of calm wash over me. A sense of security, that I would be safe if she just stood here with me.

"Ice?" I questioned. "As in, the Ice?" I motioned to the snow covered ground beneath my feet.

She smiled. "Yes, child. I am the Ice, and of all that represents it, taking on a form that your mind will understand."

I frowned. "Am I dead?"

She laughed then. "No, child. You're just asleep. But you need to wake up."

I pinched myself then, and frowned at the nail marks it left on my arm. "How do I do that?"

She didn't answer, but instead linked an arm through mine. "Follow me."

So I did. We walked through the park, alone, keeping to where the paths would be if there wasn't any snow covering them. When we reached the middle, we stopped. I could see the university from here, in the Old Royal Naval College, completely covered by snow and ice. Behind it stood the tall towers of Canary Wharf, which looked even more striking against the white sky.

"Is Haydn going to win?" I asked, breaking the silence as we continued to walk.

"Well, that would be up to you." Ice said.

I smiled. "There's no way I could ever beat him. He's too strong."

"Not if you think like that, you won't."

I chuckled. "That's exactly what a friend of mine said."

"You have a wise friend, then." She said.

"But Haydn is so old, and experienced." I said. "He's had decades of practising to use his power, and I've not even had a year."

"The elements are with you, Millie." She said. "We have been used to do terrible things in years gone by, but none have matched that of Haydn. For thousands of years, we have given our services to the Argent kind to look after this world and its people."

"What about fire and lightning?" I asked. "They've been serving Haydn for years."

"And not once have they enjoyed it. You see, we made a promise to the first of your kind that we will work under your control. We cannot just break that promise- it is our duty to serve. But Haydn has chosen a different path now. He is no longer of Argent blood."

I stopped. "What do you mean?"

Ice looked at me. "You know from experience that with elemental power present, the power of the darkness becomes weaker. Haydn has chosen darkness over his elements, and so they have been cast out of him."

"So, he doesn't have power over fire and lightning anymore?" I could feel the hope inside me rise a little higher. I knew darkness was dangerous, but what was even more dangerous was darkness mixed with the ferocity of fire and lightning.

"Yes, that is correct."

"And there's no way for him to get that back?" I asked. "Even if the darkness were to go?"

"If the darkness were to go, Haydn would no longer be an Argent. He would also lose all the energy that is keeping him from ageing. He drew it from the fire and the lightning before, and now he draws it from the darkness, but if that were to disappear, all his years would all come back to him at once. Haydn would die."

"Holy shit." I whispered. All I needed to do was draw the darkness out of him.

Easier said than done.

"How do I get the darkness out of him?" I asked, pinning all my hopes on this answer.

Ice looked at me intensely, her blue eyes sharp. "A deal with the darkness is but surely broken, but with light these words are never unspoken. Get to the light, and your deal will be mended, but reach for the dark and all will be ended."

"What does that mean?" I asked, and turned to realise I was now talking to myself. I looked around me, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees in a circle. I looked in the snow covered bushes, up in the trees where icicles hung, and traced back over the 'path' which we'd walked, but she was gone. "Don't leave!" I shouted, but to no one.

She was gone.

"Goddammit." I muttered to myself. "Now what do I do?" I looked up, and then saw that the gates to the park looked strange. In fact, as I walked closer, I noticed that they weren't even gates at all. It was a swirling mass of white and blue, like a mini snow storm, and for some reason I knew that this was my exit home.

A part of me didn't really want to go. I mean, I could stay here. It was so peaceful, and beautiful. I could walk round the park a few times. Perhaps around the uni, too. Maybe even go to Canary Wharf. Were the tubes even running?

But then I remembered everyone at home. I pictured Ronan and David trying to fend off Haydn by themselves, all the while I was here relaxing. I remembered Sanita's sister was still in Haydn's hands, and if Haydn won, then all my friends and family would most likely be killed.

I couldn't be dealing with that.

Taking one last breath of the cold, fresh air, I stepped through the gateway...

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