ICE

71. Water

FAMILIAR FOOTSTEPS STARTLED Ravenna from her thoughts. She quickly hid the spellbook within her dress and turned her attention toward the door. It opened to reveal an excited Vyses.

"I have an idea," he announced.

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I know that you don't want anybody to get hurt. However, I genuinely think that is unavoidable and that you'll need to get over that notion if you really want to make a move against the king," he said quickly, ignoring her darkened expression. "What if we used a spell to turn the town's water into a potion? I think I know of a potion that could make the townsfolk more willing to fight for us."

A moment of bewildered silence pulsated between them. Ravenna bristled at the idea. "I wouldn't want to force anybody to join our army, Vyses. I want our soldiers to be free to think for themselves, especially considering it will be their lives at stake."

"I understand that," he said. "Think through, lass. The last town that we went to erupted into cheers when you killed all of the guards. It marked a glorious celebration. I'm sure that others would react in the same fashion. A potion would just make them even more willing to fight with us."

"I don't I feel comfortable with that," Ravenna pressed. She didn't want to tell Vyses about finding Caelan's spell just yet. She wanted to test it out, to try to solve it herself first. If a magical army was to be created, she wanted to make sure that she had complete control over it. Especially considering how little Vyses seemed to care about the humans around them. If he was willing to trick them into drinking a potion that made them want to fight, she felt that he probably wouldn't really care who was killed.

Vyses ignored her. "I'll start looking into preparations," he told her. "Tests will have to be performed. I will offer a reward for participation. Maybe one or two from this town. More from another. I will report back with my results."

Ravenna heaved a small sigh. "Alright," she muttered under her breath. She didn't plan on letting him go through with the potion. His small experiments, however, would keep him distracted enough for her to test out Caelan's spell. She paused and looked at Vyses. "Do you know of a place that I can practice my own spells? I don't think it would be wise to perform them in our room."

"There might be a good place outside of town," he said. He already seemed somewhat distracted. "You could probably just walk around and find someplace that's hidden. Maybe a cave. There might be something on the beach. Just make sure that your identity remains concealed and that nobody is watching you."

Ravenna nodded. She climbed from the bed and started toward the door. "I am going to go look for a spot. I'll come back soon."

"Don't kill anybody," Vyses told her.

The door slammed shut behind her. As she made her way downstairs, she muttered angrily to herself. If she saw another guard attacking someone, she wouldn't waste time in attacking again. Even if that meant killing another legion of guards.

As she passed through the lobby of the inn, her gaze skirted around. She didn't see the innkeeper, nor did she really see anyone else. She quietly moved across the room and opened the front door. She stepped outside and took a deep breath.

The air was filled with salt. It was a strange smell, something that she wasn't used to. Most of her life had been spent within the mountains or around lakes.

Her stomach twisted with excitement as she walked through the streets, making her way toward the beach. The sun had drifted far beneath the horizon, allowing the moon and a handful of stars to spread out across the night sky. Guards strolled through the streets, torches in hand, and townsfolk began to retire for the night. A serene silence washed through the air, broken only the sound of waves crashing against the beach.

The stones beneath her feet quickly turned to sticky grains of white sand. She paused for a moment, admiring it. It felt as though she was walking on fluffy powder. As she moved further onto the beach, tranquility flowed through her veins. A darkened ocean stretched out in front of her, kissing the edges of the sky. Gentle waves lapped at the sand, rolling lazily against the beach until the water dissolved in a fizzy white froth.

She immediately made her way to the water. Holding her shoes in one hand and her skirts in another, she walked along the water. It licked at the skin of her feet, warming her toes. It was such an odd sensation --a relaxing feeling that she'd never felt before.

"Alright," she muttered to herself. Her eyes scanned the area around her. She needed to find a place where she could safely try out that spell.

The closest buildings were situated farther away from the shoreline, away from the water, with a massive stone wall protecting them. Most of them seemed to be small shops and family residences. There didn't seem to be any hidden spots or secluded areas from what she could see.

A small sigh escaped her. Her gaze drifted toward her feet and, for a moment, she merely watched the water crawl across her toes. Then she blinked and looked upward.

There was a small hint of fog that hugged the water's surface. If she walked far enough out into the ocean, she doubted that anyone would be able to see her. Even if her magic created lights, or was visible, it would be written off as a phenomenon. There were plenty of legends concerning strange creatures and things coming from the sea.

She closed her eyes and focused her magic into her feet. A small part of her stomach twisted with nerves. Walking across the surface of a river was no small feat. But it was nothing compared to the constantly churning surface of the ocean. She took a deep breath and whispered the spell.

Cautiously, she started to walk forward. The base of her feet glowed a light blue color, contrasting greatly against the navy of the ocean. She did her best to calm her nerves as the water deepened. The last thing she needed was to lose her footing in the middle of the ocean. 

hey friends! so I made a new Instagram account last night. I am planning to be more interactive and do more stories/lives! I think it would be fun to give insights into my day-to-day life and a whole bunch of writing tips and tricks too. Plus maybe some beauty/health related stuff! There will also be sneak peeks of chapters before they are posted and a whole bunch of other fun stuff too! 

I actually just posted an insta story on how I create the graphics for this story! So if you want to see it, be sure to check it out and let me know what you think! :D 

My user is: serayna_