The Dark Ice Chronicles - The Magi

Chapter 21 - Been Down One Time, Been Down Two Times

We race through the woods so fast that at first, I actually forget what I’m supposed to be doing. Then I see Evan rising into the air, and my memory is finally jogged. I follow her up, with Kevin right behind me. Because we don’t have to stick to the ground, we get to the Ice palace about a full minute ahead of Harris and Michelle. They stay on the ground, their Fire weapons up and ready.

When we land on a high ledge, somewhere above the main chamber (I think), I turn to Evan and ask, “You saw what I saw, right?”

“That guy Ben was talkin’ to?” Evan asks. “That’s really your dad? I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met him.”

It takes me a moment to realize that’s actually true. Good point there. “Yeah, unless he’s got an identical twin or something...that he’s never told me about.”

“Either way,” Evan says with a weak laugh, “sounds like someone’s got a lotta ‘splainin’ to do.”

I let out a heavy sigh as I watch Kevin run his gloved hands over the surface of the wall. “You lookin’ for some kind of weak spot?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Kevin says. “There’s always one, no matter how well-built the place is.”

“Nobody’s perfect, right?” I ask.

“Hey!” yells Harris from down below. “Let us know when you’re ready to bust in, all right? I don’t wanna be kept hangin’, you know?” He pauses. “And if I can’t wait, we all know Michelle sure as hell can’t either!”

Michelle elbows Harris, nearly dropping her weapon in the process. “Dude, only I get to speak for me. Capisce?”

“Yeah, yeah, capisce,” Harris says. If not for the fact that he’s holding on tightly to his sword, he’d probably be waving her off right now.

“Maybe if you guys could help me out?” Kevin asks.

Evan and I turn to the wall. “Um...what exactly are we lookin’ for?” she asks.

Kevin pushes against one of the many bricks of ice. “If any of these start wiggling, even a tiny amount, that’s a good weak spot to exploit,” he says. “Basically, if you feel it move, let me know, and I’ll break it open.”

“Or maybe we can do it ourselves,” Evan says. “And hell, maybe we don’t even need a weak spot.” She turns to one brick and lays her hand on it, probably trying to turn it to powder and pull it away, but the brick stubbornly resists her removal attempt.

“Keep lookin’ for weak bricks,” Kevin says. “If it won’t even move, it’ll be harder to focus on that one brick, ‘cause the whole wall will act like a single unit.”

“That makes sense,” I say. I take my gloves off and run my hands over the wall, brick to brick. I figure it’ll be easier for me to sense motion this way, with my hands bare. Being a California boy born and bred, I’ve been told to fear even the slightest tremble in the ground as a sign of an impending earthquake. I’ve noticed, however, that it’s a lot harder for me to sense the vibrations of actual (small) quakes when I have something in the way to dampen the effect.

Like my bed. Or a chair. Or shoes. Or socks.

I look around at the other two as we both start moving around the ledge. Kevin, like me, is already turning silvery-blue from the cold solstice air. Evan, strangely enough, isn’t. I remember she didn’t change last night, either. There is still so much I don’t know about being an Ice. Things I’m really going to want to ask about later.

“I got one!” Evan yells, waving Kevin and me over to her. As we scuttle back to Evan’s current position, she wiggles one (very slightly) loose brick, just enough to crunch it into snow in her hand.