[wattys 2018 shortlisted]
Humans see her as a dangerous threat -a witch that must be executed. With the uncontrollable ability to form ice at her fingertips, Ravenna is forced into hiding amongst the humans, stealing to survive. That is, until she h...
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A PEARL OF fear burst inside Ravenna's chest.
She sucked in a small breath of air, her lungs expanding around it. Her fingers twitched nervously as she focused her gaze on the small man in front of her.
"You can't just cast us aside," Vyses said. His voice was cold. "You have no actual proof that we have used magic."
The guard waved his rock. "This is all the proof that I need."
Ravenna's eyebrows furrowed. She blinked once, twice, forcing tears to appear within the corners of her eyes. "Sir, do you really think that we are using magic?" she asked. Her voice trembled. She lifted a hand to her chest, fingers splayed across her heart. "Our town, our home was just massacred by people who use magic. We just witnessed our neighbors... our friends get murdered. Why would we attempt to use it ourselves?"
That made the guard narrow his eyes. Another guard stepped forward and placed a hand on Ravenna's shoulder, his blue eyes swimming with sadness. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I know it's hard. We just can't take any chances right now, not with all that has happened."
"You need to leave, now," the first guard quipped. "I will not say it again."
Vyses locked eyes with the man, his expression vacant. "And what will happen if we do not leave?"
Both guards tensed. The kinder guard glanced back, over his shoulder at the wall behind him. The other glared heatedly at Vyses. "If you do not leave now, we will make you leave. And I can't promise that it will be all in one piece."
Ravenna's eyes narrowed. A hand curled around her shoulder. She glanced back, meeting Vyses's calculated gaze.
"We understand," Vyses told the guard. "We will leave peacefully. I apologize for any inconvenience."
The short guard smiled smugly at them.
Ravenna's jaw clenched. Her hands curled into tight fists at her side. Vyses seemed to be giving in to their whims way too easily, which meant that there had to be another way into the city.
His fingers dug into her shoulder. "This way, darling," he said, pulling her away from the guards. "We will just have to find another place to take shelter."
As Vyses lead her further away from the guards, Ravenna glanced back over her shoulder. The second guard seemed genuinely upset. His features were twisted with discomfort and sadness. He obviously didn't like the idea of refusing them entry.
"Hold on," Ravenna whispered under her breath. Vyses glanced down at her curiously. "I have an idea," she told him.
He frowned at her. "We should move on to another city," he warned her. "The only way to defeat these walls is from the inside out. And we obviously won't be able to slip past the guards. Not now."
Ravenna rolled her shoulders back, shaking Vyses's hand away. She sent him a dark look and lifted her hand, fingers brushing her fake tears from her eyes. She crouched down in front of Lyth. With a watery smile on her face, she reached out and lightly grabbed his arm.
