ICE

133. Long Live The King

The moment Eoin was tucked away in his bed, Ravenna abandoned him. His obnoxious snores followed her out into the corridor and she shut the door quickly behind her. She paused for a moment and reality crashed through her mental walls. Eoin had tried to choke her — to drunkenly control her. Despite his initial kindness, his true colors had shimmered through the illusion and revealed someone with the same mindset as an Imperial guard.

Everyone was beneath him and Ravenna was no more than a simple play-toy.

A shudder tore through her. Her fingertips probed at the bruised skin that covered her neck. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks as snippets of fear twisted her stomach into constricting knots. Something sharp lodged itself into the back of her throat. Her mind went back to the night she'd first heard of an ice breathing dragon's existence — to the moment when a sleazy guard had pinned her down and she accidentally killed him. It had to happen. She wouldn't have escaped otherwise. She had killed so many since then. There was no one in the world that she could trust to keep their hands to themselves around her.

Except Caelan. And Vyses. And Lyth.

Ravenna squared her shoulders and lifted her head. She forced herself to take a deep breath and swallow her feelings. It took all of her strength to cling to the cold numbness that clutched at her heart. Vyses and Lyth were still locked away, rotting in an undisclosed cell within the castle. She needed to act fast and take action towards the next step in her plan.

It did not take long for her to return to her bedroom. Once the door shut behind her, Ravenna rushed toward her own bed, toward the spell-book that she had tucked beneath a pillow. She pulled it free and hastily hid it away using the storage spell that Vyses had taught her. If she managed to lose consciousness again, she wanted to ensure that no one would be able to find it and read through it.

Once Caelan's spell-book had disappeared to a safe space, she lowered herself down to the floor in front of her bed. Her skirts pooled around behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.Ravenna's hand stretched out. As she whispered the spell under her breath, the ice dagger took form and solidified within her grasp. Her fingers curled tight around its hilt. The blade slid across her open palm, piercing through her skin. She pressed her bloodied hand against the ground, drawing a crude humanoid shape into the stone beneath her. When the drawing was finished, she pressed her palms together, careful to hold them above the drawing, and took a deep breath.

Snowflakes began to fall from her hands, tumbling softly toward the ground. The smeared blood absorbed the magic and began to separate itself from the stone. It pooled into the shape of a small jelly-like figure. Her fingers curled around the new blood-doll's torso and lifted it upward. Ice flurries floated in the air around it, dancing across her knuckles. She whispered the required words. A sphere started to form within the doll's chest. It glowed brighter and brighter, flashing sparks of crimson and icy blue within a sea of rust-colored liquid. She continued to whisper those four required words over and over.

Only instead of focusing her thoughts on the king, Ravenna envisioned Eoin within her mind's eye. Eoin as he drunkenly slumped into his bed and instantly passed out beneath silk sheets. Eoin as he stumbled through her bedroom and spilled his drink. Eoin as he ranted and slurred.Eoin as he stood in front of her, his hand clasped tight around her throat.

The glowing sphere began to pulse within the doll — almost like a heartbeat. She stared at the blood-doll cradled within her hands. Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes, scorching her cheeks as they overflowed down to the earth below. Her heart ached. Eoin had been so sweet when she had first met him. He had been so pleasant and so intent to show her happiness.

She never would have guessed the twisted truth that laid hidden behind his smile. An ugly truth that required only an ounce of stress or the slightest excess of alcohol to be revealed.

Ravenna closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. While she mourned her initial fondness for Eoin, she also recognized that she'd never planned to stay attached to him. She only needed him to gain a legitimate claim to the throne. That was all.

As she tried to focus her thoughts and emotions, she slowly became aware of a distinct burning sensation at the center of her own chest. It festered and grew, scorching through her skin. She placed the new blood-doll down on the ground beside her and wiped at her tears. A pained gasp escaped her as she yanked the talisman free from her dress.

It glowed bright against the cloud-like shadows that danced momentarily across her bedroom walls. The weight of the pendant sunk into the skin of her open palm. She closed her eyes and focused her magic into her hand.

A miniature apparition of Vyses appeared, standing atop the pendant. His arms were crossed, thick iron shackles locked tight around his wrists. Shorter strands of his alabaster hair hung into his red-wine colored eyes. His expression was crafted with stoicism.

"Hello," she greeted him. She did her best to remain cautious and listen for footsteps.

His glare pierced through her. "I am growing tired of this," he remarked. "I have been stuck in this filth-filled cage for weeks, Ravenna."

"You shouldn't have been caught then," she retorted. His glare sharpened and she shot him a halfhearted grin. "Relax. You will be free from your confinement soon enough," she assured him. "There are just a few more finishing touches left."

"Like the death of the king," Vyses snapped.

Ravenna stared at him for a moment. She held out her free hand and focused. As she curled her fingers, the king's blood-doll appeared within her grasp. Its entire jelly-like body was colored with dark ink and it pulsated brokenly in her hands like a withered, beating heart.

She maintained perfect eye contact with Vyses as she squeezed the king's blood-doll. A sharp pop shattered the silence that encapsulated them. Black goo oozed through her fingers, crawling down her hand toward the floor. As the goo left her skin, however, it vanished.

"There," she said, her voice cold. "The king is dead now. Feel better?"

Vyses stared at her for a moment. "What about your husband? I doubt that he will let us out."

Ravenna wiped the goo from her free hand and carefully lifted the brand new blood-doll into the air. Its jelly-like body glinted maliciously in the sunlight that streamed through her window. Its heart-like core pulsed erratically within her hand.

Vyses's wine-red eyes widened in shock.

She flashed him a grin. "Long live the king," she said. 

~

hey friends!

I just wanted to say that I hope you all are having an awesome week so far!! I also hope that you are doing okay both mentally and physically ❤ 

Thank you for taking the time to read this book!! I appreciate you all so much! 

ash ❤