ICE

178. Madness

CAELAN STARED INTENTLY at the glowing wall in front of them, watching the small clusters of magic dots. "We will need something to distract us then," he remarked off-handedly. His gaze shifted toward her. A thin veil of stoicism hid any facial expression, yet did little to mask the blatant concern that swam within his dark eyes.

"It won't be healthy for us to stand here and obsessively monitor the fight. We should use this time wisely."

A small frown tugged at Ravenna's lips. "What exactly do you have in mind then?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. Her gaze remained focused on the wall in front of her. Caelan was right — it was not healthy for her to watch what she could of the fight. However, it was near impossible to look away. Each slight movement that the copied soldiers made was documented on the map, sending a wave of panic coursing through her veins.

There was a flash of light just to her right. The crown that adorned her head instantly vanished — melting into a stream of ice blue that shot toward her hand. It extended past her palm and took the form of a sword. She whirled around toward Caelan just in time for her sword to clash against his own.

"Really?" she asked him, exasperated.

A smile broke through his stoic expression. "You are getting better," he told her. There was a sense of pride within the tone of his voice — it triggered a swarm of butterflies to life within her stomach.

Her cheeks flushed with heat and she huffed at him. Taking a step back, she used her own sword to gesture at him. "Why the sword though?" she asked.

"You need the practice," he told her. A sliver of excitement sparked within his eyes, mixed with a sense of mischievousness. "Besides, a sword is one of the easiest weapons to maintain with magic."

She rolled her eyes toward the heavens.

Both sparred in an almost absent manner — their gazes fervently glancing back toward the glowing map, watching to see if any of the small dots broke through the outer walls of Zeporia. None of them appeared to, however. The dots moved in small frenzied motions, but appeared to remain almost stationary. The ice soldiers that Ravenna created seemed to keep Vyses' army under control.

"How long do you think that our soldiers will be able to hold them?" Ravenna asked after a few hours had passed.

Caelan's sword clashed against her own. Sparks of magic erupted from the impact. "It is hard to say," he answered. His movements were fast — almost too fast for her to perfectly keep up with. "We should hear a report back from the magic that I sent out to scout the area soon."

Ravenna ducked and deflected another attack. She summoned a dagger made from ice. It appeared behind him and zipped through the air toward his head. As he moved to destroy it, she slashed at him with her own sword.

The hit landed. Her sword melted harmlessly against the skin at his side.

He whipped around toward her. The grin on his face was infectious. "Nice hit," he praised her. Her heart seemed to skip a beat within her chest.

She moved to attack him again but Caelan paused. He held his hand up, motioning for her to stop. She instantly stopped. Her sword melted and reappeared on her forehead, retaking the shape of her ice crown. His hand flipped so that his palm faced upwards. A sphere of white magic hovered above his skin.

She watched it intently. The magic shifted and stretched within the air, taking the shape of a human. When it stopped, she saw the face of the fake-human man that Caelan had created.

"What did you find?" Caelan asked.

"It is not good," the fake-human said. "It is hard to get a proper headcount. The soldiers are constantly moving — they are destroying everything that they come in contact with."

Caelan frowned at this. Ravenna stepped up beside him, her arms crossing over her chest. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"It is madness. They are tearing apart the trees and destroying the farmlands. Anything in their path gets burned to the ground," the fake-human said. He appeared to shake his head slightly. "I have counted at least a thousand out here. There may be more. It is hard to get a rough estimate with how fast each soldier moves."

"Is Vyses among the soldiers?" Caelan asked.

The fake-human shook his head. His expression remained void of any emotion. "I have yet to see Vyses. There is still a possibility that he is among the soldiers. It is just hard to say for certain."

All of a sudden, the image of the fake-human's face contorted. Pain twisted across its features and its mouth fell open. A ghastly sigh escaped the magic creature's lips and it fell out of view.

"What just happened?" Ravenna gasped. Her hand clutched at Caelan's arm as she peered closer at the sphere of magic in his hand.

Caelan's fingers closed. The magic melted away. "It must have been attacked by one of the soldiers," he told her. His expression was grim. "I am honestly surprised that the soldiers did not attack earlier."

Ravenna's expression pinched as sheer horror slithered through her. Caelan's eyes widened and he turned toward her, his hands grasping her free hand. "Do not worry. It would have melted away by nightfall. It was just magic."

She shook her head. "I hope those soldiers haven't come across any humans," she said. The horror faded — replaced by an overwhelming sense of sadness. It shocked her somewhat. Weeks ago, she would not have been bothered in the slightest at the idea of humans dying.

The light that illuminated the room shifted into an alarming crimson red color. Ravenna froze in her spot. Her entire body instantly filled with a sense of dread so heavy that it felt like lead. "Oh no," she murmured.

Caelan darted toward the map. "Some of the soldiers must have broken through the outer walls," he announced. His expression darkened and he glanced back over his shoulder at Ravenna. "I suggest that we move now, before the soldiers do too much damage to the city."

Ravenna nodded. She squared her shoulders, her hands tightening into fists. Tendrils of thin ice danced across the taunt skin that covered her knuckles.

"I'm ready," she said. The words hung in the air between them — nothing more than a feeble attempt to convince herself that she genuinely was ready. Nervously, her gaze shifted away from the map and met Caelan's.

"You are ready," he said. His tone was calm and matter-of-fact. "You can do this. And I will be right there with you."

A weird little laugh escaped Ravenna. Her nails dug into the heels of her palms. "Let us go now," she said. "Before I am able to change my mind."

He nodded. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Together, they darted through the castle. The moment that they stepped outside the castle walls, Caelan grabbed Ravenna by the arm. He pulled her closer to him and his hands moved to cup her cheeks.

"No one gets hurt," he said. His eyes fiercely met her gaze.

"No one gets hurt," she echoed.

He lingered for a moment, holding her closer to him. Then his lips gently pressed against hers. It was a quick and sweet kiss that melted the anxiety that swelled within her.

He released her and stepped back. His eyes glowed bright as magic engulfed him, stretching into the form of a massive dragon.