By the Icy Wild

by Everly Frost

  Chapter Thirty-One

  WHITE LIGHT split across the sky, radiating from my body in burning pulses.

  I was an exploding star and the sky, the cliff, even the sunlight drowned in brightness. I stretched outward, no longer breathing, my whole being alive, unable to make a sound.

  The mechs and drones shattered first. Black, brown, and green bugs and the mortality weapons they carried reduced to nothing more than specks, thick in the air.

  The echo of screams reached me; a last burst of regeneration saved the Evereachers long enough for them to become empty shells before they ceased to hold form, their energy no match for mine. Like flower petals, their dust swirled in mini tornados, glistening with the last of their heart glow.

  Then even the dust was gone.

  Everything was gone.

  All around me was white and nothing, a landscape of light and sparkling energy. I had no way of knowing what had survived. I had no way to tell whether I’d destroyed Starsgard, the very people I wanted to protect.

  The air hummed, an echo of the tune Snowboy used to call the leopards, a tune I recognized as the same one Blaze had sung beside the tree. A song of Seversand. A call to the tree where the days begin and end…

  I forced my body upright, twisting and reaching, trying to sense where was up and down, to see beyond the light. But there was nothing. Only a pale glow like pristine snow and air colder than a deep pocket between mountains.

  Except…

  As I found my balance, a shadow grew in the distance. The glowing speck became larger, racing at me. For a moment, I thought it was a scorpion vision. They hadn’t bothered me for a long time. The scorpions in the magnolia tree were my friends and my shadows had become my allies, not my enemies, always a comfort.

  But the creature racing toward me was not.

  With a mane the color of brilliant gold and a roar that was more fearsome than any mountain bear, a lion pounded toward me. Easily my height, the giant beast opened its jaws, leaping at me. I jolted backward and down, trying to protect myself as its teeth closed over my body and it poured through me like molten metal, scorching every part of me.

  I drew my first breath and screamed.

  The beast passed through me and left me seared as though the sun itself had touched me. The sudden taste of sand in my mouth was gritty between my teeth.

  I shuddered, pushing upward, opening my eyes as the light around me dimmed and my surroundings reformed. Everything burst back into focus: the cliff, the sky, the trees far, far below.

  At the same moment that my eyes adjusted, a portion of the cliff far to my left groaned and slipped away. New jagged rock splayed before me. Farther down, the moss remained intact, thorny vines twining across open, bare rock, growing at an accelerated pace to form a new barrier.

  There was a sickening lurch as gravity kicked in.

  Just as I was about to fall, I kicked forward in the remaining force around me, stretching for the side of the mountain. At the last moment, I smacked the rock and skidded down it. A vine grabbed me and I caught hold of it, clinging as tightly as I could, not looking down. Winding my hands in vine after vine, I climbed slowly back up the cliff. I had very little nectar left in my body and I focused on keeping my breathing even, trying not to burn it up too rapidly, until I reached the edge.

  With the last burst of energy, I wrenched myself up and over the cliff, gasping as I lay on the surface once more.

  The train station was gone. The cliff’s edge began at the garden. Only half the pathway remained. Although the top of the tower was gone, the bottom half was intact and that meant the people underground had to be safe too. But it wasn’t them I was worried about.

  “Quake!” I shouted, unable to keep the panic out of my voice. I struggled to my feet, dragging through the debris, searching for him. “Quake!”

  He’d disappeared from sight only seconds before I’d exploded. If he hadn’t escaped in time, he could be dust beneath my feet. A fine sheen of it covered the tree, the fallen branches, the blue-tinged pathway, and the two bodies that remained…

  Officer Cheyne’s vacant eyes stared up at me. There was a time when seeing him would have driven fear through my heart. I’d never been afraid of Michael’s father like I was of Cheyne. The oily scent that wafted from his body was the same as the marsh pond. I wondered if he’d spent so much time with his malevolent bugs that he’d forgotten what it was like to be human.

  Dropping to my knees, I checked him. He was still alive, but in a coma, just like Seth.

  But Naomi wasn’t. Several feet away, she rested on a bed of flower petals, her face half-turned, her dark hair dotted with bluebells. A gentle breeze wafted over us, shifting the flowers, ruffling the remaining leaves in the tree behind me.

  I was alone with the living body of a man who’d terrorized me and the weight of the death of a woman whose passion was to protect her people.

  The shock of what had happened finally broke through. Pain shot into my heart and I doubled up over my knees.

  I screamed. “Quake!”

  He ran from behind the tower, a sheen on his forehead, breathing harder than I’d ever heard. “I’m here, little sister.” He gathered me up against him and like all my brothers, I felt small beside him. “I’m here.”

  “You’re safe.” I breathed out my fear and inhaled relief, buckling with the force of it as he hugged me close.

  “I ran,” he said. “I kept running until I heard you call. But I ran so far, I had to make it all the way back.”

  “Us, too.” Michael jumped from Nine’s back as the bear ground to a halt next to me.

  Michael plowed into Quake and me, his arms wrapping around me and his voice a determined plea. “Promise me, Ava, you’ll never do something like that again.”

  I sighed against his chest as Quake bear-hugged us both. When Avalanche ran up a moment later, Rift jumped from his back and rocketed into us from the side. The force of their presence around me calmed me, gave me the strength I needed to stay on my feet. Now that I was mortal again, Michael’s touch was like electricity, but it was comforting, and when my brothers drew away, he remained, keeping me close.

  “Wait … Where’s Snowboy?” I knew they’d make sure he was safe, but I needed to see him. Rift called for Glacier and she padded around the corner of the tower, gently releasing Snowboy from beneath her wings beside the tree, where Quake caught him and propped him up. I knelt and took his hand, grateful that Quake had placed him facing away from Naomi.

  Despite the paralysis, tears trickled down Snowboy’s cheeks. He managed to speak through constricted vocal chords. “Ava…”

  “You should be able to move again soon,” I promised, remembering the times I’d been tranq’d before.

  “This will help.” Ruth’s voice was a surprise. I spun to find her and a group of Starsgardians gathered around us, filling the space in front of the tower in solemn rows.

  Luke was among them, along with Leah and Natalie from my old dance troupe. They each hugged me in turn.

  “Hey, you,” Luke said, a sad smile filling his face.

  “I’m sorry…” I began, but he shook his head.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad to see you.”

  Ruth bent to Snowboy with a small blue leaf in her gloved hand. “It’s the counter to the slumber plant. A watered-down version that’s safe for mortals. It should work to counteract the tranquilizer.”

  They’d used it on me to wake me up between bouts of slumber after I “died.” I couldn’t quite meet her eyes as I remembered how painful it had been to accept my “death” and leave behind what I’d thought would be my new home—what I’d hoped would be a normal life.

  Ruth brushed the leaf across Snowboy’s forehead and within moments, his small movements became big ones. He shuffled his way up the tree trunk, using it for support as he stomped the feeling back into his legs. “Where’s Naomi?”

  The waiting Starsgardians parted. Ruth must have ordered them to ta
ke care of her because several were straightening Naomi’s body and laying flowers across her as we approached.

  Ruth bent with tears streaming down her cheeks, smoothing Naomi’s hair. “This is a day of mourning.”

  I exhaled as I joined Snowboy, kneeling next to them.

  He took Naomi’s hand in his, shaking his head. “I was so angry with her. I thought she believed I was wrong, that I shouldn’t exist, but now … after what she did…”

  “She loved you like a son,” Ruth said.

  “But…”

  “She never wanted you to know this, but when your parents abandoned you, she begged the Council for permission to raise you.”

  Snowboy stared at Ruth, shell-shocked, as she continued.

  “Naomi thought that she could contribute to your life and your heritage. Your parents, as you know, are Seversandian and so is … was she. She wanted to teach you about your ancestors, about Seversandian culture—it’s not all about war and conflict, you know. Many tribes work tirelessly to protect what little forest they have—and to stop their native animals becoming extinct. She told me once about a time when she was a little girl and she fought a man who’d killed a Seversandian lion. He wanted its pelt and she was determined, even though she couldn’t save the lion, she wouldn’t let him have his prize. She was only ten years old and he got away, but…”

  Ruth placed her hand over Snowboy’s and Naomi’s so that all three of their hands rested together. “She saw you as a lion cub. You were so fierce, but you needed her help.”

  Snowboy’s face was fallen, his shoulders bent over. “Why didn’t she? Raise me?”

  “Because she realized you’d be trapped. That by forcing you to be someone you aren’t, she’d be your captor, not your mother. She had to let you go.”

  I felt Snowboy’s pain radiating out from him. His voice when he spoke was a whisper. “I saw this moment. The first time I drank nectar. I saw her killed because of me.”

  Finally, he took a deep breath, lifting his head and selecting a flower from the ones around us. It was an azure blue with spreading petals. He placed it on her chest in the way of a Starsgardian funeral, the same way others had placed flowers on my body when I “died.”

  He said, “I forgive you, Naomi. I’m grateful that you gave me the life I had. I’m grateful that you allowed me to be free.”

  At a nod from Ruth, the Starsgardians gathered Naomi up onto their shoulders, carrying her body inside as flowers drifted around their feet. I watched her disappear, unable to understand the storm of emotions that washed over me. From the moment I’d arrived in Starsgard, Naomi had wanted to send me north to the broken tower—to my brothers. She’d tried everything to contrive a way to make that happen while I’d resisted with all my might. I’d interpreted her actions toward me as a threat, a punishment, when all the time from Naomi’s perspective, it was about giving me the chance to know who I was, to be surrounded by people like myself. To be free.

  I ran my hand across my forehead as the Starsgardians carried Cheyne inside too, remembering with a shudder Ruth’s story about a lion and the vision of the creature that had devoured me.

  “What about him?” I asked.

  “That man will sleep under the tower until he dies. Just like Seth remains asleep.” Angry tears spilled down Ruth’s cheeks, but she held it together long enough to take my hands. “Thank you, Ava, for what you did.”

  I shook off the memory of dust and lions and the taste of sand in my mouth. I pushed aside my vision while Snowboy’s words echoed around my mind. I saw this moment. I saw her killed because of me.

  “They’ll come back for me, Ruth. They won’t stop.”

  “They will for now. Our solar defense system goes live tonight. We only needed one more day and you’ve given us that time. If they attack again, the solar web will cut them from the sky and the cliffs—organic drones or not. Evereach will never attack Starsgard again.”

  She kissed my cheek as her ever-long braid slipped over her shoulder. “Now we’ll rebuild our towers. We’ll persevere. Our people may seem soft and gentle, but we are iron at our core. We’ve vowed to guard the stars, Ava, and today you joined us in doing that. Go in peace, my dear. Take Michael with you. Live your life.”

  I rose to find Michael waiting for me. On his face, he wore the quiet smile he reserved for me. He reached out his hand for mine, while my brothers gathered around, surrounding me with warmth and ice, shadow and strength.

  I lapped up the tingles from Michael’s energy pouring from his hand to mine, but when Quake handed around nectar, I didn’t refuse it. I wanted to go home as quickly as possible. I wanted to see Pip and Blaze. They would have seen what happened on the surveillance and I couldn’t imagine how they felt when Snowboy had fallen. I knew they’d need to see us soon.

  Rift’s shadows had returned to his body now that the tranqs had worn off and in the distance, the bears paced the snow, waiting and watching. Nine was the only bear that had stayed nearby after bringing Michael back, but even he prowled at the edges, keeping his distance now that the fight was over.

  As we reached him, he rumbled a greeting at Michael, nudging his torso with his head.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Look at you two.”

  Michael grinned. “Turns out we’re both survivors.”

  “I’ll say.” Drawing as close to Nine as I dared, I placed my fist over my heart. “I hope you can understand me because I want to thank you for helping Michael.”

  Nine growled, nudging his head again toward Michael, whose grin broadened. Then the bear padded over to me, sniffing at the hand over my heart. I stayed very still as he nuzzled at my arm and my neck, his fur tickling my skin. His growl was soft and welcoming. He wasn’t afraid of me anymore, but he wouldn’t attack my brothers either.

  He tossed his head one last time and joined the other bears at the edge of the clearing. They all rose onto their back feet, roaring so loudly that the sound echoed across the mountains. Then they turned and sped away into the hills.

  My heart filled with hope as I watched them go, preparing to follow their footsteps. Tipping my head back into the sunlight, I closed my eyes and absorbed the warmth of Michael’s hand against the small of my back, knowing that he was with me, that my home awaited me.

  I wasn’t sure what my vision of the lion was trying to warn me about or why Hannah had been sent to steal raw nectar.

  But for now, Starsgard was safe. Michael had found me. And my brothers… were exactly who they were meant to be.

  Whatever threat remained beyond Starsgard’s borders, whatever my vision meant, for now we were free.

  Opening my eyes, I said, “Let’s run.”

  Find out how Ava and Michael’s story ends in the final book:

  Before the Raging Lion

  Turn the page for a sneak peek!

  Excerpt from Before the Raging Lion…

  I was falling through space.

  A drone flew at me, its tethers shooting out so fast I thought they would cut me to pieces, but it timed its descent to the speed of my fall. As the ground reared up below and I braced for the impact, the drone spun me outward, dropping me at the same time.

  I rolled through the violet light that covered the one-mile radius outside Starsgard’s border and came to a jarring halt against a tree trunk. The scent of freshly cut wood filled my head. Olander’s army had cut down many of the trees around the border to make way for trucks and soldiers.

  I pushed up on my hands, struggling to get to my feet, but my legs collapsed.

  Sickness and nausea overwhelmed me. I fell to the ground on my side, heaving into the leaves and dirt until everything went black.

  It might have been hours later, or only minutes, when I came to. I could barely open my eyes, allowing only a sliver of light in, a small slit of vision to assess what awaited me.

  My view filled with a creature that I’d seen only once before.

  Grisly golden fur surrounded the lion’s exposed te
eth as it descended to purr beside my cheek. In a voice that growled and rumbled, it demanded, “Is she alive? Did she survive?”

  As the beast’s outline became clearer, I realized that it wasn’t an animal after all, but a man wearing a lion’s skin slung over his head and shoulders. The lion’s upper jaw drew apart across his scalp as though its head were his own. Its mane blended with his own golden dreadlocks that reached well past his waist. He was old, but the sharp intellect in his eyes told me he was dangerous.

  I inched away from him, taking deep breaths to steady myself, only to find another man blocking my way on the other side. This man blurred in and out of focus as my vision worsened with the effort to move.

  Michael’s father studied me. His expression was filled with concern—an expression that sat uncomfortably on his face.

  “Mr. Bradley.” My voice was scratchy, barley a whisper.

  He let out the breath he’d been holding. “She’s still with us.”

  The other man growled. “Your potion was too strong. I almost lost my prize.”

  Mr. Bradley cleared his throat. “Your prize is safe, Alexander.”

  I startled at the mention of that name.

  The man wearing the lion’s skin—Alexander—was the old leader of the Bashers. He was the man who’d threatened Michael’s family and forced Michael’s mom to flee to Starsgard.

  He was the man responsible for my brother’s death.

  “Monster,” I whispered, anger threatening to devour me.

  He didn’t seem to care, brushing the hair from my forehead, gently shushing me. A smile broke across his face.

  “Lovely weapon,” he said, “You’re mine now.”

  Read more in Before the Raging Lion.

  Also by Everly Frost

  Beyond the Ever Reach (Mortality Book One)

  Beneath the Guarding Stars (Mortality Book Two)

  By the Icy Wild (Mortality Book Three)

  Coming soon