The Ice Enchantment

by Danielle Star

  “Speaking of feeling homesick … can I walk home with you?” Cleo asked, a little embarrassed.

  “Of course you can! You’re in luck. I just made some cookies,” Theodora said with a wink. Cleo let herself be wrapped up in Theodora’s warm hug and followed the cook out of the castle.

  Home was just the same as it was when she left: neat, colorful, and with a wonderful smell of vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon floating in the air. Fluffy, Theodora’s little dog, ran over to Cleo and started jump­ing excitedly around her. That day Fluffy had a big pink bow right in the middle of her head and was wearing a cute little white sweater.

  “Now, tell me what’s wrong,” Theodora said, placing two cups of steaming tea and a plate of honey cookies on the table in front of Cleo.

  “Well, it’s just that we’ve started Art of Powers classes,” explained Cleo. She dunked a cookie in her tea while Fluffy got comfortable in her lap.

  “You must be so tired!” Theodora exclaimed.

  “Actually, I feel more sad than tired. I don’t belong to any realm. I don’t have a power,” Cleo said.

  “What gave you that idea?”

  “I can’t do anything!” Cleo said, then stuffed the cookie into her mouth. “The others can make ice cubes and flowers appear out of nowhere! They can light fires and put out candles!”

  “And what have the teachers said about it?” Theodora asked.

  “That I shouldn’t give up and I just need to keep on trying until I figure out what my power is.”

  “So, don’t you think you should do as you’re told and keep trying?” Theodora said gently. “After all, they know better than you do. They are experts.”

  “You’re right. But I am so afraid I will never figure it out. What if I can’t? Will I be expelled?”

  “But you will figure it out! Your mother knew that …”

  Cleo jumped out of her chair, making sure Fluffy didn’t go flying. She had been trying her hardest to steal a cookie from the table.

  “My mother? You know who my mother is and you never told me?” Cleo said, almost shouting.

  Theodora blushed and coughed, clearing her throat. “No, silly … I don’t know her, or know who she is. I just mean, well, she left you on the steps of the Castle of Destiny. She must have known you ­belonged here, that it was the right place for you.”

  Cleo sat back down, taking a sip of her tea. Theodora had a good point. She had never thought of it that way.

  “Maybe my mom was a Melowy and knew that I would be just like her.”

  “Exactly.” Theodora nodded. “You just need to have more faith in yourself.”

  “You are right,” Cleo said. “I should get going. I still have a lot of work to do for tomorrow.”

  “Here, take some cookies with you to share with your friends,” said the cook, wrapping the leftover cookies up to go.

  “I don’t know if I can fit them in my bag.” Cleo looked around, puzzled. “Hey, where is my bag?” She jumped up again, sending Fluffy sliding across the floor. She had left her bag in the library, and she was sure Ms. Circe wouldn’t keep the library open a moment longer than usual. Especially not for her!

  Cleo got to the library ten minutes after closing time. Luckily, though, the door was still open. When she went in, she saw Ms. Circe talking to Eris. “Here you will find every spell you need,” Ms. Circe was saying, handing the Melowy a small book with a black cover.

  “This will definitely make me the best in the class!” Eris said with an evil grin.

  Cleo quickly hid behind a bookshelf. Eris was going to use the book to cheat in Art of Powers class, and Ms. Circe was helping her do it!

  Cleo grabbed her bag quickly and quietly so that they would not see her. She’d never liked Ms. Circe, but she had no idea the librarian was so bad that she would encourage a student to cheat! Cleo wished she had not seen them, even though it was probably lucky that she did.

  “Now, who would like to try to create a snowflake?” Mr. Zelus asked. Worried ­whispers spread throughout the Winter Tower. Making a snowflake sounded a lot harder than the ice cube they’d had to make during their last lesson.

  “I would like to try it!” Eris said, stepping forward. As she was walking to the front of the class, she bumped right into Cora.

  “Hey, be careful!” Cora snapped.

  “You should really learn to get out of people’s way,” Eris said with a nasty smile. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

  But Cleo was sure she had because she also saw that Eris had shot a violet spark at her friend. Did she cast a spell on Cora? she wondered. What if she turns into a statue? Or disappears? But nothing happened.

  Eris made a beautiful snowflake, and all of the other students clapped.

  “Cora, would you like to try now?” the teacher asked.

  “Sure.” She trotted confidently up to the front of the class. She concentrated hard, and with all eyes on her, a piece of ice materialized at her hooves. But before anyone could clap for her, it melted, leaving nothing but a tiny puddle. Cora was surprised, and worried. It wasn’t like her to fail so badly!

  “I … I … I can’t!” she admitted, her voice trembling like she was about to cry.

  Eris chuckled.

  “These things happen,” said Mr. Zelus in an understanding tone. “You have only just started your lessons. Perhaps you didn’t sleep very well last night? Are you sure you had enough to eat for lunch? Using your power can take up a lot of energy, you know.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Maybe you are overworked. After all, you are the top of the class in so many subjects.”

  Cora smiled, glad that the teacher at least knew what a good student she was.

  “Maybe,” he continued, “you are even a little scared of your power. That does happen. I have seen the best of students go into a panic. Stick around after class and I will give you the recipe for a relaxing herbal tea and some breathing exercises that reduce stress.”

  Later that afternoon, Sugar and Spice, the café at the Castle of Destiny, was crowded with students. Cora and Cleo joined Maya, Electra, and Selena at their favorite table next to the window.

  “Hello!” Maya said with a smile. “How was your day?”

  “Terrible,” said Cora coldly before fall­ing silent.

  Zoe, the owner of the café, rushed over to their table with her pencil and order pad. “It looks like someone here needs an apple, chamomile, and lime smoothie! That will put a smile on your face again!” she said, pointing to Cora.

  Just then, Cora spotted Eris staring at them from a few tables away, with an evil look in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Zoe. I don’t really want anything, but thank you,” Cora said, getting up from the table. “I think I will go for a stroll around the garden. After being shut up in a classroom all afternoon, I need some fresh air.”

  Nothing like this had ever happened to Cora before. She was always top of the class in all of her subjects. What if her power just wasn’t as strong as it needed to be? That was something even hard work wouldn’t fix!

  The cool air in the garden made her feel a little bit better. She passed Ben, the gardener, who was pruning a rosebush and mumbling to himself. Finally, she found a more private space and sat down. She took a deep breath and tried to do one of Mr. Zelus’s breathing exercises to make herself feel better.

  “Cora!” She turned to see Cleo coming toward her. “It isn’t your fault. Your power works just fine. But then something happened and … ,” she began to say, all at once.

  “I know that you are trying to make me feel better, but you don’t have to make ­excuses for me,” Cora said.

  “I am not making up excuses! There is more going on than you know! I saw Eris borrowing a book of magic spells from the library.”

  “A book of spells?” Cora repeated.

  “Yes! Ms. Circe gave it to her. But if she had known that Eris was going to use it to cast a spell on you, I bet she never would have given it to her! She thou
ght Eris ­wanted to study her own power. That evil Melowy even fooled the librarian!” Cleo explained. “It was no accident when she bumped into you in class. She put a spell on you!”

  “Today we are going to practice using our powers in a different environment,” announced Mr. Zelus, trying to smooth out his sweater.

  That day, class was near the waterfall in the garden. Cleo breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t going to freeze! She was immediately distracted by the evil smirk on Eris’s face.

  Cora shook with rage. Eris had cheated. It was one thing to try to beat her by being the best in the class, but it was another thing to do it by cheating! She wasn’t going to let Eris get away with it. But what could she do? She couldn’t just accuse Eris without any proof.

  “Please put your bags down. For this ­lesson, you will not need your books,” said Mr. Zelus.

  “We could look inside her bag,” Cleo ­suggested to Cora. “Maybe she has the magic book in there.”

  “That would be wrong!” whispered Cora.

  “Eris cast a spell on you, and you are still worried about your good manners,” Cleo said, grinning.

  Cora stuck out her chin with pride. “That is why she will never be as good as me, and why she always has to use dirty tricks to get what she wants.”

  “I, however, do not have a problem doing it,” Cleo continued. “If Eris has nothing to hide, then it won’t matter if we take a peek, right?”

  “Cleo!” said Cora, looking around.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Eris exclaimed, rushing over to them.

  “I was just looking for a place to put my things,” she answered, trying to sound normal. “Why do you want to know?”

  Eris ignored her and moved her bag over. As she did, Cleo and Cora got a peek of what was inside.

  “Did you see that?” whispered Cleo, excited. “A black book!”

  “Yes, but what do we do now?” asked Cora.

  The lesson was starting, and Mr. Zelus asked the students to create ice sculptures out of the water from the waterfall. Eris ­created some­thing amazing, a life-sized pegasus. But no one else was doing very well. Glenda made a kind of icy butterfly, while her friend Irina made an elf. It was a little lopsided, but still nice.

  Cleo and Cora tried their best, but after an hour they still had not been able to make anything.

  “Come on, you two!” Mr. Zelus called, coming over to them with a thermos. “Don’t lose heart! Here is some of my calming herbal tea. It will make you feel better!”

  Cora took a sip, trying not to make a face. Mr. Zelus was nice, but he had some really strange ideas.

  “Let’s try some stretching exercises to get rid of any stress on your shoulders,” he continued. He demonstrated an exercise. “Put your tail down to the ground, raise your muzzle up to the sky, and streeeeetch your back!”

  Cleo and Cora looked at him with puzzled expressions but did as they were told. They were already horribly embarrassed by not being able to make a sculpture; how much worse could this be?

  “Oh, enough of this,” Cora whispered. “I have to know what’s in that bag!”

  “What if Eris sees?” Cleo asked.

  “The only other option is to fail.”

  Mr. Zelus was concentrating on explain­ing the exercise while Cleo backed up toward the bags. Eris, who was bragging to her friends about her ice sculpture, didn’t notice what was happening until it was ­already too late.

  The title of the book was Increasing and Stealing Magic. There was a big red stamp on the cover that said FORBIDDEN BOOK. Cleo was holding the book in her hooves, trotting over to show Mr. Zelus, when …

  “Stop right there!” Eris yelled. Cleo dropped the book and screamed. All of a sudden, the book was locked in an ice ­sculpture in the shape of a pirate’s treasure chest!

  Cleo shook with anger. Eris could not get away with this! Cleo had to smash the chest! She had to show everyone the truth. Suddenly, a pink light began to form around her. It shot out from her horn like a laser beam and shattered the ice chest into a million pieces.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Mr. Zelus as he trotted over to her. “So, that is your power. Very good. We now not only know that you have a power, but we also know that it is very strong. Of course, it is too soon to say which realm it comes from. The next time we meet, we will see how you create it and how you should use it. Until then, be very careful. Never use your power outside of the classroom. It could be dangerous if it is not used properly.” Mr. Zelus picked up what remained of the forbidden book. It was basically confetti.

  Eris smiled. The evidence against her had been destroyed. But her victory was short-lived. With a sudden crash, her pegasus sculpture shattered into pieces.

  “Nooooo!” she shouted.

  “The spell has been broken,” Cora whis­pered to Cleo. “Thank you.” The moment she said it, she felt her own power flooding back into her. A beautiful sculpture of a pegasus appeared in front of her. It was much more beautiful and detailed than the one Eris had made. The face even had a big smile on it. It was a sculpture of Cleo.

  “Wow!” Cleo exclaimed, and she gave her friend a big hug. “It’s so beautiful. I wish I could keep it in our dormitory!”

  “Very good! I see that Cora has overcome whatever was blocking her magic,” Mr. Zelus said, admiring the ice sculpture. “Of course, it’s all because of my stretches and herbal tea. At the end of class I will pass along the steps and recipes to everyone. Best to do the stretches twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. And you, Eris, don’t lose heart. A lot of students start off with beginner’s luck. All you need is some practice, and your power will grow in no time.”

  Eris shook her hooves in anger but did not dare argue. Cleo and Cora, on the other hand, enjoyed a round of applause from the whole class for finding their powers.

  “So, we did it!” said Cora when they ­returned to their room in Butterfly Tower.

  “Of course we did!” Cleo exclaimed. “I still don’t really understand what it was I did, though.”

  “Little by little you will learn to use your power,” said Cora. “You’ll see. You can always count on me for help.” She passed her friend a steaming cup of tea. “Would you like some?”

  “Is it the same stuff Mr. Zelus made us drink?” Cleo said with a grin.

  “No, it’s an infusion of winter flowers. Back home, we drink it after long days to help us relax.”

  “I don’t even know where my home is. I mean, it’s always been the Castle of Destiny, but I don’t know where I come from. It would be nice to have a home to return to one day.”

  “I know it isn’t the same, but you are always welcome to come home with me for a visit!” Cora said, smiling. The two friends clinked their cups together and drank their tea. The friendship between them was growing stronger, and strong friendships don’t really need a lot of words.

  “There you are!” cried Electra, rushing into the room with Selena and Maya.

  “You are going to have to tell us everything!” added Selena, sitting down next to Cora.

  “We heard you found your power!” Maya said to Cleo.

  The Melowy with the bright-pink mane looked at her roommates and smiled. She was so lucky to have such special friends.

  The big, cold room in the Night Realm was lit by candles. The ruler and her two allies waited in silence for someone.

  “Here I am, Your Immensity,” said a ­hooded pegasus. Her footsteps echoed along the dark marble floor as she approached.

  “Have you been able to test the Melowy we spoke about?” asked the ruler.

  “Yes, and she proved worthy,” she answered.

  “Very good.”

  The hooded pegasus smiled a wicked smile.

  Something very special was happening. Way up in the sky above the land of Aura, a magical trail had appeared in the clouds. It would only remain there for one day. Twenty-four pairs of wings fluttered in the cool air. Twenty-four silky manes sparkled in the morning lig
ht. Today was the big day. The day the Melowies were going to the Castle of Destiny for the first time!

  Maya flapped her pink wings. She’d left her home in the Spring Realm and was now flying with a bunch of other special pega­suses to the place they’d all dreamed about since they were little. She was so excited to finally find out more about her magic! It was just a shame that she was too shy to share her excitement with the others. But maybe, with a little effort …

  Maya spotted a group of girls giggling nearby. She took a deep breath, flew over to them, and summoned her courage. “Hi, girls! How are you?” she whispered. The words were so soft that the others didn’t hear. They glided away on a whistling air current without even noticing her.

  Feeling disappointed, Maya watched them flying off into the distance. But then she noticed a pegasus with a purple mane who was floating all by herself. Maya flew over to her with a flutter of wings. “HELLO! WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” she said, this time far too loudly.

  The stranger looked her up and down. In a flat voice, she answered, “Selena.”

  “I’m Maya. Umm … are you a Melowy, too?” Maya asked, trying to make conversation.

  “Of course,” the pretty pegasus replied.

  Now Maya felt silly. Selena had to be a Melowy! Only Melowies, the pegasuses born with a symbol on their wings and a hidden magical power, could go where they were going.

  Danielle Star has done a bit of everything. She’s been an assistant cook at a famous French pastry shop, the editor of a fashion magazine, and a dance teacher. Once she started writing, though, she never stopped. Today she lives in the English countryside with her five horses; her cat, Sugar Cube; and her dog, Fluffy. Every morning before she starts writing, she drinks a big wild strawberry smoothie and reads a good book.