Frost Burn

by K T Munson

  At the water’s edge, she summoned more powerful magic than ever before in her life. She heated up a narrow path of the sea bed in front of her, stretching from the shore to the iceberg. Reaching miles and miles beneath water level, to the solid rock of the planet, she began to melt it. Sweat dripped down her back like rainwater as wisps of steam appeared over the surface, and a long, narrow, orange glowing strip of lava appeared beneath it. Thea raised her hands slowly, looking like she was singlehandedly lifting a two-ton boulder, and pulled the lava up from the depths of the sea. The glowing strip got brighter, and the ocean above it was moved to a rolling boil as the lava breached the surface. She released her magic and let the sea cool it into a rugged, sturdy path that extended two miles from the shore to the iceberg, and was miles and miles deep.

  Thea dropped to her knees, nearly falling, but caught herself with one hand. The world was spinning, and she blinked a few times to still it. Fitzu and her soldiers began arriving on shore as she started to come to her senses.

  “Thea!” Fitzu cried. He rested a hand on her shoulder and crouched by her side, gazing at her with deep concern.

  Seeing Fitzu gave her strength. “Kirill collapsed,” she managed. Fitzu’s eyes went wide and he helped her to her feet. “Stay here with the men. Kill anything left of Ekil’s army that remains, but if they retreat, let them go. We don’t have time to fool with them.”

  Fitzu nodded. “Understood.”

  Thea ran out onto the path she had created. She barely felt the stone under her boots as she covered the two miles out toward the iceberg. It was the only option she had. She couldn’t sail a ship alone, and she couldn’t have Fitzu and her soldiers abandon the fifty on shore to sail her back, in case anything was left of Ekil’s army.

  It took her fifteen minutes to reach a ship that had been pushing the back of the iceberg. She grabbed one of the loose riggings that were dangling overboard, and hand over hand began to pull herself up toward the deck. She jumped on board and ran straight to the rope ladder that led to the top of the iceberg and started to climb. Her muscles screamed and trembled with exertion, and her brain demanded rest, but Thea carried on. She had to. Kirill was the only hope this iceberg and this planet had.

  Halfway up the rope ladder, her true and genuine care for Kirill weighed heavily on her. She realized in that moment that her concern for him had somehow moved beyond his necessity to the success of the quest; she genuinely liked him. He was very powerful and honorable, brave, and selfless. Sure, he was an arrogant ass sometimes, but Thea knew she could be, too. He’d somehow weaseled into her heart, and she had to admit to herself that she cared about him.

  Reaching the top of the iceberg, she jogged to the farthest eastern side where she’d seen him collapse. Sure enough, she spotted his fallen form.

  She ran to him and dropped to her knees. His eyes were closed, and he was completely still. “Kirill!” she cried and grabbed his cheeks with her bare hands on impulse. Her eyes went wide when he didn’t burn her. “Kirill!” she cried again. Not only must his ice shield have been down, but his core temperature had to be way too high if his natural cold couldn’t burn her.

  Thea was breathless with panic. She put on the wool gloves she’d stuffed behind the waist of her pants, and immediately began to shovel snow on top of him. She started with his arms and head and chest, leaving his face just clear so he could breathe, then moved down to his legs. Her knees burned as the ice and snow seeped through her pants and started turning her skin to stone. She endured it, though, since she couldn’t blaze her core for fear of bringing too much heat near him. Next, she ran and ripped off a few small pieces of the iceberg and laid them on and around his body.

  When he had about a foot of snow and ice piled on top of him, Thea crawled away from him to keep her own heat at bay. On her hands and knees like a cat, she anxiously watched and waited for him to respond. Long tense moments passed. Thea started shaking.

  Finally, Kirill took in a long deep breath and his eyes opened. He glanced around, confused, causing the snow to fall away from his head and his long, golden blonde hair to peek through. Thea let out a long breath and bowed her head in relief. He was alive. Looking back up at him, she realized he was too weak to move much. He lay in the pile of snow, staring at her in utter exhaustion.

  Thea clenched her teeth. “You’re an idiot, you know that?” she bellowed. “Did you forget that you were holding together a twenty-four-square mile ice island? You think you can take control of an entire hail storm on top of that?”

  Kirill surprised her by smiling brightly. “Don’t pretend you aren’t impressed.”

  Thea froze, and then bowed her head again as laughter took her over. It was quiet at first, but soon full-blown laughter shook her entire body. She sat down, too tired to hold it back. Through her half-closed eyes, she saw Kirill sit up in the snow pile across from her, laughing as well.

  When she was finally able to calm down, she looked at the Frost Knight fondly. “You saved my men’s lives on that shore,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Kirill nodded once. “You saved my life just now. Thank you.”

  Thea grinned and nodded in response. “How are you feeling?”

  Kirill nodded and pulled some snow up on his lap to cover his legs. “Better. Not great, but better. A little while under some snow and ice and I should be fine.”

  Thea nodded and sighed heavily. “I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but there were Frost Nation soldiers in that army that attacked us.”

  Kirill’s eyes widened. “What?”

  Thea nodded. “I knew most of the army. The leader’s name is Ekil, and that was his band of religious fanatics who hate magic users. I’ve had run-ins with them in the past, but they’ve never had any blue-and-silver-clad members before.” Seeing the vein in Kirill’s neck start to pulse, she pressed her lips together, regretting what she had to say next. “He said that another, bigger band of his tribe was planning an assault on Frost Nation soil.”

  The snow around Kirill fell away dully as he climbed to his feet. “What?”

  Thea got to her feet as well, holding her hands up to try to calm him. “Don’t worry. Ekil said their targets were my husband and my sister.” She swallowed heavily. “My Queen, not yours. They evacuated to the Frost Nation when Tamon exploded.”

  Kirill sighed, rubbing his hand over his jaw, which had grown some golden stubble. He was clearly trying to stay calm as he gazed to the south toward his homeland. He eventually met Thea’s eyes again. “Are you all right?”

  Thea nodded. “I’m okay.” She was lying, but she didn’t want him to know that.

  Kirill pressed his lips together sympathetically and took a step toward her. He even reached out his hand to rest on her shoulder. He was so close that he had to look down at her face. “Thea?”

  Somehow, some way, she trusted this man. She trusted him, and she had no idea why. She burst into tears, and Kirill instantly pulled her against his chest in an embrace. He was still too warm to burn her, so she allowed herself to cry against him. She was torn between feeling uncomfortable at letting a fellow soldier see her weakness—a man who was still pretty much a stranger to her—and being relieved at the opportunity to cry and be held by someone big and brawny who could keep her sane and hold her together. Kirill was powerful. She didn’t have anything to be afraid of with him. She cried for a long time. The only other person she’d ever let see her like this was her husband.

  “No,” she ended up sobbing. She pulled away, tears still falling down her cheeks, and looked up at him with her brows furrowed. “I want to go home, Kirill. I know you do, too.” She sniffed and swiped her sleeve over her soaked cheek before looking back up at him. “So let’s get this done and go home.”

  Kirill nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

  Frost: Chapter Twenty-Nine

  They stood on the western shoreline, where the Isle of Ice was just visible in the distance. Aradel wore her finest gown of silver and blue as she wat
ched soldiers carry Queen Vesna’s coffin of ice. She could just make out her shadowy figure inside, but Aradel knew she was gone. The closest thing she had to a mother had died silently in her sleep. She had seen her on the battlefield, but now the young girls sang her soul into the goddess’s embrace.

  The words were in the old tongue that had been mostly lost with time. It was the language used to communicate with their goddess, and only the priestesses learned it. The final rite of a soul was the first thing they learned. Let pure and innocent voices carry a wayward soul to the goddess, souls that did not want to leave this life, and those they loved. Though Queen Vesna was gone, she had not been unwilling to leave this mortal realm after her accident during the quake. It had been her time, and she knew it, because her soul had smiled when Aradel had been given the moon pearls.

  Aradel glanced to her right at Prince Coor and Queen Darha. They were bundled up to the point that she wasn’t sure they could see to the left or right. Normally the thought would have made her smile, but today was a sad day. It was the day she had to say goodbye. To move on, but never forget. To never forget Queen Vesna’s vision for their future. It had been unparalleled, and Aradel intended to carry it on.

  Queen Darha turned to her, looking both sad and hopeful as their eyes met. A mutual understanding seemed to pass between them before Darha nodded her head. Aradel did the same before facing forward. They both knew she would honor Queen Vesna’s pledge of peace between their nations during these trying times.

  The Knights waded into the ocean, and Aradel stepped forward, turning to the gathered crowd. She was no longer Aradel the candidate, or Aradel the outcast. She was Queen Aradel. She would do Vesna the honor of being worthy of the title that the moon pearls had bestowed upon her.

  “Queen Vesna had the most courage of any woman I had ever known. She was brave in the face of adversary, and she was the embodiment of compassion. So, I ask on this day of mourning that you not dwell on the fact that she has left us, but instead think of how she lived. Remember that moment when she affected your life with the gentle touch that only she could give. Remember her for the leader she was and the example she set. It is the example I hope to follow.” Aradel did her best to hide the depth of her grief.

  She turned back and nodded to the Knights as she called out the final parting with everyone joining in. They were one voice, and one heart, as Vesna drifted out into the Ashtra Sea. “May the Goddess watch over and protect this soul, and may we in turn be protected when our time comes. For the Goddess is kind and merciful.” They watched as Vesna’s coffin of ice floated away from the shore.

  Aradel stood just a little ahead of the group, as was her place. She stood there to lead them, but she felt very much alone. She heard boots crunching in the snow, and turned when she felt someone come up beside her. She wasn’t surprised to find Queen Darha —the only person who would understand what Aradel was going through as a young Queen—standing next to her.

  “My mother died unexpectedly, too” Queen Darha said softly without turning her head.

  “That must have been difficult,” Aradel replied. She appreciated having the other woman there.

  “I never thought I deserved it,” she added, reaching black gloved fingers up to touch the decorative golden circle above her brow, “this crown.”

  That caught Aradel off guard as Queen Darha tucked her hand out of sight again. She hadn’t expected such candor from her. “Perhaps that is what makes you such a good queen.”

  Aradel saw Darha blink in surprise. She seemed to consider that as her brows furrowed together. Then slowly she turned her head and smiled. “I never thought of it that way.”

  “I understand that feeling better than anyone. Feeling like you don’t belong, like you’ll never belong. That no matter how hard you work, you’ll never be good enough,” Aradel admitted before looking toward the floating coffin again. “She made me forget all of it. She made me feel like I belonged until I finally did.”

  “She was a remarkable woman,” Queen Darha agreed, “and an even more remarkable queen.”

  “There will be none like her for some time.” Aradel decided.

  “I don’t agree,” Darha said, and their eyes met again. A feeling of being kindred spirits passed between them and they smiled. They would be facing this strange new world together as Queens and leaders of their nations, and hopefully as friends.

  A cold breeze snaked across the water and flew against Aradel’s face. She turned to it and took in the cold. She stopped, however, when Darha turned away from it, shivering. It was easy to forget that Queen Darha didn’t belong there. It was still as cold as winter inside The Wall—except nearest to the crack, where the heat was still seeping in and spreading. Aradel glanced over her shoulder at Prince Coor. He eyed them with a brotherly protectiveness that made her miss Kirill.

  “Queen Darha, perhaps it is time we went further north,” Aradel said, gesturing for them to get started.

  Queen Darha appeared to be relieved. “I agree,” she said gratefully, then hurried over to her brother as though she couldn’t get away from the cold fast enough. It made Aradel smile. Prince Coor put his arm protectively around her shoulders and held her close to his side to keep her as warm as he could, then loaded his sister into a sled. They hardly waited a second to get themselves settled before their assigned sled driver took off.

  Despite their similar feelings and similar circumstances, the two still came from different worlds. Aradel’s was ice cold, and too harsh for citizens of the Fire Nation, just as their home would be too harsh for her and her people to stay long.

  Aradel would join them shortly in the north, but for now, she issued a few orders, discussed Queen Vesna’s life, and helped others mourn her death. Slowly the crowd turned back to Axion.

  As she watched them go, High Priestess Kerin came to stand next to her. “Queen Aradel,” she said softly, “you have done well this day. Queen Vesna would be proud.”

  “High Priestess Kerin,” Aradel replied, turning to her, “your compliment is of the highest honor.”

  “It is,” she agreed with a nod. “And deserved.”

  Normally she would have joined hands with her to give an outward appearance of intimacy, but she was queen now. She was no longer bound by those rules. The Queen did not show favoritism to anyone without consequences. Not even to their holy leader.

  “How is Tristra?” Aradel asked on impulse.

  High Priestess Kerin hesitated only a moment before answering. “She is confused and misses her son.”

  “So do I,” Aradel admitted. “You must excuse me. I have business to the north. We are working out plans to harvest certain resources before they are too badly damaged.”

  “I understand and would offer my services,” High Priestess Kerin offered. “You will need a guide during this time.”

  “I have a small council,” Aradel informed her. “However, I appreciate your offer. Any concerns I think you may be able to address, I shall not hesitate to seek you out. For now, I am pressed for time. I wish you a good journey back to Axion.”

  A darkness passed over her face before it was gone. She was a proud woman, and Aradel knew it. High Priestess Kerin had always acted as though she was above everyone, as if her very good opinion outweighed everybody else’s. She was proud, and yet she was also compassionate. Once Aradel set boundaries, she knew High Priestess Kerin would respect them.

  “May the Goddess protect you,” was all the high priestess said before walking to her sled. Aradel watched it go before she turned toward her own sled, driven by Yorten.

  Aradel nearly tripped when she saw Tallus smiling down at her. She hadn’t expected to see him again for some time, and she realized that, even though they knew little about each other, she’d missed him.

  “Queen Aradel,” Tallus said, jumping down from the sled. He grinned at her in that same disarming way. It was good to see someone treat her exactly as before she had become queen.

  “How have yo
u been Tallus?” she asked carefully as he held out his hand to help her in.

  “Busy keeping The Wall together,” he said as she took it.

  She couldn’t look at him as she brought one foot up into the sled. She was all too aware of the feeling of his fingertips. The excited dogs pulled the sled forward a little and she stumbled. Tallus caught her around the waist to steady her, but oddly she only became acutely aware of the wolves whining, rather than his hands.

  “What is wrong with you?” Yorten demanded of the pups before glancing back at them both.

  “Are you all right?” Tallus asked, and she could hear his genuine concern.

  He steadied her with ease, and she tried to keep herself from blushing. It was difficult for her hide her feelings around him. She knew he could likely see right through anything she tried to do to mask them.

  “I’m fine.” Aradel managed. “Thank you.” She put a hand on the sleigh to steady herself, and he pulled his hands away from her side.

  Before she got up into the sleigh again, the ground suddenly started shifting beneath her. She gasped. It had been some time since the last quake, and she’d thought they would have a greater reprieve. Her arms flailed, and she felt Tallus take hold of her hand and lock his arm around her waist again.

  The dogs whined and Yorten yelled, “Get in!”

  Tallus hoisted her up into the sled before getting in behind her. She half fell into the seat as it was pulled forward. Although the world still shook around them, the moving sled seemed to counteract it slightly, so it wasn’t so disorienting. When she sat up, the wind pressed against her face, and she something before her eyes that made her heart drop. She didn’t understand what was happening! Along the western shoreline, she could see something out past The Wall that stood as tall as it. Her eyes went wide. There had never been a mountain there before; there shouldn’t be anything there taller than The Wall! She tightened her fingers around Tallus’s as fear gripped her heart.