Page 12 of A Shard of Ice

Kyrie sighs, swallowing thickly.

The emry-lion hesitates for a moment, its glowing eyes fixed on us. Then, with a final low growl, it turns and disappears into the darkness, leaving us alone once more. Kyrie lets out a shaky breath. She snatches her hand away when she realizes that she has a grip on my arm. I don’t think she even realized that she was holding onto me until right now.

“I thought it might be a wurm,” she whispers.

“Thankfully not. You generally don’t hear or see those coming.”

“I’m glad I was keeping watch. We might have lost our camel,” she says, her voice still tinged with fear. “There might be more of them out there.” She shivers.

We’re taking turns keeping watch, and Kyrie insisted on taking the first turn.

I nod, scanning the surrounding desert for any sign of movement. The night is silent once again, the only sound being the soft rustling of the wind through the sand. I can feel the tension in Kyrie’s body as she stands beside me, her eyes darting nervously from side to side. “I wish I was armed.”

“I’m afraid that a sword won’t do much good against a wurm. I doubt it would help much against a desert bird, either.”

“Agreed, those lizard birds are terrifying. I’ve never seen one up close, and I hope it stays that way. We’re not going to make it out, are we?” she says, looking down for a moment.

“You’re normally far more positive than this.”

“We’re in the desert, a week away from making it out with enough supplies for only one person. Do you blame me?”

“We’ll be okay. We just need to take it one day at a time, that’s all. You should get some sleep. I’ll take the next watch,” I tell her.

She’s looking at me even though it’s dark, and she can’t see much. “What is it?”

“You’re an icefae.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Does that mean you have power? Is that why you’re not as worried as I am about making it out alive?”

“I have power, but I am only able to properly access it when near ice, snow, and water…the more water, in whatever form, the better. My powers will be at a minimum out here in the desert. I think that’s why I was sent here in the first place.”

She sighs.

“Some power is better than none. I’ll get us out of here…you’ll see,” I tell her.

Kyrie goes over to the bedroll and lies down, pulling the thin blanket over her shoulders. She’s facing away from me. It’s clear that she wants the conversation to be over.

“I didn’t know what I was. I thought I was human. I never imagined for a moment that I was a fae. I wasn’t lying to you, Kyrie,” I tell her, injecting sincerity into my voice.

My eyesight is better than a human’s. That means that I can see well in the dark. Right now, I see her body stiffen beneath the blanket.

“I didn’t know who I was…what I was. I swear it,” I repeat.

“I told you I didn’t want to talk to you. Not about anything that doesn’t involve surviving this ordeal. I don’t want to understand. I never will.” She sits up and looks back at me even though I know she can’t see more than a dark shadow. “I don’t care how you came to be in the salt mine or any of it, so you can save your breath. Quite frankly, I doubt I would believe any of it, anyway.”

Disappointment hits me like a sword to the gut. Quick and slicing.

“I thought I was human. I’ve been just as betrayed as—”

“Save it, Taylor.” She makes a small noise, narrowing her eyes. “Wait a minute. Is your name Taylor? Has that been a lie, too?”

Jessop’s tit, but this is a conversation I was hoping to have after explaining everything.

I push out a breath.

“It isn’t, is it?” Her voice is flat and devoid of emotion.

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