Page 6 of A Shard of Ice

All around us, fae and humans alike are dancing in the snow that is falling faster and faster, turning the baked earth white.

Taylor’s back bows, his muscles pulling tight. His face turns red. It’s as if the snow is hurting him. How can that be?

The rest of us are fine. It isn’t the snow. It can’t be. I don’t understand what is going on.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, panic etched in every word. “What can I do to help you?”

Taylor’s eyes lock with mine for a moment as he screams and writhes.

Then he tears at his clothes. “Fire. On fire!” he yells.

“You’re not on fire. You’re fine. It’s snow, only snow.”

I try to hold him still by placing my hands on his chest, but he rips free, curling in on himself.

Damon

Fire!

I’m on fire!

Snow is falling. It’s cold to the touch, and yet, I’m burning up. My skin is aflame. Pain courses through me. It feels like I’m burning up from the inside out. My brain. My skin. My very bones are on fire.

Help me!

I gasp as my back bows from the sheer agony coursing through me. My eyes are wide in my skull. I can’t shut them. The fiery pain is most evident across my back. It scorches into me. My clothes feel too tight. Like the fabric is melting into me. I try to tear them from me, but my hands won’t work properly.

I scream.

It is excruciating. I make a guttural noise from deep in my throat as I fold in on myself, trying desperately to make it stop.

It’s hell! I’m burning…burning…burning. I can barely breathe.

“You’renoton fire. You’re fine. It’s snow, only snow,” Kyrie tells me; her eyes are filled with panic as she tries to console me. To hold me still.

All of my muscles tighten against my will. There is more pain. So much pain. I can’t take much more. My head is pounding. Fire shoots through my veins. I scream again, but this time, I don’t make a sound. As quickly as the pain hits, it subsides. I roll onto my back, breathing hard. I feel sweat drip down my brow despite the snow falling onto me, covering me.

There is a loud ringing in my ears that turns into a maddening thumping. It is my own heart pounding loudly. Something runs through my veins. Something more than blood. It’s like a humming beat that snakes its way through me, warming me. I know what it is…I know.

Magic. It’s magic.

My magic.

Foreign and yet familiar all at once. I look at my hands, holding them up, feeling the power at my fingertips. My hands feel different. Everything feels different.

It all comes back to me with a clarity that boggles my mind.

What sorcery is this?

How?

Why?

Kyrie’s look of concern has morphed into horror. “Taylor? What is going on?” Her eyes dart about my face. They go to my ears. “Why are…what?” She shakes her head. “No! No, it can’t be.” Her eyes have filled with tears. She covers her mouth with her hand.

I jump to my feet.

“What happened to your hair?” Zara asks me. “Are those…?” She frowns. “What happened to you? Taylor?” Her eyes narrow with distrust.

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