Page 58 of Golden Star

“That glow is the key buried beneath the ice,” he tells us. “Your task is to retrieve it.”

“This is insane.” Zoey’s eyes are wild, and she’s shaking with fear. “We can’t?—”

“You will,” he interrupts her, turning back to his knights. “Surround the lake. Be ready in case they try to leave prematurely. And be aware of potential threats. We never know what might be lurking in these parts.”

The knights obey, fanning out in a tight circle around the lake’s perimeter, their swords drawn and gleaming inthe morning light. Riven and Ghost fill in the final empty spot, their eyes trained on us.

Go,their expressions seem to say.Before you freeze to death.

Zoey’s staring hollowly at the ice.

“We need to think this through,” I tell her, knowing I’m going to have to be the voice of reason through this task, given her water aversion.

“Think it through?” Her eyes snap to mine, wild with panic. “I can’t go in there. I haven’t been in water since… you know when. I don’t even think I can swim anymore. I’ll drown.”

“You won’t have to.” I squeeze her arm gently, trying to reassure her. “I’ll be the one to go in.”

“No.” She shakes her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s too dangerous. How am I supposed to help if you’re drowning?”

“I have water magic,” I remind her with a small smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve known about your magic for aweek,”she says. “You were so bad at using it that you almost drowned us in my bathroom.”

I smile at the memory of us in her bathroom, soaked because the shower water sprayed everywhere.

That moment—and our entire lives in the mortal realm in general—feels like a lifetime ago.

“I think my magic’s getting stronger,” I tell her, and abuzz of energy rushes through me, as if it’s supporting my thought. “Ever since I got here, it’s like the magic of this world is sinking into my bones, helping me harness the power that’s always lived inside me.”

She frowns, apparently unconvinced, then looks back down at the glowing spot beneath the ice.

“Maybe you can project yourself beneath the surface,” she says. “Since Riven’s sword didn’t touch you when he tried to kill you, it’s possible that you can’t die in your projected form at all. So, even if something happens to you down there, you’ll be okay.”

“And then we’ll have to answer to the knights when they ask how we got the key while I was unconscious and you stayed up here with me,” I say softly, not wanting them to overhear. “I can’t give my secret away. Not yet.”

She glances down at the glowing ice again, studying it, as if she can figure out a solution that doesn’t involve me jumping in there.

As she does, Riven calls over from the shore, calm and mocking. “If you’re going to take a swim, I suggest you do it soon,” he says, leaning against Ghost, as if this is an entertaining show. “The water’s not getting any warmer.”

“If I freeze, I swear I’ll haunt you for the rest of your immortal life,” I call back, which seems to quiet him down—for now.

Satisfied, I turn back to Zoey.

“So, where were we?” I ask.

She examines her dagger, studying the blade. “I highly doubt these are sharp enough to cut through the ice. Unless they’re enchanted.”

“They’re definitely not enchanted,” I reply.

“How do you know?”

“I can sense it,” I try to explain. “There’s no magic in them. It’s like they’re dead or something.”

She raises an eyebrow, no longer focused on her dagger. “So, you have a sixth sense now for magic now?”

“Apparently so,” I say, and even though I doubt it’ll work, I raise my dagger and ram the tip of it into the ice.

It barely leaves a mark.

---