Page 45 of A Storm of Fire and Ice

To my surprise, I found myself in the Ice Castle, frosty and unyielding. Yet, my heart felt strangely warm despite the chill in the air.

A cold hand reached for mine. It was Fannar. His gorgeous white hair flowed down his back, and he flashed one of his slight smiles at me. His icy blue gaze met mine.

The intensity of his stare made me feel weak in the knees, but it also filled me with a sense of comfort and belonging that I had never felt before.

“Fannar,” I whispered, unable to articulate anything more.

Without a word, he pulled me into his embrace, his strong arms wrapping around me and his body radiating a coldness that felt exhilarating. My heart raced as I melted into him, his breath on my neck as he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my skin. This was where I belonged. In his arms.

That’s when I knew.

My eyes flew open, a sudden clarity washing over me. I finally allowed myself to sink into the luxurious bed. I drifted off to sleep, knowing with absolute certainty where my heart truly belonged.

Though Fannar and I didn’t have an all-powerful force split between us like Aria and Asher, he was my balance, my other half.

The Fire Kingdom may be my past, my birthright, my home—but my future wasn’t here. It was wherever Fannar was.

Chapter Fourteen

Gwyneira

BrontesandFannarwereat it again. Their voices grated like steel off the gym walls. As another quarrel flared between them, I watched on with a silent sigh.

The bickering showed no signs of cooling. Their tempers were more becoming of petty boys than the nobles they truly were. At that point, I abandoned my attempts to intervene. Gathering my belongings, my cheeks burned with frustration. Perhaps a nice lunch would soothe my rattled nerves.

Just as Brontes was about to deliver another retort, Fannar’s head snapped around with lightning speed, like a compass pointing north to its destination. His attention completely focused on the gym doors, as though he could sense a sudden shift in energy before he even saw her.

The doors flew open, slamming against the walls with a resounding crash, and a familiar, boisterous voice echoed through the gym, causing my heart to leap in my chest. “You guys miss me?”

Helena sauntered into the gym, her wildly red hair bouncing in waves around her shoulders and her green eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

“Helena!” I exclaimed, breaking through the previous tension between Brontes and Fannar.

The sight of her brought a surge of relief, joy, and intrigue all at once. How did her trip to the Fire Kingdom go? Did she meet her sister? Did she resolve the bad blood the Fire Kingdom had for the Ice Kingdom? My mind raced with questions, but I was content to let them swirl unanswered for now.

“About time you showed up,” Brontes grumbled, though his hostile expression softened.

“I see you had a fight with the fireball launcher, babe,” Helena quipped at the sight of Fannar covered in red paint splatter.

My brother didn’t respond. His eyes met Helena’s, and the air grew eerily still, as if the world seemed to hold its breath. As their gazes locked, a torrent of emotions flowed through them in a silent conversation that only they could understand.

My heart pounded in my ears as we waited for one of them to speak. But no words came, and the silence stretched on. The future of our team hung in the balance, and the gravity of our destiny suddenly felt heavier than ever before.

Once Helena returned, we took a break from training and enjoyed lunch together. She shared her adventures in the Fire Kingdom with us, and we told her about Headmaster Moira’s theory that our Combined Enchanted abilities could be instrumental in defeating Obsidia.

“So what now?” I asked.

“We have to train hard,” Brontes answered firmly. “All of us must gain control over our secondary powers so we can reach our full potential. Assuming we can do that, we can come up with a strategy to fight Obsidia that takes advantage of all our powers.”

“You know how to do that?” Helena asked.

Brontes nodded. “My father always insisted on teaching me as much military history as he could. I can finally put all those hours to use.”

“But the three of us have been training for three days now,” Fannar reminded. “You and I aren’t even close to summoning our secondary powers.”

“Perhaps we’ve been approaching this all wrong,” Brontes said thoughtfully. “True, we’ve been training together, hoping the powers would appear on their own, but we haven’t stopped and just learned how to summon them.”

“Learn from who?” Helena chimed in.

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