Page 5 of A Storm of Fire and Ice

My vision blurred, and a wave of horror washed over me like a torrential storm. We were under siege, the castle breached. The walls shuddered, rippling and buckling inward until they finally exploded in a shower of fire and smoke. The debris scattered everywhere, large chunks of stone and mortar hurled in all directions as bright, hissing flames engulfed the hallway, separating us from the guards.

I scrambled to my feet, panic rising. Brontes was already up, his eyes and hands wild with sparks, rushing to put himself between me and the impending danger.

“Brontes!” I screamed, reaching out for him. The ground beneath us shook again, making it nearly impossible to keep my balance.

“Gwyneira, get to the bunker!” he bellowed back at me.

I hesitated. From his stance, it was clear he had no intention of seeking refuge inside the bunker. Fighting was his only plan. My home had become a cacophony of destruction, but every instinct screamed at me to stay with him.

A stray ball of fire sizzled past my head, scorching the wall behind me. I gasped, my head snapping to face the broken wall where the fireball had emerged. Surely, our attacker was a Fire Enchanted. The Fire Kingdom accused the Ice Kingdom of murdering their princess years ago. Had they come to take their revenge by slaying me, the Ice Kingdom’s only princess?

Brontes raised his arms up, deflecting a barrage of icy spikes with a shield of wind. My heart stuttered.Ice Enchanted?

As I stumbled back, trying to process what was happening, a figure suddenly shot out from behind the fiery wall and darted to Brontes, slugging him across the face.

“No!”I screamed. Icicles formed in my hands as I prepared to defend my home.

And then, through the haze of smoke, confusion, and fear, I saw him. I almost didn’t recognize him dressed in all black.

Fannar?

My beloved older brother stood tall and formidable, his shoulder-length white hair whipping around his face like a tempest, glacial blue eyes cold and unyielding, his hands glowing with icy power. He looked every bit the powerful prince he was, but there was a darkness I had never seen before.What is Fannar doing here with a Fire Enchanted?

Fannar unleashed another torrent of icy spears at Brontes. I barely recognized the vengeful figure before me as the same person who had once snuck books and candy to my room. He was now locked in a life-or-death battle with my fiancé.

Brontes roared, unleashing a thunderclap. Fannar countered it easily, icy fractals spiraling from his palms. They clashed again and again, neither gaining ground.

“Run, Gwyneira! Get to the bunker!” Brontes yelled, dodging Fannar’s relentless attacks.

My body trembled, paralyzed by my swirling emotions, unable to tear my eyes away. Every fiber of my being was being torn apart, watching the two most important people in my life fight one another. Ice and lightning clashed around them, illuminating their equally matched power and heightening the intensity of their battle.

The sheer force of Fannar’s ice powers sent Brontes hurling toward the wall, freezing him in place. In response, Brontes unleashed a tornado that tore through the castle corridor, its deafening roar filling my ears.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my arm. I cried out as fingers seared my skin, and I looked up at a beautiful but tough-looking girl with flame-red hair also dressed in all black. Her piercing emerald-green eyes bore into mine with a determination that mirrored Fannar’s.

“Got her!” she shouted to my brother. “Let’s go!”

Fannar’s eyes flicked up, and he rushed behind my captor. I struggled to pull my arm out of the girl’s fiery grasp, but she tightened her hold on me, burning into me like a brand as she started to drag me away. I yelped in pain.

“NO, GWYNEIRA!” Brontes roared in desperation, his eyes wild with anger and helplessness. His anguished shout shattered my heart.

The sight of me being dragged away gave Brontes a second wind. His muscles strained against the icy bonds that held him to the wall, and, heaving with tremendous effort, he managed to break free, sending chunks of frost flying in every direction.

He charged forward, slamming his enormous body into Fannar with a loud thud. The two men crashed to the ground in a flurry of fists and ice shards. Despite Brontes’s larger size and greater strength, Fannar coated himself in a slippery layer of ice that made it difficult for Brontes to grapple him. Resolve crystallized within me. This needed to stop.

“BOTH OF YOU, STOP!” I yelled, finally finding my voice. Ice and lightning burst from my body, forcing the Fire Enchanted to release me in a shock of pain.

I stumbled forward, catching myself before falling to the ground. Brontes lunged toward me, but Fannar stepped in front of him, both looking ready to continue their fight.

“Fannar, what are you doing?!” I shouted, my chest heaving with frustration. “Brontes, put him down!”

“Fannar? Your brother?” Brontes held him by the collar and looked down at him in confusion.

“And who are you?” I demanded, turning to the fire girl.

Fannar and the girl looked at each other, but before anyone could answer, a swirling vortex of dark blues and purples sliced through the air, appearing before us. The portal, speckled with what seemed like tiny shimmering stars, crackled with energy, making every hair on my body stand on end.

Out of the portal stepped a woman unlike anyone I had ever seen. She looked to be a few years older than Brontes, with long, dark brown hair that flowed down her back, contrasting against her pale skin and eerily yellow eyes. She stood tall and regal, her mysterious aura enhanced by the futuristic clothing she wore. Sleek black garments hugged her body tightly, adorned with shimmering silver accents that resembled the night sky.

---