Page 10 of Ties of Frost

This was a tainted form of elf magic. I’d never encountered it before, but I’d heard of it. An ice curse. The magic was racing toward Zidra’s heart and would freeze her from the inside out.

I coated my hand in pliable ice, then gripped the bolt. Even through my protective layer of magic, the bolt was freezing. I yanked the weapon of pure magic out and threw it aside with furious strength despite how my hands trembled.

Zidra’s teeth continued to chatter, and she didn’t stop shivering.

Iskyr, how do I help her?

“It’s going to be all right; just hold on.” I placed my clammy hands over the puncture in her arm. Trying toignore the slick warmth of her blood, I focused on carefully sending my magic into her.

My magic didn’t have to have ice or snow in it, but it was always cold. Would this make things worse? My throat tightened so I could hardly breathe. What if I killed her? My rival, my best friend, my only true equal among the rengiri.

No, I needed to focus. Not imagine my failure and her death before I’d even tried.

I sensed the twisted magic spreading ice through Zidra’s veins.

“Iskyr,” I prayed aloud. My voice warbled. “Guide me and save her.”

I latched onto the dark magic with my own. My scream of pain mingled with Zidra’s, but I gritted my teeth and continued. Slowly, bit by bit, I dragged the tainted ice magic away from her heart and back toward the entry point. Sweat ran into my eyes. The curse raged, trying to escape my hold. Every time I neared her wound, the magic not only strengthened but burned against my power, causing both Zidra and me pain.

“I can’t—I can’t do it.” My arms vibrated from the strain. “I can’t extract it.”

But maybe I didn’t need to. Maybe all I needed was to hold it back until we could find a healer.

I couldn’t hold this and move her, though. Unless…?

Ice elves could embed magic into almost anything for defensive traps—stone, wood, cloth, metal, trees. Living plants were the most difficult, but I had managed it many times.

This time, I would embed my magic as a barrier to bind the magic poisoning Zidra. I poured my magic into her arm, using the techniques used on plants to ensure I wouldn’t cause her frostbite or otherwise harm her.

“Please, Iskyr, make this work.”

I withdrew my magic and then released my crushing grip on Zidra’s upper arm. My body felt heavy and numb as I sat back. My toes tapped a rhythm on the dirt. I pinched a gemstone earring and rubbed the stone between my fingers.

A relieved sigh eased from Zidra. Her shivers slowed, then stopped, and her teeth ceased chattering.

“Zidra?” I asked hoarsely.

When she didn’t respond, I rolled her onto her back. Her eyes were closed, her breath slow and even.

She must have passed out.

I found the thin knife Zidra kept in her right boot in case of emergencies and used it to cut a strip of cloth off the edge of my tunic. After I bandaged her wound, I checked my own injury. The short, shallow cut had already scabbed over. It looked a mess and twinged with certain movements, but it could wait until I had access to clean water and bandages. In the flickering light of the dying candle, I retrieved my swords and returned to Zidra’s side.

She was still unconscious. The longer that ice curse and my magic remained in her arm, the greater the risk of something going wrong. She needed to see a healer at once. When an attempt to wake her didn’t work, I scooped her into my arms. Her cheek rested against the buckle on oneof my baldrics. Murmuring apologies, I jostled her and wiggled until she seemed more comfortably tucked against my chest.

At least my misjudgment in leaving the city ill-prepared meant she could rest against my soft tunic rather than hard armor.

I carried her to the base of the ladder just as the candle sputtered out. My magic lifted us out of the cellar. A glittering slab of ice crystalized beneath my feet, and soon we were flying over the countryside, back toward Laedresh.

Between the imperial palace and Harcos Academy stood Merael’s Infirmary and University. Founded five hundred years ago in honor of a great light elf healer, the infirmary was still mostly staffed by elves, but human and shifter healers worked and studied there as well. The best healers in the Laedreshian Empire trained at Merael’s, and many of them served there.

The front doors were locked when I arrived. Only moonlight illuminated the sprawling building of white stone, as the lanterns framing the entryway had been extinguished. Unwilling to put Zidra down, I kicked the door.

“Hello! I need help! Is anyone here?” I slammed my boot into the wood, not caring if I damaged the carvings. “Please! We need a healer! It’s urgent!”

Zidra stirred in my arms, but instead of waking, she buried her face in my tunic with a groan.

The door shook beneath my persistent kicking. “Is anyone in the infirmary? Please!”

---