Page 170 of Frost and Death
Iscreamin my defeated rage, collapsing onto the frozen lake at my dead sister’s feet.
Through every harrowing gasp, I roar her name over and over andover—screamingandpleadingfor this torture to end, for this not to be real.
I lament for my mother, my father, for Runa.
But it doesn’t stop.
Thepainwon’t stop.
A sharp icicle wedges itself over my heart, preventing me from dying with them—being with them. I curse and shriek more, slamming my fists into the lake, desperate for this ice to melt and swallow me whole.
Even when my voice is hoarse and aching—Istillscream.
“YOU CAN’T TAKE THEM ALL AWAY FROM ME!”
Frost slams outward from my fists, my own tears freezing on top of the lake.
I crawl to my sister, wrapping my arms around her legs and burrowing into the cold, frozen statue, hoping it will spread and take me, too.
“Take me,” I plea to the clouds above, only to be met with silence.
“Take me to my family! You can’t leave me alone here!” I shriek.
A frigid burst of wind blasts through me as I plea the words, slamming a fist on the ground again. “TAKE ME!”
My voice breaks from the pain, the ice evolving around me yet not doing what I desperately seek for it to do.
I toss my hands, insistent on escaping this nightmare.
“KILL ME!” I roar as darkness surrounds me.
I cling to Runa’s body, the void creeping and igniting a small hope within.
Praises and gratitude to the Makers are on the tip of my tongue when a rush of heat plasters itself against my back.
It latches onto me, warmth cascading through my blood. The searing inferno tries to separate me from Runa, but I fight it, unwilling to be parted from the last piece of my family.
The last piece of my heart.
“No! You can’t stop me from being with them!”
I wrestle against the heat attempting to smother and silence me and my grief. My hold on Runa tightens despite the flames burning me from the inside out.
Maybe this is Letum coming to drag me into Oblivion.
I shrivel at the thought, refusing to be apart from my family.
A deep voice echoes in the wind,“Please, come back to me.”
I pause, and my heart skips. My fight lessens as I sniff and wipe the tears with the sleeve of my shirt.
Into the darkened, frozen void, I question, “Father?”
Has he come to take me? Is this real?
Come find me, Father. Please.
I cannot live without you all. I want to see your face again. I want to see Mother’s face again. I need to see Runa’s jade-green eyes and tell her I did try, and I am so sorry.
