Page 14 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

“I don’t know.”

Neither did Naia. A planned attack? But who would do it? And why?

* * *

Neither the icebreaking nor the watersnake had scared Leah as much as her magic. For a second she’d been in one of those awful nightmares, macabre figures reaching for her, about to suffocate her—until brilliant hands caught her and pulled her out of that horror.

Kasim was saying something as she put on her boots, but she ignored him and turned to see Fel rushing to her. Fel, who had saved her.

He didn’t look worried or even smug. If anything, he had what looked like an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry. Only later I noticed you were also doing something with your magic. Naia gets furious when I ruin her plans, and I hope you forgive me.”

He thought he’d interrupted her? Leah shook her head. “I have no idea what my magic was doing, and I doubt it was going to do anything useful.” And it had been terrifying, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She smiled. “You did well. Thank you so much.”

“Oh. Good, then.” He sat and started unlacing his skates with the same hands that had floated towards her, or were they different?

Leah pointed at them. “How do they work?”

He paused, then took off one of his gloves. What was underneath was like a hand made of silver bones, but then the pieces floated and formed a sphere, spinning in the air.

“That’s amazing,” she said. Well, everything about him was amazing, and he was so beautiful that looking at him almost hurt. Still, that was some incredible display of magic, and he did it so naturally.

“I guess.” He looked down, put his hand back in place and into the glove, then resumed taking off his skates and then putting his boots on.

Leah couldn’t take her eyes off his fingers. “You’re using magic now.”

He bit his lip, then nodded. “I use it most of the time, barely even notice, I guess.” He then stared at her. “You don’t find it… odd? Or creepy?”

“Why? This is marvelous.” He was marvelous, and the thought made her tremble. She then smiled. “And I’m a necromancer. What most people call creepy doesn’t faze me. But your magic is the opposite of creepy.”

He smiled again, this time showing cute dimples. “Well, my father’s a deathbringer. Your family is not the only one with death magic.”

Leah smiled, then their eyes met, and she looked away quickly. It took her a moment to steady her breath.

When they all had their boots on, they walked back to the carriage. Kasim sat outside, in the front, Leah and the twins inside. That was how she found herself beside Fel, which was scary in a way, but also good because she was curious about him.

When the carriage started moving, she gathered her courage and asked him, “Do you also have some of your father’s magic?”

Fel shook his head. “None. He says it’s a good thing. Sometimes he speaks of it almost like a curse.”

“But deathbringing can be good, right? Your father could teleport wherever he wants, without a portal.”

He nodded. “In theory, yes, but he says it’s not that simple. I guess it does something to his mind, gives him nightmares or something.”

“Doesn’t everyone have nightmares?”

That dimpled smile again. “Maybe. What about you? Your mother’s a greenbringer, right?”

“Yes, but I only got my father’s magic.”

“What’s it like? To be a necromancer?”

She enjoyed talking about the magic she loved. “There are two types of necromancy: you can re-awaken a dead body, but for a limited time, and you can communicate with the spirits of the dead, when they allow you to. My father uses it when the dead need to speak, and I sometimes accompany him. I’m still learning necromancy, but I can do it, yes.”

Fel raised his eyebrows. “You can re-awaken a dead body?”

“For a few seconds.”

“Is it true that a necromancer could raise an army of the dead?”

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