Page 146 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

“Leah, stop it. Stop it.” How could his voice be gentle and desperate at the same time?

“I can’t.”

“Let go. I think you’re dying.”

“Escape. Survive.” It was even hard to speak.

He held her tighter. “I didn’t say it before, and I’m sorry. I love you. I’ve always done. Let go. I’ll figure out something. We’ll survive this together. I promise. Let go. Let go of that magic. Come back.”

But she was too far gone to stop now, that thing was controlling her, sucking her life away.

The gentle arms around her then turned her suddenly. One of them was now choking her. Everything went black.

* * *

So the kingof the white fae, or Ancients, looked just like River. Not that he was good looking. There was a certain severity to his features, a frown and a harshness that made his face unpleasant. Perhaps it was some kind of weariness, fear, despair, like she’d seen in this city. Nature was dry and everything was dead, and that certainly didn’t make things easy for them. What Naia was wondering was if that king was River’s brother or father, and why River had never told her anything about it. Well, he hadn’t told her anything at all, so there was no point wondering about any lack of information.

Naia curtsied, even if she knew white fae had no authority over humans, but she did it to show respect and good will.

The king stared at her.

“State your purpose.”

That meant she was finally allowed to speak. “I want to understand what’s happening here. To help,” she added.

“Who are you?”

She sighed and decided to be honest. “I’m Naia Umbraar, and I know River, who said he had no last name. He’s worried about you, and I’m worried too.”

The king frowned. “And what exactly is your worry, human?”

“It seems you’ve been in this city for a while, right? And things look a little dead here. I don’t know what’s happening, but I can imagine that whatever caused this isn’t good.” She realized that she sounded lost and completely out of her environment, and that her offer to help was laughable at best. “I’m River’s friend, so I’m your friend too.”

A laugh escaped the king’s lips. “Indeed. River is quite friendly to humans.”

The girl sitting beside the king then said, “Do you have a message from him?”

“No.” She was sounding utterly ridiculous and feared these people would think she was a lunatic. “But I know he’s worried about you.”

The young man sitting beside the king frowned. “Since yesterday?”

The king put a hand on the young man’s arm and whispered something to him, who then looked confused and asked, “How long? How long has it been?”

None of the fae said anything, but Naia thought she could give some information. “The war against the humans was almost twenty years ago, and you haven’t been seen since then.” The two younger fae on the dais shifted and looked at each other. Naia then asked, “Have you been sleeping during this time?”

“We were resting, yes,” the king said, without showing any surprise. It was eerie how much he looked like River. He continued, “So you want to help us?”

“If I can.”

The king nodded and got up. “Follow me.” He turned to the guards and to the young royals on the dais. “You too.”

His tone was friendly, but she wished they would unshackle her, not that she couldn’t do it herself, it was just that it meant they still didn’t trust her, and then, by consequence, she didn’t trust them either.

They crossed a door leading to large stone steps going down to a tunnel made of compact earth, with dried roots or vines along it. That place might have been green before, but like all of that city and the surrounding area, was now dry and dead. They wouldn’t be able to survive much longer like this, unless they left this place, but she wasn’t sure if they were able to do so. She wasn’t sure why River claimed he wasn’t allowed to get in either. Hopefully a lot of it would be cleared up now.

Something pricked her arm. Naia looked, and saw the young woman with white hair pulling her hand with those sharp claws, but she wasn’t staring at her, but at the king, and said, “Father, why are we going to the anti-magic cell? Is there a prisoner there we’re going to see?”

So the girl was a princess. Anti-magic? Prisoner? But there was nothing threatening in the king’s or even the guards’ manners.

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