Page 28 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

He shrugged. “That’s quite easy glamour.”

“And how did you get into my room?”

“We’re Ancients.” He rolled his eyes. “We can go to many places.”

She exhaled. “True. You can move through the hollow. Like a deathbringer.”

“Death.” He waved a hand. “Such a dramatic name for the magic that’s closest to ours.”

“Can you kill someone with your stare?”

He chuckled. “Can a deathbringer do that? Or are those just stories? You know, it pays to make people fear you.”

“My father says we shouldn’t show the true extent of our power.”

“If you plan to use it, you might hide it.” He looked at her. “Is that why you hide your power?”

“This?” She pointed to the flame still burning in her hand. “It’s because nobody else has it.”

River shook his head. “Either your father or mother had it.” He frowned. “I had no idea humans… You said you’re the only one with fire?”

“Magic manifests differently in different people. This has to be deathbringing.”

He stared at her flame for a moment, as if unsure. “If you say so.”

Naia was getting angry. Angry that he’d disappeared and had never sent a word, angry that he was in her bedroom and wasn’t even giving her any proper explanation. “Why are you here? Are the fae returning?”

He put the poker back in its place. “We never left.”

“You know what I mean. War. Is there a war coming?”

He waved a dark-nailed finger in the air. “There’s always a war brewing somewhere, not always related to the fae.”

“The attacks in the villages. Do they have anything to do with the fae?”

He paused for a few seconds, and looked up, as if thinking. “Having anything to do is a very broad concept.” He stared back at her. “But if you’re wondering if Ancients caused these attacks, I’ll say no. But you might be right that there could be a war brewing. I have a proposal for you. Leave this gathering and go back home. There are dark times ahead.”

Naia felt her stomach lurch. “So the fae are going to attack.”

River ran his hands through his hair, revealing the pointy tip of his right ear. “I didn’t say that. I’m just saying… You can choose to be safe.”

“Was it the fae behind the watersnake?”

His eyes widened and he stiffened. “What watersnake?”

“In a lake. Outside the dome. I was there.”

From surprise, his face turned into horror, but then he relaxed again. “You think that the fae who are hiding in their underworld are behind a watersnake? Unlikely, Naia.”

“So you do remember my name.”

He chuckled. “I remember more than your name.” He got close to her. “What about you? What do you remember?”

She had to look up to talk to him at that distance. “Your name. River. If that’s really your name.”

“What about our kiss?”

She could see his red-brown irises, even if the pupils were so large, and focused on his eyes, avoiding looking at his lips. “Of course I remember it. I feared it had been a deadly kiss. It seems it was.”

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