Page 7 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

2

The Necromancer Castle

Blood covered the walls and floor of the ballroom. That and bodies, bodies everywhere. Leah’s feet were bare, stepping on granite tiles now viscous and red. She stopped walking, then tried to put her hands together. They crossed through one another.

The feeling of blood on her feet was gone. This was a dream. At least it wasn’t one of those weird ones—or a nightmare. Blood and death she could deal with.

Her father’s voice came to her. Necromancy is life; a wisp of it, condensed and returned to the dead, to give them one last chance. And necromancy in dreams was different, much more powerful than in reality. Leah made her way to the great window. Around her, blood disappeared, wounds healed, bodies became whole again, people got up. She didn’t dare look at anyone too close, didn’t want to see whose bodies were there, didn’t want to let the dream control her. All she wanted was to get to the window and look at the sky. There was always solace there, always an escape from even the most dreadful horror.

She reached her destination, ignoring everything behind her as she stared through the glass. There, flying in the sky, was the silver dragon. Her silver dragon, always present in both her dreams and her nightmares.

Long, wingless, with iridescent scales, it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. And it brimmed with power, so much power that she could sense it even from a distance. But its beauty and power were nothing compared to how she felt when seeing it. Her pain, her fears, her worries all disappeared, as if the sight was a balm to her soul. Her chest brimmed with love—such an amazing feeling—until she opened her eyes.

The curtains of her four-poster bed were closed, but some light was coming through them. This was it; the day the remaining royal delegations would arrive. The gathering was starting. Leah should be happy, should be excited. She did pretend it, especially in front of her mother, who’d been preparing her for this occasion for so long. But the truth was that Leah wished she could turn around and hide in her dreams, even with the blood, bodies, and everything.

No. Nerves were normal. She shouldn’t listen to her fears, no matter how much her heart pounded in her chest, no matter how much her stomach felt strange and cold and hollow. The kings and queens would discuss the mysterious attacks, and they would find a solution. Plus, she was indeed looking forward to the balls. Real balls, right here in the castle! And she was curious to meet the other princes and princesses from Aluria. Perhaps she’d even make a few friends. And perhaps there was a nice, handsome prince among them.

And then perhaps there wasn’t. Her mother would pick a husband for her regardless.

* * *

The pebbledroad was a lot smoother than Naia had imagined. It was strange to cross the portal into such a white world. Even in the carriage, wearing a fur coat, she felt her face and hands getting cold, and wished her gloves hadn’t been tucked deep in her trunk. She could probably use her magic to get warm, but wasn’t in the mood for a scolding from her father.

As she watched the snowy landscape through the window, she considered the upcoming festivities. She and her brother would finally be introduced to the other royal families in Aluria, and she was curious to see in person everyone who apparently hated them, including her mother’s family and some cousins who pretended that she and Fel didn’t exist. And then there was another reason that made her excited to visit another kingdom for the first time: knowledge. Having access to a different library and to more people, perhaps she could learn more about the fae.

What have you done? The question still echoed in her mind, had never faded, even after almost a year had passed.

A meeting with royals from all over the kingdom could be an opportunity to seek an answer. For now, she appreciated the white landscape; the trees covered in snow as if embraced by clouds, except that the windows of the carriage were getting foggier and foggier, and she eventually gave up trying to see beyond them.

As she turned back inside, a sight surprised her: her father was looking down, his legs restless. She glanced at her brother to see if he noticed it too, but he was playing with his hands, oblivious. Naia took another look at her father. It wasn’t an impression; he was nervous.

Strange. She had never seen him even flinch, and would actually have liked to see some emotion from him a few times, like when a wild boar had almost run her over. She had been only seven, terrified, and her father had waited until the very last second to kill the beast, all the while keeping his expression placid and calm. Perhaps it was because he was such a strict father, like when he’d sent her and Fel to the cabin by the manor, to live off whatever they could hunt and gather, without any help. She’d been fourteen then, and had spent some tough six months with her twin. True that at the end of it, they had learned to trust each other, had improved their magic tremendously, and were much stronger. Still, there had been no worry or any hint of fear from his father.

Perhaps he was calm only when dealing with his children? Not really. He could recount tragic events in the war against the white fae without showing even a trace of emotion. On the few occasions he got angry, he kept his voice steady, his composure calm, which made him all the more terrifying. Then, he was a deathbringer, wielder of the most dangerous magic in the eleven kingdoms. Naia had always thought that nothing could rattle him.

But she had been wrong.

Here he was, looking like a common man, dreading something. The question was what.

“Dad?” she asked.

He stopped fidgeting and raised his green eyes. “Yes?”

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing.” He rested his hands beside him on the seat and crossed his legs. “I mean, we need to remain alert, of course. It’s enemy territory.” He said it matter-of-factly.

Was that why he was anxious? About meeting representatives from other kingdoms? “But we’re not at war. Even when there was a war, all human kingdoms were allies, right?”

Her father raised an eyebrow. “Just because we joined forces to defeat the fae, it doesn’t mean our interests align. And you know they all hate Umbraar.”

“Yet you always come to these meetings.” Her father had been to all the gatherings, held every three years or so, each time in a different kingdom. Never in Umbraar, of course, since everyone hated them or maybe because her father had no intention of hosting other royals. Well, they didn’t even have a proper castle to host anyone.

This year, the gathering was in Frostlake, which was the southernmost kingdom in Aluria, frozen a good part of the year, and far from Umbraar, which was much farther north. Naia was happy it was here because she got to see snow for the first time, but she also knew that her father hated the Frostlake queen and king more than anyone, except maybe for the Ironhold family—and the Wolfmark family. Well, he hated a lot of people.

Her father took a deep breath. “It’s never a good idea to give your back to your enemies. Or to give them reasons to conspire against you. They’re all pretending to be friends, and I can pretend too.” He pointed at her and Fel. “And so can you.” Only then he noticed that her twin was spinning his iron phalanges in the air. “Isofel. I’ve already told you to keep your hands always gloved.”

Fel stopped spinning his fingers, leaving them floating in the air, and had a mocking smile. “Why? Afraid they’ll notice I’m a cripple?”

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