Page 85 of Frozen Hearts and Death Magic

“If your grandmother had asked you to chop off one of my fingers you’d do it, wouldn’t you? Without even blinking.”

He looked at her for a moment. “No. I think I’d blink.”

* * *

The sky was gettingred when Naia walked outside to practice her fire magic. Strange how she hadn’t done this earlier. The day had passed in a blur, much faster than it should have, which was odd. And then there was that feeling that she was forgetting something. But what?

Although she was pretty sure she could control her magic in an enclosed space, she always practiced outdoors. Her father’s voice still rang in her ears: “You’re going to burn down the house!” Exaggeration. That said, she probably could burn down the house—just not by accident.

And yet even if her father wasn’t here, she was still walking outside. It was true that it was better to have more room and no flammable objects around her. Her plan was to practice her wall of fire, as she wanted to learn how to keep it steady for longer periods. Her magic was awesome—even if nobody seemed to notice it. Except her brother, of course, the broken-hearted brother she’d left behind. No, they’ll see each other soon, she knew it. And Fel was tough—or at least she hoped so.

There was no point dwelling on that. She took a deep breath, then felt that familiar, thrilling feel of the magic running through her, as if it had life and will and was excited to be freed, then she raised her hands. At these times she always recalled her brother’s voice telling her she didn’t need to use her hands to perform magic, and that it gave away her next moves, but she couldn’t help it. Easy for him to say hands were not needed. Or maybe hard. That had been a mean thought. She didn’t want to worry about her brother, and focused back on her magic.

The moment she lit her first flame, a flood of memories came to her. Memories of that day. She had tried to check the woods. Twice. And had forgotten. Either the woods were enchanted or else River had done something, placed some kind of magical barrier to prevent her from going there. Prick. A thousand times prick. Unless it was the woods, not him.

Naia wanted to clear this matter right away, but rushing in again, especially in the darkening hours, would be reckless. What she had to do was plan better. She’d write herself reminders, so that if she returned, she’d remember what she had tried to do. She would also make sure she was alert when stepping in. There was something in those woods, and it was something being hidden from her, probably on purpose. If it was River messing with her mind, she would be furious. But why would he do such a thing? Why. Stupid question. Because he was keeping secrets from her.

Right as those thoughts crossed her mind, he appeared in front of her.

He must have noticed the flash of anger in her eyes, as his playful smile was replaced by a curious expression. “Your delight in seeing me is touching.”

Naia wanted to smack his beautiful head, but that wasn’t likely to give her answers. Or was it? She considered it for a second, then decided to pretend she didn’t know anything. That way she could try to garner some information from him tonight and then investigate the woods tomorrow, and he wouldn’t try anything else to prevent her from going. She smiled. “You startled me.”

He looked at her and her surroundings, as if trying to find something, then asked, “Were you just standing outside?”

“I was practicing some magic.”

“Really? Show me.”

A smile lit his face. That was an incredibly annoying smile, as it made something inside her stir, as it did something to her heart. Why was he so beautiful? Naia wanted to be focused, not light-headed. That said, she would be glad to show him her magic.

She raised her hands, obviously aware that the movement was unnecessary, while River looked at her, curious.

Then she unleashed a wall of fire around him, close enough that he should feel its heat. Well, she was angry.

He didn’t flinch or cower, but rather looked amused. After a few seconds, she extinguished all the fire at once, just because it was more dramatic.

River managed to look impressed. “That’s amazing, Naia. You’re so incredibly powerful.”

Naia shrugged, unused to compliments like that, unsure if it wasn’t empty flattery. “I bet you also have amazing magic. Why don’t you show me?”

“You saw a lot of it already.”

True, he’d stopped everyone in the ball in Frostlake, he’d brought them here. But learning about his magic was information. “Show me a little more.”

He chuckled. “Fine. Here it goes.”

A circle of fire, identical to the one she had cast around him, now surrounded her. Amazing. So she couldn’t beat him even with the magic she thought was unique to her. “You also have fire?” She did her best to hide the surprise in her voice.

He shook his head. “Touch it. Trust me.”

Naia hesitated, but as her hand approached the fire, she noticed that it emitted no heat. When she crossed it, she felt nothing at all. She frowned, confused, then remembered what the fae were known for: trickery. “It’s an illusion.”

“Yes. No substance or truth to it.”

“Interesting, for someone who claims he can’t lie.”

“I can’t lie with words.”

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