Page 54 of A Sword of Ice
“Afraid to try harder?” she jested, causing him to glare. He charged and magic shot out from her left hand, coating the ground in slick ice. Julius slid with a cry and she dodged as he pummeled towards her, falling face first onto the floor.
She heard laughter ring out and fought away the urge to take a bow. When Julius stood to his feet and whirled, she didn’t give him a moment of reprieve. Ice shot out, encasing his feet to the ground. He looked down at it as it spread up to his knees.
She knew the moment he used his magic. It made his whole body seemed to bulge, bulk up and strain with more muscle. A single jerk of his legs had the ice cracking and he was advancing with furious stomps. She tossed ice liberally in his direction, but the more she tossed, the angrier he seemed to get until he was practically charging for her.
Iona didn’t want to run, but it was either that or have his brawny body slam into her. She turned and rushed away, and he chased. She flung magic back at him, but he broke past daggers of flying ice with only his fists, sending shards crunching beneath their feet.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Wait!” She threw out a wall of ice, but his rage and his muscles only seemed to increase with every punch. He broke through the wall face first and Iona rammed against the edge of the boat, panting. “Fuck! Julius—”
But he was already charging, dropping his sword and shield as he went. The collision of his body against hers sent the wind straight out of her lungs. She cried out in pain, his arms wrapped around her waist, and then gravity took over and they were both falling towards the water.
Iona didn’t even get a moment to scream as they descended. Her mind flashed back to that instant years ago. A collision. Pain. Cold. Water. Dying.
Panic clawed at her throat and her magic reacted on instinct, spreading out beneath her in a viciously powerful instant. She wasn’t sure how far it spread, wasn’t even aware that it had until both she and Julius landed against solid ice instead of water.
The ice cracked where Julius landed, creating a crater that had him falling into cold water. In her fear, Iona scrambled away from the spreading slits in the ice, fear causing her to choke up. A moment later, Julius burst past the surface with a howl of rage, turning in the water until he caught sight of her. His fingers scrambled against ice as he pulled himself out, soaked and slippery.
“Are you alright?” She found her voice as he sprawled out against the ice. He didn’t answer except with heaving breaths and a groan.
Too late, Iona realized the groan wasn’t coming from him.
Her eyes widened as the boat collided against the ice she’d spread across the sea. The collision made the entirety of the metal boat shriek, and a jagged, hard edge perforated through the bottom.
It was all Iona could do not to scream as her magic ripped open the bottom of the boat, and it began to sink.
29
An Artistry in Scars
The boat lurched to a stop and started sinking.
Shouts could be heard from the deck, and Iona let out a curse as she jumped to her feet. She waved her arms over her head.
“A little help!” she shouted.
A moment later, the air in front of her shimmered and opened into a mirrored doorway that Uric stepped out of. She didn’t acknowledge his glaring expression but darted through the entry without turning to see if Julius and Uric were at her heels. She burst through the portal on the other side, her feet skidding against the deck.
“Shula! I need your help!” The fire Fae ran on wobbling feet towards Iona, who didn’t wait before she grabbed Shula’s wrist and tugged, pulling her down to the stairs that led below deck.
A massive hole was dented inwards and water was rapidly rushing inside.
Iona stepped down, knee deep into the water towards the hole. The rapids pushed her backwards, but she gritted her teeth and forced her legs to cooperate. She had to fix this, because in her panic, she’d fucked up. Her heart felt like it was pounding in her throat as the water swallowed her legs, but she couldn’t let the fear take over.
Her magic shot out from her palms and she directed it, letting it frost over the hole, slowly but surely blocking out the water. She willed the ice to harden more than the sword had so it resembled gleaming metal until no more of the ocean poured inside.
Even after she finished, there was still the matter of the water up to her waist. She turned to Shula, who still stood on the steps, staring at the pool, wide-eyed.
“Your turn, fire Fae,” Iona said with a twitch of her mouth.
“Uh… I…” Shula trailed off and Iona could just make out her golden-brown cheeks reddening.
“You need to turn this into steam, or else we’ll never get moving.” She waited patiently, but when Shula still didn’t move to do anything, Iona’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
Shula shook her head back and forth. “I’m not sure if I can do that.”
“You’re going to have to—”
“No, I mean…” She paused, looking away from Iona, not meeting her eyes. “I don’t knowhow.I—I just started using my powers a few months ago.” She whispered the words like a sin, like something to be ashamed of.
