Page 21 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
Snegurka gave me a look of disbelief, and I could not blame her for her attitude. Compared to the magic she wielded, the things I could do were nothing. The minor burn I had inflicted upon her healed under my very eyes, and I knew it was unlikely I'd be able to manage that again since she was forewarned to not touch me.
Jack must've realized this as well because he immediately started to protest. "I can't just leave you. This is all my fault!"
It really wasn't. He could hardly be blamed for his sister's insanity, or for the fact that she had tracked him down here when he'd been trying to keep me and my family safe.
Alas, this was neither the time nor the place for me to reassure my friend. The sole moment of distraction was enough for Snegurka to make a grab for me again, this time using her magic, instead of her hands.
The moment I felt the suffocating hold of her abilities crushing me in a cocoon of ice, I panicked. The heat intrinsic to my nature was not enough to fight her back, but I didn't know what to do.
My earlier conversation with my sister flashed through my mind."The spell is correct! I'm sure of it. I overheard Mother chanting it yesterday."
Power surged through me, fueled by my desperation and my desire to survive. I couldn't find my end here. My family needed me. My sisters were right on the other side of the bridge, probably watching the entire scene. How would they ever recover from seeing me die? Pandora would undoubtedly blame herself for not being able to help. Tarasia's sunny smiles would disappear, and Eranthe's innocence would wither away. And our mother... I could not even imagine how she'd react.
Yes, I had to protect them, to keep them safe. The spell was correct. I just needed to make it work. I needed to believe and to fight back. It was the only chance I had left, for myself, for my family, for my realm.
It was a stupid hope, really, the last-ditch plan of a frightened child. Despite how much Pandora and I had struggled with it, the enchantment wasn't actually that complicated or elaborate,just a spell intended to manipulate flowers and things that grew. It should not have worked on the frozen earth of The Realm of Eternal Ice, and it should not have had any effect on Snegurka, the queen of that realm.
It did.
A thick vine exploded out of the ground and headed straight for Snegurka. Normally, I would've tried to wrap it around her, but my mind was a blank and my magic all over the place. The vine went straight through her, piercing her chest like a ruthless blade. Her eyes went almost comically wide, and her hold on me faltered.
I would've been happier about that had the vine's attack not caused a secondary side effect. Her icy blood splashed over my face, colder than her touch could ever be, burning me to the very core. The last thing I registered was the sound of Jack's terrified screams, and then, the world went black.
