Page 30 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
Chapter Eight
The Two Queens
Cheimon
Earlier
If I wanted to be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure what I expected when I took the amarok pup in my arms. Maybe I just wanted to give him comfort, or maybe on some level, I refused to give up on a life while it was still within my power to try something, anything.
It was stupid, so stupid, but I could not help myself, not when I knew there was still one last thing I could try.
Once upon a time, before my whole world had changed, before the powers of the avatar of winter had consumed my life and my body, I had been very different. I had been a nymph, one birthed by a meliae and fathered by a solar deity.
Life had bloomed at my fingertips just as easily as it had at my sisters'. And while I'd never gotten the chance to learn much magic, I still remembered that, still remembered being able to touch a wound and close it, just because I wanted it to go away.
Then, I had gone up against Snegurka, a woman so much stronger than I could ever hope to be, and for a few seconds, maybe... I'd killed her.
It shouldn't have meant anything, but it had.
I still remembered the taste and feel of her blood, the way it had burned me from the inside out, freezing my soul, chasing away the heat of my father's solar-oriented magic.
By the time I'd opened my eyes, everything about me had been different, and I'd lost my skill to heal. My sisters had tried to help me get it back, but at the end of the day, it had not made a difference, since, at age fifteen, I'd been forced to leave Cassia behind altogether, and become Cheimon.
"You're the only one who can do this, Cassia," my father had said. "Your attack on Snegurka makes you uniquely aligned to her magic. You can absorb her powers and truly become this realm's queen."
"But Father, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I'm no ruler."
"Nonsense. You were born to lead. Otherwise, you would have never been able to stand against her, to begin with."
To this day, I wasn't sure if I believed that. There were so many things my father had said and done that I doubted. God of the sun or not, he was not infallible. But he was also not in Chronikos now, and for good or ill, I'd taken him up on his offer that day. I had become Tou Cheimóna's queen, and I had a duty to its people.I had a duty to the little amarok dying in my arms, and that took precedence over everything.
Emmerich knelt next to me and his warm arms enveloped my waist. In his familiar heat, I found an anchor, the doubts chased away by his strength and solidity.
Hadn't I been a nymph for my dragons? Hadn't I been Cassia whenever I was with them, in their embrace? It stood to reason, then, that I could be the nymph Cassia for the tiny amarok as well.
Light erupted from my hands, healing magic rushing over the body of the small wolf like a river. Behind me, Emmerich let out a choked gasp, but he did not release his hold on me. The bond between us pulsed with a truth as pure as the driven snow and hot as the scorching rays of the sun. It was life, in its clearest, most genuine form, and it gave me the final boost I needed to accomplish my goal.
Too late did I realize that my decision to help the pup had not come without consequences.
As the amarok in my arms cracked his eyes open and started to stir, a low, wicked laugh echoed in the cavern. I looked up and my heart fell as my gaze met that of my worst enemy.
Snegurka stepped out from the shadows, dressed in the very same ornate robes she had been wearing the day I'd confronted her, at The Bridge of Melting Snowflakes. In every other way, she was different. Her beauty had not faded, but the immaculate white of both her garb and her skin had turned pitch black and her eyes flashed red, like burning coals. A part of me ached at the knowledge that it had been my family that had caused the change.
I forced myself to remember that my father had only done what had been best for the realm, and there had been no other solution at the time to keep Snegurka's evil from spreading. I might have had more trouble focusing on that had Snegurka not spoken out, her voice as icy and ruthless as it had been the day she'd tried to kill me and Jack. "Oh, this is rich. The queen of The Realm of Eternal Ice, kneeling in the dirt, to heal the spawn of a pack of rabid wolves that should not even be breeding."
Alpha Panuk did not take kindly to the insult. He snarled at Snegurka and took a step forward, ready to attack. "Filthy monster! You have no right to—"
Snegurka waved a hand, and a gust of icy cold wind sent the amarok flying. "Silence, animal," she drawled as he hit the wall of the cavern. "Do not interfere when those superior to you are speaking."
I silently wished that I could have cushioned the impact in some way. Amaroks were hardy, though, and the blow the Alpha had received was not lethal. I had other priorities right now, such as making sure everyone else remained uninjured.
I placed the amarok pup down and got up, fully intending to take on my nemesis and preferably win in a far more decisive manner than I had all those years ago. Things did not turn out the way I had planned, as my knees almost gave way when I tried to stand. Had Emmerich not stepped in and supported me, I would've probably fallen over like some kind of swooning, terrified damsel, right at my enemy's feet.
I took in the flickering, unstable feel of my magic and cursed to myself. Oh, no. This was not good, not good at all.
Snegurka gave me a knowing look, her lips twisting into a predatory grin. "Is something wrong, little half-breed?"
I hated that she could see right through me, and I hated that I didn't know if, in my condition, I could protect my people from her. I'd made a serious miscalculation, and now I was paying the price. But what else could I have done under the circumstances? Had I not embraced my nymph abilities, the amarok pup would've died.
