Page 39 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
There was nothing I would've liked more than to show him the error of his ways on the spot, but Cassia still needed information from him. "Considering your aversion for demonic creatures and powers, I would think that you wouldn't want Snegurka to take over again," she prodded.
"Snegurka?" February chuckled, the sound high-pitched and hysterical. "Of course not. That woman is as insane as you are disgusting. But she wouldn't have been an issue once the power of winter left your body and entered its rightful avatar."
"Rightful avatar?" Cassia repeated. "Ded Moroz? I take it he believed he would do a better job than I have."
February didn't answer that, which was unfortunate since it meant we still didn't know to what point Ded Moroz had been involved in this ploy. "What did you promise him and Snegurka then, to make them go along with this?" Cassia asked. "I can't imagine they would've been on board with your idea if she'd known about your little plan."
At first, February didn't speak, and I shamelessly took advantage of this to indulge a little in my desire to take out my anger on him. I pressed my foot to his rib cage and allowed my magic to flow into him through our point of contact. Something snapped in his chest, and he screamed as the combination between my physical strength and my fire magic chased away all the lingering remnants of his pride and defiance. "Answer the question," I purred. "What did you promise?"
"F-Freedom," he stammered. "Vengeance. A body back for Snegurka. It was easy. They would have taken anyone's hand, especially considering the recent business with Jack Frost's exile. You probably shouldn't have turned away from your own—"
An icicle flew from Cassia's hand like an arrow. It landed inches away from February's face, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Do not presume to judge me, worm," she snapped. "Now tell me. How did you break through the wards at the prison? The seal was created by my father himself."
"Y-Your father might be a god, but so is Snegurka, and that enchantment has been under strain for centuries. All I had to do was make a small crack, and she awoke and broke free on her own. I knew she wouldn't be able to physically escape, but that suited me just fine since it was just her spirit that I needed."
"And where is Snegurka now?" Cassia insisted, finally getting to the most important piece of information we needed to learn. "Where did she go?"
Taking my cue, I forced more of my magic into the treacherous lieutenant. February flailed desperately on the ground, but could not provide us with a satisfactory reply. "I don't know. I thought... She was supposed to be with you. Inside you. She was supposed to hold you captive. I don't know."
Cassia was not impressed with his sniveling, but she did gesture me to move away. I did, releasing him from my hold and allowing the fire magic I had summoned to my aid to dissipate. My female needed to take out her own anger on the piece of filth who had betrayed her.
Once again, it appeared that I had underestimated my soulmate because she chose a different approach. In an impressive show of restraint, she didn't throw any more icicles at him and said, "You will receive an official trial and punishment. And I assure you that as foolish as you deem me to be, I learn from my mistakes. You will find you will not enjoy the results of these lessons."
Her boot came down on his head, knocking him out in one single blow. It was just as sexy as the icicle claws that had once again manifested at her fingertips, but I did my best to not let it distract me. "Do you believe him, treasure?"
"Unfortunately, yes. He's terrified of dragons. He wouldn't have been able to lie. And even if he had been inclined to do it, I can't imagine they were prepared beforehand for the possibility of their plan failing so badly."
She let out a disgruntled sigh. "This is so frustrating. I'd almost captured her too. Who knows what will happen now and where she ended up? And to top it off, he's done so much damage. I really should have dealt with this sooner."
"None of this is your fault, Cassia," I told her. "You couldn't have known he'd be capable of going so far, especially considering Snegurka's history."
She didn't reply, and that was enough to tell me that my reassurances had not convinced her in the slightest. Instead, she walked past me and exited the meditation chamber, leaving me alone and more discombobulated than ever.
I wanted to go after her, but someone needed to stay and watch over February and Ded Moroz and I was the only possible option. Feeling just as helpless as I'd been while in her mindscape, I just stood there, staring blankly at the cracked walls of Cassia's meditating chamber and trying to figure out where we were supposed to go from here.
The next thirty minutes or so were a bit of a blur. A small group of panicked nisse arrived, flanked by some yetis that looked as lost and upset as I felt. Cassia had not left me with any specific instructions, but I knew what to do, regardless.
"We're to secure February in a cell, at once. Ded Moroz needs some medical assistance, and after we make sure that he is stable, he will be imprisoned as well."
The yetis grunted, and since I wasn't Cassia, I couldn't actually understand them. I had better luck with the nisse. "Yes, Your Highness. Of course, Your Highness."
They scuttled to follow my commands, which would have been gratifying to see had I not suspected Cassia had already given them similar orders. I still monitored the whole process, all the while pondering everything I knew, everything I'd seen and everything I'd yet to figure out. By the time Cassia's staff had everything well in hand, I had already reached some very unpleasant conclusions, among which, the realization of why Cassia had kept the whole business with Snegurka from us, to begin with.
Hoping I was wrong, I went to track my beautiful female down.I found her in her throne room, engaged in a discussion with Kerryn and Raijin, or rather, arguing with them. They must've arrived from their mission and had obviously had the same idea as me.
"Treasure, we need to talk about this," Kerryn said as I walked into the room. "How can we possibly help you if we don't know everything that's going on?"
Raijin crossed his arms over his chest and nodded in a display that should've looked hostile, but somehow managed to appear persuasive instead. "Stop digging your heels in and be honest with us."
Cassia huffed and threw her hands up in obvious frustration. "I am trying, but now really isn't the time and I don't want to get you more involved in this mess than you already are."
At that point, I knew I had to step into the conversation as well. "You can't be serious, Cassia. We couldn't get more involved in the situation if we actively tried. I realize there's a lot to do to safeguard The Frozen Peaks, but that doesn't make your well-being any less important."
None of them were surprised at my intervention, having obviously heard me come in. Even so, Cassia did not react well to my words. Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and after seeing her put up such a fight against Snegurka, the stance alarmed me. "I know that," she whispered, "and I'm sorry. I never intended for things to end this way."
"End?" Kerryn repeated. "Nothing has ended, treasure. Yes, Snegurka is missing, but her power is limited. You've captured her accomplice and secured the palace. We'll eventually find Snegurka too and defeat her."
"It's not that simple. I told you before, didn't I? There is only one way to eliminate the threat she poses, and that is by me finishing the job I started when I was a child and absorbing the rest of her powers. The problem is that right now, a lot of those powers are demonic in nature and I don't know if I can contain them and survive."
