Page 128 of Burning Ice
Kylix chuckled. “Oh, Mirel, my beautiful little ghost. You really think you could stay hidden from me?” His tone dropped, rougher now. “If I asked you to run again, would you let me catch you?”
He didn’t wait for an answer. Mirel barely had time to breathe before Kylix’s mouth claimed his. The kiss hit hard, all heat and possession. When Kylix drew back, his breath still warmed Mirel’s lips, tongue tracing the edge of a tear that hadn’t fallen yet.
“So Cyprian saved us with those helicopters, and Norma found you and Ryneth.”
“I felt her, in the hospital. Before and after. She truly is remarkable.”
Kylix’s smile softened. “She was. She and Mother were close friends. I remember them sipping tea for what felt like years.”
Mirel smiled, holding tight to Kylix’s shoulders. His insides buzzed from the kiss, from their words, from the deep sense that he was no longer alone.
The car slid through frost-lit streets. Snow thickened while the lights of Helion dimmed behind them, the distant spires fading into soft gold haze until only the hush of snowfall and the quiet purr of the engine remained.
In the window’s reflection they sat close, silhouettes blurred by the city’s glow, the promise of renewal stretching ahead like the road itself. Behind them, the estate windows faded, still glowing with red-cinder light.
The night felt endless.
The light still found a way through the frost.
33
By the following evening, the rain that had flooded Helion’s streets had turned to snow, and the city glowed beneath it. Across the capital, holo-screens had been raised in the central arena, where thousands gathered to watch the private Aureate broadcast live from the Green Mansion.
The gardens of the Green Mansion were known across Helion for their elegance. Terraces were carved from white stone, trees spliced to bloom in twin colors, and lanterns tuned to glow with soft magnetic light. On nights like this, the air shimmered faintly with current, a hum that kissed the skin. Somewhere beyond the mansion walls, a slow rhythm pulsed in time with the city’s breath, faint and ritualistic, part of Helion’s living heartbeat. Guests arrived in waves, each stranger more striking than the last. Women with glass-thread hair, men with opal eyes, attendants whose veins glowed faintly with gold. Their laughter mingled with the scent of citrus and static.
Kylix arrived with Mirel by his side, both wrapped in identical black cloaks trimmed with fur. The symmetry of their attire drew every glance as they crossed the illuminated grounds. Whispers followed, their matching figures like twin shadowsamong the glow. Some guests bowed, others simply stared, unable to hide the fascination that rippled across their faces.
Milanov moved among the guests, his white cape sweeping behind him, the fur mirroring the ones worn by his sons. He raised his glass as he passed a cluster of courtiers. “Not a public Aureate this time,” he said, amused. “But don’t worry, the outcome will be the same.” Laughter rippled through the crowd, bright and uneasy. Then he turned toward Kylix. “Walk with me, nephew.”
Kylix followed him along the edge of the grounds, past the scent of snow-bloom lilies and polished stone. Milanov’s tone softened. “It’s a beautiful night. Helion looks peaceful, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” Kylix said. “You’ve outdone yourself.”
“My Norma has come home safely for your Oath of Measure. The hospital brought her and Celia here earlier. They rest in the winter gardens.” Milanov sighed. “Sixteen years since she last walked here.” He touched the edge of a lily petal. “She loved this place.”
Kylix nodded. “I remember.”
He remembered how Norma and his mother had tended this same terrace together, hours spent shaping vines and blossoms with quiet devotion.
“Light be with me, but I can feel she is waking, Kael. I can feel it.” The old name hit deep, a spark of childhood memory. Milanov smiled faintly. “Moargan laughs at me for it, but something stirs in the air. When Aviel was found, she stirred. Then Cyprian. And now Mirel. The Dariux moves through them all. And through her.”
Kylix studied him carefully. “You think she’s returning?”
“I do.” Milanov’s gaze flicked to the distant glow of the mansion. “I’m proud of you, Kylix. You’ve grown into your place. I’m glad your parents are here to see Mirel’s strength. Ice,” hesaid with a quiet laugh. “Who would have thought? Just know, that my home will always be yours too. Yours and your bonded. The ice to your fire.”
Kylix smiled faintly. “Sometimes the fire needs to remind people it still burns.”
Milanov chuckled, pleased. “The Aureate will be filmed tonight for those gathered in the Helion arena. I understand Mirel’s wish for privacy, but our people need reassurance. They need their heroes. Tonight, they will see that Helion endures.”
“I understand.”
“Of course you do. You are a fantastic man, and both my sons need you in their leadership.” Milanov clasped him briefly in a hug. Kylix hesitated, then returned it. The man had been like a father for many years.
They returned to the terrace where guests gathered beneath hanging lanterns. The rhythm grew louder, steady and low, a pulse beneath the laughter.
Milanov raised his glass. “Welcome to the Green Mansion, my friends. Tonight we share in the Oath of Measure, a promise and a prelude to the true ceremony yet to come. May you enjoy the warmth of our home and the generosity of its table.”
Kylix stood behind him, feeling faint tension under the applause. His parents watched nearby, pride glowing like heat beneath his ribs.
