Page 8 of The Study of Storms and Magic
He pished. “There will be plenty of time to study on the trip home.”
They finished eating and walked to the stable. Annika and Endre were already there, helping to saddle four of the five horses.
Zohav huffed and went to Kitty’s stall.
“You don’t need to come with us,” Zethan said to the Ixians.
“We’d like to see how stormdancing is done,” Annika said.
“It’s not too exciting. You’ll be cold and bored.”
“Well, maybe you’ll need protection from a snow cat,” Endre said.
Zethan paused. “Snow cats are practically invisible on the NIP. If you see one, you’re already dead.”
“Zohav said you can scare them off.”
“They don’t get scared. But on the rare occasion, they decide it’s not worth their effort to eat a person. Zo had survived more encounters than anyone in Ixia.” He lowered his voice. “I believe they think she’s too prickly and sour to eat.”
“I heard that! And why does Kitty have a blanket on?” Zo asked.
Elley poked her head out from another stall. Straw clung to her black hair and she held a curry comb. Like most of their relatives, she had bright blue eyes. “He was cold.” She pointed to the other horses. They’re used to the warmer temperatures in Sitia and southern Ixia. I put blankets on all of them.”
“Kitty let you?” Zohav sounded impressed.
“Not at first. But nighttime temperatures tend to plummet, and he was banging on his stall door at two in the morning.” She laughed. “He’s ornery, but not stupid. In fact, you all should take the blankets with you. While you do your thing, they’ll be standing around.”
Good point. While Zo saddled Kitty, Zethan helped secure the heavy covers to everyone’s saddles. Heli took four orbs from the wagon and placed them carefully in her backpack.
“Zo, when you’re finished, could you…um…never mind,” Elley said, returning to grooming her horse.
“Could I what?” Zohav stepped on a stool in order to heave the saddle over Kitty’s back.
“Can you melt ice?” Elley asked. “The coals died under one of the water troughs last night. Not a big deal, but it just takes all day to thaw it out.”
“I can try. That’s why I’m here.”
Zethan thought his sister had experimented with ice before, but, thinking about it, soon after their powers appeared, they had been smuggled to the west coast of Ixia in the dead of night. He shuddered remembering the threat of being discovered, hisparents’ panic, and the fear of never seeing them or their brother Zebulon again.
Once aboard Nell’s ship, though, he’d quickly adapted to sea life. Plenty of waves and weather, but no ice. They had docked during the cold season. Too bad the Commander wouldn’t let him live in Ixia. Zethan would have loved to go out with the fishing fleet and ensure the ships didn’t sink during bad storms. Maybe he could gain the Commander’s trust and extend his visits here.
Zohav finished with Kitty and followed Elley to the frozen trough. He and the rest trailed behind to watch. Zohav’s brows knitted together in concentration as she stared at the ice. Nothing happened. She crouched down and laid her hands on the frozen block.
After a few moments, Zo blew out her breath and straightened. “Apparently I cannot melt ice.”
“But it’s frozen water,” he said.
Zo shrugged. “The water has crystallized into a solid state, and is obviously not affected by my magic.”
“What about moving the ice?” Annika asked.
His sister cocked her head and held her arms out in front of her body. Once again nothing happened. She glanced at Heli and gave her a teasing smile. “Guess, I’m not an ice queen after all.”
Heli blushed. Adorable.
They all donned their cloaks and mounted, heading north to the NIP. It would take a couple hours to reach the perfect position. Zethan strengthened his bond with the storm and led the way. When they crossed the boundary between the frozen wasteland that was the Northern Ice Pack, the world turned flat and white. Zethan slowed as navigating became difficult.
The damp wind sharpened and sliced through the gaps in their clothes. The cold air smelled fresh. At least, it didn’t freeze the hairs in his nostrils. That unpleasant experience wouldunfortunately be in his near future. Big fat flakes fell from the leaden sky, swirling lazily around them.
