Screams erupted into the night as the fire encased the encampment. The reindeer spooked and started to scatter, children wailed, and the fire in the center that was once full of colors now died back before reigniting black.
"What is this cursed fire?" Yelana shrieked, trying to usher everyone as far from the ring of fire as possible.
Elsa pivoted on her heel, her heart shattering as she looked back at Keahi who wouldn't look her in the eyes. "You lied about your curse!" Her voice cracked.
Keahi's head jutted up quickly. "I didn't. We are cursed, but the cause... it's my brother. He killed the fifth spirit on our island which caused the curse. To keep the power, he needs to kill a fifth spirit every decade. It keeps the power from consuming us. I thought the spirit would be an animal or something, not you." She was speaking so swiftly her words jumbled over one another as she tried to shout over the roar of the fire.
Tears brimmed Elsa's eyes. "I trusted you. I was ready to give everything to you!" Elsa yelled, her fists clenched at her side as frost enveloped her fingers. "If I've learned anything from this," she whispered harshly through clenched teeth as she twisted away from Keahi, "is that I'm meant to be alone."
With nothing more she turned and shot blasts of ice to the raging black fire. The minute her ice touched it, a sickening feeling shivered through her body. This magic was strong, and it was filled with so much greed and hate that it physically made her recoil back.
When she cleared a path, she ushered for Honeymaren and Ryder to lead everyone out.
A sizzling sound rocketed behind her and she turned and created a large snowflake shaped shield to keep the blast of fire at bay.
When it hit the ice, a massive explosion sent her whirling backwards. Her back slammed into the trunk of a tree and a sickening feeling rolled through her. Her vision doubled, a sharp ringing in her ears split her head as pain exploded in her temples and traveled across every inch of her body.
Gasping, she used her elbow to support herself. A shadow lurked over her and she glowered, taking in shaky breaths.
Just as the man went to reach for her, the leaf litter exploded into a tornado, sucking Elsa up along with it. Gale kept her centered within the tornado so she didn't swirl around its depths and cause her already painful headache to get worse.
Fire mingled with the leaves and twigs that swirled within Gales depths, the heat caused her to sweat and the smoke burnt her nose and throat.
Explosions caused Gale to lose the momentum of wind and disbanded, causing Elsa to land heavily on the ground in a pile of wet leaves and snow slush.
Her chest hurt as she sucked in the smell of the musty leaves below her. A surge of strength had her jumping up and blocking a rocket of fire with a powerful tide of ice. The two clashed, fire and ice sizzled against one another before another explosion caused Elsa to stumble back.
Her foot hooked on a root and she fell backwards. Head over heels down the embankment until she landed with a sharp exhale on the riverbank below. Slipping in the mud, she struggled to push herself up. Her body collapsing under the heavy toll her magic sapped out of her.
Something moved below her, the ground giving way to a hand in the mud. The earth giant stood behind her, cradling her in its massive hand. It let out a loud roar, causing the trees to yield and sway under the power of its shriek.
She took the time to collect her thoughts and try to get her head on right. Standing with a few wobbles, she finally stood straight and balanced herself. Eyes glaring over the bent trees and fists tense at her side.
A stream of black fire lit the trees as she started shooting off blasts of ice to freeze over the cursed fire, using her position up high to her advantage.
Crow emerged from the bent trees, dark eyes glaring up at her. She met his gaze with a leveled one of her own. She tried to push back the utter heartbreak and hurt she was feeling, the weight of betrayal blinded her in a fury of rage she'd never felt before.
She tried to use it to her advantage. Her fingers were coated in a light dusting of frost, her entire body felt colder the more she embraced the anger. Her ice became harder, more aggressive. With every blast, with everything it came into contact with, it spiked into pillars of sharp shrapnel as it exploded.
The giant let out a roar and an explosion started beneath them. Elsa waved her arms to keep herself from falling. Letting out a seething breath, she glanced over the edge and realized the earth giant's leg had exploded from his body in the aggressive explosion of Crow's black fire.
With a sharp flick of her hand, she leapt on a frozen slide downward towards the falling giants lower half. Keeping herself upright and angled back to try to keep her feet as steady as she could under her. Twisting and turning under the falling rubble and using both hands to expel as much ice as possible to create a leg of ice to stabilize the giant. He let out another roar and stepped into the river; the bank swelling and spilling into the surrounding forest and putting out some of the fire.
She landed safely on the ground, tripping and wavering as her body soaked up as much energy as it could to stay standing. She wouldn't allow Crow to beat her.
She turned, her feet sinking in the mud and Crow was just on the other side of the riverbank. A smug smirk dark on his lips, his chest heaving from exertion.
"Give up, princess. You're no warrior. You are just a little girl who was fed with a silver spoon and thinks herself a guardian." He mocked.
Her eyes narrowed. "That is not who I am! Get. Out. Of. My. Forest!" She yelled, the giant behind her standing up straight and roaring. She shot an outburst of icy wind that rode the wave of air from the giant's roar.
As it whirled towards Crow, he smirked and waved at someone hidden in the underbrush. Three men filed out, shoving Honeymaren, Ryder, and Yelena. All bound and gagged as the men gripped the scruff of their coat collars.
"It's up to you, princess, but if you want these three to live and to keep Arendelle from burning, stop while you're ahead." Crow growled.
Elsa's heart stuttered and fear once more rushed cold in her veins. Fizzling out the anger and heat that was just there. Gripping her hands and reeling back, the icy wind fell in a clatter of ice shards.
If she gave herself up, she was dead. But could she live with herself if they hurt any of them?
She knew she couldn't and an ache in her chest told her to concede.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she shot a blast of ice across the river to create a bridge and treaded across it gradually.
Her mind raced. What should she do? The irony of the situation killed her. She finally found two people similar to her, and they were trying to kill her. She looked down at the tip of her fingers; they were frostbitten and sore.
She'd never used her powers so much before. No less to fight someone like Crow. Battling natural elements were different. Crow was powerful, aggressive, unyielding.
She stopped at the edge of the riverbank, hands in fists closed so hard her nails bit into her palms and the whites of her knuckles strained under the pressure. "Let them go. And I will come."
"I'm nothing but a man of my word." Crow conceded, cutting the bindings on the threes' hands.
He tilted his head towards the three men who came over to put cuffs around Elsa's hands. Just shackles of rose-gold. They had markings on them, similar to the runes that stood guard over the forest. But they were a little different, more complicated and in a language she couldn't quite understand. Once the cold metal shut around her wrists, Crow tossed the three off to the side. "I have no use for them, anyway." He scoffed.
Her eyes narrowed, did he think he could just slap some metal on her wrists and she'd be over? She went to shoot a jet of ice his way. Only her magic didn't manifest the way she wanted it to. The tips of her fingers got a little cold, but other than that, nothing happened.
"Tsk, tsk," Crow clicked his tongue, crouching to come eye level with her. "You don't like to play by the rules, do you? Luckily, those cuffs are made from the metal of the Channel Dwarves and stop magic. You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" He taunted.
Elsa glowered as she heaved in angry breaths, the muscles in her jaw working as she grit her teeth.
He leaned in to cup her face. "Hm, no wonder my sister is so infatuated with you. You truly are a goddess among men, aren't you? We'll see how long that pretty face lasts."
Elsa jammed her head forward, knocking his lower jaw so his teeth smashed together painfully.
"Why you little," he seethed, gripping her hair in his fist.
"The men made camp, you need to rest." A familiar voice suddenly echoed behind them.
Elsa winced, opening one eye and realizing it was Keahi. The woman wouldn't make eye contact with her, but was looking at Crow.
Crow let out a harsh breath, releasing her hair. A sickening smile on his lips while he uncoiled. "Hey, this is a good day. I will not ruin it. But first, I think you should take a little nap." He scowled.
A fierce pain exploded in the back of her head and her vision speckled in and out until her world went black and she fell into nothingness.