Zed, Age 21
"Let, me, go!" I yell, struggling with all my might against the snow monster forcibly removing us from Addison's ice palace. My efforts do absolutely nothing for me, the snowman having a surprisingly strong grip around my torso. All while Eliza and Bonzo are carried under its other arm, putting up zero fight to get free.
The extravagant front doors magically open and the snow monster, I'm going to start calling Marshmallow, ever so kindly tosses my friends and I out. Luckily, into a pile of soft, white snow to cushion our fall.
"Go away," Marshmallow bellows warningly. I stand with some packed snow in hand.
"It is not nice to throw people!" I exclaim. Eliza spots the ball in my hand drawn back and jumps to her feet to stop me.
"Zed! Don't aggravate the giant snow monster!" She scolds, only releasing my arm when I relax it.
"Ok! Ok. I won't." She watches me skeptically. "I'm cool, I'm good, I'm cool." I assure innocently. She slowly turns away from me to make sure Bonzo's ok.
As soon as she looks away… I throw the snowball as hard as I can. Marshmallow paused in his decent back into the castle.
"Zed." Eliza scolds in a hushed tone, glaring over at me. The snowman turns, looking clearly peeved, then bursts with an enraged roar that nearly shakes the entire mountain. And it didn't help that it suddenly had icy spikes protruding all across its body now.
"ZUGH!" (RUN!) Bonzo yelled. Not one of us arguing as we turn tail to get the heck out of there with a giant angry snow monster chasing after us.
XxX
Wyatt, Age 20
I'm careful to stay hidden as the snow monster chases the three zombies away from the icy fortress. Now this is definitely information that Willa will want to know. White Hair can create these giant snow guards? What else is she capable of?
But that isn't the only thing. There was something off about that zombie. The brave one who hugged my sister without thinking. He seemed to be exerting himself more than the other two, like he was already tired and out of breath before they'd even started running.
My first thought is that White Hair did something to him. But I don't see anything that would be affecting him, no injuries or ailments that I can tell. He seems fine, I can't put my finger on what could be wrong. My eyes narrow to scrutinize him before he can get too far away. He turns his head to look back at the chasing beast and my eyes widen.
That zombie has a new streak of white hair.
I know that wasn't there before. I would have been more curious about this zombie with a streak like we werewolves have. But he did not have that before. The white haired queen must have done this to him. What exactly she's done, I'm not really sure. But if his labored breathing and exhaustion are any indication, she definitely could be dangerous. If she would do something to harm someone who claims to be close to her, there's no telling what she'd do to a werewolf.
It wouldn't be wise of me to go in alone. And Willa wouldn't be happy if I risked it. I need to report all of this back for her to decide the next move.
No matter how curious I am about this mysterious ice queen, I owe it to my pack to come back safely and warn them about the possibility of a threat. Owe it to my sister to be the beta she needs. I won't let her bear the responsibility alone.
XxX
Zed, Age 21
"It's a dead end!" I shout over the sound of the raging wind along the cliff side. It has to be at least a 100 foot drop. And with an angry snow monster chasing us, there's nowhere left to run. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Agz doz'ah grozob!" (We have to jump!) Bonzo exclaims, peeking over the edge as he evaluates the drop.
"Jump?! What do you mean 'jump'?!" Eliza asks him, giving a look that questions his sanity. I turn and look at her expectantly.
"You have a better idea?" I ask incredulously, eyes lifting towards the tree line as the rumble of the snow monster's stomping feet grew closer. "Cause from what I can tell, we're running out of options."
In any normal circumstance, I would have laughed at the pout she is giving me when I look back at her. But we don't have time to argue. We need to lose the very scary snowman before it makes us into popsicles.
"Deh garzoe az riz zet ziggro." (The snow is soft as a pillow.) Bonzo says as reassurance… if it wasn't for the hesitation in his next words. "Agru jag oz grodge." (It should be fine.)
"You keep saying 'should'." Eliza points out, taking the same notice that I had. "Should I be worried?!" She shouts.
A roar erupts as the tree line splits, revealing the icy beast. It comes towards us, clearly not happy, backing us up to the edge of the cliff we'd just been arguing over. With every step, our chances grew thinner.
"No time to question it now!" I exclaim, grabbing both of my friends by the sleeve and jumping. I felt the air wiz past my head as we just narrowly escaped those gnarly icicle claws. The only thing my mind can focus on (other than how terrified I am that I'm free falling), is how Eliza's screaming louder than me.
I can't tell how long we were actually falling but it feels like an eternity. Until finally we land on the thick bed of snow, just like Bonzo said we would. Though it wasn't completely painless.
"Owww," I whine, rubbing my offended backside. I stand up slowly, mindful of my footing, and find Bonzo helping Eliza up as well.
"The next time you decide to jump off a cliff, I'd rather you leave me to die than drag me with you." She complains as she angrily brushes herself off.
I chuckle under my breath as I make my way over to them, trudging through the heavy snow. I smile as I lift my head back up but am immediately hit with a spell of dizziness, my knees going weak under me. I'm lucky to be so close to my friends already or else they wouldn't have caught me before I could fall to the ground.
"Whoa," I breathe with a shake of my head. They help me right myself up on my feet but as soon as Bonzo glanced up, his eyes go wide.
"Zedka…" Bonzo mutters, stunned. My brows knit in confusion. I look over to my other side and Eliza's face is staring just the same.
"You-your hair." Eliza manages to elaborate in their shock. Instinctively, I reach up, making sure it's still there from the way they were talking, but only become more confused at not feeling anything wrong with it. "More of it is turning white."
"It's wha—agh!" Another wave hits me and suddenly my whole body's shivering. Why didn't I notice how cold it was?
"Zed!" Eliza exclaims in worry. My breathing is heavy, my heart feeling as if it will burst out of my chest. I clench the fabric overtop of it. "She froze your heart! You said she wouldn't hurt you!" She continues to panic. With my free hand, I grab at her. I need her to calm down. She grips my hand tightly to show she's still there and I force her to look me in the eye.
"It-it was an, a-accident," I tell her between breaths and shivers, though they were already starting to subside. Her brows knit with worry and I know she's finding it hard to believe me. I manage to straighten up slightly. "Besides, it's going away. I'm fine." I assure her, which she was having none of it.
"Fine? Fine?!" She questions aggressively. "You are most definitely not fine! We need to have you checked out!"
"Ag garzedd-zig grozro goro magra oz zrill'ah grep." (I know someone who might be able to help.) Bonzo spoke up, causing both of us to stop arguing and look at him. "Zo zu ag." (Come with me.)
He starts to walk away. We look at each other but quickly scramble to follow him. Always the meticulous Eliza, immediately came at our burly friend with questions.
"So, where are we going?" She asks.
"Zon kruzig." (Not important.) He answers flatly, keeping his eyes forward. Both Eliza and I were surprised by his tone.
"Okayyy… Then who are we going to meet there?" She continues.
"Garzeng." (A friend.) Bonzo's short replies make her worry even more.
"Well, how is this 'friend' going to be able to help Zed?" Eliza persists, Bonzo finally sighs in resignation.
"Agru magra garzedd-zig gozay'ah grep zu deh zargic Zedka zorr'ga zu. Argu'za garzorzerer." (He might know how to help with the magic Zed was shot with. He's a sorcerer.) He explains, not seeming to notice our shock that Bonzo, our long lost best friend, was now buddy-buddy with a sorcerer out here in the wilderness.
It made me kinda jealous.
He has a whole life out here, away from the eyes and judgements of the kingdom. Living in peace with his wife and even meeting other outcasts who he can turn to for help if need be. His business seemed to provide well enough for him and Bree and he seemed genuinely happy.
I imagined what it would be like if I had just stayed up in the mountains with Addison. If I hadn't pushed her to come back. Would we have been able to be happy? Abandoning our old lives and staying isolated from the outside world?
No. Addison loves her kingdom. Whether she'd admit it or not, deep down I knew she wanted to go back. She had goals to make her people's lives better. She was always destined to be the kind and strong ruler Seabrook needed.
My chest fills with pride, she's such an amazing woman. I'm honored enough to be close to her. But then I deflate.
'Was so close to her…' I thought, my heart feeling the ping of hurt before another wave of chills hit me. Eliza and Bonzo help me stay on my feet for a minute or two until I regain my footing again.
We really need to hurry.
XxX
Addison, Age 21
I pace back and forth across the icy floor. "Don't feel. Don't feel!" I scold myself, the anguish over what I've already done swirling in my chest. In turn, sending my powers into a tailspin. From the corner of my eye, I can see the frost thickening as it creeps up the walls and pillars.
I look over fully, seeing my own wide fearful eyes in the reflective surface be overcome by the deep frost. An omen of my future. The fear I saw on every face when I left the castle, on Eliza and that other zombie's faces when they ran in for Zed, it all came flooding back.
'Fear will be your enemy. And death its consequence.' The words I was told as a young child rang in my ears. It's all starting to make sense.
They know where I am and what I'm capable of. It won't be long before they come to knock down my doors. Punishment for dooming Zed. My love. The one person I'd give anything to protect. But I couldn't protect him from myself.
All this pain, all this fear, it all began because of me. Maybe they're right. Maybe I am a monster.
Bu-but…
"Zed…" I whisper his name aloud, my voice echoing off the empty walls.
His face flashes across my mind. The hurt expression he gave me when he asked if I thought he was a monster too. His next words telling me I'm not a monster either.
A part of me believes him. I don't want to hurt anyone. But I'm dangerous.
I let out a frustrated scream. A blast of energy emitting from around me, causing spikes to form in every corner. The conflict in my own mind is driving me crazy. I don't know what to do and I have no one to turn to.
I squeeze my eyes shut, focusing on calming down. It's dangerous when I get emotional. My raging frustration subsides into a deep desperation.
What if the world would be better off without me in it?
With tears in my eyes, I walk out onto the balcony. The storm is still blowing snowflakes through the air in beautiful swirls. My features soften. And slowly I lift my gaze to the sky.
"Father, Mother," I speak into the wind, wondering if it can carry my voice up to them in heaven, "you've always known what's best for me. If I die, will they be free?" The tears slide down my cheeks. "But… what if, after I'm gone… the storm doesn't subside… and the cold gets colder…" A spark of realization hits me.
"No." I whisper. "No!" It grew to a shout. "I have to stay alive to fix what I've done!" A new enlightenment, new determination blooming inside of me. "I don't know how… but I will bring back the sun!"
I march back inside. "If I really am a monster, I will accept the consequence of death. But before I die, I swear my oath to Seabrook that I will do everything in my power to make this right!"
Somehow…
XxX
Wyatt, Age 20
Willa is waiting for me as soon as I return to the den. I see her jump to her feet when I approach the entrance. But she fixes her expression to a more neutral one to act like she wasn't worried about me.
"Status report?" She questions me, masking the anxiousness I know has been eating at her on the inside.
"The zombies appear to have been unsuccessful. I watched them being chased from the ice fortress by a snow beast." I report, her face morphs in shock.
"A snow beast? She can create animated minions?"
I nod, "It appears so. And…" I pause, debating if mentioning the new white streak in that zombie's hair would set her off. But her expectant look tells me I have no choice now. "The tall zombie. The one close to the queen." Willa nods her recognition so I continue. "A spot of his hair has turned white."
My sister's eyes widen as she sucks in a breath. "She struck him with magic." She's already turning away from me before I can say anything else.
"What are you planning to do?" I quickly ask, following close behind her.
"We're going to attack before she can build an army of snowmen." She tells me flatly. My feet momentarily freeze to the floor. If we pick a fight with the current queen, it could mean war against Seabrook.
War means we could be without peace for quite a while.
I hurry to catch up to my sister, the alpha who can make the call. "Do you think that's necessary? I mean, she hasn't made a direct strike at our pack and—" I'm cut off when she abruptly turns around to get in my face. My shoulders instinctively slouch to show submission to the alpha.
"Enough is enough, Wyatt. I won't wait around for her to make the first move and leave us vulnerable." She scolds me, then her eyes narrow as she takes another threatening step closer. "As beta, you need to think of the pack's safety above anything else. Is that not your first priority?" She growls.
My eyes widen at her accusation. Of course the pack is my number one priority! I'm just trying to think of the long run. But it's not my decision to make.
I straighten my back, placing a fist over my chest before lowering my head. "My loyalty to this pack is my sole concern, Sister." I assure her firmly.
When I lift my head again, her chest is puffed with pride and a sincere smile raising the corners of her lips. "I know it is, Brother." She confirms, relief relaxing my shoulders. But it didn't last long.
"We will strike with a small group. Create a distraction for that guard you saw and try to sneak in to get to the queen directly." She lays out her plan. I nod my head in understanding, even though a knot in my gut tells me it might not be right.
Willa rallies our best fighters along with Wynter and I. All of us howling with adrenaline as she hypes us up.
I take my place directly behind my sister. Wynter can see my hesitation but keeps it to herself, sticking close to my side in case I need her support. She's always been there when I need someone to turn to. When I can't turn to my sister.
I give her a soft reassuring smile.
My attention is drawn back to my twin as she begins to bark out her orders. "Wyatt! You're on my flank! The rest of you will protect each other and keep her defenses busy!" With that, she turns on her heels and marches to the den entrance. "Now let's get this over with before sundown!" She says with a howl.
We all echo hers.
Our party of wolves rushing out into the snowstorm. A chill runs down my spine but not from the freezing air. It's from me leading my pack mates, alongside my sister, into a battle at the frozen castle. A battle that could put us at war with the kingdom.