First I just wanna say...three cheers for me actually getting this far! I have a seriously short attention span when it comes to this stuff, but this story is really holding onto me. I have reason to believe that it's largely in part to all the support I'm receiving, so...
Love and cookies to my awesome reviewers, Sky-Pirate325, LittleSquirt1, Dean's Leather Jacket, Aramoorn, chnoelle, Haylee, Well-Yeah-There's-That, and romantic.dreamer26!
Yay! Chapter eight! I made sure it was longer than the last chapter. Dig in!
Chapter Eight: Compromises and Complications
"And next time I do something to try and save your life, try saying thank you instead of yelling at me," I said. "That was really annoying."
"I guess I can live with that," Caspian replied. "But don't think I will just let you run around doing dangerous things."
"Well, duh, I've kinda grown to expect all that big brother crap from you."
I have no idea how long we had stood there, simply enjoying each other's presence. It could have been minutes or hours. I wasn't really paying attention to time. But eventually Rusself showed up to relieve Caspian of his watch, which resulted in us jumping apart at the sudden appearance of the slightly embarrassed minotaur. While we were climbing down from the ledge, I decided it would be a good idea to lay down a few ground rules to try and avoid future arguments.
"Seriously, I already have one older brother and I don't need another one," I continued.
"Trust me, I have no interest in being your brother." Caspian held on to me as I jumped down from the last of the rocks to keep me from stumbling, but his hands lingered on my waist even after I was safely on the ground. "Not at all."
I was flushed, and not solely because of the climb down. "Right." I started walking and he followed my lead. "And about that whole thing with the watchman, I'd appreciate it if you kept your comments to yourself. I only did what was necessary to get the job done."
Caspian rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his feet. "I am sorry about that. I guess I was just…jealous." He finished the sentence hesitantly.
My heart was doing acrobatics again and it was all his fault. "A plague on both your houses," I muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" I waved my hands in front of me. "I was just thinking that if you really wanted to be the one who kissed the soldier you should have just said something!"
He made a disgusted face, but laughed. "Querida, you are very strange." I punched him on the arm playfully. "You didn't let me finish! I was going to say, you are very strange, but I like it."
I sighed. "Ew."
"Ew?"
"You're getting all sentimental on me again, chief."
"Sorry."
"That's okay. As long as you're not throwing a tantrum, I can live with anything else you throw at me."
"That is true." Caspian's expression became thoughtful. "Although, if I do slip up, at least now I know that Shakespeare seems to tame the wild beast."
"Wild? Yes. Beast? …Maybe. And that is so unfair!" We turned onto the stone path heading down into the How. He cast me a surprised look.
"What do you mean?"
"You've got my weakness all figured out and I have no clue what yours is!" I whined, crossing my arms.
Caspian looked down and was silent for a moment as we passed into the entrance hall of the How. Once we were in the relative darkness of the tunnel, he looked up again, smiling almost shyly. "I thought it was obvious."
Now, I really wasn't expecting a reply like that. Even in the dimly lit corridor I could feel the intensity of his gaze. Why did he have to go and do stuff like that? I coughed loudly into my fist to cover up for my speechless state. We came to the forge entrance just in time for me to totally dodge replying. Score! Unfortunately, as had become the habit for the last two days, everyone paused in whatever they were doing and looked my way warily. I held up my hands. "No worries. Everything's cool again." Slightly appeased, they returned to their work. I had barely taken another step before Caspian stopped me and gingerly lifted my right arm.
"What happened to your hand?" he asked. His fingers moved down to cradle mine as he lifted it into better light. It was more swollen than I thought, probably because of when I hit him. I guessed if he was bruised, my palm was most likely a little black and blue as well.
"Let's see," I said, thoughtfully. "I punched a soldier, slapped a prince, and backhanded a wall."
Caspian looked up at me and cocked an eyebrow, which I couldn't help but notice was…well…sexy. I can't think of any other way to put it. "Oh, is that all?" he asked sarcastically.
"I may have…backhanded the wall…more than once," I admitted hesitantly.
His expression turned to concern. "Isabella."
"It wasn't me, it was Lex! She is such a bitch." I muttered the latter part to myself, but he probably heard it anyway.
"Who is Lex?" he asked carefully.
My face heated up. I never actually planned for him to know just how crazy I could become. "Well…I'm Lex. Or, Lex is me. But not all of me, more like a fraction of me. Lex is like…" I thought about it for a minute. "She's like Evil Izzy. The Izzy that lies and yells, and thinks everyone's out to get her. Lex is the one who hated you. But she hates everyone." His expression never changed the whole time I was trying to explain it, and I waited anxiously for his reaction. I half expected him to run away, but he didn't. He stayed right where he was.
"Is Lex the one who hit me?" Caspian's question surprised me.
I smiled and looked down. "Actually, no. That was me."
He laughed. "All right." His warm but rough swordsman's hands lifted my head up so he could meet my gaze. After studying my eyes for a long time, he smiled, satisfied. "Lex is gone now." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. I locked her away and coughed up the key." I smiled.
"You coughed up the key?" He raised his eyebrow again.
"Well, if I keep it inside of me then she might be able to get her hands on it!"
Caspian let go of my face and tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "You certainly do have an interesting train of thought, querida." This "querida" business was going to drive me crazy if I didn't find out what it meant soon.
I opened my mouth to provide a witty retort, but before I could a light haired fawn came running (galloping?) into the forge yelling, "Your Majesties! Your Majesties!" The four royal siblings appeared from various corners of the room, and Caspian turned all business at the urgency in the faun's voice. He touched my shoulder as he walked past me to join the others. I hung back, leaning against a large stone pillar. The faun's breath returned, and it relayed news that sent a spark of fear down the column of my spine. "There was a scout. The Telmarines know where we are."
Without missing a beat, Peter called for the leaders of each race to convene in the deepest room in the How- the one containing the Stone Table. "You too," he said to me as he walked by. I shrugged and followed them through the tunnels. The cavern was large, with the Table in the very center of the room, cracked right in half down the middle. A ring of fire bordering the room provided the light, and illuminated fantastic carvings of every creature known to Narnia. The most important one was obviously the one directly opposite the doorway that portrayed a great, majestic lion. Aslan. I turned my attention back to Peter, as my wandering mind had already missed the first parts of what he said. "It's only a matter of time."
"What do you propose we do, Your Majesty?" Reepicheep asked.
Caspian and Peter both started to speak at the same time. Leaning against the Stone Table next to Lucy, I saw the nasty look that the king gave the prince. Caspian folded under his stare, nodding for him to continue.
"Our only hope," Peter continued, "is to strike them before they strike us."
"But that's crazy," Caspian argued. "No one has ever taken that castle."
"There's always a first time," the other boy replied.
"We'd have the element of surprise," Trumpkin, Trufflehunter's other dwarf friend, pointed out.
"But we have the advantage here." Caspian stepped forward as he spoke.
Susan stood up behind him. "If we dig in we can probably hold them off indefinitely."
"I, for one, feel safer…underground," Trufflehunter said.
"Look," Peter said, turning on Caspian, "I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."
"Yes, and if they're smart the Telmarines can just wait and starve us out," Edmund added.
Patterwig, a hyperactive squirrel who was almost as cute as Reepicheep, decided to make a suggestion. "We could collect nuts!"
Reepicheep was not amused. "Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines!" He gave Patterwig a withering look. "Shut up." Haha, I love that mouse. He turned back to face Peter. "I think you know where I stand, sire."
Peter looked to Glenstorm. "If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?"
Glenstorm glanced at Caspian as he considered it, then said, "Or die trying, my liege."
"That's what I'm worried about." Lucy's voice surprised everyone.
Peter swiveled to face her. "Sorry?"
"Well you're all acting like there's only two options," she continued. "Dying here, or dying there."
"I'm not sure you've really been listening, Lu."
"No, you're not listening!" She spoke with great conviction for someone so young; but then again, I guess she was all grown up at one point in time. "Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?"
Peter's expression hardened. "I think we've waited for Aslan long enough." With that, he turned and walked out of the room. I glared after him, telepathically sending lightning bolts to strike him. Or at least, that's what I would have done if it were possible…
"We're going to the forge to plan," Susan said. I realized she was talking to me, as everyone else had started to file out with the exception of Lucy and myself.
"I think I'll stay here for a while," I replied.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I don't need to hear the plans. Caspian's not going to let me go anyway." I rolled my eyes.
"Absolutely not!" Caspian called from the doorway. Susan and I exchanged a look and laughed, then she smiled and walked away. I slowly lowered myself until I was sitting on the steps leading up to the table. Staring at the carving of Aslan, the flickering firelight almost made it seem like his mane was being disturbed by a light breeze. I stared so long that it started to look like his whole face was moving, shifting, forming a smile. I blinked and shook my head. The stone was back to normal. I'd just been imagining things.
"Do you really think he'll come, Lucy?" I asked.
"I think he wants us to go to him," she replied. I looked up at her.
"Why do you think that?"
"He came to save us last time, and things never happen the same way twice." She smiled, like she was remembering a fond memory. "Aslan is wise and powerful. He doesn't do anything if there isn't a point to it. There must be a good reason why the others didn't see him when I did."
We watched the firelight flicker across the stone. "It's a test," I decided. "He must want them to prove their faith in him. Maybe he's always there, but they weren't looking in the right places."
Lucy giggled. "That's what I said."
I smiled. "Well, it makes sense. Aslan strikes me as the kind of person who doesn't expect anything in return for his love except faith and loyalty."
"And love," she added.
I nodded in agreement. "And love."
"He'll like you. You're smart, but in a different way."
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
"Well, you don't see things the way Peter or Susan or even Edmund sees them. You see a whole lot more, and you understand it. And you don't let all those stupid grown up expectations stop you."
"I'm not sure what that means."
"It means you're special. Even though you're older, you can still see with a kid's eyes. It keeps you open to more than what's right in front of you."
I stared up at her. What an amazing little girl. "I think you're right. No one's ever put it like that before, but…" I looked down at my hands. "I've always been an outsider. Maybe that's why."
"That's because everyone seems to think that if they don't understand something, or see it, it must be wrong," Lucy said.
"Tell me about it," I sighed. "My whole life I've been trying so hard to let people in. To really connect, you know? Not just on the outside but on the inside too. But it's like there's this glass bubble around me all the time and no one else fits into it but me."
"Maybe you're not supposed to bring other people inside. Maybe you're supposed to let yourself out."
I pulled myself to my feet and leaned against the edge of the table so my eyes were level with hers. "How old are you?"
"Twelve and one half," Lucy stated proudly.
"That's weird," I said. "I could've sworn you were a hundred and twelve."
Lucy laughed. "I'm glad you're not sad anymore," she said. "I like you better this way."
My heart lurched, but not in an unpleasant way. I smiled. "I like me better this way, too." Someone cleared their throat by the door to get our attention. It was Susan.
"We're about to head out," she said. I looked at Lucy as she hopped down from the Table. She had an uneasy look on her face, which in turn made me feel uneasy as we followed Susan up to the forge. There was only one person I wanted to see, and I felt terrible because of it. I had more than one friend going on this mission.
When we came out into the waning afternoon, I went to Edmund first and surprised him with a hug. "Try not to do anything stupid, okay?" I chided, trying to keep the mood light even though I was about to watch my friends march off towards imminent danger. What a world, what a world…
"I'll do my best," Edmund replied once I'd released him from the vice of my arms. I turned to Peter next who, though he was an obnoxiously arrogant prick, I still sort of liked. Kinda.
"Don't get yourself killed," I told him.
"I'll try," Peter replied. We stood there awkwardly for a moment, then I just threw caution to the wind and wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug.
"Good luck," I said as I stepped back.
"Uh, thanks." I could've sworn he was blushing. Mr. Smooth loses his cool!
I pretty much jumped on Susan like I would have if she were Dana or Jo. She was surprised at my enthusiasm, but laughed just the same. "When you get back, we should totally do girly things."
"Girly things?"
"Yeah. You know. Talk about boys or clothes or all the different ways to kill someone with a bow and arrow. All that jazz."
Susan smiled. "Right."
When I came to Caspian, he just stared into my eyes in that way he does that makes my entire body tingle. "You have no choice," I said. "You are coming back."
"I will try," he said.
I planted my fists on my hips. "Well, you better try real hard because if you do something stupid like die I promise I will pull you back into the world of the living just so I can kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?"
The corner of Caspian's mouth pulled up in a really adorable lopsided smile. "Inescapably."
"Good." He pulled me into his embrace, and for a moment I forgot about all the Narnians standing around watching us. Everything that happened between Caspian and I suddenly felt so…intimate. I had to remind myself that we were not alone.
I felt his breath on my ear as he whispered, "Be safe," and then reluctantly stepped back. I don't know why he said it. I wasn't the one who was about to fly off in the talons of a gryphon to break into the castle of my murderous uncle. Under different circumstances, the sight of the four of them clasped in the gryphons' grip would have been comical. But these were not different circumstances, so it only made me feel increasingly uneasy.
As I was watching them fly off with the troops following on the ground close behind, I just knew something bad was going to happen. It was more of a feeling, actually, that spread from my mind until it completely filled me up. I wanted to stop them, call out, reach into the sky and pull them back, but they were already disappearing over the trees. Instead, I turned and walked back into the How. In the forge, one of the centaurs- a female- was already back to work, sharpening swords. I leaned against a ledge and watched the sparks fly from the metal as it was pressed against the spinning stone.
"You are not the only one it plagues," she said.
"Huh?" was my super intelligent response.
"The feeling; the knowledge that something dark rides in with the stars tonight. It is in me too."
"Centaurs are incredibly perceptive creatures," I noted. She only nodded. "What do you think is going to happen…um…"
"Haybra," the centaur supplied. "There is no way of knowing for sure. But the darkness lingers on the brink of battle, and so I fear the attack on the Telmarines' castle will not go well." She had paused in her sharpening while she spoke, but now returned to it.
"Why do you think we feel it so strongly? I mean, the others must be worried too."
"Yes, all are worried, but not everyone sent a piece of themselves into the battle." Haybra ran her fingers along the steel, and set it aside.
"A piece of…but, I'm all right here." I held my hands out like it helped to prove that I was in one piece.
"I am not talking about a piece of your body." She trotted closer to me. "It is a belief of my people that when we find our mate, the pieces of our souls closest to our hearts are exchanged between us, and so we carry a part of one another everywhere we go." Haybra put one hand over her heart and looked down. "My Seledin has gone to fight." She looked up to meet my eyes. "And so has your prince."
I almost fell over. My face grew so hot I might as well have just passed my head through one of the torches. "Oh!" I exclaimed. My hands came up, fingers fluttering in front of me. "No! He's not! Uh, mine, I mean. He did go to fight, but he's not my prince, he's his own prince." I continued to wave my hands ridiculously, and Haybra simply smiled like she knew something I didn't.
"Apologies," she said, bowing her head. "I must have misinterpreted. It seemed like you viewed each other the same way as Seledin and I." She looked up and moved to return to her work. As she picked up a new sword to sharpen, she got a thoughtful look on her face. "Though, it is very rare that two souls are so compatible that they become one rather than just exchanging a piece."
I stared blankly at the centaur. What was she talking about? All this stuff about exchanging souls was starting to make my head hurt. "What do you mean?"
"In my tongue, we call it Animus Vinculum. In the language of Adam it can be translated to Soul Bond." Haybra started sharpening the sword in her hands. The other Narnians were starting to filter back into the How.
"And you think…me? And Caspian?" It was difficult for me to form a complete sentence. My head was spinning. Centaurs may be wise, and astute, but apparently they also carry around a little bit of crazy. We should start a club with tee shirts and everything. No, wait, straight jackets! Oh, the possibilities…
"The stars tell many stories. I am only relaying what I see," Haybra said. "What you do with the information is your choice. Forget it, if that is your will, but bonds of the soul are not easily ignored."
"Uh…right…I think I'm just gonna go…um…elsewhere," I said. The centaur nodded without looking up from her work. I tried not to run all the way to the Stone Table room, but it was very hard. Me and Caspian? Caspian and me? What a ridiculous idea. I mean, we're close friends, yes, but that's as far as it will ever go. At the end of the day, he's still a prince and I'm still…
"Crazy," I muttered as I walked into the great chamber. When I walked up to the Table I was surprised to find Lucy curled up on it fast asleep. I hadn't even seen her pass through the forge. Carefully, I climbed up to lay next to her. I gently moved her hair out of her face. There was a tiny smile on her lips- pleasant dreams, then. What I wouldn't give to have the dreams of a child. I let my heavy eyelids drift down to block out the room's orange glow.
Just as I was on the edge of sleep, a horn sounded from above and I sat bolt upright. Susan's horn? Lucy was still asleep. I decided not to disturb her. I slid to the edge of the Table and jumped off. Why would someone be blowing Susan's horn? I walked quickly through the tunnels, and when I got to the forge it was completely deserted. How totally…unnatural. As I walked slowly through the room, my footsteps were the only sound. There was deafening silence all around me. Where did everyone go? Outside it was already dark so I was hesitant to venture out of the How. I stared at the doorway, willing someone- anyone- to appear. I'd have greeted Nikabrik with a big hug at that moment. "Where is everybody?" I wondered aloud.
"Here," a voice said from behind me. I whirled around and couldn't believe my eyes.
"Dana?" I asked incredulously, taking a few steps towards her. "Dana!" I moved to run to her but something about her appearance stopped me. I tried to figure out what it was. Her dirty blond curls were the same, long and full, and she was wearing the usual- as much green as possible. I studied her face, and then it hit me. She looked…mad. "What's wrong?" Dana lifted one hand to point behind me. "Wh-" I looked over my shoulder, then spun around. "Caspian!"
Indeed, he was standing there, but something was wrong with him too. His arms were crossed, and he was wearing an expression I didn't recognize. I couldn't place what his emotion was.
"Izzy," said a new voice. When I spun back around, Dana wasn't alone. Jo stood at her side, her short blond hair framing her face.
"Jo!" I exclaimed. "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"
"They came to take you away," Caspian said from behind me. I turned so I could look back and forth between them. He was standing closer now. "But I won't let them." His jaw was set, and he had fixed my friends with a challenging stare.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked.
"Just what he said," another new voice joined in. A voice I knew all too well. Whipping my head around, my eyes fell on blonde hair and beautiful green eyes.
"Nathan! You're here too!? But how-"
"We're here to take you home, Izzy," Dana said.
"She's not going anywhere!" Caspian's shout made me jump and look towards him. Edmund and Susan had appeared behind him.
"She doesn't belong here!" My father's voice? I looked back at my friends and, sure enough, my mother and father had joined the group.
"Well, she doesn't belong with you!" Lucy's voice, now? There she was, standing right next to Caspian.
"She fits better here," said Edmund.
"Why don't we let Izzy decide?" This voice was Trufflehunter's. It seemed that everyone I knew from either world was popping up on either side of the room.
"Which do you choose, Isabella?" Caspian asked.
"What?" I sputtered.
"You have to choose," Jo said. "Us or them."
"You can't ask me to make that decision!" My head was starting to spin. Both groups were closing into a circle around me.
"You have to," said Susan. "Them or us, Izzy."
Suddenly, they were all talking at once, calling my name, asking that same question over and over again. "Who do you choose, Izzy? Who do you choose?" I doubled over and covered my ears against the endless slew of voices calling my name, shouting that damn question.
"Stop it!" I screamed. "Stop!"
"Izzy!" The chaos stopped and all I could hear was the crackling of fire. I was lying on something hard and solid. I opened my eyes and Lucy's face came into focus, looking down at me with a concerned expression. "You were having a nightmare."
I sat up, putting one hand to my head. My ears were still ringing. "Yeah…nightmare," I mumbled. "How long was I asleep for?"
"I'm not sure. I woke up a few minutes ago. I was sitting just there when you started talking in your sleep." She pointed at the Table's steps on the side closest to the carving of Aslan. "You seemed scared, so I woke you up."
"I was scared," I replied, smiling sheepishly. "Thanks." A horn sounded, and I jumped.
Lucy looked up. "That's them," she said. "They're back!" She jumped down from the Table and I mimicked her. We both ran through the tunnels and the forge and out into the daylight. The troops were coming towards us, and I was relieved to see Caspian and Peter in the lead, closely followed by Edmund and Susan. But then I noticed the look on their faces, and my heart sank. "What happened?" Lucy asked.
"Ask him," Peter spat, jerking his head in Caspian's direction.
"Me?" Caspian snapped. "You could have called it off! There was still time!"
Peter swiveled around. "No there wasn't, thanks to you. If you had just stuck to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now."
"If we had just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!"
"You called us, remember?" Peter was really up in his grill. I was stunned. Now I know how everyone else felt when I had been fighting with Caspian.
Speaking of, the look on his face was hard and reminded me of my freaky dream. "My first mistake," he said in a deadly voice.
"No," Peter disagreed. "Your first mistake was thinking you could actually lead these people." He turned on his heel and started towards the How.
"HEY!" Caspian's shout surprised me. He looked completely livid when Peter turned around. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia."
"You invaded Narnia," Peter spat. "You've got no more right to be here than Miraz does!" Caspian had had enough. He brushed past the young king, only to stop in his tracks at Peter's next words. "You, him, your father! Narnia's better off without the lot of you!" With an angry scream, Caspian drew his sword and whirled around. Peter's blade was out in time to meet his.
"Stop it!" Edmund shouted. Everyone looked his way. Several Narnians stepped forward to place Trumpkin carefully on the ground. Lucy ran forward as the two boys lowered their blades. Caspian sheathed his sword and walked into the How without a word, shortly followed by Nikabrik. I decided to go after him after I was sure Trumpkin was okay. I'd never talked to the dwarf, but he seemed like a good guy. Lucy pulled a vial from her belt and carefully let one drop of the liquid inside fall into Trumpkin's mouth.
Several anxious moments later, he came around. "What are you all standing around for?" he grumbled. "The Telmarines'll be here soon enough." Speaking of Telmarines…
I turned and jogged down into the How to find the wayward prince. The forge was deserted, so I continued down the tunnel towards the Stone Table. I was about to turn a corner when Nikabrik's gravelly voice stopped me.
"Not so glad 'a that horn now, boy," he said. I hung back. He was up to something.
"What do you want?" Caspian asked. "Congratulations?"
"You want your uncle's blood," Nikabrik stated. "So do we." I shivered at the malice in his voice. "You want his crown. We can get it for you." There was the sound of footsteps, and I peered around the bend to see them walking further down the tunnel. I silently followed, careful to stay a good distance behind and stick to the shadows. They went into the chamber of the Stone Table. I crouched down in the shadows of the tunnel, depending upon the acoustics of the room to send their sound my way.
"You tried one ancient power, and it failed," Nikabrik said. "But there is a greater power, still. One that kept even Aslan at bay for a hundred years." There was movement in the shadows, the sound of a sword being drawn.
"Who are you?" Caspian asked.
"I am hunger," growled a voice that turned my blood to ice. It was low and scratchy and sounded more like a dull roar than a speaking voice. It continued. "I am thirst. I can fast for a hundred years and not die. I can lie on the ice for a hundred years and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not burst." I covered my mouth to keep from crying out. "Show…me…YOUR ENEMIES!" It was a good thing I was covering my mouth, because a small scream managed to escape my throat.
Another voice, this one high and breathy, grated against my eardrums. "What you hate, so shall we," it said. "Nobody hates better than us."
A short silence followed, and then Caspian spoke. "And you can…guarantee Miraz's death?" Oh, no.
"And more," the breathy voice replied. "Let the circle be drawn!" It started speaking in a strange language. The words were sharp, jagged, evil. I risked peering around the bend in the tunnel as the voice screeched the last of the terrible words. Caspian had his back to me, and an ugly hag with the face of a bird was holding up a staff of some kind. As she finished the chant, she raised it over her head and for a moment I thought she was going to stab him. But she didn't. She drove the point of the staff into the ground, it seemed (the Stone Table blocked my view of anything below Caspian's waist). I stifled a gasp as a sheet of ice formed between the two tall columns in front of Aslan's engraving. I thought I saw movement in the reflective surface, and suddenly a ghostly apparition of a woman appeared. She had sharp features and wore a pure white gown. And she was encased in the ice.
"No," Caspian said. "This isn't what I wanted!" As he spoke, my heart kicked into overdrive and my brain started to put the pieces together. A woman, beautiful but frightening, only visible within a sheet of ice, summoned by an incantation in a dark tongue. I didn't know who she was, but I had one helluva guess.
"The White Witch," I breathed.
There we are! A longer chapter for you. The beginning of it was particularly enjoyable to write. Once again, reviews are lovely. ;)
-Gina
