Shadows Entwined (Shadows Descent #3)

40. Caine

40

CAINE

I watch as Violet collapses into Flint’s arms, utterly drained from the monumental effort of sealing the veils between worlds. My heart aches seeing her so exhausted, but pride swells in my chest at what she’s accomplished.

“Let’s get her to her room,” I suggest, taking her hand in mine and gripping it firmly.

Flint nods as we carefully manoeuvre her limp form. She has passed out, and it’s not surprising. I dread to think what would’ve happened if she had tried that without Nathaniel’s blood. As grossed out as I am from watching her drink from him and his obvious pleasure in it, I know it had to be done. It made her stronger. It’s as simple as that. Thorne takes point, using his magick to clear a path through the debris-strewn hallways. The damage from the Convergence is extensive. Cracked walls, shattered windows, scorch marks on every surface, which are already fixing themselves with the basic magick of the Academy. But it’s nothing compared to what could have been if Violet hadn’t succeeded.

My hand trembles slightly from the sheer power running through me, and I clench my fist. There is something I need to do about this, but first, I want to make sure that Violet is safe.

As we carefully carry Violet to her room, the students and faculty members we pass look shell-shocked but relieved.

They are safe.

We saved them.

When we reach Violet’s room, Flint gently lays her on the bed. She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake. The marks on her skin have faded to faint silvery lines, barely visible now.

“She needs rest,” Blackthorn says from the doorway. “What she accomplished today was nothing short of miraculous.”

I nod in agreement, but can’t shake a nagging worry. “Will she be okay? That was an immense amount of power she channelled.”

Blackthorn’s expression is thoughtful. “She was born for this purpose. But she’ll need time to recover and adjust to her new abilities. All of you will. For now, rest. You’ve all earned it.”

Thorne and Flint settle around her on the bed, but I need to move. There is business to take care of, not the least of which is the frozen forest outside. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Where are you going?” Flint asks.

“I need to unfreeze the forest and have a minute alone.”

He nods, instantly getting it. “I killed my dad,” he blurts out.

“What?” I say with a frown. “When?”

“When I disappeared from the chamber earlier. We fought. He was sucked through a tear to another dimension, and it sealed. I didn’t stop it fast enough.”

“But you did try to stop it?”

“After a second,” he says slowly.

“Why after a second?”

“He was behind all of this as well. He wanted the supernatural world and the mortal world to be merged again, as they once were, apparently.”

I nod, processing this new information about Flint’s father. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. We’ll talk more later when things have settled down.”

Flint gives a slight nod of acknowledgement. I can see the pain and conflict in his eyes, but now isn’t the time to delve deeper.

“I’ll be back soon,” I tell them, heading for the door. “Call if you need anything.”

Flint gives me a grateful look. “Thanks. Go take care of what you need to. We’ll watch over Violet.”

I nod and head out, making my way through the damaged hallways of MistHallow. As I walk, I can feel the immense power simmering under my skin. The ice magick feels different now, deeper, more primal. I need to test its limits.

Outside, the world is eerily still. The frozen forest stands silent, ice coating every branch and leaf. I take a deep breath of the fresh air and close my eyes.

Reaching out with my evolved abilities, I can sense every ice crystal, every frozen droplet. With a single thought, I thaw the forest.

It’s slow at first, but then the ice begins melting faster. Water trickles down tree trunks and drips from leaves. Soon, the entire forest is free of ice, restored to its natural state.

“Impressive.”

My eyes narrow at the voice behind me, and I turn, bringing my ice spear to my hand. It has an uncanny ability to disappear and reappear at will. “Nate,” I bite out. “You had better leave here and never return or try to contact Violet ever again.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll slice you into tiny pieces while you are still alive and feed you to Flint.”

“Sounds painful.”

But he makes no move to go. “What? What are you waiting for?”

“I’m waiting for you to realise that you can’t just get rid of me,” Nathaniel says, his tone infuriatingly smug. “I’m bonded to Violet. That’s not something you can undo with threats.”

I grip my ice spear tighter, frost spreading from my feet. “We’ll break that bond, make no mistake about that. You don’t belong here.”

Nathaniel sighs, looking almost bored. “You really don’t understand, do you? I’m as much a part of this as you are now. More, even. My blood helped save the world today.”

“Your blood helped fix a problem you were partly responsible for creating,” I snarl. “Don’t act like you’re some kind of hero.”

He shrugs. “Believe what you want. But I’m not going anywhere. Violet needs me, whether she wants to admit it or not.”

The temperature drops sharply as my anger rises. Ice crystals form in the air around us. “She doesn’t need you. She has us.”

“And she has me.”

“No,” I growl, but before I can chop his head off with my giant shard of ice, Nathaniel freezes, encased in ice and then is blasted into tiny little ice cubes that my father scatters to the winds.

I sigh. “You didn’t get rid of him. He has a way of coming back from the dead every fucking time.”

“Not this time,” Cryos says. “Call it an apology gift.”

I blink. “Huh?”

“I’m sorry for being a dickhead father to you, Caine. It was my way of trying to make sure you were strong enough to take my place one day. Sooner than you wanted.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m fucking tired, kiddo. I’ve been alive longer than I care to think about, and every day has been some kind of fight with some kind of arsehole.”

“Oh, nice. So, you want to pass that on to me? No thanks.”

He snorts. “If only you had a choice, Caine. It’s your legacy, but more than that. You are a god now. Who better to take my place and change things for the better?”

“For the better?” I scoff.

Cryos sighs, looking tired in a way I’ve never seen before. “Yes, for the better. I’ve been doing this for millennia, Caine. I’ve seen civilisations rise and fall, ice ages come and go, and through it all, I’ve had to maintain balance, to be the cold, implacable force of nature. It’s exhausting.”

I study my father, really seeing him for the first time. The weight of aeons is visible in his eyes, in the set of his shoulders. “So, you want me to take over? Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

I’m silent for a long moment, processing this. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of responsibility, not to mention how I’m supposed to rule the Ice Kingdom when I’m here?”

Cryos smiles, a rare sight. “No one ever is. But you have something I never did. True connections, bonds of love and friendship that make you stronger. Use that strength, Caine. Lead our people into a new era.”

“What about you?” I ask, surprising myself with the concern in my voice.

“I’ll still be around,” he assures me. “To advise, to help where I can. But it’s time for new blood and new ideas. The world is changing, and our realm needs to change with it.”

“So, you were never a part of this plot?” I have to know.

He shakes his head. “No plotting on my behalf.”

“This is weird. You are being weird. What’s the catch?”

He chuckles. “No catch. Let’s just say I’ve had some growing of my own, and an old family member made me see the wood for the trees.”

I arch my eyebrow. “Ymir?”

He gives me a look that speaks volumes.

I snort. “He has a way of being very convincing.”

“No shit,” Cryos agrees. “So, you will step up to your destiny?”

“Can you hold on a year? I don’t want to leave here just yet.”

Cryos nods. “A year then.”

He vanishes from sight, and I stare at the space he occupied. “A year then. Oh, you stupid fuck. What did you just sign up for?”

“What you were born for, Mr Caine,” Blackthorn says, appearing out of the mist. “Thanks for this.” He gestures to the thawed forest.

“Anyone ever tell you it’s rude to eavesdrop?” I ask, leaning on my ice shard.

“No. Are you about to start?” His eyes hold a dare, but one I’m not dumb enough to accept.

“Are you really Violet’s uncle?”

“It would appear so.”

“She will need you in the coming weeks.”

“I will be here.”

“We need to get back to normal here. There has been so much upheaval, we are going to get a reputation as a hazardous academy to attend.”

“I think that ship has sailed, Mr Caine. We’re definitely the most exciting supernatural academy around now. Though perhaps we could do with a bit less excitement for a while.”

“Agreed. So, what now? How do we get back to normal after everything that’s happened?”

Blackthorn considers this for a moment. “We rebuild. We heal. We learn from what’s happened and grow stronger. The students will need guidance as they process everything they’ve been through.”

I nod, thinking of all the shell-shocked faces I saw as we carried Violet to her room. “They’ve been through a lot. We all have.”

“Yes, and that includes you and your friends,” Blackthorn says, his tone softening slightly. “Don’t forget to take care of yourselves as well.”

“We will,” I assure him. “Once Violet’s recovered, we’ll figure out our next steps together.”

Blackthorn nods approvingly. “Good. Now go and rest, Mr Caine. It’s been a long few weeks.”

He vanishes from sight, and I follow, landing easily back in Violet’s room, bypassing the wards that dampen our magick slightly.

Thorne and Flint are out for the count, and I sit down near the window with a smile, more content than I have been for a while.