Soul of Ice (Chronicles of Dawn)

Prologue

Surina Fairlight grinned from ear to ear, the invisible shackles falling from her wrists the moment she made it past the interior walls of the keep. Tiptoeing along the veranda that stretched across the palace and split off into different paths, she couldn’t shake the spark of thrill that kindled under her flesh.

While she was forbidden from leaving the keep without an escort, she knew Galen and Cyril would already be asleep, leaving Ezra as her only other option, but he never seemed to have time for her these days.

Surina rolled her eyes—she was sixteen now and didn’t need a hand to hold every time she wanted to leave her chambers.

The Queen of the Night was to bloom on this night, and only when the moon was at its peak. “Epiphyllum oxypetalum” was what Moira called it during one of their lessons years ago. Surina had missed it every year since, but not this one.

She kept to the shadows of the veranda until it ended at a corner. Deciding against taking the walkways that led directly down to the gardens, she opted to use a more scenic route, so as to not be discovered.

Peering over the stone railing, she assessed the height of the fall below—too far of a drop to land without breaking anything.

Surina pressed her body against the railing, quietly humming as her nails tapped along the cool surface, scrutinizing the branch of the large oak, trying to decide whether or not it was sturdy enough to hold her weight.

Shrugging, she concluded it was worth the risk. After many failed attempts at grabbing the branch though, she slouched over the side.

“Great,” Surina muttered, her irritation blossoming by the minute.

Frustration fueled her blood, each thump in her heart bringing more and more pride to seal the cracks in her ego. Tightening the cinch on her blue silken robe, she drew the sleeves above her elbows. The robe wasn’t entirely necessary, but it felt indecent to run around in nothing but a nightgown—not that she planned on being seen.

Hissing through clenched teeth, she hoisted herself up, bare skin stinging slightly from walking along the cold marble of the palace for so long.

Figuring the pads of her feet would silence her movements more than the soles of her slippers, she settled on leaving them behind.

From this high up, she had a fantastic view of the moon. Silver light poured on her face, and she closed her eyes to take in the feel of freedom, minuscule as it was. She almost never got to see the moon from anywhere other than her balcony, as she was always forced to stay indoors when the Court of the Moon was in session—like every mortal.

Surina opened her eyes and brought her attention back to the oak, tossing her long, golden braid over a shoulder. After securing her silver, crescent moon necklace within the cut of her gown, she narrowed her eyes at the challenge before her. She would pull herself across the branch and use the thick vines as a ladder down the giant trunk.

Attempt number five was feeling far more fruitful. She’d gotten a full hand around the branch. Surina stretched for a sturdier section, one that wouldn’t snap the second it bore the bulk of her weight.

“Almost there—”

Her foot slipped on the dew-drenched marble railing when she shifted for a better reach, realizing that her grip was, in fact, not secure. Taking a dive for the hard ground below, the wind swirled past in a torrential warning. The night around her was a blur of shadows, the earth a promising end.

Surina threw her arms out towards the ground, as if to catch herself, only to hit an invisible force of air, which stole every ounce of breath from her lungs on impact. She slid from the sphere to collapse onto the cool earth.

Her mind reeled while she lay in absolute silence, lungs quivering in short, hastened pants. It wasn’t often she conjured the winds on instinct, so she mumbled a sarcastic “Thanks” to Eiros, fae God of Winter and War—wind, too, though many preferred to pray to the seraphim God of Wind instead, for fear that speaking Eiros’s name would invoke another great war.

Maybe it was the knowledge of the gods being locked behind the faerie realm barriers that gave her the courage, but she was content with offering her lackluster praise to Eiros. “You’re supposed to guide my winds, not kill me with them.”

She supposed she should have a sentimental connection to wind, since it’s all she had of her mom, apart from her necklace, but they always seemed kind of useless compared to her affinity for water or flame.

Admittedly, the latter kind of terrified her, considering every time she conjured flame, everything caught on fire. Flowers, trees…even Galen once.

Maybe this had been a mistake after all, she surmised. Several moments passed while Surina considered calling it a night and heading back, but the moment she rolled over and stood onto her feet, she saw it.

“Finally.” Through the layers of brush and oak trees, there was the entrance to the gardens.

She stalked towards the massive walls, marble overgrown with ivy, wisteria, and climbing roses. Walking carefully, to not disturb the leaves, she took in the sounds of the gardens, praying there were no fae out for an evening stroll. Most would be in court, she imagined, doing whatever their king required of them.

Apart from the whistling bugs in the brush, no other sounds stirred within. While she hadn’t hit the age to transition completely into an immortal fae, her delicately arched ears were still quite perceptive.

Chancing one last glance behind her, she tiptoed underneath the vaulted entry, utilizing the darkness the statues of the gods provided.

The gardens were fairly large, but Moira said the flower bloomed past the carving of Isla in the mountainside, on the far end, where the night-blooming gardens were. So that’s exactly where she went, stepping from the shadows to speed towards the opposite side of the grounds. A smile crept to her face as she neared.

Surina slowed when she made it to the bewitching depiction of Isla, Divine of the Earth, Seas and Sky, standing with one hand stretched high. She reached for the crescent moon above her, representing Eira, Divine of Life and Fate, and the Mother of Souls. Beside Isla, was Silas, God of Fire and Accords. Silas was a seraphim, and the most beloved of their kind. With feathered wings splayed behind him, Silas extended a ring of flames to Isla’s other hand, which represented the sun—the light of Seros, Divine of Creation.

It was Isla who had given her life to save the mortal realms from King Draegar, though remnants of his darkness remained in the form of a curse.

She’d seen these etchings a hundred times over, but to see it at night made her think she was looking at something new altogether. Especially with the colossal shrub at the base, now aglow with ivory moonflowers, which only ever bloomed in the night.

A snap of a branch had her whirling to face the gardens, half expecting to find Ezra glaring at her from the shadows, but she only spotted two glowing orbs in the darkness of the brush.

Blinking several times, Surina squinted into the gloom, willing her eyes to focus. The orbs began to flicker, drifting towards the flowers and shrubbery.

Fireflies, you chicken .

She grinned, laughing at her own paranoia. A strange tingling sensation ran along her hand that was now warm to the touch. “Ugh, bug bites,” she groaned, scratching at her palm while returning her attention to the stone pathway.

Continuing along the walkway running past the base of the large carvings, it eventually led to a separately walled area. A wide, perfect circle shaped into the smooth, ivory stone with jasmine growing up from the ground and around the bend of the opening. The flowers draped down into the entrance like curtains. Their sweetened aroma thickened the air in the most intoxicating way.

Striding through the swaying flowers, it felt like she was stepping into the faerie realms of the divines. All that were never in bloom during the day lit up the large garden with vibrant color. Fireflies flitted about, the lights reminding her of stars, drifting in the sky.

A bubbling fountain spewed water from the spring within the mountain. In the center of the garden, a massive wisteria tree stood, ivy enveloping the trunk almost completely as the purple-bloomed limbs reached to the ground below.

Right at the base of the wisteria, in a small circular plot of its own, a light-green plant grew. Its closed white blooms with veins of light pink hung down towards the earth.

Surina strolled over to the plant and shuffled down to the ground onto her knees. Her nightgown pushed into the earth, collecting dew from the grass and soil. She held her hand out to place one of the flowers into her palm. Noticing how tightly closed the bloom was, she wondered if she should help it find the courage to open…

It’s cheating to open it with magic, Suri , Leirie would most certainly chastise.

Sighing, she released the flower, and it drooped towards the ground again. Minutes of waiting turned into what felt like an hour as she contemplated falling asleep in that very spot.

“About time,” she huffed when the flowers began to part, and after minutes of blossoming, one perfect bloom unfurled its radiant white petals. Behind the soft white center were wisps of narrower petals, encircling the shimmering white like rays of sunlight.

“Leirie, you would absolutely love this,” Surina said aloud, having begged her friend to come with her tonight. Being so intent on her father’s approval, Leirie hardly even left her room at night, let alone the palace. The gardens were her friend’s favorite place to be, and it was Leirie who always dragged her here during the day.

“The Queen of the Night.” A smooth, honeyed voice spoke from behind her.

Gasping, Surina jerked her head towards the source of the voice.

A towering male fae stood across from her, wearing a very fine, dark-blue tunic with intricate silver trim along the ends of his sleeves and collar. His light-blond hair fell just past his shoulders, reflecting the moonlight like a silken curtain—not a strand out of place. Booted feet gleamed with a newly buffed shine.

Pompous , she noted with an irrepressible glare, though she was careful not to say a word as she rose from the ground. Scanning her surroundings, Surina searched for another way out, apart from the one he conveniently stood in front of.

“What’s a little fae girl doing wandering about in the middle of the night?” His melodic voice droned on, and he was now close enough for her to note the glittering tips of canines peeking out beneath his top lip.

Had he moved? She hadn’t even realized he took a step. Surina didn’t recognize the fae, so maybe he was new to the Court of the Moon, which meant he likely didn’t recognize her either—that would explain his brazenness in cornering a princess of the Court of the Sun. Maybe she could freeze his head and run past.

Surina quickly dismissed the idea—Ezra and Cyril would be furious if they found out she was outside alone and attacked a member of court unprovoked.

“I needed some fresh air and got lost in the gardens,” she said sweetly, with feigned innocence.

“Perhaps I could return you to your chambers then? We wouldn’t want you getting lost again.” By his tone, it was evident he didn’t believe a word she said, or maybe he didn’t care what excuse she used, because he knew a mortal had no right to be out under the moon. Whether it be a mortal fae or a human, the law was clear.

Surina gritted her teeth, and when she spoke once more, it was far less sweet. “I think I can find my own way back, thank you .”

She moved to step past the fae and towards the entrance, but he drifted into her path, close enough now that she could feel his breath sweep across her cheeks.

“You smell… delightful ,” he whispered, the sound of air filling his nostrils as he inhaled her scent.

She dared a glance into his dark-brown eyes—dilated, like a predator.

Gods, was this what was to become of her after the transition? A cursed animal guided by raving thirst?

No , she thought. It didn’t have to be. She could learn control, just as so many others did.

An unpleasant wash of revulsion seeped into her veins as the fae placed a soft, chilled hand around her braid, lightly grazing the flesh of her neck. The touch sent a frigid jolt throughout, where the muscles in her body seemed to fight the shrieking demands of her mind.

“Just one little taste,” he cooed, placing the braid over her shoulder as his eyes coasted the length of her throat. “Then I’ll let you go on your merry way. No one will know of your forbidden adventure.”

Run, moonflower , a soft whisper said so silently, she had to have imagined it. Perhaps she had? Was it in her thoughts?

Run , it said once more. A cool breeze shot up her spine, propelling her into action.

Surina slammed her palm into the fae’s chest, summoning a powerful gust of wind to thrust him across the stone path.

Twice in one night she instinctively reached for a tether to the winds. If she made it back to the keep, Surina would never speak ill of the gift again, she swore it now to Eiros.

With narrowed eyes, Surina cast her hands out at the male, conjuring ice from the water in the air, sealing the fae against the solid earth she’d thrown him against.

Moira would never approve of using magic like this, thinking it was an honor from the divines to be called upon for good . Thankfully, Ezra differed in his ideals, as he was the one to show her how to manipulate it in such a way.

Thinking it best not to wait and see if the frosted binds would hold, she raced past the gnashing male, who snarled an assortment of heated curses and threats.

Ripping through the flowers hanging in her path, she willed her legs to run faster, praying she had put a layer strong enough to withstand the fae’s immortal strength.

Probably not. Probably just pissed him off.

A vicious snarl reverberated against the stone walls just as she rounded the path towards the carving of Isla.

Definitely pissed off .

Spotting a large oak growing upwards and almost over the massive walls, Surina pondered the likelihood of escape. If she could make it over the walls, then…well, she wasn’t sure after that. What she was sure of, though, was if that fae caught her, she would likely not survive.

Considering her luck with trees tonight, she imagined the fall from the height of the trunk would take her before the fae could, and that in itself sounded enticing enough.

Surina darted towards the tree, shrubbery tearing at her gown. Without wasting any time to see if the fae had followed behind, she jumped for the thickest vine and began her ascent. Livid at herself for not bothering to change into breeches, she swore as her gown kept getting caught with each step up, slowing her pace.

She’d barely made it a third of the way up when a strong hand knotted into her loose braid, forcing her down towards the earth.

A sharp cry escaped her lips as she was thrust into the tree, her face digging into the thick vines that spread the entirety of the wooded surface. He pinned both of her hands above her head with only one of his.

“You thought you could get away from me ,” he spat into her ear, so close she could feel the force in his breath.

“They’ll kill you for this,” she shrieked, squirming under his hold, but it was useless. The bark burned against her skin as he pressed harder, silencing her threats.

“Think we haven’t had to hide our meals before? I can’t help but wonder if your blood tastes as good as it smells.” He clawed the robe from her shoulder, laughing when she tensed beneath his grip. “Let’s find out.”

Surina’s blood heated in response to the vile touch, and anger rose as she felt truly helpless in the male’s clutches. How could she be so stupid? Over a dumb little flower.

She cringed as his finger grazed the side of her neck and down to her exposed flesh, ridiculing her. Like she was a field mouse caught in a cat’s lethal paws.

The fae brought his face closer to her bare skin, his chest pushing into her back. Surina tried to connect to her affinities, but she couldn’t calm herself enough to focus on one. Not like it mattered. Her hands were bound, and she still hadn’t been able to use only her mind during training. She needed her hands as a conduit for the magic.

Nausea rolled over her as, in the corner of her vision, the fae opened his mouth, revealing the sharp canines. She closed her eyes as he tilted, leaning in for the bite.

Sucking in air, she let the rage take her blood from a heated simmer to a rolling boil, and she reached for the elements with her mind— anything she could tether to. Anything that could save her…

There you are, my moonflower , a voice similar to earlier reached back, only this one was accompanied by an invisible drag of icy claws against her flesh.

Don’t be afraid , it said .

If her skin wasn’t already riddled with goosebumps, they likely would have been summoned by the strange static that now coursed her skin as a shaded caress tickled the corners of her mind, stirring something within her.

Take it , the voice demanded.

An irresistible lure of power surged around her. It was a curious warmth, with a splendid wash of summer. So she did as the whispers commanded. She took it—begged it to flow through her.

Surina raised her gaze to where her palms were crushed into the side of the tree, determination replacing the dreaded fear as the tips of the male’s canines swept over her neck.

A sizzling sound began around her palms and moved up the tree, crackling and popping as a fiber of flame twined the trunk until it hit the leaves of the limbs. A huge blaze of fire engulfed the tree, filling the night sky with a brilliant light.

The male lurched back, fleeing from the flame. The momentary separation gave her enough space to whirl around and force her palm into his side, the winds pushing her assailant out of the brush and onto the stone pathway of the gardens.

He rose onto a knee and, for a moment, his features faltered, and surprise glistened in his irises as he beheld the tree set ablaze behind her. “That’s…that’s impossible,” he stuttered out, completely baffled.

Ignoring the male’s bewilderment, Surina settled into the newfound security the warmth and light of the flames brought forth. “They’ll see the fire from the palace and be here soon enough. It’s over.” She tried to make her voice forceful, but the tears would give away what her trembling lips didn’t. As her vision blurred, floating orbs of light danced in the distance, just behind the male.

She wondered how much longer she could even stay standing if she was having delusions of stars. Surina focused on the heat against her back as the wood continued to crackle. It was likely the only thing holding her to consciousness.

With his appearance no longer unblemished, he rose further, looking even more the predator than before. His lips peeled back into a snarl, showing off those canines again—canines she thought seemed longer than usual, but couldn’t be certain from where she stood.

“Let’s see who can make it to you first, then, shall we?” he said coolly, his voice a contrast to his deadly demeanor.

The fae took one step towards Surina but froze at the sound of leaves crunching.

A dark and sickening growl came from behind the male. An enormous silhouette moved slowly, slinking towards them from the brush. Surina knew no fae or mortal could make that terrifying sound. For over five hundred years, the fae and these creatures had battled and drawn blood from one another, but she had yet to see a shifted one outside of images in a book.

She watched as the male’s eyes glossed over with icy fear, reluctantly turning towards the giant beast.

The light from the flames of the tree glistened off its powerful body. It stood on four massive limbs, each almost as tall as Surina. The beast’s lengthy tail whipped back and forth, like a tiger, readied to pounce. Wings were tucked into the sides of the creature, but Surina could tell they would expand and shroud the moon above, and she was thankful to not have to witness that before her soul was sent to the Eyre.

A long, robust neck loomed up and out from its shoulders, ending in a mighty set of jaws. Jaws strong enough to rip through any fae, immortal or not. Pointed black frills jutted out either side of its monstrous head.

Its eyes. Gods , its eyes were balls of fire , a dangerous contrast to its scales, which were black as the night.

A fire dragon .

How could a dragon have gotten past the ballista towers posted throughout the mountains? Or perhaps she should be asking how the creature was fearless enough to risk the ballistae in the first place.

Its flickering irises followed the male fae as it took one step towards him, long, dark claws glinting with the reflection of the raging fire. It had to think he was more of a threat than a mortal fae girl.

They were supposedly intelligent shifters and kept their keen observation when morphing in and out of their mortal forms—or rather, mortal looking , because, like the fae, they, too, were immortal.

The fae must have known he couldn’t outrun the creature, and instead, roared with a loud splay of power. A sound that would have made her run in terror if the dragon had shown even an ounce of hesitation. Instead, it only peeled its lips back, revealing rows of spear-like teeth.

Surina stumbled, her heel catching on the root of the still-burning tree, and she toppled onto her rear. So numb with fear she could hardly feel the tendrils of fire licking at her skin. Her mouth grew wide in horror as the dragon rumbled within, a spark of light behind his spiked teeth the only warning for what followed.

A river of fire flowed from the dragon’s mouth. Colors of orange, yellow, and blue swirled in a powerful column, engulfing the male in an inescapable, fiery end. The flames spread at the point it met the earth, flowing towards Surina in a radiant blanket of destruction.

She wasn’t quick enough to run and instinctively reached out to stop the wave, but the flames parted before they could touch her, dispersing until all that was left between Surina and the dragon were flickering bright embers of singed flora. Nothing remained of the fae but ash and soot.

The beast lifted its fierce eyes to hers, wasting no time as it cleared the distance between them. An aching thrum clattered against her chest. Only her heavy breaths could be heard over her heart’s beating.

Where was that little voice now?

She swallowed down sickness as the dragon got close enough to touch. Its pupils expanded and narrowed, assessing her.

A low, faint grumble came from the beast, and it rotated its head—what seemed to be a curious gesture. Its tail gradually swung from side to side, though not as feral as before.

Surina swallowed once again, finally gaining the nerve to speak, knowing it would understand her. “You stopped the flames. Why?”

As if it were searching for the answer, the creature brought its muzzle closer, drawing in her scent while taking loose tousles of hair with it. When the golden strands fell back against her cheeks, she released the breath she was holding into a shaky exhale.

The strange, stirring warmth from earlier returned, throbbing in the center of her right palm, itching to see just how the scales would feel beneath her fingertips.

If it were possible to lose all sanity in the face of death, she certainly had, because before she could stop herself, her hand was stretching towards its muzzle.

It offered no resistance, even as she paused briefly to ensure the creature wouldn’t tear into her arm. Giving no signs of agitation—at least none that Surina could easily recognize—it allowed her to splay her hand along the hard, but smooth, surface of its scaled nose.

Seconds after her skin met the beast’s, a sharp jolt ran from her palm and up the length of her arm. A gasp escaped her lips, and the dragon’s eyes widened. It lurched away with a croaking growl.

She peered at her hand, heat rising from it. With Surina’s focus on the warmth under her skin, she barely noticed the calls ringing out from the entrance of the gardens, but the dragon seemed to, as it began pacing anxiously between her and the path leading to the keep.

Gripping her burning right hand, her fingers strained against the splotches of deep red bubbling to the surface. Her flesh was boiling .

A gritty cry slipped from between her clenched teeth when the heat didn’t stop at her palm. It climbed higher, until it reached her heart, where it coursed rivulets of flame through the remainder of her body.

Everything around her went hazy as she swayed sideways, collapsing against the earth that was still warm from the scorching monster. She curled in on herself as the fire consumed her body—her blood .

Surina heard the screech of the dragon over her whimpers and felt a strong flap of wings that took the creature airborne. A gust of frosted air brushed her flesh as the footsteps ended.

Powerful arms wrapped around her, hoisting her from the ground. Blindly, she fought against the hold, until a low, familiar voice whispered into her hair.

“It’s okay, Surina,” he murmured apprehensively. “I’ve got you.”

Immediately, she ended her struggle, and her head drooped wearily onto the chest she slouched against. Surina didn’t resist the hand that took her injured palm, even as it pulsed in agony. The heat gradually receded when a gentle frost collected where his thumb ran over the raging flesh, and her blood cooled along with it.

Between her blurred vision and the stream of tears, Surina could barely make out the male’s bright-teal eyes before she drifted off into the gloom.