no one wants to make. With consequences that keep me awake at night. I fucking hate it, but I accepted the position long ago.
She sucks in a shaky breath as she slows her crying, and I drag her against me, pressing her tight as she cries. I hate that I can’t shield her from the ugliness around us.
"We live in a fucked-up world. You can loathe me, or you can work with me and use your power.”
She lifts her head, and hatred pours from her gorgeous blue eyes. I don’t like her looking at me that way... it shouldn't bother me, but it does.
"Get away from me," she warns.
I release her and snap away, then march out of the room. If the only way I can get her over this moment is to prove she’s wrong about killing anyone, then I'll find a way to do just that. I need her to be powerful, not falling apart.
10
Licia
I'm lost for words and have been sitting on the bed, hugging my knees ever since Eryk stormed out of the room. I never expected him to listen to me when I told him to leave me, but he had. It's almost as though he has a conscience. Which is laughable.
My mind keeps swirling over how far he drove me to get what he wanted. After last night, I thought that maybe something between us existed. Except, that’s a lie. We are too different; we might as well be from opposite ends of the universe. He'd tear down anyone in his way for the final solution... he doesn't care if he loses a few lives along the way.
That scares me, because I'd do anything to save every single life.
But now, I am trapped in his room. A guard came in earlier to bring me a bowl of fruit and water, then took me to the toilets to freshen up. Is this my new life?
When the door to my room opens again, I swing around in bed and drop my feet to the floor as Eryk enters, head held high. He's waving for someone to enter behind him, and five guards emerge, standing in a line before me. All are men, red-cheeked and pale, lips almost blue, and they're rugged up in long coats.
"It took me a while, but the five men you froze stand before you alive," he states without a hint of emotion, which surprises me. I’d expect a lot of smugness.
I jump to my feet and pad toward the men. "Is this true?"
A man with short reddish hair nods. I step closer, and I recognize him as the person I kneeled next to outside the barn. He’d been so blue and iced over… but now life pours through him. I reach over and push a finger into his arm, which is soft.
"Aye, the encounter felt like I'd fallen asleep, and when I woke up, I trembled like the gods themselves shook me with cold."
The others nod, and I look over to Eryk. "I don't understand. How could they survive that?"
He turns to his men. "Thank you. You are dismissed."
The guards march out of the room and pull the door shut behind them.
Eryk strolls over to the fire and warms his hands. "The hobgoblin is dead from your snow magic," he says.
I think over his words, well-aware of what he's implying. "So, what, my power only kills those I intend, not bystanders? How?"
He looks at me over his shoulder with a curious expression. "Do you know where our powers come from?"
I huff and stiffen. "Of course, everyone knows it's the last witch."
"Which means it's magic, crafted in a specific way. It doesn't follow logic, instead it follows what the Witch Queen intended. The power isn't about destruction or harming others. It's about helping us."
"Then why do you call it a curse?"
Turning back to the fire, he doesn't respond right away. "It's something my father says, and I took the saying from him, I guess. He hates that my mother and I were both inflicted."
He doesn't look at me, but having your father despise you for what you can't control is disturbing. I’m guessing he would have been a small child when hobgoblins smashed the mirror and chaos fell over our world. That must be when he and his mother gained their power like others in this world. I was born just before the hobgoblins took the mirror into possession, which explains why I have powers too. Our abilities are all linked to the