ICE

168. Mere Inches Away

CAELAN CHUCKLED AND arched an eyebrow at her pained expression. His gaze zeroed in on the crown that stretched across her forehead. "While I am uncertain as to why you chose to give yourself a crown," he said, "I wouldn't worry. Due to its change in appearance, I believe that whatever negativity it had within it has been destroyed."

Ravenna nodded a bit. She lowered her hand away from the crown. She could feel some of the color returning to her cheeks. "That's good to hear."

An idea suddenly rushed to the forefront of her mind. She paused for a moment and squinted her eyes at Caelan. He watched her expression change, amusement creeping into his features. "What are you thinking?" he asked her.

"So hear me out," she said, gesturing wildly with her hands. "You know how in those old legends and fairytales, people with the ability to manipulate magic sometimes use wooden sticks?"

He blinked at her. "Do you mean a wand?"

She snapped her fingers. "Yes. Exactly."

Her fingertips lifted again, pressing gently against the edges of the crown. Now that the negativity had been destroyed, the crown was very smooth to the touch — almost as if it were made of metal. "Would it be possible to make this crown do what the talisman did?" she asked. "The talisman was able to manipulate my emotions and aid me in controlling my powers, just like a wand. Would it be possible to spell this crown so that it can do the same? Just without the negativity."

Caelan's eyes widened and his lips pressed into a wrinkled line.. He seemed to mull her words over for a moment. "I do think that it is possible," he said slowly. "I have encountered those who prefer to use an inanimate object to help focus their abilities. Some have used jewelry in the past."

She pointed at her crown. "This is jewelry."

"Do you really feel that it is necessary though?" he asked her. He tilted his head to the side, watching her expression carefully. "Using an object like a spelled wand or piece of jewelry to help manage your abilities tend to be reserved for those who are just beginning to learn their skills. It is more of a temporary solution."

His expression shifted into something more thoughtful. He stepped closer to her and leaned in, until his face was mere inches away from her own. Ravenna's heart decided to stop. She stared at him, wide-eyed as his hand lightly touched her chin and tilted her face upward, toward him. His dark eyes were focused on her crown. "I feel as though your skill level is beyond that of a beginner," he said. His voice was soft. "Though it may speed up your current training a bit."His hand dropped away from her face and he took a step back. Amusement flooded his features as his eyes scanned her facial expression.

Ravenna discovered the ability to breathe again and crossed her arms over her chest. It took all of her willpower to ignore the heat that burned the skin of her cheeks. "Vyses could attack us any day now," she said. Her voice cracked a bit. She cleared her throat. "We need all of the help that we can get right now. Plus I can go ahead and get started creating our own ice soldiers."

The amusement that shimmered within Caelan's eyes amplified. He lowered his gaze back to the ancient spellbook. "I do think that you should limit the amount that you train with it," he told her. "Yes, it will help in the short-term. But you do not want to be reliant upon it. The moment that Vyses recognizes that you are using it to maintain control, he will do his best to destroy it."He flipped through the aged-yellow pages. His gaze scanned quickly over the scribbled text and sketches featured on each page — until he found what he was searching for. He paused and then glanced over at the shelves that lined the walls around them.

"What would be a good time limit, then?" she asked him, shuffling closer to the spellbook.

Caelan pursed his lips for a moment. "I would suggest that for every hour that you train with the crown, you spend two hours training without."

Ravenna nodded. "Alright. That is doable," she told him, turning to face him fully. She squared her shoulders and squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to brace herself for impact.

A few moments of silence passed between them. She poked one eye open. "Go ahead. Perform the spell. I'm ready," she assured him.

Caelan appeared to fight back a laugh. He gestured toward the spellbook in front of him. "You will need to perform the spell," he told her.

"You can't do it?" Ravenna panicked a bit. She glanced nervously at the spellbook. "You are stronger and more experienced."

Caelan smiled at that. "Yes, I am," he agreed. He folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow at her. "However, the spell is meant to control your magic — not mine. Your crown will react stronger to your magic if it is used to perform the spell."

Ravenna grimaced. "Ah."

A chuckle escaped him. He waved a glowing hand toward the shelves that surrounded them. Ravenna watched as several items on the shelves that overflowed with ingredients began to glow. Those glowing items lifted into the air and raced across the room, gently dropping themselves down onto the table beside the ancient spellbook. Caelan lowered his hand. "That is all that you should need," he said. "I will supervise this time."

"Wonderful," she muttered under her breath. Her nose pinched.

Her gaze scanned over the open page. It looked familiar to her. Her expression twisted around a grimace and her stomach did a somersault. The spell looked very similar to the one that she had used to create the crown.

Ravenna took a deep breath. It had been so long since she'd originally performed the spell, however, she could hardly remember the ingredients that she'd used. It was harder for her to tell the difference between what was listed and the incorrect spell that she'd been shown.The ingredients that sat in front of her were a pale blue candle, some peppermint leaves, a piece of paper, and a stick of charcoal. She read through the spell carefully and followed each instruction that was listed. She used the charcoal to create a casting circle on the floor and scribble out the spell on the parchment. Then she rolled up the parchment and lit the candle.

Holding the rolled up paper and candle, Ravenna stepped inside the charcoal circle. She glanced at Caelan from the corners of her eyes and found him watching her intently. His expression appeared stoic, void of any emotion. Her stomach twisted into intricate knots. She knelt down and placed the candle in the center of the circle. Then she held the rolled piece of paper above the flame.

Ravenna did her best to concentrate, focusing all of her magic into her hands. She lifted her freehand to her forehead, her fingertips brushing against the crown of ice.

The candle's flames flickered a light blue color and stretched upward, reaching for the paper that she held within her hands. She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered the necessary words.

She felt the heat of the flames approach the skin of her fingertips. She released the paper and imagined that the magic of the spell was being absorbed by her crown. A cooling sensation appeared in the center of her forehead. When it died down, Ravenna opened her eyes. The candle had flickered out.

She glanced toward Caelan, her expression nervous.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Well done."

~
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