[wattys 2018 shortlisted]
Humans see her as a dangerous threat -a witch that must be executed. With the uncontrollable ability to form ice at her fingertips, Ravenna is forced into hiding amongst the humans, stealing to survive. That is, until she h...
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IT TOOK ALL of Ravenna's strength not to retaliate. Her jaw clenched as Eoin stepped back, away from her. Her hands curled into tight fists. She felt her fingernails pierce the skin at the base of her palms, sending a sharp stinging sensation racing up through her arms. She tried to remember to breathe, to remain calm and collected. The pain helped. It distracted her.
Eoin started to pace in front of her. He muttered under his breath, his hushed tone laced with poison. His knuckles were painted bright red.
She folded her arms across her chest and watched. Her lips were wrinkled into a firm line. She refused to speak first, to give him any inkling that she would condone his actions. A simple disagreement did not call for an immediate attack. And if he really wanted to get into a fistfight with her, Ravenna would be very quick to show Eoin her true colors.
A sigh bristled through Eoin. He stopped his pacing and turned toward Ravenna. His cheeks were flushed —a mixture of embarrassment and anger boiling beneath his skin. "I apologize," he said. "I should not have struck out at you. You simply don't understand how important my people are to me. They are all that I truly have as a king."
Ravenna simply stepped aside and gestured toward the door, her expression a solid wall of ice.
His jaw clenched. He ducked his head. His chest heaved around heavy breaths —he must have been counting his angered breaths too, trying to calm down. She stared him down until he started to walk toward the door. He hesitated when he reached the threshold.
"I am sorry, Ravenna," he said.
She waited until he'd stepped into the hallway. Then she said, "Eoin, please remember. You aren't actually a king yet. No matter how much you do for the kingdom."
He turned toward her, a new fire glistening within his emerald eyes.
Ravenna met his gaze evenly. The sheer iciness in her voice sent chills down her own spine. "Do not get ahead of yourself, for pride and arrogance are not good traits in any ruler."
Before he could respond, she slammed the door shut. She flattened a palm against the intricately carved wood, pressing against it —waiting for him to attempt to force the door open. The moment he tried, a wall of ice would engulf it and block his entrance.
She could hear Eoin outside her door. He was counting his breaths again. It wasn't long before his footsteps echoed through the hall. She lowered her hand and stepped away from the door. Waves of fiery anger scorched through her veins.
Her talisman burned against her chest and small tendrils of ice danced across her knuckles. A shaky breath escaped her.
"Just another week," she whispered to herself.
There were only six more days until the wedding ceremony took place. The royal coronation ceremony took place the day after. Ravenna had until then to figure out how she would dispose of her only opposition. Once the current King and Eoin were gone, control would easily fall to the Queen. Especially when she had an army of ice soldiers at her disposal.
