Written on Ice (Ice and Shadows #1)

Prologue

Shadow Rink

The Midnight Challenge.

The Midnight Challenge wasn’t listed on any schedule. It wasn’t acknowledged by any coach. It was never spoken of in daylight.

And yet, it existed.

A secret tournament passed down through whispers and bloodlines. Reserved for first-year students and by invitation only.

The Challenge took place once every five years. Long enough for students to graduate, and for people to forget.

But it was never really about the skating.

It was a performance for the powerful. A way for the elite to watch from the shadows and decide who was worthy of legacy—and who wasn’t.

No coaches, no fans. Only those powerful and rich enough to place their bets.

Win, and you would be rewarded.

Lose, and you might disappear.

Because the people betting didn’t care who skated best.

They cared about who survived.

And who followed the rules.

The rules were simple. And cruel.

Fall three times, you were out.

Get injured, the match ended—and sometimes your future with it.

Each challenge consisted of three nights.

Two qualifying matches.

One final round.

Then, one night, everything went terribly wrong.

They tried to bury the truth.

Called it an accident.

But secrets don’t die.

Not here.

Not with me.

There are truths frozen within my walls.

Skeletons buried beneath my ice.

But some secrets don’t stay buried forever.