Chapter 36
Awolf of ice that reflects the light – that was what I tried to use my magic to create. And I didn’t just succeed. I excelled. Beyond anything I expected.
Ruben and I stand beneath a kaleidoscope of colours that shimmer and move like water across our bodies. But not just across us. Across the snow, the mountainside, and towards the city itself. My wolf creation is huge. No, bigger than huge – it’s gargantuan.
At a guess, it’s fifty feet long, but it could be bigger still. Each paw is at least five feet wide, and the body of the creature looms above us. As for its height, it has to be at least thirty feet tall, if not more.
But more incredible than its size is the way it transforms its surroundings.
Clouds drift constantly across the sun, and their ever-changing density continually alters the light that streams down onto the wolf, causing it to bounce through the statue at constantly varying intensities so that the colours shift and shimmer.
As I crane my neck upwards and stare at the beast, I’m reminded of what I felt in the cave only a few minutes ago. That ball of light that filled me.
‘Thank you,’ I say to Ruben. ‘For sharing your mum’s words. It’s amazing, truly. I’ll think of her every time I use it.’
His eyes flash with warmth. ‘Thank you. I appreciate that. She’d like to have helped you, Rosey. She always did. She had a real soft spot for you.’
I smile back, but I can’t help but picture Noleen, her skin mottled green in a dark cave.
I wonder if she – they – are still on the move, and if so, where they’re headed.
The Rottings army. I also think of Stide, of her feverish skin and her resigned eyes.
One scratch, that’s all it took. It’s terrifying to think how easily we all could become one of the shambling creatures.
Though Magnus didn’t express any doubt when I told him of the Rottings, I can’t help but feel that he doesn’t fully comprehend their true horror. If they travel this far north, will creatures such as them be fooled by the pyrrhic? Can you spell their undead eyes to see an illusion?
I’m not so sure.
Taking a deep breath, I will myself not to borrow trouble. Maybe the Rottings have settled down again, like Kyor seems to hope. Stranger things have happened.
Like me, crafting a monumental wolf of ice.
We stay there, simply staring at my creation, until Ruben rests a hand on my shoulder.
‘Looks like we’ve got company,’ he warns, tensing. But a beat later he relaxes. ‘Pacifists.’
He’s right. Ahead of us, several figures are walking across the sacred lands. Among them is Toren. When he is only a few feet away, he stops, looks at me, and starts bending his knees.
‘Princess R—’
‘No, no. Don’t do that,’ I say, rushing forward.
If I have to drag him back onto his feet by his shoulders, I will, but thankfully he gets the idea and straightens. The others have the sense not to follow his example.
‘This is beautiful,’ he says, gesturing to the towering wolf. ‘Stunning. A gift from Oel himself.’
Ruben decides to double down. ‘The growing riverweed is Rose, too. She has magic that can work on plants.’
The sudden smiles on the faces of the Issen make me feel uncomfortable. They’re a reserved people, and the beaming smiles speak to the depth of their joy.
‘I just made a few plants grow,’ I mutter. ‘That’s all.’
Nerves twist within me. The awe they’re looking at me with isn’t something I’m comfortable with.
To make matters worse, more and more Issen are heading over bridges now, no doubt attracted by the torrent of colours that stream onto the snow or, you know, the giant wolf-shaped shadow that looms on the mountainside.
‘Well, we need to get going,’ I say, looping my arm through Ruben’s. ‘Enjoy,’ I add to Toren.
I feel their eyes following me as we walk, not to mention the gaze of those still approaching, and it only causes me to quicken my pace.
‘Don’t look back,’ I say to Ruben, yanking his arm and pulling him forward as his head twists around.
‘I was just admiring what you made,’ he protests. ‘You should be proud of your accomplishments. You know, you should look too. It’s even more impressive from here.’
The thought doesn’t make me feel any better. Strangely, I don’t want these people to know the full depth of the magic within me. Not when it might lead to expectations.
Expectations I will certainly fail to meet unless I complete the Veil.
Still, the urge to have a quick glance grows, and I twist back, only to gasp.
‘Told you.’ Ruben smirks.
He’s right. It’s not just the size that’s magnificent or the exact proportions.
It’s the details etched into the giant sculpture with an intricacy that could not have been created in something as small as I’d intended.
It’s a monument of Fen. The curve of his snout is perfect, and the flow to his fur is so fluid that it’s as though it’s being rippled by the wind.
More people are flocking from the city towards the caves, and as much as I try to tell myself it’s not because of the wolf, I know that’s not true. The nerves twist within me, but I take a deep breath and try to acknowledge the achievement.
I used magic. Intentionally. And I created something mesmerising and beautiful, though, yeah, a little on the huge side.
‘Princess Rose!’ I turn back to see a young girl racing towards me – Toren’s niece, Linnea – and she’s not alone. Among the several other children with her, I also recognise Uzra’s granddaughter, Orla. ‘Princess Rose,’ Linnea begins breathlessly, ‘did you make that?’
As she stares up at me, bright-eyed and expectant, I know I have to be honest.
‘Yes. Yes, I did,’ I tell her.
‘I knew it!’ She turns to her group. ‘It’s like the one I gave her! It is, isn’t it?’ she says to me.
‘It is. Just like it.’ I can’t stop the smile that rises on my lips. ‘You were my inspiration.’
‘I was?’ Linnea freezes, her expression stuck somewhere between awe and utter delight.
I place my hand on her shoulder. ‘You were. I would not have been able to do this without you. In fact, I think that perhaps we should name the wolf after you. What do you think? Does she look like a Linnea?’
The young girl looks as if she could pass out with joy as she sweeps her arms around me. ‘Yes! A thousand times, yes! Thank you! Thank you, Princess!’
‘Come on, Linnea!’ Orla calls. ‘We want to go see it.’
‘Linnea!’ the girl calls back. ‘The wolf is called Linnea too! The princess just told me.’
Linnea turns to follow her group, though she has barely taken two steps when she asks, ‘Princess Rose?’
I turn back to look at her. ‘Yes, Linnea?’
‘I can’t wait for you to be queen,’ she says, tears glistening in her eyes. ‘You can do anything. You can make sure my daddy comes back from the war.’
The words burn through my heart, freezing the smile on my face. Is this what they expect of me? To end a war that’s lasted centuries? Just because I can make an ice wolf? The lightness that momentarily filled my heart is now leaden, a weight seizing me from my very core.
‘You will do that, won’t you, Princess? You will make sure he comes back?’
Tears clog my eyes. Tears I can’t let fall. As I try to swallow them down, I feel Ruben beside me, ready to step in, but before he can, a voice speaks from behind me.
‘Yes. Yes, she will.’
My vision is blurred as I swivel around to find Kyor standing there on the sacred lands of the Issen. His presence here could be seen as the ultimate sacrilege, yet it feels like this is right where he’s meant to be. With me.
His gaze is so intense, a thousand emotions radiating from those icy-blue irises.
It’s enough to take my breath away and clear my gaze as a single tear trickles down my cheek.
As I stand there, locked in the depth that belongs only to us, I become aware of sudden chatter behind me.
Content with Kyor’s answer, the children run towards the giant wolf now named Linnea.
‘You shouldn’t say things like that,’ I whisper to Kyor. ‘You shouldn’t have got her hopes up.’
‘Stating the inevitable isn’t getting her hopes up, Rose.’
A scoff cracks from my throat. ‘Kyor, the war she’s talking about is the one you’re spearheading with your father, and it is very much ongoing.’
A muscle clenches in his jaw. I see the tension, the conflict radiating through him. Then, in a moment, it’s gone. He nods towards the gargantuan sculpture that continues to rain spectrums of light across the snow.
‘That’s stunning. Has Fen seen it?’
‘Not yet.’ I grimace. ‘Truth be told, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do it again,’ I admit. ‘It took a lot of meditation. And it’s not exactly much good in battle, is it?’
‘I don’t know. It could distract the enemy. It’s stunning. Completely perfect. Just like you.’
I go to roll my eyes, but he brushes his lips against mine and the grin it creates is so wide it makes it hard to do anything but kiss him back.
‘I’m going to leave you two to it and meet you back at the library,’ Ruben says from behind us. ‘Three’s a crowd and all that.’
Kyor draws away from me and arches a single eyebrow at Ruben. ‘You’re passing judgement on us? Have you already forgotten the incident in the corridor this morning? Or the dining room last night? And don’t think I haven’t heard about the libr—’
‘Fair enough,’ Ruben concedes, interrupting hastily. ‘I admit, I’m living my best life. But maybe you two should think about moving along all the same. Unless you fancy facing a lot more bowing, Rosey.’
He’s right. All along the river, more and more bridges are appearing as people cross in hordes to see the wolf, and it looks like word has spread about the riverweed. I can see people looking at it and pointing at me. And even from a distance, I can see the questions on their tongues.
‘You’re right. We should get moving,’ I say, finally stepping onto Magnus’s ice bridge, which is now one of dozens, if not more.