I tried out a smile as I tucked my stiff legs underneath myself. “My friends call me El.”
Her mouth formed a hard line, and she tilted her head, studying me. “Ellie’s better.”
Probably wise not to piss off an imaginary goddess.
“Ellie is great. I like that, too.”
“Good! What are you doing out here tonight? Waiting for me? Oh, we could have a party! I could ask Papa if–”
A broken growl interrupted her excited words, and Nellie yelped as she whirled to face Adastrus.
Great. Now I not only had a tiny imaginary goddess to keep me company in the afterlife, I had my brother as well.
“I didn’t wake you!” she shrieked, bumping into my circle as if it were a wall.
His teeth gritted in pain. Blood dripped freely from his cracked lips, staining his chin. His fingers, frozen to his knees, looked as stiff as his entire body.
“Nellium… free… me…” The words tore from his throat, spraying flecks of red.
“Only Papa can call me that.” The girl pouted, crossing her thin arms over her chest. “It’sNellie.”
“You… are… a goddess!” Adastrus spit. “Free… me.” His eyes darted my way, spewing hatred.
“That’s right, I am! So asknicely!” she huffed, turning enough to watch him from the corner of her eye.
At that moment, I noticed something beyond her childishness. Her countenance flickered with otherworldly power and fury. No doubt, my mind had conjured an impressive goddess.
“Nell…ium…”
“I told you, only Papa calls me–”
A terrible sound erupted from Adastrus, blood gushing from his lips as he raised a stiff arm and thrust it over the circle of ice. He pointed at Nellie, who shrieked. A cloud of white materialized out of nowhere, flying at my brother with incredible speed. It enveloped his hand and collided with an invisible barrier at the ice’s edge, dissipating against it.
His mouth gaped wide with his raw scream. Blackness crept from his fingertips to his knuckles, toward his palm. He yanked his hand into the safety of his circle, cradling it in his lap. He rocked back and forth, his head bowed, moaning in agony.
I pulled my limbs closer, scooting to the center of my circle.
“You scared me!” Nellie cried, backing away from Adastrus. “I’m a goddess, as you said. You should know better than to frighten me. I might only have the frost that answers my call—but it’s enough to take a few fingers!”
I stared, horrified.
Now I had to serve eternity with an imaginary goddess, and my brother minus a few fingers?
When Adastrus looked up, a monstrous fury coiled in his eyes. He fixed her with a gaze of raw pain and unfiltered hatred, his expression twisted and fierce.
“Nellie… maybe you should go,” I said, torn by my concern for this imaginary girl’s well-being.
Despite my confusion, I didn’t trust the ire on my brother’s face. When animals hurt, they lashed out, but this was different. His glare blazed with a desire to inflict genuine pain.
“Fine,” she huffed, smoothing out her dress. “Promise to come play again? I’m sure Papa would let me have a party with you.”
I lifted my chin with a bright smile. “Aye, I’d be happy to. Will there be tea?” I hoped with all my heart for warm tea in the next dream.
“Gods, no. You sound like Loth!” Her crystal laughter clinked and chimed. “Bring some syrup, and I’ll ask Papa for some snow and we’ll mix them!”
“All right.”
“Well then, I’ll leave you two to it.” She cast another wary glance my brother’s way, brows lowered with a warning. “Be good. Or I will tell Papa you tried to catch me.”
