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I’m trying really hard to remind myself of that right now.
“Death would be too easy for you,” I reply. “You deserve to suffer the way that you’ve made countless others suffer. Besides, we both know you’ll heal from this.”
I lift the dagger, intent on driving it into her heart, causing her even an iota of pain compared to what she has done to me, when a flutter of wings coming from outside draws my attention.
No. No.
My heart is breaking.
This city will ruin him.Iwill ruin him.
Above all that, one thought keeps ringing in my mind.
He came for me.
PartThree
Chapter37
The Cold Can Kiss My Ass
NATHANIEL
It’s pretty easy to find the Ice Castle. It is literally the most visible thing in the city. When I see the glinting ice spires reaching the sky, a wash of dread crashes over me.
I don’t know exactly where she should be.
Damn the Winter Fae and their “aversion” to technology. There is absolutely no reason everything in this gods-damned city needs to be so archaic.
I am sure I won’t have hours to soar up and down the castle before someone realizes I might be a shifter and not a regular bird. There will be guards watching for traces of magic.
The sparkle of ice in the sunlight fills me with determination.
Wind soars through my wings as I pass through an invisible barrier I hadn’t expected. A coldness flashes through my entire body, along with a tightening sensation.
It could be the ward used by royals to keep out those who would be unkind to them or cause problems. Immediately, I panic.
The squeezing sensation intensifies, and my eyeballs and brain feel the pressure agonizingly.
Suddenly, a pop resonates throughout my whole bird body. The relief from having survived is short-lived because I still don’t have hours to search every window. I may be even more suspicious now because I didn’t flap away at the first sign of danger and am now pushing on.
I don’t have to fly so fast now that I am close to the castle. My head darts wildly around, checking different areas where she could be. The place isdevastatinglymassive.
Below me, I see the changing of guards. They are dressed in the same elaborate fur outfits Elva wore the first time I saw her. The only difference is the heavy enchantments they must wear and the stitched silver-snow leopard they wear on their chests. I had seen these uniforms on the news before but hadn’t known what Elva’s shifter animal was then.
Snow leopard?
She’s most definitely an owl. The way to find her unfolds before me, but I don’t like it. I steel myself and brace my emotions. I know what I have to do.
I plummet toward the ground.
When I reach the frost-covered bushes, I shift back. I pull on a thread in the back of my mind, the weight of shifting intense and nearly unbearable. It has been a long time since I have done this.
My skin goes hazy and blurred as I shift my features to match those of a Winter Fae. The golden tint to my skin turns grey, my hair becomes straight and black, and white tattoos appear all over my body. With a snap of my fingers, I change my clothing to match the guards’ uniform.
The glamour isn’t great. If someone were to look directly at me for long enough, they might see the cracks in the magic because I am not practiced. The good news is that I won’t rely solely on the glamour.
Hopefully, this will work. I pray to the gods above that this works.
