Icebound (Legends of the Shifters Book 2) (2 page)

“—castle
has been breached. The king says there is someone very powerful within the
walls—”

I
turned right, into another corridor, my mind spinning. Could King Ciaran sense
my presence? If so, he couldn’t be very far away. I’d only entered the castle
seconds ago.

I
picked up my pace, palms sweating. The dungeon door was the last on the left,
but there was definitely something off about it.

Then
I realized—no guards. I hesitated outside for a moment, wondering if I should
go through with my plan.

No.
I didn’t come this far just to turn away.
I reached forward and grabbed the
handle. Unlocked.

I pushed
the door open, and let my eyes adjust to the darkness as I shut it behind me
and turned the lock into place.

Blood
rushed in my ears as I waited in the darkness. I took a step forward, but
something rattled along the ground. Something I’d kicked. I squinted my eyes
and peered closer.

A
helmet. And next to it, a body.

One
that didn’t appear to be breathing.

I
jumped when I heard a hushed voice behind me. “I knew you’d come.”

-Chapter Two-

I
turned around slowly.

The
first thing I noticed was that the man wasn’t as wide as he was tall, like King
Ciaran. That was a relief.

He
wore the armor of a soldier, but something told me that wasn't his true
identity, just like it wasn't mine.

I
unsheathed my sword and held it between us, keeping a safe distance from the
stranger. “Who are you?”

“I
think you know who I am,” the figure replied. I could hear the smile in his
voice. He lifted an unlit torch off the wall, and immediately, the end burst
into flame. I recognized a pair of moss green eyes that stood out against a
dark, horse-like face.

It
was Rowan, the wizard that had given me my trial, the man who first said what
my second form was.

I
shifted backward and raised my blade higher. “What are you doing here?” The
sorcerer hadn’t given me a great impression the day I met him, and the fact
that he had magic made me trust him even less.

He
sauntered closer to the tip of the sword, green eyes glinting in the firelight.
“I’m here to help. Your brother asked me to.”

How
did he know that Kurt and I were related? But I didn’t dare ask the question
aloud for fear of drawing out the conversation. “To help me save him?”

“Not
exactly… And you won't find him in here.”

I
dug my nails into my palms. “Why not? Did you inform King Ciaran of my
presence?”

He
gave a short laugh. “No. The king knows that without me. One might call the
ability a sixth sense. Usually, sorcerers feel inklings of power, depending on
the strength of the host. Your power is some of the strongest I’ve traced,
which makes you an easier target to catch. I can tell that you've grown a lot
since we last met.”

I
swallowed hard. “Where is Kurt?”

He
sighed. “Heavily guarded in the North Tower. Even with all your power, you
won't be able to get through to him.”

“If
you're working with King Ciaran, then why haven't you attempted to arrest me?”

He
scoffed. “Niko works for King Ciaran. Do you honestly think I would want to
work alongside that pathetic maggot?”

I
lowered the weapon slightly. “Why should I trust you?”

Rowan
sighed. “Let me make this clear. Kurt knows about the new recruits that are
being shipped in. Every day, the guards become more and more numerous and most
have powerful abilities. It would take an entire army to free him now. That’s
why he doesn’t want you to take the chance. That’s why he sent me.”

My
heart fell as my mind raced through my options. “We could work together. Maybe
we could get him out if we both…” I trailed off as he shook his head, a forlorn
expression etched into his dark features.

“I've
already dismissed the idea. There are many sorcerers here that are more
powerful than me.”

I
jumped when someone rattled the doorknob and banged on the door, their armor
clanging like a broken bell with each hit. “Open up! We know you're in there!”

I
looked at Rowan with wide eyes. “What now?”

He
stretched out his hand and a barely visible ripple of power sealed itself onto
the door. He motioned for me to follow him. “That lock won’t last for long.
They just need another sorcerer to melt the magic away.”

As
I ran alongside him, I thought over his words. What he said about the growing
numbers of guards was true. I’d seen that for myself.

We
trailed through the dungeon quietly, alongside cells that were mostly empty.
Had King Ciaran killed his prisoners or just poisoned their minds to serve him,
like he’d done with Roland?

The
passageway dipped down into a steep staircase that seemed to go on forever
before we finally reached a fork that split into three separate tunnels. Rowan
pointed to one directly ahead. “That should lead you outside,” he said.

He
turned back to face the way we'd come.

“What
about you?” I asked.

“I'll
make something up,” he said with a sly smile. “Oh, and I almost forgot. Kurt
wanted you to have this...” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black
gem hanging on a thin, gold chain. It looked a lot like the pendants worn
during survival tests. How long ago that seemed... “It’s a phantom stone,” he
added.

I
took the necklace from his hand. “Why did he want me to have it? And what is a
phantom stone?”

“You'll
see,” he answered. “Just don't put it on until you're a good distance away from
here.”

I
studied his face for any sign of trickery, and while his expression appeared as
impetuous as usual, I believed him to be sincere. I changed into half form and
pocketed the gem, careful to avoid crushing the plant.

Rowan
narrowed his eyes as he took in the scar that dragged its way up my neck.
“Where did you get that?”

I
considered whether or not to tell him, but decided to keep it to myself. “I got
it in a challenge at the conservatory,” I lied, my voice so steady that I
almost believed myself. Hopefully, my face didn’t give anything away.

Rowan
sighed. “A shame the things they put those students through.” Then, with a nod
and one last cocky smile, he went back the way he came.

I
didn't know whether to be angry or grateful toward him. He helped me escape,
but couldn’t we have at least
tried
to rescue Kurt? And did he really
know the extent of my power?

But
how could he? I didn't even know how powerful I was.

*   *   *  
*   *

I
left the Ginsian castle feeling hollow. Even if Kurt had sent Rowan to stop me,
I still felt like a traitor. I was
right
there
.
In the
same
building. But I’d failed him.

And
yet, somewhere deep inside, I trusted that Rowan was right. That the time for
rescuing Kurt would come soon, but trying to free him now would have
catastrophic results.

After
finding my way back to the woods, I shifted form and took off toward the west,
soon discovering some of the power behind the plant’s strength. I had more
speed and stamina than I knew what to do with. Just before I reached the ocean
the next day, I only needed a few hours to rest before I was back up again and
heading for Achron, where I hoped to run into Matilda and Burton, the people
who’d been like family to Roland. They deserved to know everything that had
happened on the Isle of Ginsey. I flew over shimmering ocean most of the day
until I finally spotted the seahorse-shaped island from afar, just as the sun
was beginning to set. Even I found it incredible that it had only taken two
days to get from King's Crest all the way to Achron without tiring too much.

Once
I reached the familiar city, I swooped down low—probably lower than I should
have—eyes searching for the squat orange huts of the slums where Matilda and
Burton lived. Because most of them looked the same, it was hard for me to
remember which one was theirs. Luckily for me, Matilda was outside of hers,
watering one of her many potted plants.

I
landed nearby, startling her and a few nearby villagers before shifting into a
human.

“Ivy!”
she said, surprised. She looked around at her staring neighbors and set down
her watering can. She hurried over and guided me toward her front door. “Why
don't you come inside for a bit?”

I
nodded and followed her into the house.

 As
soon as the door was shut behind us, she turned to me. “I thought you were
trying to keep a low profile.”

I
rested my back against the door and shook my head. “So much has happened…it
just doesn’t matter to me as much as it did before.”

She
seemed to catch the dark tones in my voice because the next words out of her
mouth were, “What's wrong?”

Despite
my efforts to hold back the tears I'd kept in for so long, my emotions got the
better of me. I wiped at my streaming eyes furiously and cleared my throat.
“Roland...Roland is gone.”

“Gone?”
she said quietly. “As in…
dead
?”

I
gave her miserable nod.

Matilda
let her head drop into her hands, and after a moment, I watched as droplets of
liquid splashed onto her dark blue dress. A sob escaped her. “Why must everyone
I love die?”

Though
I normally didn’t comfort people through touch, I could tell
we
both needed it. I stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. We stayed like that
for a long time until our sobs finally died down.

“How
did he go?” she finally asked.

“A
poisonous dart,” I answered. “But his death was not as sad as some. He accepted
his fate and we got to say goodbye.”

She
looked up at the ceiling as she wiped away her tears. “At least there’s that.”

I
smiled slightly. “I agree.” I looked around the hut. “Where is Burton?”

Matilda
drew in a trembling breath. “Out at sea, of course. I'll have to tell him when
he gets back.”

I
swallowed more tears as I prepared to deliver the next batch of news. “There's
something else that you need to know.”

She
took a deep breath. “What's that?”

“Jane
is alive.”

Her
gaze jerked up to meet my own. “What? A-alive?”

I
nodded. “I saw and spoke to her myself.”

Matilda
wiped away the last of her tears and turned away, but I could still see the
hesitant smile on her lips. “My young Jane, still alive?” She turned back to
me. “Is she doing well?”

I
smiled faintly and nodded. “Yes. Very well. She’s made a respectable life among
the natives on the Isle of Ginsey. She’s works as a healer.” I didn’t mention
it was the natives that took Roland’s life in the first place.

She
choked out a laugh. “Jane always wanted to be an owl…” Her face became serious
again. “But why hasn’t she come back?”

“Ginsey
and Pira are looking for her, and because she doesn’t have a flyer’s form, she
doesn’t think that she’ll be able to get back to Leviatha.”

She
frowned. “I don’t understand. What’s she done to make Ginsey and Pira search
for her?”

I
shrugged. “We didn’t get a chance to talk about that.”

Matilda
brought out a handkerchief and wiped her face with it and then began to busy
herself in the kitchen. “Well…at least we know she’s alive and safe.” She
glanced at me. “You must have traveled hard to be back here already. I know
grief takes its toll on people,” she trailed off and studied my face, before
shaking her head and going to search through her pantry. “You must be hungry.”

Just
the mention of food made my stomach growl. I really wanted to get back on my
journey, but I couldn't deny that the offer of a nice meal sounded like heaven
to my ears.

She
brought out a bowl and a spoon. “Luckily for you, I've already got some broth
going.” She ladled some out into the bowl and set it in front of me. “And of
course, you must stay the night here.”

“I'm
afraid I can't,” I said, pausing to blow on a spoonful of the steaming broth.
“I need to get to the conservatory as soon as possible.”

“But
surely you need some rest...” she said, her eyebrows raised. “You look like
death itself.” She cut herself short on the last word, as if realizing it was
inappropriate to say at the moment.

I
gave her as reassuring a look as I could muster. “I'll be okay.”

She
studied me a while before shrugging. “If you're set on it, I won't stop you. Just
know that if you ever need somewhere to stay, if you ever need someone to go
to...you can always count on Burton and me.”

I
smiled at her. “Thank you, Matilda. That means a lot.”

She
sighed. “I only wish I could offer more.”

“You've
offered me what I’ve always dreamed of,” I said wistfully. “A home and a
family.”

-Chapter Three-

The
moon shone brightly as I sped toward the school. My anger grew with every mile
that passed. When I finally spotted the dark buildings of the conservatory
against the freshly falling snow, I was livid.

The
headmaster was the reason for Roland's death. He was the one that sent us on
the most dangerous quest possible. I angled my wings back and dove. There
weren't any lights on in any of the buildings or tents. It was probably early
morning, the time when almost everyone is asleep, but if I had to wait at
Gibble's desk for the remainder of the night, I would.

I
landed lightly on the ground and shifted into first form before making my way
toward the boy's dorm. As I neared the doors, I noticed light shining through
the cracks. Light that I hadn't seen before. Someone must be up after all.

I
turned the handle and pushed the door open roughly only to be greeted by the
sickening sight of the headmaster, fully dressed and beaming.

“Ivy!
You've returned,” he announced.

“How
did you know I was here?” I questioned through gritted teeth. Just seeing his
smiling face sent tremors of fury through my body.

“The
sentinel spell I placed around the school, of course.” His smile faded into a
frown. “And speaking of the border, I can sense that you yourself have more
power than when you left.”

Another
border spell? The fact that he was using magic similar to King Ciaran’s set my
teeth on edge. “If you mean that I've brought the plant with me, you'd be
correct.”

I
changed into half-form and reached into my pocket, just brushing over glossy
surface of Kurt's pendant before grabbing hold of the plant. I pulled it out.
It was a lot more wilted than it had been the last time I'd seen it, but that
was irrelevant to the plan that was already forming in my head.

The
headmaster's eyes gleamed as he held out his hand. I didn't give it to him just
yet. “Do you even wonder where Roland is?” I asked, the anger in my voice
ringing through the air.

“Oh,
yes...Where is Roland?” the headmaster asked. He glanced back at the plant
before concentrating back on my face.

“Roland
is dead, killed by the natives of the Isle of Ginsey.”

The
headmaster winced. “Well, that shows that even the best of the best can be
conquered.” He reached for the plant again, but I held it away.

“You
told us that the plant would be easy to get to, but it was the most dangerous
quest of all. You're the reason that Roland is dead,” I accused.

He
rolled his eyes. “Of course I'm not,” he said gruffly. “The natives are. Now
give me the plant.”

“No,”
I replied firmly. As much as it hurt me to do what I was about to do, it needed
to happen. I released my anger in the form of flames, and the plant
disintegrated in my hand until it was just ash slipping through my fingers.

“No!”
the headmaster shouted frantically. He tried to reach for the flower, but he’d
reacted much too late.

He
stared at my hand as I let the remaining ash fall to the ground. Slowly,
dangerously, he looked back up at me with bared teeth. A deep, guttural sound
escaped his throat. He glared as his skin began to shift. His canines enlarged
and hair grew over his arms and legs. A plated armor vest replaced his usual
black jacket.

He
grabbed my wrist firmly, sharp nails digging into my skin, and dragged me down
the corridor, away from his office. I would’ve been strong enough to pull away,
but the power of his magic forced me forward.

When
we reached a large wooden door, painted black, he unlocked it, swinging it
open.

I
peered down a flight of stone stairs, stumbling into the wall when Headmaster
Drake jerked me down after him.

A
dungeon?
I'd had no idea that this was under the boy's dorms.

He
opened one of the cells and flung me inside. My head slammed against the wall,
and for a few seconds, everything went black. Blood dripped down my forehead
and onto my neck, but the wound already prickled as it sealed itself closed.

“We'll
see what a few days of no food or water will teach you,” the headmaster
growled. And with that, he slammed the cell door and stomped back up the
stairs. The door squeaked as it shut, blanketing the room in darkness.

Behind
me, I heard rustling in the hay, and I snapped my head around to look,
expecting to see a rat. Instead, it was another person, a prisoner like me. In
this darkness, there was no way to tell who it was.

“Hello?”
I asked.

“Ivy?”
replied a deep voice. “Is that you?”

“Grix!”
I said in recognition.

The
shadow stood up and gripped the bars in his hands. “You came back?”

“Of
course!” I replied as I pushed myself to my feet. I shifted into half-form so I
could see his face. “What happened to you? Why are you down here?”

His
hooded eyes and sharper-than-usual cheekbones told me just how long he’d been
down here.

Nevertheless,
he barked out a laugh. “Because I took what you said seriously after you caught
me bullying Alyss.”

I
remembered that girl. I remembered the fear in her eyes as she’d cowered behind
her dark hair.

Grix
continued on. “I knew that you were right. I’d been working for the headmaster,
making sure that new students were put in their place. When you left, I decided
to put an end to it, but the headmaster, as you can see, didn’t like that
plan.” His smile morphed into a look of confusion as he asked, “Where's Roland?
Why isn't he with you?”

I
looked away. “He was killed.”

Grix
sat back down on the concrete slab—which was apparently a bed—and didn’t speak
for a long time. After a while, he whispered, “You wouldn't have thought
someone like Roland was capable of dying.”

I
nodded and looked away, the lump in my throat threatening to choke away my
breath.

Across
from me, I heard a shift in the hay and spotted a small figure. My light didn’t
shine bright enough to see that far, but I could see the shadow of another
prisoner.

“Hello?”
I called over to them.

The
figure stirred. “Hello,” answered a small, female voice.

“That's
Alyss,” said Grix. “We were both brought here at the same time.”

I
narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

“I
stood up to the headmaster when he imprisoned Grix,” she said. “Right before
he’d gone to talk to the headmaster, Grix had apologized and asked for my
forgiveness.”

“But
let's get to the most important question,” said Grix, seemingly trying to
change the subject. “What are you doing here?”

“I
completed my quest. I retrieved the plant of eternal life...but when I got
here, I burned it to ashes in front of the headmaster,” I explained.

Grix
gave a laugh. “Whoa! Why’d you do that?”

“Mostly
out of anger,” I admitted. “And I don’t believe anyone should live eternally.
Especially not hi—”

I
broke off when I heard scuttling nearby. I searched the floor and jumped away
when a pile of straw close to my foot shifted and squeaked. “Was that a—?”

“Rat?”
Alyss finished for me. “Yes.”

I
shuddered and climbed up onto the concrete slab to get farther away from the
nasty creature.

“They
get in your hair pretty often when you sleep,” she remarked.

I
peered closer as two beady eyes peeked up at me, hay framing the rodent’s head like
golden locks.

A
hint of a smile played on my lips. “What if…that’s really one of us? A shifter
sent to rot down here?”

Grix
cracked up. “Maybe it’s Gibble.”

I
snorted. “So this is where he sleeps. I wonder where he stores all his papers.”

Grix
snatched up a piece of hay and peered at it closely. “I think I can see tiny
letters.”

Despite
being cast into a prison of darkness and moldy hay and rats, we shared a laugh,
even Alyss, who squeaked like a mouse herself.

The
laughter faded off until everything was silent. After a while, I was pretty
sure both of them had drifted off. I was too worried that a rodent would end up
nesting on my head to think about sleep.

I
waited for what felt like hours, curled up on the corner of the slab.
Sometimes, I thought I could hear noises from the students above. They sounded
more like traces of haunted memories.

I
jolted when the door clattered open and the headmaster trotted down the steps,
breathing hard and sweating profusely, no longer in his half-wolf form. The
ring of keys he held chimed with every step, waking up both Alyss and Grix, if
they’d been asleep in the first place.

I
stood up, all thoughts of rodents forgotten.

He
rattled a key in the lock to my chamber door as he hissed unintelligible words under
his breath. It unlocked with a click. “Come on,” he ordered, holding the door
open.

My
thoughts were in a muddle as I stepped out.

“Quickly,”
he said, pushing me forward. Before I knew it, we’d reached the steps and were
climbing up. I looked back at Alyss and Grix’s surprised faces, lit up by
morning light that filtered in from upstairs, and then they were gone.

“What's
this about?” I asked angrily as he set a fast pace toward the door that led
outside. Was he going to punish me in front of all the students? And why was he
being so panicked about it?

“We
have company,” he answered. “Important company.”

He
opened the door, and my questions fell silent as I took in the scene outside.

A
large group of students and guards crowded around the road where I had been
dropped off the day of my trial. The headmaster pushed past them, still forcing
me to follow him.

I
could see that the carriage was tall and made out of polished dark wood. Who
could it be? Perhaps it was King Ciaran, here to claim me as his prisoner and
to take me back to his dungeon to finish the ritual he’d started.

A
tall man stood there, waiting to greet us. He held a helmet in one hand and
rested his other hand on the hilt of his sword. His sandy blond hair was
cropped close to his head, and boyish freckles dotted his nose in a way that
only added to his handsomeness.

The
headmaster moved out from in front of me. “Here is the girl you asked to see,”
he said with a bow.

I
wasn’t sure what to do, so I kept standing and studied the man with curiosity.
He took me in for a second, his eyes squinting. Everything was quiet, as if
even the horses were holding their breath. Then, his face spread into a smile.

He
took his hand off his sword hilt and extended it to me. “Nice to finally meet
you Miss Oliver. I am Prince Matthias.”

My
eyes widened and I dropped into a deep bow. “I'm sorry Your Highness. I did not
realize you were royalty.”

He
pulled me up by my elbow. “You need not bow to me, Ivy. As far as I'm
concerned, we’re equals.”

He
held out his hand once again, and this time I shook it. “Thank you.”

The
prince turned and opened the carriage door, but paused to look back at me. “You
can say goodbye to your friends before we leave.”

Leave?
“What? Where are we going?”

He
raised an eyebrow. “Back to the castle. My father is looking forward to meeting
you.”

The
king wanted to meet
me
?

He
was about to turn back to the carriage, but I stumbled over myself to say,
“Your Highness?”

The
prince shook his head. “Please, just call me Prince Matthias, or even Matthias...but
what is it?”

I
glanced at the headmaster, who glared at me as if he'd already guessed what I
was about to ask. “Could I take someone with me?”

The
prince was silent for a moment as he thought, but eventually, he answered, “I
suppose. You’ll need someone to attend to you anyway.”

I
turned to the headmaster, suppressing a smile from my face. “Alyss and Grix
would be perfect attendants,” I prompted.

Headmaster
Drake gritted his teeth, staring daggers at me.

Prince
Matthias gave him a nod. “It looks like you’ll be two students short.”

The
headmaster forced the corners of his mouth upward and gave a shallow bow before
starting off toward the boys’ dorm once again.

Finally,
I had time to search the crowd of students for my friends. Liana stepped
forward, as if knowing that I was looking for her. She looked tired and worn.

What
had happened to her cheerfulness the month that I was gone? Perhaps she had
heard the news about Roland, but I didn’t think she knew Roland very well.

“How
are things, Liana?” I asked quietly.

She
looked down at the ground, and her mouth wavered. I instinctively reached out
to hug her. She shook against my shoulder, but never made a sound.

I
rubbed her back, awkwardly trying to comfort her, and waited for her to calm
down enough to explain.

“I'm
sorry, Ivy,” she said after the shaking had abated. “Ever since you left things
have gotten worse.”

“How?”
I asked.

She
pulled away to look at my face. “My trainer disappeared. I don't know where he
went…but January took his place.”

“January?
She’s already a trainer?”

Liana
nodded. “There aren't enough of them, so they had to replace them with Level
Nines. Some of the students are even having to share trainers. Even Mrs.
Scarls
has vanished into thin air.”

I
frowned. “Last time I was here, there were so many that some of them had been
appointed as guards instead.”

“Not
anymore.”

I
looked over at the prince. He was watching me, waiting patiently.

When
I looked back at Liana, she seemed to have pulled herself back together. She
gave me a nod. “Go. I'll be fine. I can deal with January. I'm a Level Eight
now, so it won't be long before I can leave this place.”