What they found, though, was a completely empty side street.Kieran’s eyes darted around, looking for any sign of movement, but there was nothing.He rushed down the alley, cursing as he checked behind trash bins and storage crates the local businesses had left outside.Nothing.
“How could they just disappear?”he asked, spinning back to Sebastian, who seemed rooted in place at the end of the alley.“They were right…”
Kieran trailed off as he found Sebastian squinting at a small piece of paper in his hand.He asked, “What’s that?”
“Nothing,” Sebastian said coolly, crumpling up the paper and shoving it in his pocket.“Trash that got loose.I’ll recycle it in the next bin we see.That was…quite an escape, though.”
“Seriously.Must be a witch or something to get away that quickly.”Kieran straightened his coat.“We’ll have to check each other for more of those bugs before we board the ship.Don’t want to accidentally bring one with us and compromise our location.”
“Right.Of course.”Sebastian squared his shoulders.“Let’s find Briar and Delilah and head back.Don’t want them boarding the ship with bugs on them.”
Kieran nodded, and they changed course for the dress shop.Luckily, it wasn’t long before they found Delilah and Briar.They checked each other over for more listening bugs before heading back to the ship, and didn’t find anymore.While that was a relief, Kieran couldn’t help but notice something: Sebastian didn’t throw away the note.
He probably forgot about it,Kieran told himself.No big deal.He was probably just overthinking it.
Right?
A few days after their stop in Yarrowport, the landscape below began to turn white.At the sight of layers upon layers of snow, Kieran realized they’d made it nearly to Celdwyn’s northern border.Towering pine forests created a blanket across the jagged Slicetooth Mountains, the drooping tree branches weighed down by snow.In the sun, the entire landscape sparkled.Kieran couldn’t look at it for too long without red spots appearing in his vision.The air too had grown significantly colder.Every trip outside meant feeling the bite of the cold against skin, the chill sinking all the way to the bones in seconds flat.
As the ship approached the Iceweave Coven’s airfield, Kieran felt an uncharacteristic sense of calm.For the first time in his life, he felt genuinely sure of himself.He’d managed to get the Hilt and the Stave, which in and of itself was significant.Plus, his magic had begun to feel like a strength.And while he hated to admit it, that someone like Sebastian—who only a month ago had seemed so out of reach and impossible for Kieran to even carry on a conversation with—had agreed to any sort of romantic arrangement with him felt like proof that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t quite as hopeless and pathetic as he used to feel.
The ship let out a groan as it gently came to rest in its spot at the Iceweave Coven’s airfield.Though the festivities for the solstice wouldn’t start until the next day, aeroships were lined up all across the snowy landscape.Kieran also noted, as he stepped out onto the main deck with Seaweed around his neck, that the airfield was impressively loud.Music drifted through the air, along with peals of laughter from witches sitting on the decks of their ships.They wore fine fur coats and sipped mulled wine.The sound of all these people talking and laughing and playing their music made Kieran feel like he was back in downtown Gellingham.Down below, even more witches chatted asthey made their way toward the impressive structure looming across the field.
It was a castle made entirely of ice.Massive ice crystals shot out of the earth in jagged spikes, bunched together in clusters to resemble turrets.It had an aurora-like glow to it, pale greens and blues and yellows undulating just beneath the ice’s surface.Paths had been carved through the thick blanket of snow so nearly six feet of fresh powder framed them.All around the airfield and the castle were thick pines, though these seemed even taller than the ones Kieran was used to.Some were nearly ten stories high, taller than the castle itself.The snow appeared pillowy and stark white, unmarred by footprints other than small animal trails.
When Kieran exhaled, his breath frosted in the air.Though he wore a heavy coat, he shivered.The chill turned the tip of his nose pink and numbed his fingers, which he shoved in his fur-lined pockets.Seaweed squeaked and shivered against Kieran’s neck.
“Ready to get going?”called Delilah.
Kieran turned to find her and Briar headed for him, bundled in their coats.Delilah appeared to be much more comfortable than Briar, whose teeth were chattering despite the heavy woolen coat she had on.Delilah had an arm around her to share body heat.
Kieran nodded.“Should be.Have you seen Sebastian?”
“He’s downstairs with Ariel and Santiago,” Briar managed through her rattling teeth.“Can we please join him?My nose is gonna freeze off if we stay out here.”
Kieran bit back a laugh and nodded.“Lead the way.You wanna come, Seaweed?”
The otter spirit just curled around Kieran’s neck tighter as aresponse.Part of Kieran thought it might be a bad idea to bring her out in public, but then again, this was a gathering of witches.He doubted that Seaweed would stand out too much.
He scratched her under the chin.“I’ll take that as a yes.”
After gathering the rest of their party—and getting Briar a spare scarf to wrap around her face—the crew made their way to the airfield.Even out in the cold, witches were dressed in extravagant coats; some were decorated with crystals, while others wore colorful fur from creatures Kieran couldn’t even begin to name.The cold air smelled of pine, incense, smoke, and something more skunklike that Kieran wasn’t familiar with.Most people seemed to ignore Kieran and the crew as they made their way down the path to the castle, boots crunching in the snow.Kieran wondered if they realized Seaweed was alive and not just a statement scarf.
They passed even more witches sipping beverages as they closed the distance to the castle entrance.Kieran’s eyes wandered to the wine that everyone seemed to be drinking.
Delilah explained: “That wine’s enchanted.I can smell magic in it—and considering that we’re the only ones with real coats on, I bet it’s some kind of warming spell.”
“How much trouble do you think I’ll get in if I steal someone’s glass?”Briar grumbled, shivering as if she might shake out of her skin.“Because I’m freezing to death.”
“I suspect you won’t have to wait long,” Kieran said as they stepped over the threshold of the castle’s huge arched front doors.Even Seaweed lifted her head at the sight.“Look.”
He pointed ahead to the open foyer.A grand chandelier dripping with ice crystals hung from the ceiling, casting warm lighton the room.At the center was a massive fountain flowing with mulled wine.Witches held their cups under the cascade to refill as they chatted with one another.All around them were statues made of ice, all in strange, abstract shapes that glowed with the same aurora light as the castle itself.Music floated from every open hallway, blending with magical smoothness.Guests wore extravagant outfits with plunging necklines, hand-beaded crystal details, colorful capes, and hats covered in plumage and flowers.If he weren’t here with a purpose, Kieran could have enjoyed hours upon hours of simply watching these witches glide across the floor as the chandelier light caught on their gem-covered ensembles.
Once they stepped inside, a uniformed man in a plainer uniform—a double-breasted blue coat and matching slacks—stepped up to them.
“I don’t recall seeing your faces yet today,” he said, offering them a pleasant smile.“Have you come for the solstice celebration?”
Kieran nodded.“Yes.In fact, we were hoping to speak to someone in charge.We’re here on business—”
