“There is no other way.” Camille touched Lex’s shoulder. “Child, I am powerful, and I barely escaped Dark Kingdom with my life. There is no match for the Dark King and his army.”
Lex couldn’t see Garrin’s face, but she could see the king’s expression. He smirked.
Lex gritted her teeth. There was no one to help her and Camille fight off Casone. And yet… “I can’t leave.” Garrin had never abandoned her. Regardless of if she was obligated to risk her life for his, she was about to. “We can do this, Camille. You’ll create a portal, and I’ll boost it. We’ll pop in, grab Garrin, and leave just as quickly.”
Camille closed her eyes and pressed her thumb and forefinger to her forehead. “That is a terrible idea.”
Lex swallowed, her throat tight. Everyone she loved was frozen. And Garrin was trapped. “You’re probably right. But will you do it?”
Camille moved closer. “It will take me seconds to create another portal to escape. Seconds that will see us captured.”
Lex closed her eyes and extended her senses. “I feel them. The powers of my mother and our friends. They’re not dead. They’re still there, and so are their abilities.”
“And frozen as they are, our friends cannot do anything with their powers.”
“No, they can’t. But I can.”
Camille’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”
Lex looked across the clearing. “I see their power…just as easily as I see the wind blowing snow off that mountaintop. Just as easily as I see the condensation of our breath in the frigid air.”
Camille’s brow furrowed, and then she looked at Garrin. “What do you propose?”
“I’m most familiar with Garrin’s power. We’ll portal to the cavern entrance where Garrin stands, and I’ll cover the soldiers and alchemists in snow. Enough snow to slow them down and create a distraction. In the meantime, you’ll create a portal for us to escape.” Lex’s eyes burned and emotion filled her chest. “We can’t take the others. I’m not confident in my abilities to do more than distract. We’ll leave, as you said, and return to fight for our friends another day.”
“It is all we can do for now,” Camille agreed.
Lex’s hands shook as Camille formed the portal. She didn’t know how much longer Garrin would be in front of the cave, and she didn’t want to risk the king returning to the castle to an even greater stronghold. They had to act quickly.
She focused on the energy Camille’s magic gave off, stepped inside the portal, and boosted it, as she’d done before. One moment they were on the overlook and the next they were beside Garrin, minus the bumpy landing of a regular portal.
Lex called to the snow.
But not before one of the alchemists caught sight of her and threw out his hand.
The snow dropped midair, some of it scattering on top of the soldiers, but most of it drifting off.
“And here we are,” the king said, and clasped his hands as though pleased. “Just as I predicted.”
Garrin turned to Lex, angry red welts, blood, and bruises not hiding the resignation on his face.
Lex’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He’d been beaten. Worse, a massive gash in the region of his heart left blood puddled in the snow at his feet. A puddle Lex hadn’t been able to see from behind.
The king’s expression was smug. “We waited so patiently for you, Lexandra. Or should I call you puppet master? I’m told you draw on others’ powers. How convenient. My son was convinced you wouldn’t show, but I was more optimistic.”
Lex tried to call to Garrin’s magic. And then to Camille’s. Her mother’s magic wouldn’t rise either. Lex could see everyone’s ability, including the soldiers’, but she couldn’t make any of it work for her.
She looked at the alchemist who’d reached out to her, strain contorting his expression as he kept his arm raised. He was blocking her power, and that hadn’t been a part of her plan.
“Yes, my men have you well in hand,” the king said. “My alchemists suspect that, with practice, I’ll be able to use your powers to access all magic.” He smiled and shook his head. “The possibilities are limitless. With an infinite ability such as yours, I’ll be able to enlarge crops and create summer houses. But it seems we’ll need to wait until you see things my way. I cannot have an unruly magic-wielder in my land.”
Casone flicked his fingers, and just like that, Lex was frozen too.
Panic made her mind race. She couldn’t move, not even to close her eyes. She felt no cold, no physical pain, though she was aware.
Oh my God. Oh myGod.She’d be trapped inside ice for as long as the king wanted.
Muffled voices filtered through the block of ice that entombed her. Her eyes that wouldn’t blink provided a hazy view of Garrin fighting soldiers off to reach her.
