The temperature drops, and with it, goes Davina’s magic. Her eyes widen with surprise as she tries, and fails, to get her magic to respond.
It’s too cold. Neve’s dropping the temperature.
As I watch, the ice surrounding the room sharpens. The once-flat surfaces begin to grow, spikes and icicles sprouting from the smooth spots to create a web of ice. Davina reaches for a small dagger at her hip, and Lancelot slides in behind her so they are back-to-back.
Honestly, I’m surprised that Davina’s so-called guards haven’t appeared yet. The four of them seemed to be her front line when they came off the ship.
“I knew you’d react poorly,” Ronnie calls, her hands turning to white orbs that match her daughter’s. They aren’t the same sharp, bright white. Instead it resembles the graininess of snow, the nonexistent wind in the palace coming to life along with their powers. “You and Andor… You are one and the same.”
Neve screams, the icicles surging forward as she jumps toward her mother. The icy spikes elongate, stretching across the room and smashing into some of the frozen figures as she lunges. Some of the figures crack or fall, and Davina and Lancelot start to dodge and slice through the ice.
Whipping around, I look for signs of any of Ronnie’s Icebound. But no one else approaches, and Neve charges acrossthe room, slamming into her mother, sending the Snow Queen stumbling into the steps of the throne.
“How could you?” she screams, her voice almost as overpowering as her magic. It makes the ice around us fracture, the entire palace cracking as a long, jagged line slices across the floor and up one wall.
Neve throws ice shards at Ronnie, who deflects with her snow. I wish she were still delayed, stuck with her curse, but if she’s decided to use the people of the Frostlands as a remedy, I’m not surprised she’s moving just fine.
“Are they supposed to fight?” Lancelot whispers.
“All part of the plan.” Davina giggles, tossing her dagger. She flips it in her grip, catching the blade before she presses her other hand to her cheek, calling out into the emptiness. “Oh, cards! Oh, my sweet guards! Come and disassemble the house with me!”
It’s total nonsense, but I suddenly see four guards stepping from the adjacent halls. I didn’t sense them as people or spirits until the four descend on the throne room. If I can’t feel them, then what are they? Not Icebound, surely.
Neve is busy lobbing ice at her mother, but it doesn’t matter. The four figures turn to the duo, and there’s no doubt in my mind that this is meant to be an ambush.
After ripping free of the shadows, I grab the first one by the front of his skull, his head barely brushing my chin. I rip it back with excessive force, and his neck snaps with the motion.
It distracts Ronnie for a moment, and Neve throws a spear of ice at her that sends the Dowager Queen backward with a scream. Unfortunately, she isn’t the only one who’s noticed me.
“Hello, Ban.”
I spin on my heel, facing Davina. It’s been a long time since we stood together in the Frostlands, but not nearly longenough since I last saw her. “Davina.” She starts slightly at my use of her common name and I smirk. “Did I offend you? I feel it's more fitting than calling you the Mad Queen.”
She sneers at me, and Neve’s too far out of my line of sight to see without giving Davina an advantage. I should step back into the shadows, but now they all know I’m here, they’ll be on alert. “I see the stones turned you pretty. What is the saying? Strike a stone hard enough, eventually it’ll be a diamond.” She giggles to herself again, clapping her hands gleefully. “Like the ones on your arms!”
I scowl, tightening my grip on the staff. There’s still three guards to contend with and honestly, I don’t know if Lancelot stands a chance in this fight. “New lover I see. What is this, number three?”
She screams, throwing the dagger at me. “Cards!”
Cards, guards, does she even know what she’s saying?
I slip into the shadows again before anyone can strike me, the dagger sailing harmlessly through empty air. The change gives me a fleeting moment to search for Neve, who’s still fighting with her mother further in the throne room. The remaining three guards seem to be focused on me and the two other royals, so at least she won’t have to contend with more enemies.
“Come out, come out, little Reaper!” Davina calls, spinning around wildly. “Come out to play, Ban, my boy!”
Gritting my teeth, I slide deeper into the shadows behind another guard. Why she seems to think she’s winning when she can’t see me is a mystery, but I slip out just long enough to use my ice to freeze the guard's head and push him over.
When his skull shatters against the ground, Davina laughs and shoves Lancelot’s shoulder. He’s still got the sword drawn, but he’s looking at her uncertainly. What is the point of these guards if they’re terrible at fighting?
“Can you get them all?” The Mad Queen laughs, spinning again. A little of her magic leaks from her fingers, but not enough to strike. She’s either biding her time or holding back. Now that she’s managed to draw it out a second time, I can’t tell if the cold in here is really affecting her all that much. “Can you stop them?”
The third guard goes out quickly when I sink my backup knife into his throat before disappearing into the shadows again. It feels like Davina is playing with me, like she’s setting a trap that I can’t see. The entire reason I’m killing her guards is to ensure no one else goes after Neve, but she’s throwing their lives away like sheep to the slaughter.
Neve’s still screaming in the background, jumping to strike her mother with more magic. The Dowager Queen isn’t breaking, which annoys me before I manage to strike the fourth guard, freezing him and pushing him over. Each of their souls rises, not trapped like everyone else it seems, but I’m ignoring them for now.
Davina’s eyes flash delightedly, and she turns to grab Lancelot’s wrist and shake him. “It’s time. Sned!”
I jump into the shadows as her words ring out through the room, worried about what the plan is. As I shadow hop, Ronnie stops trying to block her daughter's strikes. Instead, she slams her hands together and a mammoth snowball appears behind Neve.
