Nodding thoughtfully, the picture began to form in Wynter’s mind.“Turn your back and don’t peek,” she ordered.
The teen whirled around to face the stone building and put her gloved hands over her eyes.“I can’t wait to see it,” she said in anticipation.
Wynter’s magic flowed from her hands to the snow to the left of the entrance.It flattened out, then morphed into ice and began to form into the buildings Grace had described in detail.It was nothing like the blocky brick castle Wyn had vaguely imagined.This one had several connecting wings and towers.Even she was amazed as it took shape in front of her.
“How does it look so far?”Grace asked an hour later.Wyn had asked for clarification a few times and she’d been happy to add more details.
“I’m nearly done,” Wynter replied.“It looks way better than I’d hoped,” she added.Ten minutes later, her power ebbed and she studied the finished product.“Don’t look yet,” she said, then raised a thick wall of ice to hide her creation just in case.“I’m done!”she shouted.
Grace snickered when they heard a stampede of feet.Their family hurried into the mudroom to pull on warm jackets and snow boots.Jac reached the door first and shoved it aside.“It’s a wall of ice,” he said in supreme disappointment.
“Out of the way,” Cam complained and picked his brother up to move him.They all crowded around Grace, who’d turned around to look at the castle.
Wynter was clutching her hands together beneath her chin, waiting for the exact right moment to lower the wall.“Wait for it,” she said, watching the sun slowly descending.“Now!”she said, then she made the ice wall collapse.
Grace gasped in shock when she saw the ice sculpture Wynter had created.“It’s perfect,” she murmured with tears in her green eyes.The tallest tower had a domed roof.Wyn had timed it so the setting sun reflected off something inside the tower.A beam of light shone through it, landing on Grace’s chest.The teen looked down to see a prism of color on display.An incredibly detailed snowflake sat directly over her heart.
“It looks like a crystal palace,” Zoe said in wonder, then shuddered hard.
Amaros put his arm around her in concern.“What’s wrong, love?”he asked.
“That palace is real,” his mate said in a slightly dazed tone.“This is a glimpse of another world that Fate has saved from Chaos.We’re not alone.There are countless other worlds and dimensions who are all going through their own five-thousand-year cycle of wars.Champions are chosen to fight for good and evil.Order won in that world and the balance was restored.”
“Our world was the first one to begin the endless cycle of wars,” Cam said in awe of the display.“We don’t have anything like that building here.”
“It looks kind of cold,” Xanthia pointed out with a shiver.“At least our base is made out of stone.”
“So is some of theirs,” Grace said.“It’s made out of crystal and marble.”
“How do you know that, shorty?”Qiana asked.
“I read about it,” the teen replied.“It was in a book series I came across during my travels.That’s exactly what the crystal palace looked like on one of the covers.”
“Do you remember the name of the author?”Vic asked.
“I’m pretty sure it’s the same author who wrote my favorite series,” Grace replied, wrinkling her forehead.“I forgot about it, though, which is weird.I only remembered it when Wyn said she wanted to create an ice castle.”
“Fate is behind this,” Kochab figured.“She wanted you to read the book, then altered your memory of it until now.”
“I’m going to start working my way through all of the author’s books,” Grace decided.“It’ll be interesting to see if there’s anything else in them that I’ve read, then forgot about.”
“I need to take a photo of this before it melts,” Qi said, then headed to the infirmary to grab her phone.She kept it charged just in case they needed to photograph anything.She was glad she had now because this was something to be remembered and cherished.
Wynter was proud her surprise had gone over so well.“I’ll build a sculpture every winter,” she decided.“I’ll preserve this one until the snow melts.”
Her magic infused the palace as the doc snapped pictures of it from every angle.Tol was just as entranced as the others.He hugged his female and kissed the top of her fiery red hair.“I can’t wait for our child to grow old enough to remember his or her first winter,” he said.
Wyn put her hand on her stomach and met Zoe’s eyes.Both pregnant females instantly became misty eyed at the thought of their children playing in the snow together.
“I’ve got lots of ideas about the sculptures you can make next year,” Grace said excitedly, then launched into a description of her favorite ones.
Zoe herded everyone back inside, then paused to glance back at the palace.For a moment, she thought she saw light flash inside the tallest tower again, then the dying sunlight became blocked by the mountain.She stepped inside, closed the makeshift door, then paused when an image appeared in her mind.“Heh, Vic’s going to love this,” she murmured.She turned left and raced along one of the short passageways to the north wing.Darting into Xanthia’s bedroom, she took something off the nightstand.
Amaros knew she was up to something when she sauntered into the great room a few seconds later.Can you do something for me,she asked him telepathically.
You know I’ll do anything for you, my beautiful mate,he replied into her mind.She told him what she wanted him to do as she sat next to him.Amaros gave her an amused look, then casually stood up after she slipped something into his hand.“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, then left the room.Zoe felt him teleport away, then return a short while later.He nodded that he’d accomplished the clandestine task and she slid a look at her trainer.Victoria was oblivious to the events that were beginning to align, which was probably for the best.
