THE AIR INSIDE Ravenna's lungs froze solid, skewering through the organs within her chest. Spoken words boomed across the room and through her ears. All she could register was a single sentence, "In a weeks time, after our royal wedding, a public execution will be held, ridding this world of their evil once and for all."

Her hand began to tremble. She slowly lowered her glass, as the other nobles around her did. The brim of the goblet brushed her lips. Wine stung harshly at her skin. Their cheers shook the banquet hall, yet didn't register within her ears.

She couldn't tear her gaze away from Vyses.

His eyes locked with hers. There was something inside of them, some unnameable emotion. She saw a flicker of crimson. Then Vyses closed one eye in a wink.

It wasn't reassuring whatsoever, however it shattered the spell that had captured her attention. Her organs seemed to unfreeze completely. The bustling world around her crashed into her senses, overloading her. She wasn't able to process it —but she could hear the laughter, the excitement. She could taste the aged wine that kissed her lips and smell its bitter scent.

Her stomach somersaulted as she watched Vyses and Lyth be dragged from the room. The doors slammed shut behind them. The humans around her shouted and cheered in glee. Imperial soldiers flooded the empty space in the room around her, standing behind the seated guests. Each were given a goblet of wine, a mug of mead —whatever luxury their hearts desired.

The King took his seat at the head of the table, surrounded by his women. Ravenna stared at the plate in front of her. It overflowed with bread and various cheeses —the first course.

A low chatter overtook the air, synced with the ambient melody that the bards and minstrels played. Ravenna concentrated on the guards that gossiped behind her. Several were regaling their legendary capture to the nobles that sat beside her. It was hard to listen to their words, verbatim. However, she believed she understood the gist of it.

Vyses and Lyth had been captured in a small town just outside of Zeporia. An innkeeper had been the one to out their use of magic to the Imperials. He had apparently witnessed Vyses speak to a 'tiny, magical woman' that stood in his palms.

At least, that was all the evidence needed for the Imperials to ambush them and haul them to the Capitol.

Ravenna had no doubt that she was the tiny, magical woman that the innkeeper had seen talking to Vyses. It was just like when she talked to him through the talisman. Part of her was somewhat surprised, however, that the Imperials seemed satisfied with Vyses and Lyth as the sole perpetrators. With all of the celebrations, it was obvious that the kingdom had their villains and that no one planned to search for the tiny, magical woman they'd spoken to.

Which was surprising to her, given how quickly the men of this world were to accuse women of witchcraft.

The more Ravenna thought about it, the more that she realized that there was a chance the innkeeper hadn't seen any telling physical details of the woman. It was possible that the Imperials gave up before a search even started, purely due to lack of details.

When the chatter died down, the second course of food arrived. It was passed out around the table —a hearty serving of cooked beef and seasoned vegetables. Ravenna could hardly stand to look at her plate.

She jumped a bit in her seat when she heard a small rustle beside her. Glancing upward, Ravenna found Mylo climbing to his feet. He noticed her concerned gaze and a small smile took his lips. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I am afraid that I must take my leave."

He seemed to hesitate and then added, "Be safe."

The words confused her. She frowned, glancing back at him from over her shoulder. "You as well," she told him.

Within a blink of an eye, Mylo vanished from sight.

The feast proceeded through most of the night. Inky darkness slowly engulfed the sky, heightening the sense of celebration. From her seat at the table, Ravenna could hear and see glimpses of colorful explosions cracking across the sky, staining the ink with spiderwebs of feisty reds and oranges. The nobles around her cheered. A symphony of laughter and glasses filled with aged wine clinking together encompassed the room. It wasn't long before the King was forced to retire, his harem of scantily clad women ushering his half-conscious body from the room.

When the celebration started to fade, Eoin stood, lifting his glass into the air. "I really appreciate your presence and well wishes tonight," he said, his gaze slowly traveling the room. With a single look, he seemed to quietly acknowledge each individual that sat at the table around him.

Everyone in the room seemed especially pleased.

Ravenna resisted the urge to take a swig of her aged wine. Her stomach still rumbled uncomfortably. She kept her gaze focused on the abandoned food that remained on the table in front of her.

Eoin continued his closing speech. "I am grateful to be surrounded and supported by such kindhearted human-beings. I am especially grateful for my bride-to-be, as well. In a mere seven days, we are to be wed. I am endlessly excited."

Her gaze flickered upward, meeting his. He smiled at her warmly.

It reminded her of the smiles he shared upon first meeting her.

Ravenna did her best to smile back. If it looked forced, Eoin didn't react to it. He simply shifted his gaze away and continued to speak.

"I am also grateful for the hard work and determination from my Imperial guards. Those men fought for months and, through sheer blood, sweat, and tears, my men were able to find the atrocious evil-doers behind those horrendous ice creatures. It was not an easy feat. I was there, in battle with them. And tonight, my sources regaled the fantastic tale as I ate. The men surrounding us are going to go down in history!"

Cheers erupted around Ravenna. She did her best not to flinch, not to show any sign of her worry. Glasses clinked. More colorful explosions shimmered, just barely visible through the slivers of glass in the ceiling above their heads. Eoin finished his speech, bidding each guest a good night.

Ravenna slowly pushed her chair backwards and climbed to her feet. It didn't take long for the crown prince to weave through the crowd toward her. He politely held out his arm to her. She took his arm, her heart thundering inside her chest.

When they reached the hallway, the chaos of the dining hall died down. It gave Ravenna the chance to actually breathe, to process the events of the feast. Vyses and Lyth were caught —chained up, somewhere cold and dark within the depths of the palace. Her initial plan was ruined. They could not create any ice soldiers while imprisoned.

And now Mylo was gone. She was mildly surprised at how empty that knowledge made her feel.

"What is wrong?" she heard Eoin ask her. His voice was distant.

Her gaze shifted up, hesitantly meeting his eyes. She couldn't outwardly say what she really felt. Her lips pressed together into a wrinkled line. Eoin was also seemingly in a good mood. With all the stress of the wedding, such an occasion was incredibly rare.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her, frowning. "Tell me what is wrong," he said.

She did not immediately respond. They reached the entrance to her bedroom and the door opened, revealing a cheerful Alyss. Ravenna quickly dismissed her for the night. She didn't want Alyss to be present when Eoin reacted to what she needed to say.

Alyss stepped out of the room and Ravenna followed Eoin inside. "I do not feel those people should be imprisoned," she said, her voice quiet. "Not until they are proved to be guilty."

His mood shifted instantly. Anger radiated from Eoin in waves. "Those men deserve to rot," he snapped.

Ravenna glared at him. She waited for a moment, for the bedroom door to shut quietly behind her. "One of them is a mere child," she said.

"That child was heavily involved. For all we know, he was initially behind the creation of those abominable ice creatures. I have absolutely no doubt that he will only grow to either avenge his accomplice or complete his mission. We have to stop it before it gets out of control again."

"But we have no real proof that they are truly the killers."

"They were caught using magic in a small town. A small town that is less than a day's walk away from Zeporia. They are absolutely guilty."

"Eoin," Ravenna started, attempting to reason with him. "Please think about this rationally."

"I am being rational," the crown prince bellowed. His shouts echoed like a crack of thunder rumbling through the air. "My kingdom is at stake. My people are getting injured and killed."

She squared her shoulders, bracing herself as he drew near. Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides. Eoin's fist slammed into the door, mere inches from her face.

"I will not stop until every last one of them is dead."