Chapter 189: They are here
~Ava's POV~
"Ava, is that you?"
Gwen's voice came from the doorway, and I pulled back from Anastasia's embrace to see her stepping into the study room. Her eyes immediately went to my tear-streaked face, then to Anastasia, and her expression darkened.
The look she gave Anastasia could have frozen water faster than my ice magic. It was the kind of look that said she was ready to defend me against whatever had made me cry. And it warmed my heart more than I will like to admit.
"I didn't do anything to her," Anastasia said quickly, raising her hands like she was surrendering. Even she knew better than to mess with Gwen when she was in protective mode.
Gwen rushed over to me, her face full of worry. "Ava, are you alright?"
I wiped my face with my sleeve, trying to pull myself together. It felt so good to see her looking healthy and strong. For days I'd been worried that my broken powers might somehow hurt her if I got too close. But here she was, rosy-cheeked and concerned, just like always.
"Oh, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me," I said, but my voice still sounded shaky.
Gwen's eyes narrowed as she looked between me and Anastasia. "Did Ana bully you?"
I shook my head quickly. The last thing I wanted was for them to fight because of me. "No, she didn't. She actually helped me."
That seemed to surprise Gwen. Her eyebrows went up, and she looked at Anastasia with less suspicion. "Helped you?"
I took a deep breath. If I was going to tell anyone about what was happening to me, Gwen deserved to know. She'd always been there for me, always understood me better than anyone else.
"Yes, I have been struggling with some abnormalities. But I think it could be because my twenty-fifth birthday is approaching."
My twenty-fifth birthday. The day Grandmother had always said would be important for my powers. The day everything would supposedly make sense. Right now it felt more like everything was falling apart, but maybe that was part of the process.
Gwen nodded like she understood. "What were you suffering with?"
Instead of trying to explain, I held up my hands. "This."
The ice was already starting to form again, creeping across my palms like it had a mind of its own. But instead of backing away like I expected, Gwen stepped closer and wrapped her arms around me.
The moment she touched me, I felt the familiar cold spreading from my skin to hers. Panic shot through me like lightning.
"I'm making you cold, right?" I asked, and I could feel myself starting to cry again. But these weren't normal tears. As they fell from my eyes, they turned into tiny crystals of ice that clinked when they hit the floor.
Even my tears were frozen now. Even the most basic human thing about me had turned into something unnatural and cold.
"No... no... not at all... look at me." Gwen's voice was gentle but firm. She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. "Is this why you haven't gone out of this room?"
I nodded, feeling ashamed. I'd been hiding like a coward while everyone else went about their normal lives. While the children played and laughed, I'd been locked away, too scared of my own shadow to face the world.
But Gwen smiled. Actually smiled, like this was good news instead of the disaster I thought it was.
"It's nothing to worry about, Ava. This proves that your dormant powers are finally awakening. Lorraine was right, your powers are indeed likely to manifest on your twenty-fifth birthday."
Lorraine. Grandmother. She'd always said this day would come, but I'd never imagined it would feel so terrifying and out of control. Maybe this chaos was supposed to be normal. Maybe everyone went through this when their powers finally woke up.
Anastasia moved closer to us, and I could see the relief on her face. She'd been worried too, even if she'd tried to hide it.
"Come out with us," she said. "The kids miss you."
Her words sounded cold and matter-of-fact, but I knew Anastasia well enough to hear what she really meant. She was worried about me too. She wanted me to stop hiding, to come back to the world of the living.
Gwen turned to her with a scolding look. "You silly husband. How can you talk to a scared person with such a cold tone?"
I almost laughed despite everything. It felt so good to see Gwen acting like herself again, scolding people and taking charge. I'd missed this version of her, the strong, confident woman who wasn't afraid to put anyone in their place.
It had been too long since I'd seen her smile like this, too long since she'd felt comfortable enough to scold any of us.
Seeing her like this reminded me why I'd been so determined to protect everyone. This was what normal looked like. This was what I was fighting to keep safe.
"I was only trying to help..." Anastasia said, looking dejected.
"That's not how to do it..." Gwen started to say.
But her words were cut off by the sound that made my blood turn to ice in my veins.
The war bell.
It rang out across the kingdom with an urgency I'd never heard before. This wasn't the slow, steady toll they used for ceremonies or announcements. This was fast, desperate, panicked. The kind of ringing that meant death was coming for us all.
All three of us froze, listening to the frantic clanging that echoed off the castle walls.
Then we heard the screaming.
"Run!" someone shouted from outside, their voice carrying through the stone walls. "They are here! Run! Our own has betrayed us yet again!"
That last statement had me staggering back. Betrayed us yet again. That could only mean one thing, whoever Grandmother had trusted, whoever we'd believed was on our side, had turned against us.
And now they were here.
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