ICE

PROLOGUE

Her eyes immediately found the bed. The flimsy wooden frame hunched under the weight of a body, half concealed within a cocoon of blankets. "Mother?" Ravenna whispered as she started toward the bed.

Mother didn't stir.

The sound of claws scurrying across the floorboards caused Ravenna's body to seize. Her gaze skirted around the room, her sight still hindered by the darkness. A lump of darker shadows moved along the wall of the room. Ravenna's scream caught in her throat. The creature's blood-red eyes slowly blinked at her.

The candle dropped, thudding against the floor, and flames licked at the floorboards. Ravenna scrambled toward the bed and violently shook the mound of blankets. A blood smeared arm tumbled out, thumping against the straw mattress and falling limp.

She jerked back in shock. Pieces of the torn blanket fell away in several areas, and glazed brown eyes stared at Ravenna, unseeing.

The creature in the corner screeched.

Ravenna numbly tore her gaze away from the bed. The sound of claws scratching against wood thundered. Her heart stopped. Her back flattened against the wall behind her. Her hand fell onto the bedside table, just beside a weathered book.

She chucked the book at the creature, and it attempted to dodge. The red eyes blinked, momentarily vanishing behind the steepled shadow of the book. A wounded sound echoed as its shadowed body flinched.

As the creature regained its senses, Ravenna scrambled past it to the door. It screamed and rushed after her. Somehow, she managed to slam the door shut. It thudded against the door, claws scratching furiously.

Ravenna sprinted down the stairs. When her foot hit the last step, a collection of heavy crashes and bangs echoed above her head. She ran toward the door and wrenched it open, stumbling out onto the frozen street. Snow crunched beneath her. Ice cold metal brushed her arm. The sounds of gruff voices and metal clanging disoriented her. A hand grabbed her arm and wrenched Ravenna to a stop.

"Halt!"

A dot of cold pricked the hollow of her throat. Slight pain ruptured around the spot, and she glanced down. The sharpened point of a spear pressed against her skin. Its wooden shaft was engraved with the Imperial seal: a severed dragon's head.

Her gaze trialed along the spear, toward its wielder. The soldier stood just in front of her, his feet separated in a defensive stance. His face remained half covered by his steel helmet, with only his broad chin, slender lips, and hard brown eyes visible. Several other soldiers were clustered around them, their own weapons drawn.

Ravenna's shoulders slumped in relief. "Demon," she gasped out around heavy pants. "Inside. It's inside. It killed my mother, and then tried to kill me. Please, help me."

The soldier in front of her hesitated.

Another soldier stepped up, his beady eyes stern. "We'll have a look inside," he announced and shoved past her, toward the door. Her heart skipped a beat when the soldier wrenched the door open. She watched with bated breath as he and several others disappeared into the house. When no tortured screams came, Ravenna allowed herself to breathe again.

Then several crashes sounded, and Ravenna jumped backward.

A shadow crashed against the door frame, a strangled noise escaping it. The soldiers inside the house shouted, and the soldiers outside readied their weapons. The creature shook out of its daze and crouched. Its eyes darted around and landed on Ravenna.

Fear ensnared her. Her eyes remained locked with bloody-red.

The demon darted toward her. A soldier screamed at her. Her hands lifted upward, toward her face, in a feeble attempt to shield herself. Then a small explosion rocked her backward.