Magic isn't extinct, it's concealed by a pissed off redhead.
Kira struggles to find balance between pretending to fit in with her fellow villagers and the one thing that makes her stand out--her magic. Only her best friend Rylanne and her aunt know...
"All right," Ry said to himself. "We'll keep going west like we planned and we'll reach the coast even if we travel off the path. The village is close to the ocean so I'll come to it eventually. By the God's it's cold." He shuddered and snapped the reins.
Sabina stirred in his arms.
"What," she said.
"Hang on, Princess Look alike. We're riding hard and riding fast. Hold me like you love me."
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He didn't know what time it was when they stumbled into the village of Halden. Sabina buried her face in his chest, at his urging, and didn't make a sound. As much as he wanted to believe it was her finally listening to somebody, he knew her cooperation was more out of exhaustion and the cold. He guided the horses through streets, keeping his head down.
Halden was a modest size not like the castle, but larger than his village in the Glades. Cobblestone streets covered by snow wound up hills spanning the coast. He sighed at the sight of an inn sign shifting in the wind. For a moment he slowed the horse and stared at the smiling sun and sleeping moon painted on the chipped sign. One hand fingered the copper tucked in a purse within his pocket. While he had little left, he'd have enough for a single room and a warm meal. Without weapons or magic he didn't dare risk it until he changed his appearance.
The sign hinges squeaked behind him as he continued through Halden. Nobody was on the street with the blizzard raging around them. It provided him the perfect cover. If any guards patrolled, Ry didn't see them either. Snow swallowed the sound of the hooves as he wound through the streets. His eyes scanned every wooden structure, searching for one abandoned. In his experience, every village had at least one.
"Where are we?" Sabina's teeth chattered.
"Sign outside the village called it Halden. Hopefully it's the right village for Demitra to find us." He'd lost most feeling in his legs from the frigid air and his hands were blue from the exposure. His mind wandered to the warm, wool lined gloves sitting comfortably on his dresser back home. They were ugly and well worn, but he wished he hadn't forgotten them when he left for the Coming of Age dance with Emma and Kira. If he stayed in the snow much longer he'd get frostbite. Sabina un-tucked her arms from the cloak and grabbed the reins from him.
"You tell me where to go, I'll steer the horse. Warm your hands before they fall off," she said. Ry didn't argue. He slid his hands inside the front flap of the cloak. "Watch what you grab."
"Relax, I'm too cold to feel anything fun." His icy hands pressed against her, trying to use what little body heat she had left to warm himself. "Go left up here. We're looking for any place that looks abandoned."
She nodded. They came upon a burned out cottage toward the back of the village. Few lights were on in the neighboring homes and it seemed forlorn and forgotten by the village residents. A rat scurried over ice covered pathways and vanished inside the empty looking homes. Ry helped Sabina down from the horse before dismounting himself. His teeth continued to chatter as he wrangled the horses through the door and out of the snow. A draft swept through the structure, shifting the snow falling through a hole in the roof. Ry ran his hand through his icy hair. It wouldn't keep them warm without a fire, but he hoped it would last them the night.
