Dancing On Ice

Seafoam

Perry stood frozen to the spot, staring.

Kazimir knelt in front of him, Aeralie in the water before him, his hands pressed to her chest.

He was glowing.

A blazing white light rolled off him, his hair flared around him and Perry could feel the sheer level of power he was pouring into Aeralie.

It would save someone seconds from death.

It would save a hundred people seconds from death.

But Aeralie... Aeralie was...

"Kazimir."

Perry looked up as Icadora appeared, rolling in on the sea, kneeling in front of him.

"Stop. Kazimir, stop. You'll kill yourself using that much power," she said, grabbing his hands.

Kazimir's head snapped up to stare at her, his eyes wide, his skin stained with tears, his teeth clenched against another scream.

"She's not waking up!" he cried, shaking his mother's hands from him, "I can fix her! I just need to use more power! I can fix her!"

"You can save the dying, you can't raise the dead," Icadora said gently and a strangled wail fell from Kazimir.

"She's not!" he cried.

"Kazimir."

"Get away from me!" he snarled, "If you won't help, go away!"

"Kazimir, there is nothing anyone can do," Icadora said.

"Where's her father?" Kazimir snapped instead, "Where is he? He's supposed to be here! Why is he never here to help?!"

"Kazimir, that's not fair," Icadora said, her tone still soft, "Instinct means he has to—"

"He abandoned you!" Kazimir snarled, "He's not here for her! How long do you think we have to wait for him? Damn his instinct! We have to help her! Now!"

His eyes widened and he spun towards Perry, grabbing his trouser leg, making him jump in fright.

"You were supposed to help!" he screamed, "Help her! Now! You have to help her! You're not mortal! You must be able to help her!"

"I... I can't," Perry muttered, his voice and hands shaking, "I can't help... I can't bring back the de—"

"SHE'S NOT!"

Perry flinched backwards.

"Kazimir," Icadora said, her voice firm to make him focus, "Even if she weren't already, she would be soon. Her Heart is—"

"Her Heart," Kazimir cut in, his eyes widening and he looked around before plunging his hand into the shallow water around him. He dragged fragments of her Heart up and held them out to his mother. "We just need to fix this, right?" he said, his eyes wide and imploring.

"You can't fix a shattered Heart," she said gently.

"Then... then Dalton's," Kazimir said, frantic, "he doesn't need his. It's here. It's..."

He was scrambling through the water, trying to locate the Heart that had dropped from the trouser pocket when the trousers had disintegrated.

The sea tossed it back up the beach and into his lap and he snatched it, holding it up.

But Icadora shook her head. "You cannot just exchange the Heart of someone. That belongs to Dalton, Kazimir."

"Then she can have mine!" Kazimir cried, dropping the Heart, "Give her mine! She can have that! She can have my power! I'll be a human!"