ICE

59. Caught

The other three guards dismounted. The dogs continued to growl. "Where exactly did you say that you three were traveling from?" one asked.

Vyses's eyes narrowed. "Ravenna," he said. From the corners of her eyes, she could see Lyth climbing to his feet.

She glanced up at Vyses, her brows furrowed.

"Do me a favor, lass," Vyses murmured. His voice was so low that only she could hear it. "Close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you to."

She blinked. "Alright."

Ravenna squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands. Within seconds, she felt Vyses leave her side. Metal clinked as the guards moved. Swords rustled in their scabbards, scraping against the sheath as they were drawn. Then the screaming started.

The sound pierced her eardrums, tempting her to open her eyes and look around. She resisted, her nose scrunching as she squeezed her eyes shut harder. She flinched when the horses squealed and moved her hands to cover her ears.

There was another sound --an indescribable slosh mixed with screams and gurgles.

Then silence washed through the air.

Ravenna jumped when hands lightly touched her own. Her eyes shot open. Vyses stood in front of her, his expression grim. She lowered her hands and looked around. The guards, their horses, even their dogs --they'd all vanished.

"Where did they go?" she asked.

Vyses shook his head. "Don't worry about them. Come on, we should probably get out of here. I'm sure that the commotion garnered some attention from the nearby towns."

She frowned and nodded. The sun had already started to rise. Rays of light began to break through the mixture of clouds and treetops that made up the horizon. Lyth and Vyses made quick work at packing up the campsite. Ravenna gathered her spellbook and hugged it to her chest. As she walked toward the horses, she noticed a crumpled-up piece of paper discarded on the ground. She bent down and picked it up. It was the scroll with the drawing on it --the drawing that was supposed to depict her. Beneath the crude image of her face, were four words: "Wanted Dead or Alive."

It was her wanted poster.

She folded it up into a tiny square and then slipped it into her dress. If someone found it near where the guards went missing, they might assume that she had something to do with their deaths. Or that she was still roaming the forest, looking for another victim.

Her lips pressed into a firm line. She didn't like the idea of that.

Once the camp was packed up, the horses were fit with their newfound saddles. "Where did you get these?" Ravenna asked as Vyses helped her onto a horse. She frowned at him. "The other horses? You didn't kill them, did you? It wasn't their fault. They weren't trying to hurt anybody."

He nodded. "Don't worry. I set the other horses free. They'll have plenty of grass to chew and space to roam around in."

"And the dogs?" Ravenna asked quietly.

He grimaced at that. "They were hunting dogs, lass. I had no choice."

Her lips wrinkled together.

He heaved a sigh and patted her knee. "They're in a better place now, rest assured. Are you ready to go? I think it we should be able to find a town to rest in tonight. The dogs were the only reason the guards seemed to recognize us. "

She nodded. "That's fine with me."

It would be nice to practice magic within the confinements of a room, where nobody could sneak up or watch. Plus, if she managed to get a separate room from Vyses and Lyth, she'd be able to study Caelan's spell book.

She silently stroked her horse's mane as Vyses mounted his horse. Then the three of them took off.

so some of you may be wondering why this chapter is being posted right now, as i literally just updated last night and I usually only post once a week. i am posting this chapter to celebrate the fact that ICE MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND OF THE WATTY'S AND HAS BEEN LONG-LISTED!!!

so what does this mean?

a) that i am ugly crying really bad right now because...like...what.

b) that if you go to the watty's official profile, you can actually find Ice in their reading list titled "The 2018 Watty's Long List" which is INSANE. 

c) that this book somehow, miraculously made it to the top 800 books in The Watty Awards and that i am so incredibly excited about that and feel really honored that it made it so far. Like I honestly feel like I am still sleeping and that this all a wild dream. 

I know this may come across as super cheesy, but I have to say it anyways. Just thank you guys so so so much. Thank you for even choosing to read this book. There are so many books that are available on this website, so many awesome, kick-ass stories that are beautifully written, and the fact that y'all chose mine to add to your reading selection is just seriously amazing. Just thank you for taking the time to read this book. It really genuinely means the world to me.