Frost Nightshade's Arc

Chapter 1 of 4

Frost knelt by the old stone bridge and pressed her palm to its arch. Ice bloomed under her fingers and raced across the stones. She pulled her hand back fast. Three winters alone had made her magic wild. She only wanted to reach him, to hear him say her name at the boundary. She stood and hurried past a fountain mid-spray. The water froze the moment her shadow crossed it. Jagged spikes shot up where droplets had hung in the air. Frost stared at her blue fingertips. They ached the way they had before he ever touched them. She ran for the path, but a small pond caught her eye. Its surface had hardened into glass while she passed. Dark flowers along its edge stiffened into black glass petals. Everything she neared was turning. The cold was no longer hers to hold. Frost pressed both hands to her chest and understood. The longer she stayed apart from him, the worse it would grow. If she did not reach the bench by the hour, her magic would freeze the road itself. She wiped frost from her lashes and started running toward him.