Chapter 4Winter's Reckoning

I put the burial on hold. I used the System to freeze her body.

The snow fell for five days. The city was panicking.

On the sixth day, Lyra arrived at the High Temple in a wave of incense and bells, dressed in white, looking every bit the divine.

She lit the incense. "In three days," she announced, "the snow will stop."

The people cheered.

She walked into the back room, her face pale. "Seraphina. In three days, you have to..."

She saw me.

"Who are you? Where is Seraphina?"

"You're the Goddess," I sneered. "Why are you asking me?"

She looked panicked. "Just... just tell that bitch to get out here!"

I slapped her. "The bitch? You're talking about yourself."

"Frost is dead. Your little show is over."

"Dead?" she shrieked, panicked. "She can't be dead! You're lying, get her out here!"

The door crashed open. Kaelen and Ash.

Lyra immediately crumpled, running to him. "Kaelen! This woman... she hit me! And she's saying... saying awful lies about Seraphina..."

"Luna, that's enough!" he yelled. "Where is she? Tell her to stop this ridiculous game!"

"Are you deaf? She's DEAD."

"Liar! The High Priest saw her just yesterday! You're just jealous I married Lyra, so you cooked up this 'fake death' plot! I'm not falling for it!"

I laughed. I grabbed him, my magic flaring, and teleported us to the back hills.

I threw him at the frozen casket. "Open it. See for yourself."

He kicked the lid off. "This is pathetic. If she was really... really..."

His voice died.

The coffin was open. Frost's pale, mutilated body was lying there.

He just stared. The anger, the denial... it all shattered.