The Frost March did not release travelers easily.
Even after escaping the ancient city beneath the ice, Aeralyn felt its presence behind them like a distant shadow stretching across the land. The constructs they had fought at dawn were only the beginning—scouts sent to measure their strength. Something older and far more patient now knew exactly where they were.
By midday the group reached higher ground where the endless white plains slowly gave way to jagged hills of frozen stone. Wind howled through the cliffs, carrying sharp flakes of ice that stung their faces and clung stubbornly to cloaks and armor.
Rovan walked ahead as always, spear balanced across his shoulders, his eyes constantly searching the horizon. Lysa followed silently along the ridge, moving with the effortless balance of someone who had spent her life among dangerous terrain.
Teren lagged slightly behind them, though his color had improved since Aeralyn treated his wounds. He still favored his injured arm, but determination kept him moving.
At the center of the group walked Aeralyn and Caelum.
Neither had spoken much since the battle that morning.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it carried weight—like the pause between thunder and lightning. Aeralyn could feel the cold that surrounded him even without touching him, a controlled presence that bent the wind away from his body. At the same time, her own magic radiated warmth, soft but steady.
Two forces that should have opposed each other.
Instead, they moved together.
Finally Caelum broke the silence.
"You're exhausted."
Aeralyn glanced sideways at him. "Observant."
"You're hiding it poorly."
She rolled her eyes slightly. "Saving your life and fighting ice monsters tends to drain a person."
Caelum didn't respond immediately. His gaze drifted across the snowy valley below them, where distant peaks rose like silent guardians.
"You spent more magic in that cavern than most mages would in a month," he said.
"And yet here I am."
"That doesn't mean there won't be consequences."
Aeralyn stopped walking.
The others continued a few paces ahead before noticing and turning back. Caelum halted beside her.
"You keep talking like I made a mistake," she said quietly.
"I'm saying you took a risk."
"Yes," she replied firmly. "And I'd take it again."
For a moment his icy composure faltered.
He studied her carefully, as if searching for something hidden behind her words.
"You don't even know me," he said.
Aeralyn crossed her arms.
"I know enough."
"Do you?" Caelum asked softly.
"You stood there chained and still tried to protect your people. You told your companions not to follow you so they wouldn't die. And when the city offered you power over the world, you refused."
She stepped closer, meeting his gaze directly.
"That tells me exactly who you are."
Caelum held her stare for several seconds.
Then he looked away first.
"Perhaps," he murmured.
---
By late afternoon the storm clouds thickened again.
But this time they were different.
The sky over the southern horizon darkened into a deep silver-gray swirl that pulsed faintly with magic. Aeralyn felt it immediately—a strange pressure pressing against her senses.
"What is that?" Teren asked.
Caelum stopped walking.
"That," he said slowly, "is Glacefall."
They climbed the final ridge together.
Beyond it stretched a vast valley carved by ancient glaciers. At its center rose a city of towering white spires, its walls shaped from stone and reinforced with massive sheets of ice that gleamed like mirrors beneath the stormy sky.
The Kingdom of Glacefall.
Even from miles away, the city looked both majestic and fragile. Frost coated every surface. Tall crystal towers pierced the clouds like spears.
But something was wrong.
No lights burned along the walls.
No smoke rose from the chimneys.
The city was silent.
Rovan frowned deeply. "Where are the guards?"
"There should be patrols along the outer road," Lysa added quietly.
Caelum's expression darkened.
"They're gone."
Aeralyn felt a chill unrelated to the weather.
"What happened while you were gone?"
"I intend to find out."
---
They reached the outer gates at sunset.
The enormous iron doors stood half-open, their surfaces coated in thick layers of frost. Wind crept through the entrance like a cautious intruder.
Rovan examined the ground carefully.
"Tracks," he muttered.
"Recent?" Lysa asked.
He shook his head slowly. "Old. Snow covered most of them."
Aeralyn stepped through the gate first.
Cold magic hit her instantly.
The streets of Glacefall were empty.
Shutters hung loosely from shop windows. Market stalls sat abandoned. A single lantern swung back and forth from a frozen hook, creaking softly with each movement of the wind.
"Where is everyone?" Teren whispered.
Caelum moved ahead of the group now, his steps slow and deliberate.
"They evacuated."
"Evacuated?" Rovan repeated.
"Yes."
"But why?"
Caelum stopped in the middle of the empty street.
"Because they knew what was coming."
Aeralyn stepped beside him.
"You mean the city beneath the ice."
"Yes."
He turned toward the towering palace at the end of the avenue.
"My father would never abandon Glacefall unless the threat was greater than the kingdom itself."
"So the royal court left?" Lysa asked.
"Possibly."
"Or…" Teren added carefully, "…something forced them to leave."
The silence that followed felt heavier than the snow.
---
They reached the palace just as night fell.
Massive crystal doors stood sealed at the entrance, their surfaces covered in intricate frost patterns shaped like ancient runes.
Caelum placed his hand against them.
For several seconds nothing happened.
Then the ice began to glow.
The runes shifted and unlocked with a deep, resonating sound. The doors slowly opened inward.
Inside, the palace was just as empty as the city.
Their footsteps echoed through the enormous hall.
Aeralyn looked around in awe. Massive pillars carved from translucent crystal supported a vaulted ceiling filled with frozen chandeliers that sparkled faintly in the moonlight pouring through high windows.
It was beautiful.
And haunting.
"This place feels like a tomb," Teren said quietly.
Caelum walked toward the central throne platform.
The throne itself was empty.
But something else rested on the floor before it.
A single frozen letter.
Aeralyn knelt and carefully lifted it. The ice cracked softly as warmth touched the surface.
"What does it say?" Rovan asked.
She handed it to Caelum.
His expression hardened as he read.
"It's from my father."
"And?" Lysa asked.
Caelum folded the letter slowly.
"He evacuated the city two weeks ago."
"Why?" Aeralyn asked.
"Because he knew the ancient city beneath the ice was waking."
The room fell silent again.
"But that's not the worst part," Caelum continued.
Rovan frowned. "What do you mean?"
Caelum looked toward the palace doors.
"The entity we fought wasn't alone."
Aeralyn felt her stomach tighten.
"There are others."
Outside, the wind suddenly howled louder.
Far beyond the palace walls, something massive moved beneath the snow.
And for the first time since entering Glacefall, the city was no longer silent.
It was waking.