The palace shook again.
Dust fell from the ceiling of the archive as another heavy impact thundered through the structure above them. The sound echoed through the chamber like distant thunder trapped underground.
Aeralyn looked toward the staircase.
"That sounded close."
Caelum closed the ancient book quickly and slid it into a leather satchel hanging beside the table.
"If the gate falls, the palace will follow soon after."
"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting," Aeralyn replied.
Another crash rang out above them.
This one was louder.
Rovan's voice could faintly be heard shouting orders through the chaos.
Aeralyn didn't wait any longer. She turned and sprinted toward the staircase, golden light already forming around her hands.
Caelum followed immediately.
---
When they burst back into the throne hall, the situation was far worse than they had expected.
The massive palace doors had been smashed open.
Splintered ice and shattered crystal littered the entrance. Snow and wind poured inside the hall like a living storm.
Beyond the broken doors, the central plaza of Glacefall had become a battlefield.
Rovan stood at the front of the palace steps, spear flashing as he drove it into the knee joint of one of the massive ice constructs. The creature staggered but didn't fall.
Lysa moved across the battlefield like a shadow, firing arrow after arrow into glowing cracks along the creatures' bodies.
Teren fought beside Rovan with a short blade, striking quickly before retreating behind the warrior's shield.
But there were too many constructs.
Five of them now stood within the plaza.
And two more were approaching through the storm.
"Glad you two finally joined the party!" Rovan shouted as they ran down the palace steps.
Aeralyn raised her hand.
Warm magic surged outward like sunlight breaking through clouds. Golden energy spread across the ground, melting frost and forcing the nearest construct to stumble backward.
The creature hissed as steam rose from its icy limbs.
Caelum stepped beside her.
Then the temperature dropped instantly.
The snow around him began to swirl upward, forming a tight spiral of wind and ice.
"Everyone move!" he commanded.
Rovan and the others immediately scattered.
Caelum thrust his hand forward.
The blizzard obeyed.
A concentrated blast of freezing wind slammed into the nearest construct, locking its legs in solid ice before it could recover from Aeralyn's attack.
"Now!" Caelum shouted.
Lysa didn't hesitate.
Her arrow flew straight into the glowing crack at the creature's chest.
The construct shattered.
Chunks of ice exploded outward across the plaza as its body collapsed into lifeless fragments.
Teren blinked in disbelief.
"That actually worked."
"Don't celebrate yet," Aeralyn warned.
The remaining constructs had turned toward them now.
And they were angry.
Two of them charged.
The ground trembled beneath their massive steps.
Rovan planted his spear firmly in the snow.
"Alright then," he muttered. "Let's dance."
The first construct swung a giant frozen arm toward him.
Rovan rolled beneath the attack and slashed across the creature's ankle joint. The ice cracked but didn't break.
The second construct lunged toward Teren.
Aeralyn reacted instantly.
She raised both hands and unleashed a wave of golden warmth that blasted the creature backward several feet. Steam exploded from its frozen torso as the magic weakened the ice holding it together.
"Caelum!" she shouted.
He was already moving.
The prince raised his hand and clenched his fist.
The air itself froze.
A thick wall of ice erupted from the ground beneath the damaged construct, trapping it mid-motion. Cracks raced across its body as the sudden pressure crushed its limbs inward.
Then Caelum snapped his fingers.
The construct shattered into hundreds of frozen shards.
Across the battlefield, Lysa fired two arrows in quick succession.
Both struck glowing weak points in another creature's shoulder and neck. The construct staggered.
Rovan seized the opportunity.
With a roar, he drove his spear straight through the creature's chest.
Blue light burst outward as the magic animating it collapsed.
Three constructs down.
But the remaining ones were adapting.
One of them raised its massive arm toward the palace roof.
Ice gathered rapidly around its hand.
"What's it doing?" Teren asked nervously.
Caelum's eyes widened.
"Get down!"
The construct hurled a massive spear of ice toward the palace tower.
The projectile smashed through the upper balcony with an explosive crash, sending crystal debris raining down across the courtyard.
Aeralyn winced as fragments scattered across the ground.
"They're trying to bring the palace down."
"Then we finish this quickly," Caelum replied.
The final two constructs charged together.
Aeralyn stepped forward.
"Let's try something different."
She extended her hand toward Caelum.
He looked at her, confused.
"What are you doing?"
"Trust me."
For a brief moment, he hesitated.
Then he placed his hand in hers.
Immediately their magic collided.
Warmth surged outward from Aeralyn's palm while cold power flowed from Caelum's. Instead of clashing, the two forces twisted together like spiraling currents.
The air between them began to glow.
"What… is this?" Caelum asked quietly.
"Balance," Aeralyn said.
She lifted their joined hands.
A wave of shimmering energy burst across the plaza.
Warm gold and icy blue spiraled together in a brilliant arc that slammed into both charging constructs at once.
The creatures froze mid-step.
For a single silent second, the battlefield stood still.
Then the combined magic detonated.
Both constructs shattered instantly.
Snow and ice exploded across the plaza as the creatures collapsed into lifeless debris.
Silence fell.
The storm above the city slowly began to calm.
Rovan stared at the destroyed constructs, breathing heavily.
"Well," he said after a moment, "that was impressive."
Teren nodded quickly.
"We should do that more often."
Aeralyn released Caelum's hand.
The moment their connection broke, the magic faded.
Caelum looked at his palm thoughtfully.
"That shouldn't have been possible."
"But it was," Aeralyn replied.
He met her gaze again.
For the first time since she had freed him beneath the ice, something warm flickered in his normally frozen expression.
Not just respect.
Hope.
But the moment didn't last.
From far beyond the city walls, a deep echo rolled across the frozen plains.
Louder than before.
Older.
Stronger.
Every member of the group turned toward the northern horizon.
The storm clouds there had begun to swirl again.
And something massive was moving beneath them.
Caelum's voice dropped to a quiet whisper.
"The real battle is coming."