Chapter 17: The Frostborn Awakens

The cavern pulsed with power.

A deep, primal cold radiated from Faye's body, freezing the very air around her. Ice spread from her fingertips, crawling along the floor, up the walls—devouring everything in its path.

The Empress took a single step back.

For the first time, her confidence wavered.

Faye's breath was slow, controlled. Not the ragged gasps of a woman on the verge of collapse—but the steady, measured breathing of something reborn.

She flexed her fingers. Frost clung to her skin, creeping along the inked lines of her tattoos. The markings—once mere remnants of her past—now glowed with a crystalline sheen.

Talis lay motionless beside her. The sight sent a fresh surge of fury through her veins.

The Veiled Empress had tried to take everything from her.

She would regret it.

Faye lifted her chin, her voice cold and razor-sharp.

"You made a mistake."

The Empress narrowed her eyes. "And what mistake would that be, little Frostborn?"

Faye raised her hands. Frost crackled and surged—no longer just ice, but something deeper. Something alive. The air turned white with mist, the cavern trembling beneath an unseen force.

"You thought you could break me."

The Empress scoffed—but there was unease in her expression. She raised her hand again, dark energy swirling between her fingers. "You are nothing without your Shadowflame."

Faye smiled—a slow, dangerous thing.

"Then let me show you what I am without it."

She moved.

Fast.

Faster than she should have been able to.

The ice at her feet propelled her forward, a blur of frost and steel. She closed the distance between them in a blink, her dagger flashing as she struck—

The Empress barely deflected the blow. Shock flickered across her face.

Faye didn't stop.

She twisted, sweeping low, her movements flowing like water, like wind—like a force of nature itself. Her instincts screamed at her to unleash everything, to let the storm take over, but she reined it in. Controlled. Focused.

She was the storm.

The Empress snarled, her magic surging. Shadowed tendrils lashed toward Faye, aiming to ensnare her once more—

But they never reached her.

The air around Faye solidified in an instant—a shield of shimmering frost bursting to life, shattering the dark magic before it could touch her.

The Empress staggered back, her smirk gone.

Faye stepped forward. The ice beneath her feet pulsed outward, freezing everything in its path.

The Empress lifted a hand to summon more magic—

And that's when Faye clenched her fist.

The frost around the Empress's wrist cracked and snapped upward like living chains, latching onto her arm.

The Empress's breath hitched as the ice crawled higher.

She tried to pull away—but the frost had already taken root.

Faye's voice was a whisper. Deadly. Certain.

"You will never touch him again."

And then—she pulled.

The ice yanked the Empress toward her, hard. The woman barely managed to twist out of the way of Faye's dagger, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid the next blow.

Faye slammed her knee into the Empress's ribs, sending her sprawling.

The Veiled Empress hit the ground hard, ice spreading from where she landed, locking her in place.

She sucked in a sharp breath, her golden eyes burning with fury.

"Impossible," she whispered.

Faye tilted her head.

"Is it?"

A rumbling sound filled the cavern.

Talis.

Faye turned, relief washing over her as she felt his presence surge back through the bond.

His massive body rose slowly, his silver scales glinting with a strange, renewed light.

The Empress's face darkened.

"You were supposed to die."

Talis let out a slow, warning growl, his frost-blue eyes locking onto the Empress.

"You do not decide my fate."

Faye smiled, stepping closer to her dragon. She placed a hand against his scales, feeling the deep, steady pulse of his life beneath her fingertips.

The Empress was struggling against the frost that held her.

Faye turned back to her.

"You said I would kneel."

The ice surged.

The Empress gasped as the frost climbed higher, locking her limbs in place.

Faye crouched in front of her, her expression cold.

"I don't kneel."

And with that—she clenched her fist.

The ice snapped tight.

The Empress let out a sharp, strangled sound as the frost bit deep—but before it could fully consume her, a sudden force tore through the cavern.

A pulse of shadowed energy erupted from the Empress's body, cracking the ice around her in an instant.

Faye barely had time to react before the Empress vanished in a swirl of darkness.

Silence filled the cavern.

The battle was over.

For now.

Faye let out a slow breath, exhaustion creeping into her limbs.

But the moment she staggered, a strong arm caught her.

Kael.

Faye stiffened, her body still humming with power, but Kael's grip was steady.

His voice was quiet. Uncertain.

"Faye."

She turned her gaze to him.

And for the first time—Kael looked lost.

Like he didn't know where he stood anymore.

Like he didn't know if he had made the right choice.

Faye's breath came slow and measured as she met his gaze.

"You betrayed me."

Kael's jaw tensed. Regret flickered across his face.

"I did what I had to."

Faye's fingers curled.

Talis shifted beside her, his growl low and warning.

Faye could barely think past the exhaustion, past the fire burning in her ribs, but one thing was certain.

This wasn't over.

Not with Kael.

Not with the Empress.

Not with the war that had only just begun.