structure and felt the cold biting into my marrow. The air here was different than in my rooms. It was heavy and stagnant as if the oxyge

iron." Sila

e Forge. It was covered in a layer of permafrost that shimmered like crushed diamonds under the faint viole

ain me Sila

k at him. I kept my g

ve tithe of spirit. If I give too much

collapse."

the vacuum of his presence. He was a void that wanted to be f

o serve a purpose Ela

t near my ear. It made the small ha

It pays for results. The Council is watching the meters.

out and pressed both of my p

as the liquid fire it had been waiting for. It felt my heat and it began to pull. It was not a gentle draw. It was a violent sucti

." I

ine. A dull orange glow began to throb deep within the iron belly of the Forge.

you have?"

d detachment. He did not care that I was shaking. He did not care that my skin was turning a sic

ying." I

der." Si

he combination of the hunger of the Forge and the unnatural cold of Silas sent a jolt of pure agony thro

unded animal. I pushed every bit of my will into my hands. I

ttled against the stone floor. The very foundation of the Spire began to vibrate with a low rhythmic th

t should have blistered his skin. It should have turned his fine wool coat to ash. Instead he s

he Forge went back to a low steady hum. The

re red and raw from the cold and the friction. I could feel the fire in my core flickering li

t the Forge which was now radiating a faint dormant warmth. He looked at his own hands. They were smoking s

start." S

is shirt as if he had just

til the city streets glow. You will push until the frost on the Spire melts.

monster." I

. My arms felt like lead. I glared at him with ever

ng." Silas

is boot brushed my skirt. He looked

ntinued. "In the Summer Court you were a princess. Here you a

tairs. His coat swished against h

Be ready for the gala tomorrow night. I want the aristocrats to see exactly what

ell. I touched the stone floor and felt the lingering

he had brought a sun into a house made of glass. One day I would find the strength to turn this heat into a fire that would melt

tened to the Forge. It hummed a low

darkness of the Spire I realized that fire did not just bring life. It al

e could handle. And when he was finally warm enough to feel pa