Only, she couldn’t move.
It wasn’t just the queen’s words that had been filled with ice — water had risen from the floor beneath Kiva’s feet and then frozen, trapping her in place.
Panic overwhelmed her as she tried to break free, her efforts futile as the ice block spun slowly at Ariana’s command, turning Kiva to face her once more.
“Are you trying to leave me?” Ariana slurred. “We haven’t had our cocoa yet.”
“No, I, um —” Kiva stuttered with fear.
Suddenly, the queen let out an earsplitting shriek. With a quick, overarm throw, she hurled her goblet at the supper tray, wine and cocoa and cake flying everywhere. Rising, she staggered toward Kiva, her hand slicing the air, the gleam of a golden ring catching in the light.
“Look what you did! Look at this mess!” the queen yelled. “I wanted us to have a nice time together, and you ruined it! Why did you have to ruin it?”
At the savage look on her face, Kiva tried harder than ever to dislodge her feet, but the ice remained fixed, its grip unyielding.
“Your Majesty, please,” Kiva begged, knowing she might as well be talking to a wild animal. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. It was an accident.” The words spilled from her, anything she thought might mollify the queen.
Her relief was nearly crippling when the anger disappeared from Ariana’s features, the ice underfoot cracking before turning back to water and then evaporating entirely.
Despite being free, Kiva didn’t dare move a step.
“Why do you look scared?” Ariana demanded, stumbling through the spilled food and drink toward Kiva. “We’re friends, aren’t we? Don’t you like me?”
“Of course I do,” Kiva answered quickly.
The queen heard the fear in her voice, and her sapphire eyes narrowed. “LIAR!” she screamed. “YOU’RE LYING TO ME! EVERYONE ALWAYS LIES TO ME!”
At her enraged look, Kiva scurried backwards, but she barely made it three steps before the queen stabbed her finger in a sharp motion, bringing Kiva to a halt once more.
Not because her feet were iced.
But because she couldn’t breathe.
Kiva’s hand flew to her throat as she tried to suck in air, but instead, she bent double and coughed out a mouthful of water. And then another. Coughing and coughing, she tried to clear her lungs of the fluid that was suddenly filling them, flooding them.
Pure terror hit Kiva as more and more water streamed out of her. She searched desperately for something she could use as a weapon, seeing only the upset supper tray. Hacking and spitting, she collapsed to her knees and crawled toward the queen’s shattered wine goblet. She wrapped her fingers around a broken shard of crystal, but a vicious tug on her hair had the makeshift blade slipping from her hand as she was dragged through the spoiled food and away from any chance of defending herself.
“Why did you have to lie to me?” Queen Ariana asked woefully. “I wanted so much for you to like me.”
“Please!” Kiva tried, but all that came out was a watery gurgle.
Burning — her lungs were burning.
Darkness began to press in at the edges of her vision, and she realized this was it. She had no defense against Ariana’s magic. The water was flooding every part of her, drowning her on dry land.
And then, suddenly, it wasn’t.
With a loud BANG! the doors to the queen’s sitting room slammed open as Jaren sprinted through them. A quick, horrified glance had him waving his hand toward Kiva, her lungs clearing in an instant. A second wave sent his furious mother flying through the air across the room.
“Kiva,” he gasped, running to her side. She was still coughing violently, tears spilling from her eyes as she fought the pain and sucked in heaving gulps of oxygen.
“Hold on to me,” Jaren said. Heedless of the sopping, dirty mess covering her, he pulled her up into his arms and strode out of the room, his face like granite.
“Jaren, my love!” Ariana called, stumbling after them. “My sweet baby boy!”
The doors slammed shut on an invisible wind the moment they were through. Around her continued coughing, Kiva could hear the queen banging on them from the inside, but Jaren’s magic kept her sealed away.
“J-J-J —”
“Don’t try to talk,” he said, his voice tight. He looked down at her, his tone softening as he instructed, “Just focus on your breathing, sweetheart.”
Kiva spent the whole trip back to the eastern palace inhaling and exhaling, until finally she was able to breathe somewhat normally again. Still shaking, she was reluctant to loosen her grip on Jaren, so she didn’t resist when he led her not back to her room, but to his.