The Seasonal Debt

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