The ancient arena pulsed with silent energy. A deep-rooted tension wound through the branches, a quiet hum in the shadows where Seraphina's forces waited.
They were ready to move upward.
A sudden clatter shattered the quiet.
A wooden toy spun across the living platform. It was a jarring reminder of innocence with war so near. The simple noise echoed through the massive space. It felt out of place among the creaking of old wood and the whispered movements of her warriors.
Her confidants tensed instantly. Their bodies shifted into the practiced, low stances of warriors expecting a threat.
Seraphina raised her hand. It was a subtle gesture that carried the weight of centuries of command. They relaxed, but their eyes remained sharp. They scanned the shadows cast by the massive roots.
She sheathed her twin blades with practiced grace, securing them across her back. Her footsteps were silent against the living wood as she moved toward the hiding spot. Tucked between massive roots, she found a female elf clutching two elflings to her chest. Their small forms trembled like leaves in a storm.
One of the elflings, tears glistening on their cheeks, looked up at her with wide, frightened eyes. A wooden horse lay on its side nearby, its carved legs tangled in a root.
"Are… are you one of the scary ones?" the elfling whispered.
Seraphina's gaze softened. She knelt until their eyes met, her voice a quiet warmth. "I suppose I may look like one of the 'scary ones,'" she said gently, "but you have nothing to fear. We would never harm our precious elflings."
Recognition bloomed across the woman's features. "Lady Seraphina!" Her voice carried both shock and relief. The elflings stared, their fear forgotten as they gazed upon the former queen.
"Lady Seraphina," Lilia breathed again, her voice thick with emotion. "Is it really you?"
"It's been a long time, Lilia," Seraphina replied. Her smile faltered. She saw a faint crimson glow coming from Lilia's chest. The light pulsed like a captured heartbeat. It told a story that made Seraphina's jaw tighten.
"What's the matter, Lady Seraphina?" Lilia asked.
Before Seraphina could respond, instinct made her spin.
One of her confidants had already moved. His blade caught an attack that would have struck them all. The harsh scrape of ice against steel echoed. He held back a creature made of living ice. Its form was a perfect, terrible copy of elven grace.
"Move them to safety!" Seraphina commanded, her voice sharp. Her soldiers moved instantly, forming a protective ring around Lilia and the elflings.
"Lady Seraphina, what's happening?" Lilia clutched the children closer.
"The Elders have caught up to our plans," Seraphina replied, her crimson eyes fixed on the ice construct. "They've started their counterattack sooner than we expected."
Her confidant grunted with effort. Frost crawled along his blade where it met the ice being's weapon. The air grew bitter with cold.
"This construct, it's far stronger than we expected!" he called out.
More crystalline forms slithered from the shadows, warping the soft forest light. Frost trailed behind them, creeping up roots and darkening leaves. The air itself seemed to shiver. Their advance was lethal and graceful.
Then it halted.
An otherworldly warmth began to pulse through the arena. The air hissed and popped as the temperature shifted. Freya's staff struck the ground with a resounding crack. Crimson light raced through the ancient wood like molten veins, turning the forest floor into a carpet of dancing flames.
The living wood remained untouched, but the constructs' frozen feet sizzled and smoked on contact.
Waves of heat rolled off Freya's form, and a scarlet aura radiated from her staff. "Your timing is impeccable as always, Freya," Seraphina's lips curved into a knowing smile.
The air shimmered. Steam spiraled up, wrapping around Freya like a shroud as the great forest fought the unnatural cold. The confidant in the fight felt strength surge through his arms. His blade now glowed with a soft orange light.
With new strength, he pressed forward.
His sword cut through the frozen form with surprising ease, steam hissing where metal met ice. The construct stumbled backward, its fluid movements now jerky as its feet melted against the heated ground.
"Lilia, stay close," Seraphina commanded, positioning herself between the elflings and the remaining constructs.
The ice beings tried to regroup, but each step was a struggle. Their feet melted and refroze in a chorus of crackling ice and sizzling steam. One construct raised its arm, ice crystals forming in the air, but the heated ground beneath it flared brighter. Its legs gave way, the ice slumping and deforming.
"These creations aren't quite as impressive when they're melting, are they?" Freya's voice carried a hint of satisfaction.
Seraphina's forces moved as one. Weapons raised. Ready for the decisive strike. Victory was certain.
Until a piercing cry from one of the elflings stopped them cold.
The surface of the ice began to change. The clouded white shifted like morning frost in the sun. Patches of clearness appeared, spreading like fine cracks through a frozen lake. Soon, their forms turned into clear glass that bent the dim light in strange ways.
Lilia swept the elflings close, pressing their faces to her chest. "Don't look," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please, don't look."
But she couldn't tear her own eyes away.
Clang!
One of Seraphina's warriors dropped his weapons. He fell to his knees, his eyes wide as he saw them, now clear as the purest crystal.
Seraphina's steps faltered. A horrifying understanding dawned on her, and each step forward felt heavier than the last. Her crimson eyes darted from one figure to another. Each face she recognized struck her like a blow.
Freya's knuckles turned white around her staff. Her triumph turned to ash in her mouth. Her voice, when it came, was raw with fury.
"You monster!" she screamed at the sky.
A slow, deliberate applause shattered the tense silence. Each clap was sharp and jarring, echoing through the arena with the sound of cracking ice.
The Water Elder appeared from the shadows. His icy wings unfolded with a grace that hid their deadly purpose. With every beat, a shower of icy crystals drifted down, freezing the air into a brittle silence.
His dark smile was a stark contrast to his magnificent wings. His eyes glittered with cruel amusement as he gazed down at them.