The castle was on fire. The whole hall was engulfed in flames. Daliya paused as unwanted memories invaded her mind—the Ice spreading despite her desperate attempt to stop it. Thuraya’s horrified face as it reached her. The ice almost buried the whole hall in its frozen grasp.

  She took a deep breath, steadying herself. She wasn’t the same person who had lost control over her powers. She was different now.

  Now, she controlled her ice, not the opposite.

  Thuraya’s absence was also a comfort she refused to acknowledge. She didn’t want her control to be reliant on such things. She wanted to prove to herself that, now, she had it all under control—no matter the circumstances.

  She felt Haitham’s hand on her shoulder, a soft and gentle touch. “You okay?”

  Daliya blinked. She hadn’t noticed she had stopped in her tracks towards the lit hall. She let out a deep breath.

  Focus. She needed to focus. She had faced many foes after her mishap. This was nothing. She had faced many stronger monsters and bested them. This was but another fight she would best.

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  He hesitated before nodding back. “You can stand back if you still feel tired. I can take care of this.” He winked. The next moment, his dagger materialized in his grasp, a faint sheen of flames coating the dark blade.

  She glanced at him. He was giving her an out, an out she was unwilling to take.

  She shook her head, unsheathing her sword. “I’m fine,” she insisted.

  These people were from the assassin order and might have once been his friends. She wouldn’t let him face them alone. Not when he was accused of turning a traitor for helping her.

  She called the ice, snuffing the flames in her path to the hall. The knights’ faces brightened at her sight. She could feel the relief across the grand hall as she smothered the fire.

  The assassins were dousing the whole place in flames, keeping a distance from the knight’s blades. There were too many firebearers.

  She saw Hitham disappear up one of the pillars surrounding the hall.

  She advanced forward, noticing Mazin as he yelled out instructions to the knights, his blade swinging in the air, intercepting the arrows raining down on them.

  It wouldn’t be long before they would be buried under the fire. One of the assassins was using more energy than the others, almost desperate to wipe out the knights before their energy supply ran dry. At the sight of her, he renewed his attack, using even more energy.

  Daliya tilted her head as her eyes watched the energy flow in the assassin’s body. It wouldn't be long before it was depleted. But if she didn’t move, he would burn the whale hall down with him.

  Going out in a glorious fashion or something.

  But before she did anything, her captain of the knights beat her to the assassin.

  Mazin took hold of his sword and took a step back, angling it behind him. A second later, Daliya’s suspension was answered. He threw it at one of the assassins, the one whose flames were doing the most damage. The blade cut through the air like an arrow. The assassin didn’t have time to dodge. It impaled him in the chest, and he fell to the ground. If the blade had, then the fall would have killed him.

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  Daliya blinked. Impressive.

  As much expected form the captain of the knights.

  He launched himself toward the fallen assassin, sidestepping the flames thrown at him. He lost his momentum as his step slipped on a puddle of blood, and he nearly crashed on the floor but caught himself at the last second and lunged forward. But he miscalculated, and the fire arrow was aiming directly at his head.

  An ice spear cut through the flames. The once flaming arrow fell to the floor with a dull thud. Mazin finally reached his sword and successfully pulled it out of the assassin’s corpse.

  He shot her a grateful look, then gave a short nod.

  Then, it was a chaos of blue and red. Daliya intercepted the fire arrows thrown at her knights, creating a path for them to reach the attackers. They didn’t have to be as proficient as Mazin. One single cut of their silver blades would be enough to cut the energy flow in their body. Then they would be no different from other people.

  She created an ice path for her knights, leading high up in the hall. Some firebearers tried to stop her, but the silver steal got to them first.

  She watched the despair displayed on their faces.

  “Keep some prisoners.” Her voice reverberated in the hall, magnified by the ice.

  The knights gave a synchronized yell of, “Yes, your Highness.”

  She had nothing she personally wanted to ask them. But she hoped they would have some more information about what Saif had in store for her bodyguard. It was the least she could do.

  Daliya could see why Haitham had insisted she train her sword skills. After the assassins’ energy got cut off, they were easy prey. She could see they put too much importance into their magic and not on any other means of defense.

  They were easy picks. They weren’t worthy opponents for her knights, quite proficient in sword fighting.

  She could see a possible future if she faced a similar blade. Thank God Haitham had taught her to use her sword. She was certain she could hold her own without her powers.

  Speaking of…

  Haitham was nowhere to be seen. But she could feel great energy usage just outside the hall—his energy signature along with many others.

  She thought about lending him a hand but relented at the last second. He was a seasoned fighter. Obviously, he could take care of himself. She saw his powers firsthand. No matter what the assassin's order threw his way, she was sure he alone could handle it. She needed to stay and help her knights. Even if the fight now seemed tilting in their favor. There was no knowing how things could turn.

  Her doubts proved to be true as the assassins led a final desperate attack.

  She felt the energy flow as it seeped from the assassins, concentrating in one area. Their hands. She frowned. What were they doing?

  They clustered at one corner, high near the ceiling. Daliya thought they would unleash their powers at once. But they didn’t. They transferred their energy to one of them. The assassin shuddered at the influx of energy.

  Daliya blinked. The amount kept stacking and stacking till he was like a human torch in the flesh.

  “Get away from there!” she yelled. But she knew her knights wouldn’t have the time to retreat. They would be scorched alive.

  She took a deep breath, feeling the ice course through her veins. They were in her domain. This might not be the far north, but there was enough ice and snow to call it her own. She called ice to her. It responded to her unbidden.

  An ice wall elevated around the knights. They gave her startled looks. But soon, their eyes widened for another reason. Flame spears battered against the shield. Ice crystals erupted at the point of contact, but the shield held. Then, the attack converged at one point in a desperate attempt to break through.

  All the ice around the hall broke off and floated up to strengthen her shield. Soon, the thickness of the wall rivaled that of the castle walls. Still, its transparency allowed her to glimpse their expressions. They turned to each other, their faces grim, and nodded.

  Then the unthinkable happened. They bit into something. She heard the sound of fragile glass breaking. She understood what had happened a second too late. The assassins tumbled into a free fall, their bodies twisting into unnatural angles as they came into contact with the ground. Lifeless.

  They had killed themselves. They preferred to end their lives than be her prisoners.

  Was it her they were fearing? Or something else?