On Thin Ice Novels & Stories

I use my arms to block the lashes left and right as they come. -"Use your powers, cadet!" Connor shots while passing back and forth. The wiping becomes more aggressive, leaving a burn behind every time it meets my skin. That's when I noticed the ice chain had now blue-turquoise flames. My opponent might be strong, but he is predictable. His movement comes in a pattern that I memorize and quickly start to dodge. Bothered with the fact his chains are no longer effective on me, he dissipates it to conjure fire spheres he throws in my direction—the moment they hit the ground, the area freezes.

Smooth, unhurried, like he had said something completely ordinary and was now done with it. I stood at the boards and stared at the ice and felt my very carefully constructed position begin, in several places at once, to develop cracks.

POV: Avery Blake The lake was frozen solid. Avery tested it herself, the way Grayson had taught her—listening for the groan, the protest, the sound of ice deciding whether to hold. It held. She walked onto it, boots finding purchase, and felt the strange suspension of being supported by something she couldn't see, something that could fail without warning.

My fingers were so numb from the sub-zero air that I could barely register the bite of the sharp metal against my skin. With a ragged breath, I slammed the right spike into the face of the ice. A sharp, crystalline crack echoed through the silence, sending a shower of frozen shards cascading down into the black abyss below. I tested my weight, my boots slipping slightly before catching a narrow ledge of stone. The ice held. "One step," I whispered to myself. "Just focus on one step."

He pulled me up patient, no rush. We went slow. He showed basic moves, gliding backward, turning easy. I copied and fell again. And again. My legs ached deep after a few minutes, muscles screaming like they were on fire. Thighs burning, ankles sore from twisting. Sweat dripped down my face even though it was freezing. Frustration built up hot in my chest. Why was this so freaking hard? And why did Roland make it look so simple? “You’re doing okay,” he said, voice calm. “Most newbies eat ice a lot.”

But I felt the need to tell her that. "Any guy, but not you." "Yeah, not me." I didn't get the title 'SHL's ice machine' for nothing. It was how I had been able to survive this harsh world after my mother passed. To live, I had to kill every motherducking feeling in me. I had to be as cold as an ice rink. While Chloe's offer seemed tempting, there were more disadvantages than benefits. The only benefit was that I got to have a girl to slam for free.

She was 25 years old with nothing to her name and no one to call. Thunder boomed above her. Dukia crouched under a tree that provided little relief from the heavy downpour and realized with a strange, hollow clarity that she had nowhere to go. The orphanage that raised her had closed 3 years ago after a fire that burnt down almost half of the building. Her college friends had drifted away after Liam’s isolation began a year after their marriage. “Even death would be a better option,” she thought to herself. A black Rolls-Royce turned onto the estate road.

“Alright, boys, line drills! Move like your life depends on it!” Mark shot Atlan a grin as he skated past. “Hope you can keep up, Philly.” Atlan smirked, settling into position. “Hope you don’t choke, Mark.” Greg, tall and broad-shouldered, let out a laugh. “Easy, kids. We don’t need claws out yet.” The whistle blew. Atlan launched forward, his skates digging in as he tore down the ice. His muscles screamed, but he powered through, pushing harder, faster. Bryan’s sharp eyes never left him, measuring, testing.

Wilson quickly tried to release himself from the thin, yet surprisingly thick layer of ice for the second time. The ice was already lowering his body temperature and making him feel numb. He gathered his strength and began cracking the ice slowly but surely. As it turned out, the ice was a lot thicker than it seemed on the surface. Jim, on the other hand remained kneeling and even though he was almost done shaving off the cold snow-reinforced ice from his body, he dared not move. Before him stood the magnificent snow tiger. Behind him were four loud hunters who cared nothing for his life and would not hesitate to shoot him if they as much as thought he was going to jeopardize their mission.

However, before long, they begin to thin, until we have to separate enough to continue to remain undetected. ‘Up ahead.’ I announce through mindlink with my group. ‘There’s an opening.’ By this point, the earth beneath our paws was covered in ice, and the wind above was picking up. Soon, the snow would fall, and when it got really bad, we'd be left with little to no visibility. Quickening my pace, I move ahead of the group and begin to extend my senses further, searching for a hole in the aura that the Glacies produces. At first, I found myself coming up empty until I reach further into the mountains.