X I I

                                    

                                          
SHE WASN'T sure what training meant. When Nohx came to retrieve her, he wordlessly handed her a bag. Upon further inspection, she was delighted to find the bundles of clothes. She was not delighted, however, to find that they would be training in the freezing tundra of the Snow Clan.
	Icewood was a lonely forest of ice trees. Everything was blanketed in snow, and the reflection from the sun was nearly blinding. Andorra stomped through the woods, following a silent Nohx as he ventured further and further from the cabin.
	Her teeth were already chattering, despite the layers. She buried her face deep into her scarf as she kept her head down, watching her feet leave prints behind. If she wasn't wearing the wedding ring, she could have warmed herself. She hated that she couldn't.
	Nohx paused once they reached a small clearing at the base of the Northern Mountains. When he turned to face her, Andorra almost wanted to stumble back a step. She forced herself to stand still, to raise her chin and stare him down.
	He may have been forcing her there, but she wouldn't cower away from him. 
	"I have a few theories about what is going on," he ventured. He set down a bag by the base of a tree, then turned back towards her. "I think when the Rabium Bellua takes over, you go into somewhat of a slumber. It's like, Andorra is asleep, and Maia is awake."
	Andorra stuffed her hands deep into her pockets, shivering. "Okay. What do you propose we do?"
	"Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"
	Andorra wished she could. She shook her head, focusing on the snow. Kicking a little of it with the toe of her boot. "No. Should I?"
	Nohx studied her, his eyes intense as his mouth flattened into a thin, little line. Andorra wished, more than anything, that she could know what was going on in his head. What he was thinking about as he stared at her. "We know that intense emotions are what cause you to lose yourself to the Rabium Bellua. We need to work on battling our reaction to the intense emotions."
	"Okay, but it totally takes over me. Like completely. How can I battle that?"
	Nohx held a hand up, silencing her. "I think you're going to have to battle the flayre."
	Andorra's mouth dropped open in surprise, and then in shock. She took a little step back. "No. I'm not doing that. Are you insane?"
	"It's the only way to defeat the Rabium Bellua."
	Andorra's eyes caught his, betrayal painting her expression. She was shaking, but not because of the cold this time. "No. I won't win, and it'll destroy me completely. I'll become a monster."
	"You're already a monster, Andorra. You need to finish what Maia started. It's the only way."
	"No. I need to focus on getting the crown, and then the throne, and then avoiding Anders and his stupid proposal. I can't focus on this. I can't even think about the flayre-"
	"You're naive if you think you can become Queen with the Rabium Bellua controlling you." Nohx's voice was lethal. He strode towards her, caging her in against the trees. Rough bark met her back as she stumbled away from him, but there was no escaping him.
	Nohx gripped her chin in his hands, and he tilted her head back. He trapped her there, pressing his body into hers. "You are in no position to take the throne. Not when you're killing people left and right with no control over your body."
	Andorra squirmed against him. "Let go of me."
	"You have no clue what you're capable of. Not a single clue about how much damage you can do. Maia destroyed Anlithamy centuries ago. And you could very well do it again."