Chapter Seven - Part One

                                    

                                          
The squeak of the staircase made her grip the rail to her left so tight that her knuckles turned white as she quietly continued down each step. She was surrounded by walls of dirt with no lighting anywhere to be found. There was one lantern on the left side, but it wasn't lit. If she had fire skills, she could easily light it, but there was nothing she could do. What was she getting herself into? She took a deep breath. It's just dirt and worn down stairs, why would anything terrible happen?
                          
Finally reaching the last step, she was met by another wall. She placed her hand on it and pushed slightly, but it wouldn't budge. Just great. She came all the way down here only to be blocked, which only made her more curious as to what was behind it. She had to find a way in.
                          
With both hands, she leaned up against the barrier, pressing with as much force as she could, but still no luck. She sighed, her arms falling to each side, making dirt fly around her. Covering her mouth, she coughed. Father could've been right. Since it was so difficult for her to even get in the chambers, there had to be a good explanation. She didn't want to disturb anyone if she really wasn't supposed to be down here. She turned around and took a small step forward to head back up, but quickly stopped. Her curiosity wouldn't let her move. There had to be something that she was missing, but what?
                          
Winter glanced toward the lantern that was now on her right. Would that possibly unlock it? It did seem strange that there was only one, instead of one on each side. She tapped her finger against her chin. She could try to break it and see if anything moves after that, but if it didn't she wasn't sure what else to do. Oh well. Either way, she would have to watch out for broken glass. At least she had closed-toed shoes on which would certainly help in this situation.
                          
She wasn't sure if she would have enough power to shatter the lantern, but she had to at least attempt it. It was going to be a long process, especially since she couldn't just move the ice wherever she wanted. She was pulled out of her thoughts faster than she expected when muffled screams came from the locked wall. She gasped then a small shiver ran down her spine, making her tremble, but she moved closer. Her hands shook as she raised them slightly. The minute she opened this block, she didn't think she would get very far inside, but turning back now would be a waste of time.
                          
How was she supposed to concentrate now? Who knows what's back there making them yell. A worried look quickly spread across her face, but soon wiped itself away as determination crossed over it. She had to do this. Life wouldn't be any fun if she didn't live just a little bit.
                          
Winter relaxed and did her best to shake all the fears out of her body as she faced the wall. A small glimmer of light appeared on the right side of it, making her eyes lock on the tiny crack it came through. She was unsure whether that would open the block and reveal what was behind it. Her interest peaked at the thought of that tiny part of the barrier opening it up for her. It couldn't hurt to try. Whether she broke the lantern or succeeded this way, whatever was behind this would surely hear her.
                          
Part of her didn't think it could be this easy. Even though she could definitely be wrong. She moved toward the area and peeked as best she could through the tiny hole, squinting one eye.
                          
All she could see was blackness and that didn't help her one bit.
                          
Lifting her right hand, she pushed on the right side of the hole, feeling the dirt graze against her skin like ants crawling on the palm of her hand. She took a small step back, lowering her arm when pieces of the wall started to crumble. A grin appeared on her face as she realized she did it. She unlocked how to open the barrier.
                          
Or so she thought.
                          
Dirt flew from the top of the wall, acting as though it was going to clear, but it stopped once another tiny area opened up. She groaned. She almost had it! Apparently, the next step would be to try breaking the lantern. Unsure of how much damage it would do after she broke it, she continued with her plans anyways. If someone came after her, running away would be her only option unless she faced it.
                          
She couldn't let fear stop her.
                          
As she made her way over to the lantern, she started to concentrate on how she would handle it. She could make it rain ice, but she wouldn't be able to move it over. Her powers weren't strong enough for that. She shrugged her shoulders. Plans never worked well with her. She took a deep breath, beginning to focus on making this work.
                          
Of course, that's when her mother buzzed inside her head.
                          
Winter, where are you?
                          
Surprised that Mother even took an interest in where she was, she had to think of something to reply with. She couldn't just tell her mother that she was trying to get inside the chambers. That would not go well.
                          
I'm just relaxing. There's nothing to worry about.
                          
Mother never used this form of communication too often. It was mostly only for important matters since it only worked between families.
                          
Okay, as long as you're alright, she spoke again.
                          
What was up with her mother? Maybe that burn on her side made Mother realize that she was actually important?
                          
Although Winter felt terrible for letting a laugh slip because her mother was hurt, deep down she knew Mother would never truly care for her. Even if she acted like she did. It was more than likely all just pretending.
                          
A quiet sigh left her lips as she shook her head. Now was not the time to think about Mother. In order to get into this chamber, she only had enough room to focus on one thing if she wanted her magic to function correctly. She closed her eyes, imagining the light blue crystal of ice forming into her hands. It became visible after a few seconds, the cold touch forcing her eyesight into view again. Only having a limited time to think of a plan before the frozen piece melted, she needed to think of how to handle this.
                          
Mentally, a hand slapped her forehead. Why hadn't she thought of what to do before she chose to bring the ice in? It was too late to figure that out now. Rain wouldn't work, but she figured that probably wasn't enough pressure. Instead of pondering over it too much, the best thing to do would be to try out any idea she had. It might take her the rest of the night, but she would get this open one way or another.