My Work in Progress: The Ice Festival

Blue light and the moon's glow. The people, all together, all moving like silent wind. The voices and the laughter. The feeling of winter, the air cold enough to leave skin feeling stretched, but instead leaving the skin feeling new. These are the things I experience only on nights like tonight—on the night of the Ice Festival. 

Surrounded by darkness, I'm herded along the path by the people closing in around me. Their bodies push against mine, their voices hushed when they speak. The ground slopes upward beneath my feet, and soon I find myself standing on top of a rise. I stop for a moment, as crowds of people continue to walk around me, and look down into the valley. The Main Tent sits below, white and shining beneath the moon's silver light. It almost looks like a giant web, so thin and beautiful it could fall apart with the pull of a single strand. I see the shadows of people moving behind it, their bodies edged in blue light. In front of the arched entrance, two Ice Guards stand with their gazes forward. I feel sorry for them. It would be awful to be stuck outside in the cold while the most beautiful show of the year is performed on the other side of the curtains. The Ice Festival is only put on once a year, when the Winter star is at its highest point. There are other festivals, of course, but I've never been to them because they take place in the other regions. I've heard the Fire Region has numerous festivals, one being the Festival of Lights. Sometimes I imagine it. Everywhere, everything, ablaze with light.  

"Kaida?" A voice says, and right away I know who it is. "Is that you?" A hand tightens around  my arm and I turn, peering at the person through the blackness that fills the space around me. Blue light plays across him for a moment and I make out the lines of his face, the slope of his jaw. His curled hair dances in all directions. A smile flutters on my lips as I nudge my shoulder lightly against his. Oll Throck.

Note: This is an excerpt from my current work in progress. It's a young adult fantasy novel that I hope to have published in the next three to five years, as I know finding an agent is difficult and the publication process is long and tiring. If you have anything that you feel I can improve, please let me know. Keep in mind that this is only the first draft. I'm having a lot of fun with it and am excited for the day where you will all get to read it. Cheers.