PrepMo 23 Day Four The Beginning

In the beginning of the novel, Icerna is teaching a class. At first it seems like any other middle school class. But then magic happens, literally. Icerna is an ice mage, after all. She can see most of her students are already struggling with understanding their magic. It is just emerging as they come into their pre-teen years.
During a break, Icerna receives a message from Ignatius (I need to figure out the communication network yet, it is likely a hawk or other familiar) that mages are being rounded up.
“It has started,” his note will say. They have long know Lord Shadowbane would find the time to get around to destroying his enemies that he had as yet been unable to control. While most do not use magic within the kingdom, there are a few who could not help but to “show off” their powers. At this point it has been nothing serious – more like party tricks to impress young friends. But Shadowbane is not about to wait around for things to get more serious. He wishes to strike first and show the rest of the kingdom what he is capable of when his subjects ignore his rules.
Icerna, leaving the school, comes to the town square to see several people already tied to stakes. Workers are toiling to start fires. Some become frozen in there attempts, literally. Others find themselves combusting, only to be “put out” by the water mage who is about to be hung.
Icerna runs home to find Lysandra there. She was unsure how her niece got into her house, but welcomed her presence, at least at first. As she moved to hug the girl, Lysandra felt stiff and uncaring. She, too, had ice mage powers. Lysandra, however, refused to use her powers. Her parents had told her magic was “of the devil.”
Icerna finds the younger woman going through some of her personal affects. She is livid. She has never given permission for Lysandra to even be in her house, let alone rummaging through her personal belongings.
There will be a confrontation between these two women at this point. Icerna has information that Lysandra’s friend Kaelin has been abducted by the regime. Lysandra does not want to believe it. She wishes her aunt dead.
This is when it all starts. Mages are being taken off the street. Icerna must go into hiding. Lysandra has sold her out. She does not know what to do, but takes Lysandra with her, vowing to never let the younger woman out of her sight – she, too, is in danger, after all.