Season’s Dragons: Winter, page 4
She was creating water.
In front of her, a globe of water was slowly forming, tiny droplets of water fusing into a single orb. Droplets rushed out of the snow, rapidly at first, then slowly as the snow dried away. The water was like a living creature, dancing at Aria’s command. Then it stopped growing, her hands and brow relaxing as she moved the projection of water around. She might have been showing off, but I was mesmerized.
She grabbed one of my waterskins, and the water poured itself into it, directed by nothing more than her will. I sat back, stunned, as the water flowed inside, before disappearing with a final pop.
“All done!” Aria chirped, her silver eyes shimmering with excitement as she threw the waterskin at me. “Catch!”
I shook myself out of my daze before catching the thing. It was just a normal waterskin and still looked the part. Was it safe to drink? Would something happen to me if I drank it? Aria seemed to be waiting for my reaction, a sly grin on her face. I couldn’t say I didn’t deserve it.
I unscrewed the cap and took a swig of the magical brew…and my eyes shot open. It was the freshest water I’ve ever tasted. I couldn’t put it to words, but it tasted so different. No sour, metallic, or weird taste that plagued everyone’s well. It was completely pure. I took another swig, savoring both its lack of flavor and its uniqueness.
Aria let out a giggle as I turned to her, surprise still coloring my face.
“You can just make fresh water?” I looked down at the waterskin, then at her again.
“Yep! It’s a little tiring, but I thought it would be faster than boiling water.” She gave a happy shrug as I capped the waterskin, looking down at it then back at her.
“That alone…” I whistled. “That alone could save a town. Or create a town. Anywhere. No wells required.” I struggled at the implications that people existed that could create water. Sure, the priests told of Pact Mages raining down destruction for transgressions against the Trinity. Making water though. That was the kind of practical magic that the church should advertise.
Instead of being excited, she avoided my gaze, a cautious frown across her brow. I thought better of it and let the topic drop. There was a moment of silence between the two of us, but she was the first to speak.
“It’s…very flattering, but my magic isn’t like that.” She twirled her hair with her slender fingers, slight nervous fidgets as she continued to speak. “I only wish to help, to show that I’m not some child that can’t contribute anything. You understand, don’t you?” Her eyes sparkled desperately, hoping that I understood. I was one step ahead of her.
“Ya, I get ya. I’m the youngest kid of the family, at least the youngest one that grew up.”
Aria let out a gasp of surprise as I chuckled. Her eyes were so vivid, they were like a mirror to her soul.
“But you’re so tall!” she complimented me as I slowly walked over. I wasn’t sure how she’d react, but it felt right. I reached out and gave her a pat on the head, only for her to make cute giggling noises. That brought a heartwarming smile to my cheeks.
“I’m tall now, but let me tell you how I tried hunting my first bear. Trust me, my dad was not impressed,” I began as Aria let out a jovial laugh, listening intently until Caen returned.
Chapter 4: Three Against Many
Once the first snow had arrived, more snow was sure to follow. It had been a few days since the first leg of our adventure, and Oakhenge was a few short hours away. This morning was different. The sky was grey with malicious intent. The snow was falling faster now, scratching at my cheeks. A blizzard was coming.
“Wait up…” Aria shouted, dragging her boots through the snow.
Despite her immunity to the cold, she’d underestimated just how deep the snow went. You’d think as a short person she’d think of these things, but I guess that would give our tiny Pact Mage too much credit. I shook my head with a great deal of concern as she dragged herself through the ankle high snowbank.
“Aria, I have some snowshoes in my pack. Do you want them?” I turned around to ask but she was too busy forcing her way through the massive snowbank.
“I refuse to get tired that quickly!” Aria exclaimed, crossing her arms in a smug assurance before a haphazard “Aah!”
I held my mitts around my mouth, holding back a burst of laughter as she fell face first into the soft snow. Even Caen joined me in a chuckle.
“…not my proudest moment,” she admitted, soft red cheeks contrasting against white snow as she picked herself up.
“Charlotte, how far are we?” Caen asked as I threw Aria my snowshoes. “We’ll be in trouble if we can’t reach the town in time.”
I nodded in agreement as the two of us instinctively glanced up at the sky. The wind was picking up as our progress brought us deeper into the heart of the storm. It wasn’t a matter of if, but a matter of when.
“Almost there. We passed the last waypoint this morning.” I perked up. The snow hadn’t buried the shorter path yet, but it was close. By the look of things this was going to be the last day this trail remained open.
“Oh, and we’ll also be taking a little bit of a shortcut down the hill. It’s around the same time to get there, but I figured that Aria might like a bit of sledding.”
Aria’s eyes widened at my suggestion. She probably had no idea what sledding was. “Also gives you a hawk’s view of the town.” I added the strategic element in and Caen nodded. He liked the tactical aspect.
“Sledding?! What do you mean? I didn’t see you bring any sleds with us!” Aria raced over, having resigned herself to snowshoes. At least she knew when to give in.
* * * *
A few days had passed since I met Aria and had been entranced by her. Although, after trekking with her and having to face her often, the spark had gone out, or at least, for her mysterious eyes. There was also a part of me that felt like she wasn’t being honest with me. Every now and then I would catch her being serious, her chipper tone descending to a sad melody before returning to her usual self moments later. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. We lived in such different worlds.
“You don’t really need a sled. A wood board is usually fine. Then you slide down a snowy hill and ride it down. It’s fun!” I returned an inviting smile, thinking back to how this was her first winter.
I remembered my own, and how excited I was to be finally traveling with my ma and pa. Seeing my first blizzard up close and having a nice warm room in Oakhenge after. If everything went well, I could give Aria a bit of my childhood.
“Sounds fascinating! I’m looking forward to it! Mhm!” She vigorously nodded before humming a happy little tune.
I would’ve loved to hear her sing, to hear that crystal-clear voice of hers in full bloom. I knew she had a deeper songstress voice she kept in reserve, and I’d imagined her taking the stage with that.
We were making good progress, and soon we spotted the village up in the distance. I frowned a little as we neared the peak of the hill. There were black dots below us, but they weren’t moving. I tugged at Caen’s coat. Those figures didn’t look right. He pulled out a thin spyglass from his belt, extended it, and took a moment to glance down at the village. From how his expression turned from a light smile to a heavy frown, I could tell that it was serious.
“W-What’s going on?” Aria broke the silence, staring at the two of us as she finally made it to the peak.
“The church, they beat us here.” He handed his metal spyglass to me. Five. No, ten. At least a dozen men, all carrying polearms and crossbows. Chainmail. The white, black and yellow adornments of the church. Not a single villager in sight. I gulped. They were serious.
“I guess that means we’re not going sledding anymore…” Aria made a sad whimper as Caen continued business as usual.
“What if we go around?”
“It’s too low, right across there.” I pointed to the flatlands on the other side of the village. “They’ll spot us unless you want to crawl. And if we crawl, we risk getting buried by a blizzard.” I turned to the group. Caen was busy planning while Aria peeked down with a curious glance at the town. She looked like she had no idea what to do.
“The town center’s too small. There isn’t enough room for anyone to sneak around.” Caen pointed at the center of the town as I nodded. It was one open square, with minimum cover. That, and there were at least three inquisitors, with more we couldn’t see from this angle. Guess they knew defensive positions as well as we did.
“It’s starting to look like a bloody crawl,” Caen grumbled, as Aria’s lit up.
“I have an idea! Why don’t I cover us in mist?” Aria’s eyes perked up, her silver eyes swirling with excited color. “I could cover us in fog, and we’ll just walk right through! No crawling required!” She seemed pretty smug about her plan, but I had doubts.
“Okay, but will we be able to see?” I wondered out loud as Aria pointed to herself with a sly grin.
“Fear not. I’ve thought of that too. See, my mist doesn’t affect my own vision, so I’ll lead everyone past the guards. Easy!” Aria’s plan did sound solid, but Caen had to interrupt.
“You are correct, but you’re going to freeze us to death.” Aria opened her mouth to protest, but Caen continued. “You might be able to cover us with fog, but you can’t actually control the temperature of said fog. You may not freeze, but we will.”
I watched Aria’s expression slump to disappointment as I turned to Caen. There was no need to shoot down her like that.
“Hey, there’s no need to put it so bluntly!” Sometimes I got the feeling that Caen never dealt with kids, even if he was right.
Caen snapped his fingers, drawing our attention to him. “How about we put the two plans together? We’ll sneak around the side of the town. Aria, you cover us once we get to the town center. Then once we’re out we make a break for it. The blizzard will cover our footprints.”
It was a good plan, but I felt uneasy being the weak link in the chain. “That sounds good, but I’m going to be pretty useless if anything gets hairy…” I eyed my bow, but Caen was one step ahead of me. He reached into his belt before lobbing a hatchet in my direction.
Unlike the woodworking hatchets my family owned, this one had a bladed notch at the axe head. Not good at cutting trees, but great for smashing in doors, armor, and heads. I gave it a couple of testing swings. It might’ve been pretty beat up, but it swung like a charm.
“So this is a war axe? I always imagined these to be bigger for some reason.” My fingers ran across the edge.
“They won’t be expecting us, so try to go for the head. Better yet, don’t. If things go awry, you two make a dash for it.” Caen slid down the hill before I could make a rebuttal. Darn it! Why was everyone else here so…weird?
Aria looked a little unsure as I prepared to slide down. She gave me worried glances before turning away again, a worried frown on her lips.
“They’re all looking for me…and it’s my fault.”
I sighed and gave her a pat on the back. I wasn’t going to leave her on top of the hill as a nervous wreck.
“Come on. It’s not all your fault. Now let’s get this done, because we’re counting on you.” I tried to give the best smile I could, because this was not the time to have doubts. I spotted a mischievous grin. She was fine! I felt her fingers on my arms, directing me to give her head pats. I gave her head pats, because I was too stunned to do anything else.
“Ehehe, all better!” I felt a blush on my cheeks as she let out a giggle.
“We’re about to walk into combat. Could you be serious!” I shouted, only to feel one of her slender fingers on my lips.
“Shh. They’ll hear us.” She didn’t lift the finger, continuing as her shining eyes solidified into a forceful light.
“I assure you, Charlotte. I am quite serious, and by the Trinity I will keep you safe. I…just sometimes want head pats too.” She lifted the finger from my lips as I let out a resigned sigh.
“Fine.” I ruffled her hair as she leaned into me with a soft, satisfied murmur. “Has anyone told you that you’re like a cat? Or a fox? Whichever one causes more trouble?”
“Oh please,” she began and I spotted Caen looking up at the two of us. He looked pretty annoyed. “Most people are either terrified of me, or treat me like a doll to be protected. None of them lead to anything good.”
I guess that made me falling for her eyes less embarrassing, but only slightly.
With a low crouch, the two of us slid down the hill, one careful step at a time. Soon enough we were at the bottom, still some good distance from the town. Caen was primed and ready for the approach, sword in hand.
It was the first time that I had seen one unsheathed and up close, and it was a beautiful thing. A metal extension of the man’s arm that cut off at a cross guard of ashen steel. Silver engrains swirled around the cross guard and pommel, while blue leather wrapped around the handle. Finally, there rested a large steel pommel with no jewels of any kind. It almost looked like a tiny hammer on the end of his sword.
“That’s so cool…a sword,” I said as Caen turned to me, first in surprise then with a slight smile. Swords were rare weapons, seen as outdated by some and romanticized by others. Didn’t help that every story about dragon riders I read included some fantastical sword in the plot.
“It’s a nice piece to have…even if I think they’re a bit overblown.” Caen gave his weapon a boastful twirl as I watched Aria rush to our side. “There’s a reason that most inquisitors carry a poleaxe. Most of the time, it’s a better weapon,” he remarked as I felt Aria’s head poke up right over my shoulder. She was like an ice block encroaching upon my neck.
“Not today?” I pulled out my axe as he nodded, our group beginning to scurry onward.
“Not today.”
The town was quiet. Caen was a good tracker, as he scouted ahead and relayed info about the guards with quick finger gestures. As we were hugging the houses, we could hear rustling, and even living people shuffling about. Even the occasional cry of young children. Aria must have aroused the ire of someone truly powerful for them to lock down an entire town.
The thick snow helped cover our scurrying as the wind began to pick up. The howling was beginning to ring throughout the area. Snow was beginning to fall again, rich sheets of it covering the streets.
Caen’s hands swung open and we stopped. Noises. Did they finally pick up our descent down the mountain? I felt my hands tense, squeezing on my hatchet as Aria looked around nervously. More voices, then another hand gesture. It was time for Aria’s fog.
Aria gave a playful little jump as she began her craft. While she had conjured water from snow, this was the first time I had seen Aria use magic that was truly impressive. I thought that mages needed to declare their use of magic, as she had shouted ‘By the Pact!’. Giving it some more thought, I realized that was nothing more than a public display. Showmanship. Real magic needed no introductions.
A massive wall of mist sprung from nothing and the air grew thicker by the second. Slowly, the area around me faded into blistering cold mist. The air was so dense that I could feel my nose standing up, desperate for any kind of warmth. A hand reached through the mist, and grabbed my glove. It was Aria. I tried to make out her features, and if Caen was behind or in front of us, but the fog was so thick that I couldn’t even manage that.
I felt Aria drag me as I realized in horror what was happening. The wind was blowing away our cover. I heard the crunching of boots in front as she picked up the pace, beginning to run. Then I felt the whizzing of a crossbow bolt. Another. Another. Three more. Another.
They were blind firing into the mist.
“I thought you said this was safe,” I whispered to Aria. It was hard to even speak with air so thick.
“L-Look! I wasn’t thinking about the crossbows…haa!” She let out a tiny yelp as a crossbow bolt whizzed precariously close to my nose. The wind was picking up now, as my vision began to clear. We were only going to have this for half a minute, max, as holes began to open in our wall of fog.
I shuddered as I heard the gurgling of blood escaping a human. Luckily the mist kept me from having to see it. I felt my feet stepping into something wet, probably warm, but I powered through it. It’s not blood if you can’t see it. It’s not blood if you can’t see it…
With a sigh of relief, we returned to the comforting cover of a wood cabin. It wasn’t over yet. The blizzard was beginning to rage, with blankets of snow obscuring our sight. We were running now, as the whizzing of another volley of crossbow bolts filled the mist wall. Shouts to stop firing, mixed with screams of pain. They were willing to fire on their own people for the chance to stop us.
“Keep running.” Caen didn’t need to tell us what to do, as Aria ran by my side.
Despite her frail appearance, she could actually keep up the pace. Her eyes glowed brighter, the many crystalline sparkles forging together into a single white star. Fierce determination with room for little else. There was something comforting, knowing that despite how she acted, when push came to shove, she was no pushover. That gurgling sound was going to haunt my nightmares though.
“Charlotte, lead the way,” Caen shouted, pointing a glove for me to get up in front as I snapped out of my daze.
“Right.” I surged forward as my eyes scanned the area, searching for an exit. Caen and Aria weren’t far behind as a third volley rang behind us. The wall of mist was gone by now, blown away by the powerful wind.
There! I had to raise a hand to keep the snow out of my eyes, but I could see the path out of the village. We passed house after house as the screams of friendly fire faded behind us. We were so close.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the inquisitors emerge from the edge of my vision. The world slowed down as his eyes turned to meet mine. I drew my axe. He raised his poleaxe. I saw him beginning to shout as my own eyes widened with fear.
I was planning on running around, but I couldn’t have him alerting the rest of them. So I did the only thing I could and charged straight for him. I gritted my teeth, rushing forward on the last little bit of speed. Shoot. I didn’t have anything to block his spearpoint. Before I had more time to panic, his eyes went wide. His weapon dropped into the snow, a silent indent in the quickly rising snowbank.
