Queen of Ice (Through the Fire Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Um, Rue? My feet are still stuck,” Tadrick said, shifting in the hole she’d created.

  “I’m well aware of that,” Ruethwyn replied tartly. “However, I just ran out of mana, so you’re going to have to figure it out for yourself.”

  “You what? But…” Tadrick looked taken aback, then hesitated and nodded. “Oh. I didn’t realize you’d used that much mana.”

  “We spent a couple of hours looking for you, at least, and she’s been powering the tracking device when she was already low,” Korima said, frowning. “Doesn’t that mean you’re defenseless, though?”

  “Not quite, but close,” Ruethwyn admitted with a shake of her head. “Zaria said that I’m probably safe around here, though. Not many of the locals would be willing to attack me with her aura around me.”

  “Ah, well, I can probably power your device, Rue. I’m worried about Sella, since you haven’t mentioned her yet,” Tadrick said, examining his feet and frowning. “How’d you even track us?”

  “I used the tracking device to search for the Lightweaver amulets we were given,” Ruethwyn said, pulling the tracker from her belt pouch again. “I’m glad you brought it with you.”

  “I almost didn’t. Damn, it’s good that I did,” Tadrick said. “As to the roots… I think I can slip my feet out of my boots if I unlace them, and then I should be able to get the boots out. I think the leather is soft enough to fold enough for that.”

  “That sounds like it’d work,” Korima agreed as he started unlacing his shoes. She fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Do you think Sella’s okay?”

  “I don’t know. I think she’s alive, mind you… Zaria said that wisps like people to die in fear, but I don’t know what it’ll have done to her,” Ruethwyn replied quietly. “We’re going to have to look. It’s all we can do.”

  “I guess you’re right. I’m just…” Korima hesitated, then her voice was quiet as she spoke. “I’m sorry, Rue.”

  “For what?” Ruethwyn asked, blinking in surprise.

  “We followed you, and all we’ve done is to put ourselves in danger and slow you down. It wasn’t what I intended, but…” Korima’s voice trailed off, her ears lowered along with her gaze.

  “None of us intended something like this. I thought… well, it’s a knight’s duty to help those who’ve been injured. I never thought that following you, I’d end up in a situation like this. It makes me frustrated with myself,” Tadrick added, grunting as he pulled a foot out of a boot, then folded down the leather to wiggle the boot free of the roots. He took a moment to put his foot back into the boot and started on the other as he continued. “I guess I got a little conceited… you’ve been preparing for this, Rue. I haven’t.”

  “Don’t think that way, Tadrick. We have different strengths, and we’re different people,” Ruethwyn said, silently stepping over to Korima and giving the kitsune a clumsy half-hug since her hand was occupied. “I may have been prepared for this, but I’m not completely ready for everything. Besides, if you were out of mana, you’d be able to do more than me, even with the handful of other things I still have available. With them, I’ve got a limited number of uses and once they’re gone, they’re gone.”

  “Oh, right, your charms!” Tadrick said, understanding dawning on his face as he got his second boot free, then reached over among the roots, and it took a moment before Ruethwyn realized he was trying to wiggle his sword free. It must’ve been in his hand when he was dragged underground. “I’d almost forgotten about those.”

  “I hadn’t, but Rue’s right about their use being limited,” Korima said, folding Ruethwyn in a tighter hug of her own. The kitsune seemed more optimistic, and her ears perked up. “Thanks for not being upset, Rue.”

  “Oh, I’m still upset, and I’m going to give you all a tongue-lashing like you wouldn’t believe once we’re out of here, assuming Sella’s safe. That needs to wait until we’re not in danger, though,” Ruethwyn told her, but all her comment produced was a sudden grin from Korima.

  “I look forward to it,” Korima replied happily.

  “Sounds like a plan to me. Now, then… how about we find Sella and get out of here? I don’t know about you, but I desperately want to see the sky again,” Tadrick said, looking up anxiously as he freed his sword at last.

  “I can’t say that I blame you, there,” Ruethwyn said, shivering at the thought of being immobilized and buried. She might not be quite as in love with the outdoors as most elves in Selwyn, but being buried alive was a thing of nightmares.

  “Right, hand over the tracker, Rue. Tadrick doesn’t use magic as directly as me, so he’s the best person to use it,” Korima said brightly.

  “Alright. Now, don’t break this, Tadrick. It’s fairly robust, but not invincible, and without it, I’m going to be set back by weeks,” Ruethwyn explained, offering him the tracker.

  “I’ll be careful, promise. So how do I make it work, and how do I follow its directions?” Tadrick asked, taking the tracker carefully.

  “Simple, really. Put in a thread of mana, and slowly increase your power until the runes light up. Once they’re lit, the copper threads inside light up in an arrow pointing toward the target,” Ruethwyn explained. “Think of it as a normal compass, but magical.”

  “Okay, then let’s give it a try…” Tadrick said, examining the magical device, then he slowly began to thread mana into it.

  In short order, the tracker lit up, and Ruethwyn let out a sigh as they started down the tunnel again.

  She was starting to get really tired.

  Chapter 36

  The destination was a little easier to find this time, as Ruethwyn and Korima had already explored most of the tunnels leading toward wherever Sella’s amulet was. Ruethwyn kept having to remind herself that they didn’t know where Sella was or if she still had her things.

  Their route was relatively peaceful, though Ruethwyn deliberately chose not to mention that she felt like they were being watched. It wasn’t anything she could see, but that’s how it felt. Mana was trickling into her bit by bit to help restore her reserves, but she wasn’t going to gain much until she had a chance to sleep, which was unfortunate. Ruethwyn really wished she had more than a few tiny drops of mana available.

  Holding up the tracker, Tadrick looked between three tunnels and announced quietly. “I think the middle one is our best bet, by the look of this, though looks can be deceiving.”

  “Very true,” Korima agreed. “A tunnel that starts the right direction can easily twist around.”

  “Exactly,” Tadrick said, then paused and frowned as he looked back at them. “And I just have to ask… does it feel warmer around here to you?”

  “Um, I’m not sure? My dress keeps me comfortable, so if it’s a relatively small change in temperature, I don’t notice it,” Ruethwyn replied, looking around curiously.

  “Rue cast the same spell on me earlier, and it hasn’t worn off yet, fortunately,” Korima added, shrugging nervously. “I couldn’t say, but there’s some odd smells in the area.”

  “Drat. Well, it does feel warmer to me,” Tadrick murmured, taking a few steps forward.

  “What sort of smells, Korima?” Ruethwyn asked curiously, looking at her friend. “You don’t usually get this tense.”

  “No, but most smells aren’t blood. Old blood, mind you, so it’s really faint, but I’ve noticed it in the area,” Korima said, looking around.

  “Blood? I haven’t seen any stains on the ground, and I think they’d be reasonably obvious. This dirt is pale, so it’d show up easily,” Tadrick looked down as he replied.

  Ruethwyn stiffened as she remembered what Zaria had said abruptly, and her voice was quite calm as she spoke. “Tadrick, no matter what, don’t draw your sword.”

  “Rue?” Tadrick asked, turning to her, confusion practically written on his face.

  Korima’s eyes narrowed as well, but the kitsune simply folded her arms to wait for an explanation.

  “Old blood, Tadrick. Tell
me, what are redcaps most well known for?” Ruethwyn asked, looking around nervously.

  “Ah, shit,” Tadrick cursed.

  Laughter echoed from behind them, causing Ruethwyn to stiffen more. A gravelly voice spoke seconds later. “Here I thought you were completely ignorant, but I see that was wrong.”

  They turned to look for the speaker, who’d just stepped out from behind a boulder in the tunnel behind them. How he’d gotten within ten paces without any of them hearing him was beyond Ruethwyn, especially considering the man was wearing steel-banded boots that were spotted with rust. The man was a squat figure, standing about four feet tall and with broad shoulders nearly two feet across, but the strange thing was his appearance. He was somehow alien, with a gangly frame that revealed taut, powerful muscles and virtually no fat, his skin crossed with pale scars. He wore simple clothing save for the iron boots and the long, rust-crimson cap on his head that mostly obscured his stringy brown hair, though the spear in his hands was quite wicked-looking, the tip designed to rip and tear.

  “So, girl… what do you know about ‘redcaps’, as you mortals call us?” The man said, resting the spear over his shoulder.

  Before Ruethwyn could reply, another, similar voice spoke to their right, and another redcap appeared in the tunnel on that side, this one wielding an axe. “What does it matter? They’re just mortals.”

  “Yes, but I like hearing what they have to say about us,” the first said.

  “Ah, my apologies, I didn’t realize you were quite that close to us,” Ruethwyn said, swallowing hard and giving the others a warning glance. “Also, I’m afraid that many of the stories I know are filled with misinformation, and not necessarily complimentary.”

  “I’m well aware of that, girl. As to us, we’ve been following you for a while,” the first one said, grinning and showing uneven, yellowed teeth. “Now tell. I bet you were gonna warn your friends anyway, so it’s doing two things at once.”

  “Well… as you like,” Ruethwyn conceded, looking at the others, who’d moved closer to her, likely unconsciously. Tadrick’s hand was on his sword hilt, which made her nervous, to say the least. So she spoke quickly. “Well, as I said, the information is inconsistent at best, but I’ll tell you. According to some legends, redcaps were more primal, powerful versions of dwarves, ones created closer to the dawn of time. Your people are unnaturally powerful for your size, and your power grows even more potent when wearing your caps, which absorb some of the strength of those whose blood they’re dipped in. Your people heavily dislike the gods, and dislike those who’re fervent devotees of them. In addition, you’re said to immediately battle those who brandish weapons, which is why I told Tadrick to leave his sword in its sheath since I doubt he could defeat one of you in combat, let alone two of you.

  “That isn’t everything, though this gets into those portions that I don’t have solid sources on. Some claim that you’re incredibly bloodthirsty and kill anything which moves, while others claim that while you’re extremely warlike, you only kill those who can fight back. Some think you’re little more than murderers that travel almost completely alone, while some scholars believe that you have your own courts and kingdoms. I personally think the sources on the latter are more accurate, but I don’t know,” Ruethwyn said, feeling rather breathless as she swallowed, looking into the coal-black eyes of the redcap. “I do know that your people are a type of fey, but the details… I just don’t know.”

  The redcap watched Ruethwyn for a long moment after she fell silent, making her even more nervous, then suddenly laughed. “Bloodthirsty killers, eh? Heh, at least you’re honest with me. I can’t believe how many of you mortals try to dance around the term.”

  “It isn’t entirely inaccurate. If that boy’s sword leaves its sheath, we’ll find out how well it sings, and how sweet his blood is,” the other added with a soft chuckle, running a finger across the honed edge of his axe.

  “Ah, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Tadrick quickly replied, visibly swallowing as he let go of his sword hilt.

  “A pity,” the axe-wielder replied, looking disappointed.

  “Um, now what? You’re here, after all,” Korima said, looking a bit nervous, but not nearly as worried as Ruethwyn had expected. “I think that if you were going to attack us, you’d have done so already.”

  “We’ve been watching you for a while, fox, so we’ve caught some of what’s going on. You’re looking for another mortal, right? That’s what your little device is used for,” the spearman said, nodding at Tadrick.

  “Uh, yeah, that’s right. Korima, Sella, and I fell down here and were separated, then Rue came after us,” Tadrick said. “Sella’s an elf, if that helps.”

  “Right. Well, we’d probably be having a different discussion if you dropped in on us, boy, but you didn’t. Your blood would’ve flowed already, I suspect,” the redcap said, grinning broadly. “It probably would’ve been fun, at least for a moment.”

  “I… I think I’m happy that I didn’t. Not that it wouldn’t be better than being buried alive, but I like living,” Tadrick replied, prompting chuckles from both redcaps.

  “If you’re not going to be killing us, may I ask why you’re here? I apologize if we’re intruding into your territory, but I didn’t see any markings, and we didn’t have much choice,” Ruethwyn inquired, straightening as best she could.

  “We’re here because we were looking for two of you, girl. Three, now,” the spearman said, grinning broadly at her. “If you’d come with us, our leader wants a word with the group of you.”

  “Oh,” Ruethwyn said, swallowing hard.

  “We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Korima asked, her ears perking up curiously.

  “Not if you want your blood to stay inside you,” the axe-wielder answered.

  “In that case…” Tadrick paused, looking at Korima and Ruethwyn, and when they nodded, he continued. “I guess you’d best lead the way because we’re blundering around.”

  “You’re telling me. Why, before too long you might’ve blundered into a group of fleshworms, and then we’d have real trouble,” the spearman agreed.

  “Less trouble, in my opinion,” the axeman disagreed. “Follow me and try to keep up. Blundering mortals.”

  Ruethwyn kept her mouth shut and simply followed Tadrick as he followed the redcap, the spearman following them.

  It was obvious when they reached the territory the redcaps controlled, though it wasn’t quite what Ruethwyn expected, either. She’d expected something a bit more like dwarven architecture that she’d seen in books, with imposing, immaculately crafted lines. Redcaps weren’t dwarves, though, and what they encountered quite firmly proved that.

  The walls were rough-hewn, and without a great deal of the care Ruethwyn would’ve expected. Instead of torches or lanterns, even magical ones, rough chunks of the glowing blue ice she’d seen before had been fastened on the wall at regular intervals, though at least one in sight had fallen to the floor. Even she could tell that the area was warmer as they passed wooden doors, better made than the halls, and the three of them had to regularly duck to avoid hitting low spots on the ceiling as they passed through tunnels. A few other redcaps passed by as they walked down the tunnels, each of them armed and with similar appearances to their guides.

  Ruethwyn briefly wondered where more redcaps came from, since all the ones she’d seen were men, then quite firmly decided she didn’t want to know. There were certain things that could be traumatizing, and she’d rather not think about them.

  Light from ahead distracted Ruethwyn, the flickering illumination that of a fire. Turning the corner, Ruethwyn found herself facing what looked almost like a town square, and in the middle of it was a large pile of wood and a roaring bonfire. The chamber wasn’t huge, not compared to some of the ones she’d seen so far during the day, but it was still a good thirty feet high with ventilation holes drilled into the roof. Ten redcaps were gathered around one end of the room, most of them restin
g on furs of animals and other beasts from the world above. The exception to that was notable, though, because he sat on a stone chair, a battered iron crown rested on his head, and his red eyes regarded them coldly as they approached.

  “We’ve brought the mortals,” the axeman said simply as they approached. “As you can see, one more was present, so there were three, not two.”

  “Yes, thank you. I also smell magic on her, magic from the fey not of this world,” The crowned redcap said, his voice surprisingly mellow. “Who are you, girl?”

  “Ruethwyn Sylaris. May I ask who you are?” Ruethwyn asked politely, bowing her head slightly.

  “Names have power, and I do not wish others to have power over me,” The redcap replied slowly. He paused, then continued. “I will allow you to call me Ironcrown, though. A simple descriptor, not a name.”

  “As you wish,” Ruethwyn replied, her unease increasing as they stood near the other redcaps, all of whom were watching them. They were judging them, Ruethwyn thought. For a minute they were silent, then Ironcrown sighed.

  “Mortals always make things difficult. You’re loud, you intrude places where you aren’t welcome, and you get angry about the simplest things,” Ironcrown said and raised a hand as Ruethwyn opened her mouth to protest, silencing her. “Oh, I’m well aware that this intrusion wasn’t intentional. That being said, all things have a price to be paid for them.”

  “I’m aware that such is one of the core beliefs of fey, and I won’t attempt to argue about such,” Ruethwyn replied steadily, wishing she was able to hold her hands behind her back. Trying to hide the trembling of her fingers would be easier that way, but she didn’t see any way to do so elegantly at the moment. “We were looking for our friend, Sella, and wished to get back to the surface as soon as we could.”

  “Yes, the girl from Waterstone. She was thrown into our territory without notice and nearly died because of it. Fortunately, more perceptive heads kept that from happening, and she was wise enough not to attempt to fight. That would have ended poorly for her. She is now cleaning for us to make up for her intrusion,” Ironcrown explained, and a slight, intimidating smile crossed his lips as he added, “The time required of her is likely much more than you’re willing to entertain, though. A season is a short time to us, but not to those like you.”