*
“Son of Rokumung!” the Prince screamed in Balg-Miur's ears. The sound of his father's name got the giant's attention as the Prince had hoped it would and he slowed his march.
“Step back, Balg-Miur”, shouted the Prince. The giant's stench was almost overpowering and the matted grey hair around his ears was most definitely inhabited by something for Prince Karmalaine could see many beady eyes staring at him. He was not sure what type of creature they were and did not mean to enter the forest of hair to find out. The giant heard him through the hair and the pieces of wax the size of dogs and Karmalaine was pleased to feel him take a step back.
Prince Karmalaine had good reason to issue such an order, the ice behind the giant was broken and in many places the ground could be seen and the tendrils of ice which had continued to try and grab at the giant could not get hold. Balg-Miur stood still, breathing heavily. As his chest heaved up and down like some huge bellows pumping so much air around the Prince could feel it gusting about him. Then the Prince felt himself gripped by something tremendously strong, yet surprisingly gentle.
Balg-Miur dangled the Prince in front of him and stared at him with angry eyes.
“Giants are not for riding, little Prince”, he grumbled.
“Needs must my large friend”, said the Prince.
The giant gave a contemptuous, "Harrumph", as he deposited the Prince down next to him.
Karmalaine looked across the city to where Cyra still bathed the ice in fire and reduced it to nothing. Then something appeared in front of the dragon, a ball of light in the air. The dragon did not see it or did not care, but the globe grew brighter and larger and then the Prince heard singing, just a single note, a single beautiful note whose beauty was marred by its volume which got louder and louder until the Prince was forced to put his hands over his ears. Even this was not enough though as the pain from the sound caused him to fall to his knees and he felt blood between his fingers. Through blinding flashes he felt the ground shake as the giant next to him also doubled over and fell to his knees.
Then it stopped. The Prince looked up and saw Kalwyn in the air before the dragon. An exchange took place but the Prince was too far from them to hear it. The dragon stopped burning and then both of them flew over towards where the giant and the Prince stood. Golgoleth and Vulthian joined them soon after. The Prince wiped the blood from his fingers onto his black cloak and looked around. Approximately a third of Snowdell was gone, scorched earth and broken ice was what remained though the heavily falling snow was doing its best to cover over the ruins of ice and mud.
“That was unfortunate”, said the Prince once they were all gathered.
“They should have known better than to try and freeze a lord of fire”, said Cyra with his rage barely in check. Whatever Kalwyn said to him had calmed him down, but only just. He seethed with anger and stared intently at the remains of the city, obviously keen to take battle to the Snowmen once more.
“This is their home”, said the Prince slowly, “they were defending themselves as is their right.”
“They struck first”, said Cyra, oblivious.
“Actually, it was us who broke their wall”, chipped in Kalwyn, eliciting a hostile gaze from the dragon.
“What matters is how we continue. The dreamer is no good to us dead, we need to proceed with caution and a greater understanding of the situation.”
“My Prince”, interrupted Vulthian, pointing over Karmalaine’s shoulder with his sword at the city. Prince Karmalaine turned and saw what the others had already seen. Something was lifting up out of the city, something was rising fast.
“What is that?” he asked in a whisper. None of the others replied, so entranced were they with the colossus forming in front of their eyes. The remaining buildings and parts of the wall still standing started to shift and blur until they were being sucked into the maelstrom building in front of them. The group were mesmerised as the mountain of ice and snow got higher and higher until even Balg-Miur was smothered by its shadow. Then it started to form, to coalesce into a definite shape. It was a bear, a white bear so tall that it brushed the clouds, so vast that it could devour the mountains.
The snow-bear gave a roar like all the war-horns that had ever sounded blowing together in one might crescendo. Then it started to lumber slowly towards them. “I think the time for diplomacy has gone, My Prince”, shouted Vulthian over the noise the snow-bear made as it moved towards them.
“I think I agree”, said the Prince grimly, “gentlemen, bring that thing down and secure the dreamer, give no quarter. For Fenn!” he shouted, drawing his own sword and running forward. The others took up the shout and the party attacked.
Prince Karmalaine was under no illusions about the impact he would have on such a battle, even carrying a mercy sword. As he ran he saw the blue glow from the letters on the blade and was reminded of the three words on the Great Fenn’s tomb: Truth, Mercy, Regret. His epitaph, his lesson to the world. But no, even with such a sword the Prince would leave fighting titans to the titans. He ran wide around the behemoth deciding to make it his mission to find the dreamer whilst his companions dealt with the snow. Vulthian ran beside him, keeping pace despite his armour, the conditioning of the silver claws was legendary.
As they ran the Prince looked to his fellow journeymen to see how they fared. Cyra leapt to the air, flying high up in the clouds before descending with a roar of fire. Where it hit the creature melted just as the city had before, but it did not stay melted. The snow-bear was liquid and where the fire burned it away more flowed to take its place. Then it struck back and a huge paw the size of a castle soared over and struck the dragon in mid flight with tremendous force. The dragon was knocked from the air like a fly which had been swatted and Cyra hit the ground so hard a long crater was formed, in which he lay in a smoking heap at the end.
Next came Balg-Miur’s turn, it was bizarre to see a giant dwarfed by another life form but he looked like a child next to the snow-bear. His attack was far from childlike, however, as he ran at the beast’s leg without stopping, crashing through the funnel of snow that did not end in a paw but in a swirling tornado of snow. The snow gave way and the bear faltered, falling down through the air where there had just been a leg supporting it. The success did not last long, however, as the snow and ice twirled and funnelled again and a new leg appeared. The beast rose up to its full height again before sending a paw lashing behind it to strike Balg-Miur in the side and send him tumbling just like the dragon before him.
Then came Golgoleth and Kalwyn, one from the east one from the west, like two comets flying so fast that they left streaks of burning air behind them. When they hit they smashed straight into the snow-bear, exploding from its back and torso in plumes of snow. The cumbersome claws lunged at them but the creature of snow and ice was too slow. The demon and the angel ducked and dived to avoid its swipes before coming in for several more runs at the creature, which were successful but ineffective. Each time they exploded through the bear the wounds filled up with more ice and snow and it roared again.
A thought began to form in Karmalaine’s mind. From all that he'd learnt of the Snowmen they were not a warlike people, what's more the behemoth which had risen up to defend them did not have the look of sentience about it. It must be being controlled, infused with power by the Snowmen from somewhere nearby, he thought, if he could find that place and neutralise them then the snow-bear would come down.
The Prince and the silver claw ran quickly through the falling snow. They had gone way out around the snow-bear and now moved in again. The Prince was concerned that they would be spotted and buried beneath a mountainous stomping of snow but Golgoleth and Kalwyn had the bear’s attention, and Balg-Miur and Cyra had both risen up alive and well to rejoin the fight. As they neared the creature’s right leg the Prince spotted something in the ground ahead, an opening of some kind. It was difficult to stay upright, such were the vibrations in the ground as the snow-bear moved and c
lawed, but they reached the hole and looked into it.
It was what appeared to be a sinkhole of some kind, into which the snow pooled. Though he could not see that far into it two things told Prince Karmalaine that this was where they needed to go; the first was instinct, the second was the familiar spine-tingling sensation that heralded the dreamer’s trail.
“Down there”, he shouted to Vulthian, indicating and preparing to make a move before Vulthian blocked him. “Me first, My Prince, we don't know what's down there”, said the Lord Captain moving in front of the Prince and leaping down into the snow hole. Moments later the Prince joined him, sliding and spiralling down into the snowy darkness.
Beyond the Dream Page 33