by Pirateaba
“You fucking people.”
I pull the door open and flip off the cheering crowd. I hear the cheering falter, much to my satisfaction. Then I notice Ressa looking disapprovingly at me, which is to say like normal. I pull my hand back in and flip her off as well. That’s the beauty of the middle finger. It’s multi-purpose and reusable.
Once again though, the maid doesn’t rise to my bait. Ressa just sits in the carriage, not staring at me but rather looking out the window on her side in silence. I can tell she’s aware of me, but she’s giving me the cold shoulder. The freezing shoulder, if I’m honest.
As we speed out the gates to the city, I see the landscape begin to blur as we move impossibly fast. Holy crap, how fast are we going? I barely feel the acceleration, but it feels as if we’re easily passing eighty miles an hour. How can we do that in the snow? And what if we hit a rock? Or a pothole? These roads aren’t like the highways in my world!
But Ressa appears unconcerned, and I can’t even feel the coach jolting along. It must be magic that’s keeping us stable as well. That’s a lazy explanation, but I don’t exactly have the opportunity to analyze the way the wheels are interacting with the ground.
I stare back at Ressa. She’s still sitting and not looking at me. And as the adrenaline and excitement of the last fifteen minutes finally fades from my system, I realize this is happening.
I’m going to meet Magnolia Reinhart. I’m not ready for this.
And I’m nervous. I stare harder at Ressa, but I know she’s not going to talk to me. She doesn’t like me, probably because I’m a rude asshole. So what should I do?
I could…sit here. I guess. The inside of the carriage is very spacious and I can stretch out my legs. There’s plenty of room, and even a small table in the center. There’s something covered by dark blue cloth on it. I wonder what it is? Yeah, I could be a peaceful guest and let this [Butler] and [Maid] take me to Magnolia like a good little girl.
Or—
The dark upholstery of the carriage is almost sinfully comfortable. I sink into it, and then twist. Ressa’s eyes turn as I prop my legs up on my side of the carriage and put my bare (and dirty) feet on the lovely padding. I cross my arms as I sit with my back to one wall of the carriage and stare at her. She looks pointedly at my feet but I don’t move them.
“So. You did it. You got me here, and now you’re delivering me to Magnolia. Well done, you.”
No response. Ressa stares at me for another second and then goes back to staring out of the window. I sigh, loudly and as obnoxiously as possible.
“So what does Magnolia want from me? More juice? Something else? Or does she just want to chat?”
Silence. I edge a bit lower in my seat, so I’m nearly lying down.
“You know, it’s odd that she sent you to pick me up. Aren’t you the most important servant? The demi-head honcho? Isn’t it demeaning to have to come all this way?”
No response. But I’m pretty sure I’m getting to her. And let’s be fair, among my few talents, I do have one skill which I’m unrivaled at: pissing off people*.
*I might not be a world champion or anything, but I’m probably at least a state or national champion when it comes to authority figures. It’s not just being a jerk or stupid; you have to be willfully annoying. It’s an art and I’m a connoisseur.
“So what does she want? Can you give me a preview? A hint? Or is it meant to be a surprise?”
Ressa looks over at me with clear annoyance. She seems to consider a range of options, and then indicates the table with the covered cloth.
“Lady Reinhart has sent provisions in case you are hungry. Please avail yourself.”
Translated, what she really means is ‘eat something and shut up’. I pull back the cloth and find a rather impressive spread of food. Cheese, meats—even wine! I’m tempted, but I’d be an idiot if I actually had some.
Right? I’m tempted, but I wonder if it’s spiked with something to make me more truthful. Then again, couldn’t Magnolia just have her servants restrain me and pour the truth serum down my throat if she wanted?
Even so, I’m not hungry and I’d rather just annoy Ressa.
“Any idea how long this trip is going to take?”
No response. I smile a bit; I’m enjoying this.
“No? What about games. It’s sort of boring just sitting here. Do you have anything fun to do?”
Ressa’s eye is twitching again. I grin wider. She looks up, and speaks briefly.
“Would you like me to hit you?”
I…pause. My instinct is to goad her, but Ressa’s eyes are very serious. And as I’ve noted, she’s not exactly one to shy away even when outnumbered. I could probably beat her in a fight—but why would Magnolia send her by herself if she was incapable of defending herself or subduing me?
As all that flashes through my head I remain quiet. Ressa holds my gaze for one more second and then nods.
“In that case, be silent.”
And then she goes back to staring out the window.
Well.
Um.
I don’t think I’ve ever been—
Huh.
Back home, back in my world when I was younger I got that threat once or twice, when I’d exhausted every other possible response from the adults I was needling. My response back then was ‘try it’, and if they did I was ready. But here, even with martial arts which I’ve admittedly been neglecting to practice, I’m at the bottom of a very tall totem pole in terms of fighting ability.
I stare at Ressa. She wouldn’t—
Yeah, she would. Crap. What do I do now?
It takes me exactly five minutes to figure out what to do. Ressa looks up sharply as I open the carriage door.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going up front. I think I’ll like the view up there.”
As I open the door, wind howls into the carriage. I jerk back—I’d forgotten how fast we’re going! Flying snow blows in and I see the world whirling past, impossibly fast. But hell, I can see Reynold up ahead and if I climb…it would be instant death if I fell out.
Ressa watches me as I hesitate at the door. For a second I wonder if she’ll yank me inside, but then she turns and calls.
“Reynold. Slow the coach.”
There’s a little window he can hear us through. The [Butler] immediately slows the coach. I wait until it’s at a stop and then hop out. Ressa stares at me impassively as I walk up to the front and jump up next to the astonished [Butler].
“I’m sitting up here.”
He just stares at me before he nods.
“Very good, Miss.”
He pulls at a bunch of reins tied to the ghostly horses and the carriage begins to move again. I hear the door click shut behind me, and wonder why Ressa let me get up front. Maybe she just doesn’t want to deal with me. That makes sense.
Meanwhile, I instantly regret my choice as the carriage picks up speed again. It’s not the snow buffeting me that gets me down—the magic coach actually seems to deflect the snow particles. More magic, I guess, and a flying pebble or stick could probably kill the driver.
But it’s still frickin’ cold. And I’m not moving and Erin’s soup has worn off. I’m shivering, but I refuse Reynold’s offer of a coat. Instead, I just sit up front and let my body get used to the low temperatures. And as the carriage continues to pick up speed, even the freezing weather is banished from my mind by the speed.
I’ve been in cars. Hell, I’ve driven them pretty damn fast and gotten arrested for it. But this—this is totally different.
Consider, a car moves up to…eighty? Ninety miles per hour? Maybe a hundred if you were insane, but that’s pretty much the upper limited outside of race cars. And even open-roof cars have a windshield and a good bit of car in front of the driver. But this—
This is something else.
The wind blows by my face, a tempest of snow and air. The landscape flashes by impossibly fast in my face, and I see all of it, not ju
st the narrow view from the windshield. I’m staring, and I know my jaw is open.
This is life in the fastest lane. This is the sight every runner chases, but more than any normal person could imagine. Maybe Val and Hawk see this as they run. But this is a first for me. I look out, and see a mile flash by in moments. I see people flick by, small shapes on a road. We’re off road—surging smoothly up and down a hill, almost as if we’re anchored to the ground.
It’s so beautiful. It’s wild and quick and magical. And as if that thought calls her, I see a flicker of blue flying out of the white landscape. Ivolethe laughs and flies next to us, flying next to the coach as if she’s coasting on a breeze.
“Ivolethe?”
My words are snatched away by the wind, but Reynold hears them. The [Butler] glances at me and I shake my head. The faerie hears me too; she flies closer and speaks in a little voice audible even over the howling winds.
“Look, Ryoka! Look! This is what you need to see!”
“What?”
The faerie flies closer, next to me and points. She laughs as a flurry of snow engulfs her and then flies out of it, trailing vapor, a blue spark of color amidst the gale.
“The wind! Can ye see it? The wind blows! We run with it!”
She flies out, skimming across the land in front of us. She darts up and around, catching a current moving so fast that it speeds her past the carriage. Then she’s zooming behind us, flying up, low, around, like azure lightning.
I follow her, entranced, seeing her shape, the sole constant in a world lost to the blur. And as she flies about, following some unseen path, I glimpse something. It’s faint; it’s like a trail in the air itself. It doesn’t have color; rather, it’s like a ripple, just like heat makes the air shimmer across the ground. I see it flex ahead of Ivolethe and accordingly she flies up and down and then spins away.
“I see it!”
Reynold jumps in his seat as I half-stand and scream at Ivolethe. She does a double-take in the air and flies towards me.
“Truly!”
“Yes! I see—”
I hesitate. The trail is gone. I squint at where it was, and then look at Ivolethe.
“It was there. I’m sure of it.”
The small faerie grins at me, delighted.
“I believe ye. This is the first step. If you saw that then—”
“You think I can do it again?”
“Miss?”
A voice interrupts Ivolethe’s reply. I look over and see Reynold staring at me, eyes wide.
“What?”
“Are you, ah, speaking to me?”
“What? No. Of course not. I’m speaking to—”
I pause and stare at Ivolethe. I glance back at Reynold and realize that he can’t see the Frost Faerie, or if he can, she’s only a faint blur. Ah.
“Um. I’m speaking to myself. Don’t mind me.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Slowly, I sit back down. Ivolethe grins at me.
“Are ye scaring the poor mortal?”
“Probably.”
I glance over at Reynold. He’s hunching over in his seat, pretending he can’t hear me. His [Butler]’s façade is a bit ragged as he studiously ignores my one-sided conversation, at least from his perspective.
Ivolethe shrugs, as if she could care less about Reynold. Which is probably true. She points to the whirling scenery and grins.
“Yon contraption is quite a thing! It moves almost as fast as ye did when you drank the magic brew.”
“When? Oh, you mean in the castle. Do you think I could ever learn to run this fast?”
The faerie considers this and shrugs as she props her chin on her hand. She sits on the air next to me.
“Perhaps. But not at first. I can sense the magic in this thing; it is rough, but there is an art to it. Does the lady who sends her servants to you have much wealth like this?”
“A lot. I don’t know how much, but she’s one of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals on the continent.”
That makes me worried again, but having Ivolethe around dispels a lot of my fears. The faerie nods seriously.
“Then perhaps a bit of respect is in order. The lords and ladies of the land were always touchy and prideful, even to the King of Knights.”
“King Arthur?”
“Aye.”
Ivolethe smiles and points. I turn my head and see Reynold is actually edging away from me on the front of the carriage. That makes me smile too. I wonder if I should explain to him what’s going on—but nah.
The faerie pauses as she seems to glance at the horizon ahead of us. She frowns at me.
“There is much moving in the world this time. Much happens even as ye ride about.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Like the children. They are marching.”
“The…children? Who?”
“The youngest. The ones with small ears and crimson eyes. They burnt a city, did they not? And they fight amongst themselves. They are moving about in the snow.”
She means Goblins. The children? The youngest? I frown at Ivolethe, but decide to pursue their movements before I ask about the other bit.
“What do you mean they’re moving? Moving where?”
“Everywhere. They run about in their hundreds, coming north from south. A vast army sits below the pass—you have seen them once.”
The Goblin Lord. I shiver. Ivolethe nods, and then points ahead of us.
“But another army—smaller, but thousands strong—lies ahead. They march north as well. Fleeing their own kind.”
“What? Where?”
I sit up in the carriage, heart pounding. Ivolethe nods at Reynold.
“Yon clueless fool is about to drive you straight into the center of them.”
For a second I just stare at Ivolethe in horror. She grins at me, exposing a mouth full of sharp teeth. Then she flies up and away.
Instantly, I turn in my seat.
“Driver, turn the coach around!”
Reynold stares at me. He looks around, and then points to himself.
“D-do you mean me, Miss—?”
“Stop the carriage! We’re about to run into Goblins!”
“Goblins?”
He just stares at me incredulously. I see a large hill approaching, and curse. I reach for the reins. Instinctively Reynold pulls away.
“Please don’t, Miss Ryoka. I can’t let you—”
“What is going on?”
Then a panel slides open behind us. I see Ressa’s impatient glare as she looks at us. There’s no time to explain. I try to grab the reins. Reynold pulls away, Ressa shouts. The carriage swerves as we crest the hill—
And then there are Goblins. They march in a vast column across the valley in the snow, trampling slush into mud as they walk a hundred abreast. I see Hobs, dragging weapons in the snow, massive, dwarfing the smaller Goblins that run before them.
Children, what look like pregnant mothers and of course, warriors walk in some semblance of order, carrying packs, lugging improvised sleds—some are even herding horses, mules and other pack animals! It’s the most hodge-podge collection of equipment I’ve ever seen. And at the head of that group is a detachment of Carn Wolves. Ridden by Goblins.
My heart stops. The sudden surge of fear and panic makes the world slow as the carriage shoots over the hill and directly into the mass of the Goblins. I turn my head and see Reynold frantically pull the reins left. The carriage immediately turns, but it’s too late.
Goblins, hearing the sound of the carriage and the shower of snow, turn and cry out as we speed past the column. I hear their high-pitched screams, and then horn calls.
Instantly, the group of wolf riders at the head of the column turns. They run towards us and I shout.
“Take us away!”
Reynold desperately pulls, and the carriage turns. But although we’re already speeding away, the Goblins are everywhere. And this particular bunch is smart, because the wolf riders are already runnin
g to cut us off. We must have passed some scouts because they come from behind us, trying to run us down.
I see a tall Hobgoblin on a Carn Wolf running at us, shouting as more riders run with him. The main column of Goblins is in panic—warriors are surging towards us en masse as the children and other Goblins try to run back.
“What should we do?”
Reynold shouts in fear as the wolves box us in. He’s trying to pull us away, but the wolves are everywhere.
“Go through them!”
I point at a few wolf riders and pray like hell the carriage can take a hit. Reynold hesitates—
And then I feel a hand grab the edge of the carriage. I jerk, but it’s no Goblin. Ressa pulls herself up as the carriage speeds along and shouts a word.
“[Invisibility Field]!”
Instantly, the world around us goes dark. I see runes on the carriage glowing, and the Goblins around us cry out, their eyes tracking the air where we were. I look around. Are we invisible? I can’t tell, but we must be. It’s as if someone’s put sunglasses on the world.
“That way.”
Ressa points and Reynold immediately turns the carriage, making a break for an opening in the ranks of Goblins and wolfriders. After a moment I hear more shouting, and look back to see pursuit has resumed. How…?
“The snow! They can see it!”
I shout and Ressa nods. The Goblins can indeed see the geysering snow from the carriage’s passage and they follow that. But the moment of hesitation has given us an opportunity. If we can just get ahead of them the carriage will easily outdistance their riders—
As we pass by more Goblins, I see something strange. A knot of huge Hobgoblins is dead ahead of us, and they’re turning, weapons raised and ready for us. Reynold takes us right past them, but then I spot something odd. In the center of the armed group of elites, a small Goblin is riding a wolf. And she has something in her hands. She raises a black crossbow, almost as big as she is, and points it at us. She can’t see us, surely. But she knows where we are. And she’s aiming—I shout.