Black Frost

by John Conroe

  “So you’re saying your sister will have greater power at this meeting?” I asked, extremely confused.

  “Yes, something like that. Eirwen will be much less comfortable than Neeve, both temperature wise and also Gift wise. She will be less likely to take chances or start something. Neeve on the other hand may feel confident in pushing things,” he said.

  “What would she push?”

  “You…to see how you react to provocation. She will keep the peace…until you don’t. Both of them will be inclined to test you…see if they can anger you enough that you attack. If that happens, they will be clear to take whatever action they like, as they would not have broken the peace..you will have,” he said in warning.

  “So they’ll push my buttons – get me to attack, than what? What if I killed them, that wouldn’t help their plans much?”

  “Neither of them truly believes you are that much of a threat. If you attack, they can take you themselves.”

  I spun to look at him, but he held up his hand. “We have been on your world for this gathering for only a few days. While our scouts have gathered information on the changes in your culture, planet and weapons, my sister and cousin are much too arrogant to fully grasp what this might mean. I don’t think they understand your particular background enough to know you are a threat. You must realize that three-quarters of this nation’s population are ill prepared to deal with my people?”

  I thought about the average citizen of the U.S. and realized that was likely true. People today freaked out when I used a three-inch folding knife to open a package. Use of weapons is pretty limited to video games and flyswatters for most people.

  “I on the other hand, see that you were raised by a warrior, and are, yourself, a weapons smith. Neeve and Eirwen were last here when firearms were just appearing, and swords were more common. They think you, as a people, are less equipped to deal with Hunters and Guardians than your ancestors were.”

  “Wait till your Hunters try to break into a crack house, or some redneck’s trailer,” I commented.

  “Tis truth to your words, Ian,” he nodded. “The Courts need to control Ashley with the ideal being that neither gets her. Both Courts want her to tip the balance in their favor. Summer will fear that if Winter gets her it will allow my mother to take control year round. Mother fears much the same.”

  “So the best thing is that she stay here and no one bothers her!” I said.

  “Ah, but then she will always be there like a sword lying around for the first warrior to pick up. Ian, the alternative that the Queens will face is to remove her completely,” he said quietly. I froze, chilled completely. “You mean kill her?”

  He nodded.

  The Toyota was now parked, facing the soccer field, the moon full and silvery bright in the sky over the tree line. Frost glittered on the grass, the chalk dust lines easy to see in the moonlight. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had been at this field watching Ashley play her last soccer game less than forty-eight hours ago.

  I turned off the engine and lights, glancing at the time. We were five minutes before the anointed time. I looked at Greer. He didn’t show much expression, ever, but over the last day or so I had started to learn to read it. Something bothered him, made him uncertain.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  Emotion flashed through his eyes and was gone. He smiled thinly and shook his head. “Just trying to think of options.”

  Somehow I didn’t think that was the whole of it.

  Chapter 16

  We climbed out and headed to the field. I left the shotgun in the car, but slung the Winchester over my shoulder. Greer had said I could keep weapons with me for this meeting and the steel receiver of the little carbine would be under my hand, supposedly helping me to see through illusions.

  About two-thirds of the way to the center of the field, I saw movement at the edge of the trees that lined the school’s property. A slim figure in black, with white hair that gleamed in the moonlight, stepped out onto the frosty grass. A squat, powerful white form jumped to her side, then ambled just behind her.

  At the opposite corner of the field, almost directly across from Neeve’s position, another figure appeared, this one with yellow hair, a long, slinky cat form following beside her.

  Greer and I made it to the big center circle of the soccer field and together watched as his sister and cousin closed in on us. Another form appeared at the back of the property, about midway between the princesses’ entry points. The white bearlike shape shambled toward us, pausing to sniff the ground every so often. Coel had arrived.

  Nervous, I keep my right hand wrapped around the lever action of the rifle, holding the strap tight against my shoulder by pushing down slightly on the gun. Watching both women, I began to notice the differences between the cousins. Neeve moved with a controlled grace and power, the mark of a skilled martial artist. Eirwen’s curvier figure was also graceful, but more like a dancer. The blonde elf ran one hand through her hair and a pointed ear was briefly exposed. On a hunch, I let go of the rifle and the ear immediately rounded itself. Eirwen was dressed in the green dragonskin uniform of the Hunters, although she wore it much better than the three who had died. She evoked an image of a female action doll, with her fuller figure – elf princess Barbie, maybe. The creature that prowled at her side was the size and general build of a Bengal tiger. Its ears were more tufted though, like a lynx and its fur was both striped and spotted, black on green. The fangs in its big head seemed larger than the tigers I had seen at various zoos, but who knew, maybe theirs would have looked just as big if they were out of their cage and six feet away.

  Neeve wore black, but it was a dress of sorts, rather than her standard jumpsuit of dragon hide. Cut high on the leg and low in the front, it exposed an awful lot of dark, moonlit skin to the freezing night air. She was absolutely comfortable though, not a hint of shiver. Eirwen was beautiful in a familiar way, in the manner of a handful of the most attractive Hollywood starlets, but better. Neeve was, on the other hand, truly exotic. Her platinum hair, silver eyes and dark skin (much of it naked to the eye) set her apart from almost any woman I had ever seen. The only image that came close was a memory from the Xmen movies of Halle Berry as Storm, but even that was only a slight resemblance. Black frost blades wound around both arms, oddly appropriate accessories for her little black dress.

  The two women and three animals met us at the center of the field, all of us stopping on the white line of the circle as if waiting for a ref’s whistle.

  Both women watched me, Greer receiving just a glance from his sister and a brief nod from Eirwen. He stepped over to his blonde cousin and set three bundles of green leather at her feet, then stepped to the side of the circle, leaving me facing the Heirs at equidistant points on the line. Eirwen looked at the bundles for a long moment, her face difficult to read.

  From what Greer had said, the three suits of dragonskin marked the demise of three of her own cousins, yet her face reflected more careful calculation than anything else. Her gaze, when it returned to me, was a touch more wary, as if she might be reevaluating the equation that Ashley and I represented.

  Neeve, for her part, just stared at me, raising one eyebrow slightly when I met her silvered irises.

  She raised both hands, palm up, in question. “We are here….what do you want to say?”

  Good question. What to say, other than ‘No, you can’t have her!’.

  Years of working with the public and their finances came to my rescue. My mouth opened and I just started to speak, part of me just as interested to hear what would come out as the others were.

  “Greer tells me that your people have an interest in my daughter – some great supposed Gift or Talent that will change the very balance of power on your world. Yet he can’t tell me what that power is or when it will manifest itself or even if it ever will.” I started, making more it a statement, followed by a pause.

  Eirwen snorted, breaking the momentary silence.
I arched both eyebrows at her and waited.

  “What you doubt, we see. Ashley’s Gift is so bright that she fairly glows with it!” she stated, flatly.

  “So my daughter glows, but you don’t know what that is? For all you know that’s the extent of it, a human nightlight for elves!”

  She shook her head, annoyed. “Hers is one of the Major Gifts…’tis plain obvious to elves. Which of the Majors it is, I cannot say, but it will be big…the biggest in many Gatherings, and it will be soon!”

  Neeve and Greer continued to look on, interested but not involved.

  “So…you’re willing to kill me and take her…kill Winter’s Guardians, all to give your Court an unknown power?”

  “You know nothing of our world, our politics!” she began, heatedly, but suddenly took control of herself. Then she grinned at me and it wasn’t a pleasant grin. More of a sly, skin-the-cat kinda grin. “You are desperate! Why? Seeking to benefit from Ashley’s ability yourself? What’s the human phrase? Cashing in?”

  My anger surged like a red wave, my hand on the rifle wanting to spin the barrel forward and fire at her. Greer’s head moved in a slight side to side motion and I caught my anger by its collar and choked it down. His warning that the Heirs would seek to push me off balance came back to me.

  I took a breath and considered.

  “Hmm, you’ve been doing this a long time, right?” I asked her, then continued on without a response. “Your ability to find Talent is unmatched, so I’m told. But you don’t understand us…do you?”

  Both her eyebrows went up, but she still didn’t say anything.

  “We feel differently about our children than you do…..we will die to protect them. And Ashley? If she does have this massive power or whatever, will likely use it against you, not for you.”

  Eirwen smiled grimly, then glanced at her fingernails (which I noticed were more claw-like than nail like) while speaking.

  “You think your daughter is the first human child we’ve ever dealt with? Granted she’s older than most, but that’s how it sometimes goes. But she’ll see our way, they always do! We’ve had centuries to learn to manipulate human children.”

  “And what does the White Court do during all this? Allow the Green to take a Major Gift?” I asked Neeve, who had been watching avidly.

  She studied me for a moment, her eerie silver eyes cold and calculating.

  “Actually, the White Court thinks it would be better if she was held by neither Court, but rather by a third party. And frankly, Ian Moore, we would prefer it if you were with her,” she said in a surprisingly soft voice.

  Eirwen’s head snapped around to stare at her cousin. “You didn’t? The salgairee?”

  Neeve just smiled back at her, but it was a cruel smile.

  I glanced at Greer who looked uncomfortable. “What’s the Schal-ga?”

  Eirwen answered before he could. “There is a third power block on our world. It is not as powerful as either of the courts but strong enough to remain independent. Your ancestors knew it as the Wild Hunt, or just the Hunt. Its members are not beholden to either court, they’re mostly outcasts. On our world it occupies a territory in the mountain range that cuts across our primary land mass.”

  Greer gave her a cold look then picked up where she had left off.

  “Ian, the Hunt takes in the unfortunates who cannot make it in either Court. Sometimes they’re outsiders because they were born differently….damaged. But more often, they are the dregs of our societies…what you would call criminals. All have a chance with the Hunt, but it’s not an easy life. The whole group is led by a male, an elf. Gwyd.”

  “What’s this Gwyd have to do with Ashley?” I asked, an awful feeling beginning to form in my stomach.

  Neither Neeve or Greer said a word, but after a moment Eirwen spoke.

  “You seem to know some about us, listened to your peoples’ stories, Ian Moore. But tonight you learn an important lesson.”

  The cold spot in my gut felt like a lead basket ball and a cold sweat was starting to form on my brow.

  “We live by our word, but our word is very literal. When your dettis onach said you would be safe and that we-” she pointed to herself and Neeve, “-would grant you safe passage for you and temporary respite for your daughter, he was truthful….as far as we’re concerned.”

  Her manner was very matter of fact, but the pain I felt inside wouldn’t have been any worse if she’d been cruel. The truth exploded behind my eyes and I panicked. Just for a moment, but the panic was full blown, raw and awful. Then the anger replaced it, white hot. I whipped the carbine off my shoulder, spinning the stock up and around, the strap sliding down my arm as the butt of the weapon met my shoulder. My right hand thumbed back the hammer just as the sights settled on my target. It was fast, very fast, the end result of years and years of Bob Moore’s relentless training. Greer had said that the princesses were hoping to punch my buttons, but neither of them got in more than a jump back before the muzzle of my rifle was pointed where I wanted it….right at Greer’s chest.

  “You…you set this up! The Hunt or whatever it is at my Father’s house at this moment, isn’t it?”

  Unlike Eirwen and Neeve, Greer barely flinched, instead he just stood there, hands open, palms forward.

  He didn’t say anything, but the truth was reflected on his face along with another emotion that I didn’t believe – regret.

  “Dettis onach requires that I do everything I can to save your life, until such time as my debt is paid. Had you stayed at your Father’s house, you would have died. It seemed obvious to me that Ashley would be alive and so would you. But, Ian, I realized as we got here just how different our people are from one another. I realize now that you would rather have died along with your family.”

  My awareness tunneled down to a narrow focus, just a circle of vision that centered on the elf who had just destroyed my life. My ears were filled with a buzzing sound and all I could think of was my family.

  I started to shoot him then, started the slow squeeze of my right index finger that would send a heavy slug through his heart.

  But just at that moment, something snagged the barrel, wrapping around it just forward of my left hand. A black tentacle looped once all the way around – immediately starting to sizzle. The black strand pulled the muzzle off Greer, but its grip was slipping as it burned where it touched steel.

  The buzzing was gone and my vision expanded to include the others, including Neeve and her transfigured frost blade, like some alien whip. Time slowed. Eirwen was moving backward, pulling her big cat with her. Neeve’s white monster, Groll was crouching, heavy muscles flexing for a leap in my direction. The muzzle of my rifle crossed the squat ice goblin’s form just as he prepared to launch. Without conscious thought my finger squeezed the trigger, the heavy concussion of the rifle blasting across the clearing. I felt no recoil, didn’t notice the roar of the gun, instead concentrating on the results.

  Some will tell you that a handgun cartridge fired from a longer barrel is no match for most rifle rounds. I gotta say that’s mostly true. But under a hundred yards, the blunt, beefy .44 bullet, fired at the higher velocity of the carbine barrel, is rather impressive. The bullet itself weighs four times as much as a 5.56mm round fired from an M-4 assault rifle.

  The steel filled round hit Groll high on his right chest, punching through his pectoral, probably perforating his lung (if they were in the same place as ours) and blowing a big blue-blooded hole out his back. The ape-like monster spun to his right, even as the tentacle of the frost blade slipped free, still burning. My reflexes, honed over many years of deer hunting, automatically levered a new round into the chamber just as my follow through brought the muzzle to Neeve.

  The deadly elf maiden was just slightly off balance from the release of her whip and now under my muzzle. Her eyes were equal parts surprised and angry, but I had her dead to rights and she knew it.

  Logic told me to pull the trigger on her, but an even col
der, more calculated thought told me to leave her alive. Killing her would upset the balance between courts…something I wanted to keep in place while I went about the business of retrieving my daughter. Because getting Ashley back was suddenly the core focus of my entire existence – my sole reason for being.

  With that thought my rage coalesced into a ball of ice, located where my heart had been a moment before.

  I backed to the SUV, my gun covering the frozen Greer, angry Neeve and shocked Eirwen. Groll had collapsed to his haunches, growling in pain. He started to get up, but his mistress stopped him, her angry silver eyes never leaving mine.

  The fast walk backwards got me to the car and I took my eyes off the elves long enough to hop in. My glance back showed only Greer standing there, Coel by his feet. Nope, that wasn’t right. Something else was there, flashing through the dark night air in my direction. As the blur got closer, far too quickly, I could see it was a group of small creatures flying my way. My hand grabbed for the door handle, an action that should be the easiest part of driving, but of course, now, tonight, it had to be a fumble. Realizing my increasing danger, I finally got hold of the damn thing and slammed the door shut just as a swarm of venomous green and tan fairy fliers smacked into the safety glass window hard enough to rattle the door.

  I got the keys out of my pocket, ignoring the Tinks for the most part as they moved around to the front windshield and beat themselves against the glass. Shoving the key into the ignition, I cranked the engine while staring at the little poisonous monsters outside. My hand hit the windshield wiper switch by accident, but part of me was thrilled when the wiper blade caught and crushed one of the Tinks into a foul looking paste.