by C J Preece
“You might want to talk to Adam. He’s worried that you’re still mad at him.”
“Okay.”
“And I hope you really can forgive me. I just want to get us all through this alive. I couldn’t be sure Goldilocks would survive, but I knew you would do everything you could to save her.”
“Just don’t send her somewhere like that again. Please.”
“Don’t worry, she stays here for now.”
“And don’t tell her I asked you that.”
“Of course. Couldn’t let her know you still like her.”
“Thanks.”
“She knows already anyway.”
“Goodbye Belle.”
“Come back safe.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Chapter Eight: The Snow Children
The Ice Kingdom was as far north as anyone could travel before freezing to death. Its mountains and crevasses had only once been negotiated, by a little girl determined to find her brother. Now the siblings were lost again in the icy wastes, and Red had to try and find her way into the kingdom. Even with the map she could hardly claim to be confident. Her bike she would have to leave behind for fear of it becoming stuck in deep snow, or freezing, or crashing through thin ice. And of course she had no guarantees that she wouldn’t suffer the same fate even without the bike.
As she rattled along the road she had plenty to think about to occupy the time. Unfortunately none of those thoughts were good. She had only just found Che and Goldilocks, and already they were being split up again. She could handle danger, even if it was outside her usual expertise of finding and shooting things. But knowing Goldilocks was out there facing that same danger was harder than she would have guessed. And Che now had a family to think about. It would only make him fight harder, but there was so much more for him to lose this time.
Around her the landscape began to change. The forests began to run out to solitary trees trying to hold back the rocks that littered the ground. The road ended and she was forced to devote all her attention to keeping her course. Ahead the mountain towered above her, clouds scudding across and around the peaks. Patches of frost had now begun to appear here and there on the ground. The grass gave way to dirt, then rock.
Another path became apparent as she drove on, twisting and winding in and out of the boulders. The temperature was dropping rapidly and soon harsh winds began to assault her face. She pulled to a stop and wrapped her scarf around her nose and down to her chin, buttoning her jacket up until it covered her almost completely. As much skin covered as she could manage she set off again, hunching down low so the heat of the bike could warm her.
Soon enough the road became icy and treacherous. There were huge drifts piling on either side of her and the chill reached her even through her coat. The mountain was close enough now to block the sun, leaving her driving in shade. She drew over again and fumbled the map from her bag, unfolding it and examining it closely. If she could find where the map ran out she would know how far Kay and Greta had made it.
It looked like they had taken a similar path to the one she was on, only a little more direct. She guessed that they had been walking, which gave her a little hope that she would be able to follow them. They were still a way ahead though, so she put the map back and revved the bike again. She could take it a little further in safely, and there was also the possibility of a quick getaway.
A couple of minutes later she was forced to a stop. She was truly at the base of the mountain now, a path winding upwards ahead of her. It was a fight to keep her wheels on the road, and she couldn’t even imagine trying to take it further up. She stopped and dismounted, pulling her bag onto her back. Without the heat of the engine the cold could get to her, and she shivered as she took the bag and slung it over her shoulder. She would have to be quick or she would freeze to death.
The path up the mountain was slippery, but less than she had feared. It was almost as though it was designed for people to climb it. She remembered Greta telling her a long time ago that the Snow Queen invited guests, and wanted company, or at least her own twisted version of it. In her own kingdom the Snow Queen was as powerful as any sorcerer or magician who had ever lived. The story that most in Ateer knew was that she had formed the land herself from the ground up. The ice she now walked on was the very ice of the Snow Queen’s heart, spilled out over the world. Walking now past icicles that sat like traps she could believe the stories.
She kept the map in her hand, checking it often to make sure she was on the right path. There were dozens of small caves and fissures that they could have fallen into. If one of them had been hurt they might have attempted to take shelter somewhere on the path. The map didn’t reach all the way to the Snow Queen’s palace, but then they could have been captured and lost their own map.
As she climbed higher the wind began to pick up, threatening to blow her off the mountain. She hunched down, hugging her arms close to her chest. She stopped for a moment and looked around, spotting a small cave off to one side. She headed for it and ducked into cover, rubbing furiously at her arms. After a few moments she was warm enough to slide her bag off her back and open it, pulling out a heavy jumper and a thick scarf. Moving quickly she slipped out of her jacket and yanked the jumper on, wishing she had thought to do it before she set off. Feeling slightly warmer she wrapped both scarfs around her neck and tucked it in tightly. She checked the map again before putting her jacket back on and pulling the hood up. She still had a ways to go, and the path wouldn’t get any easier.
The trek continued, up through narrow passes and wide open gulfs where the falling snow became a solid wall battering against her body. Several times she fell and slid backwards in ice or snow. Once she nearly fell from the path, her head and shoulders hanging in empty space as she looked down at the ground so far away it was almost entirely obscured by the blizzard. The mountain stretched above her, scraping the clouds and blocking the sun entirely. The climb became less about speed and more about determination. The path came and went and she began to suspect the Snow Queen had made it so as to throw off travellers. Without the map to follow she would have long ago gotten hopelessly lost amongst the endless plains of identical snow covered rocks.
She thought she was getting close, if the enchantment on the maps was working. Kay and Greta seemed to have stopped only a little further up the trail. But as she rounded a mass of rocks the enormity of that task hit her. Instead of a simple path or flat basin there was a sheer rock face, covered in ice and battered by nonstop sleet. The cliff was exposed entirely to the raging wind, and from her position Red couldn’t even see handholds. Somehow Kay and Greta had climbed it though, so she had to believe it could be done.
Swallowing any hint of fear she walked up and put a boot on a small outcropping of ice, pushing herself up to catch hold of a tiny crack in the rock. She swung for a second until her left hand found purchase as well, then her right boot followed. She had been taught how to climb by Adam many years ago, and in their youth she and Goldilocks had spent hours clambering up and around the buildings in Ateer. That was before the Corruption took real hold. Normally she would have wanted to push those memories aside, but now she welcomed them, since they took her mind off the reality of the situation. If she only thought of Adam and Goldie she could believe that she was only trying to climb the outside of Muffet’s.
When she guessed she had made it halfway up she took a moment to breathe, jamming her boots in as tight as they would go and drawing one of her knives, stabbing it through the ice as a makeshift pick. The wind still battered her, but as she looked around carefully she realised that the climb had been far too easy.
Maybe Greta was right. She thought. Maybe the Snow Queen does invite visitors, but only those brave enough to make the trip.
She wished now that she had listened to more of the girl’s stories. They had met during the Ogre Wars, not long before she had met Cheveyo. A lot of the Pure had been dragged into that madness, and
a few of them had lost their lives during the conflict. At the time Red had been more interested in the slaughter and the battle, and hadn’t had time to listen to old stories she assumed had no relevance. But then it was one of the least of her regrets from those days. With renewed determination she withdrew the knife and hauled herself up the side of the cliff once more.
At the very top she rolled onto a soft bed of snow and lay on her back, gasping and flexing her fingers to try and get any sensation back into them. She was now convinced that the mountain had been created, and visitors were allowed through, but the Snow Queen apparently wanted only the strongest and most determined. It wasn’t a comforting thought. When Greta had made the journey she had nearly found herself stuck forever in the Queen’s court. Red rolled onto her side and pulled the map from her pocket, checking it and seeing that she only had a short walk now before she found the two.
Staggering to her feet she hugged the edge of the cliff to avoid falling back down again. The path was almost too thin to walk along now, and with every step rock fell from beneath her feet into the void. But ahead she was certain she could hear low voices, and the unrelenting blur of white had a golden tint to it now. Another few steps and she heard the crackling of a fire. The golden tint became an orange glow that spoke of warmth and comfort. She forced herself on and found the entrance to a cave. A proper cave this time instead of a small hole in the rock.
A fire was lit in the middle of the caves, casting long shadows onto the rocky walls. Two people were sitting cross legged on either side of the fire, one examining a map while the other knotted and unknotted a rope. Red collapsed to her knees the second she was out of the cold, drawing their attention immediately.
“Who goes there?” That was Kay, the one examining the map. He was all but swaddled in thick layers and furs.
“It’s Red!” That was Greta. She was wearing fewer layers, but she did have climbing equipment and a heavy bag on her back. “What are you doing here?”
Red allowed herself to be brought over to the fire, sitting as close as she could without getting burned. “Belle sent me,” she managed between the chattering of her teeth. “Been weeks. Worried. Needed info.”
“Yeah, we wondered if she might send someone soon.” Greta sat next to Red, Kay shuffling round a little to their side as well. “We were making great time until about a week ago. This blizzard came out of nowhere, and it’s been raging ever since. We were going to try and make it right to the Snow Queen’s palace, but that could take another week at least.”
“Don’t think there’s time.” She was beginning to thaw now. “What does the blizzard mean?”
The pair exchanged a look. “What exactly do you mean by that?” Greta asked.
“I was sent because we were afraid the danger coming might have been her, and that she had you. And now there’s this blizzard.”
“Whatever’s coming isn’t the Snow Queen,” Greta said. “We wanted to get to the palace to see if we might be able to talk to her and find out what was causing all the problems in Ateer, but she’s not accepting visitors.”
“You don’t think she could be putting up this blizzard because she’s the evil returning?”
“She’s not evil,” Kay said, sounding a little defensive. Greta shot him a look and he subsided, turning back to the map.
“It’s complicated,” Greta said. “The Snow Queen isn’t exactly good, but that doesn’t make her evil either.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She longs for companionship, but her heart is frozen, so she doesn’t know how to find it, or how to treat people when they are hers. She lives here because she wants to remain separated from people. If she wanted to conquer it would be a little more direct.”
“How direct?”
“She’d probably freeze everyone and everything. That would be total isolation, which is what half of her wants.”
“So you think the blizzard is her trying to stay away from whatever is happening in Ateer?”
Greta nodded. “Her power is strongest here. Possibly stronger than anyone. This is her kingdom, and there’s not much that would make her leave it.”
“Do you think she would ever aid us? If she’s stronger than whatever else is coming then we could use powerful allies.”
“Queen Eirwen is a force of nature,” Kay said. “She helps herself, nobody else.”
Greta gave him another look, this one full of concern. Red looked at her quizzically, but she only shook her head.
“If this isn’t the Snow Queen then we need to get back to Ateer and tell Belle. She was already starting to think it was a sorceress of some kind, this will narrow down the list.”
“Are you sure? Possibly the Snow Queen can tell us who or what it is.”
“We shouldn’t risk it. If she’s made a blizzard to keep us away she might just blow us off the mountain. And you said it could take a whole week. We don’t have that sort of time.” Red was already struggling to stand. “We should go, and go now. My bike is at the base of the mountain, it can take three.”
Greta stood as well, smiling. “I remember. Do you still drive like you did back then?”
Despite the situation, Red couldn’t help but smile. It gave her heart, meeting her old war buddies again. “I drive worse actually,” she rejoined. “You’d better bring the rope.”
“Come on Kay,” Greta said. “It’s time to go.”
He nodded, but looked mulish as he stood and folded the map away. Greta ignored that, handing Red a climbing axe and a length of rope. “Just in case,” she said.
They walked to the edge of the cave and pressed up against the edge, Greta leading the way as they took the first tentative steps onto the tiny strip of rock. Red went second, with Kay bringing up the rear. It felt much safer, with two experienced climbers making sure she was okay.
As they made their way back it seemed that the storm was beginning to abate. There were times when they were no longer trying to climb in gale force winds, and the sleet turned to snow as they reached the middle of the cliff Red had climbed before. By the time they reached the bottom the clouds had lost some of their ominous darkness. “I suppose this is her?” She asked as they trudged down the path.
Ahead of her Greta nodded. “Now we’re going she must have decided to make it easier.”
They walked in silence. Red was exhausted by the journey up, and neither Kay nor Greta seemed to want to talk about anything that had transpired. Kay in particular was a worry for Red. He had been quick to defend the Snow Queen, and he called her by name instead of by title. Red couldn’t imagine that was a healthy thing for him to do. After all he had been imprisoned by her for nearly a year in his youth. The thought of that made her shiver, more than the cold of the mountain. All she could think was how horrific it would have been to have been imprisoned herself.
“Watch out,” Greta called out.
She was right to give the warning. As they rounded the boulder at the base of the cliff Red saw the hazard that had before been concealed by the storm. Far from the gentle slope or wall of rock there was an open drop, sharp rocks clearly visible at the bottom. She recoiled a little and hugged the wall all the tighter as they made their way back down.
The way back continued to get easier, the wind becoming gentle, then stopping altogether. The snow stopped falling as thick as became only a few flakes drifting lazily down to them. Red looked up, back towards the top of the mountain. “It looks clear now,” she said.
Greta nodded. “That’s how it looked to us as well. The storm began about here for us last time. It was even worse than the one we just left. I had begun to wonder if the Snow Queen wanted us to come through once more.”
“Why would she want that?”
“Her moods are… changeable,” Greta said with a look back to Kay. He didn’t seem to be paying attention though.
They finally emerged out of the labyrinth of sharp rocks and onto an open plateau of s
now that stretched before them like a pure white lake. Now that she wasn’t being attacked by snow, Red had to admit there was a kind of beauty to the place. She understood why Greta and Kay had continued to adventure in the mountains.
From high above there was a screech, then a shadow fell over them. Red looked up to see a huge black shape dropping from the sky, a blur of movement that was heading right for them. There was no way to tell what it was, but some primal instinct let her know it wasn’t good.
“Move!” She yelled, shoving Greta forwards and running as quickly as she could for the relative safety of the rock face. A second later a fireball exploded where the two of them had been standing.
Her thoughts were still whirling as she slammed against the rock, drooping her bag to the ground and kneeling beside it, but her conscious mind had finally caught up with the rest of her.
Dragon!
Chapter Nine: Dragon
It came in low enough that the down draft from its wings forced them all to the ground. Fighting to stand Red looked up to see it circling out and away from the mountain. She had studied dragons when she was younger, and they were still a potential threat. After the opening attack from above it would come in on the horizontal, strafing them with its fire breath. She wrestled her rifle from the bag and brought it to her eye, praying that the cold hadn’t affected it.
Red had never been a sharpshooter. Cheveyo said it was because of her missing eye. But the dragon was presenting a target she wouldn’t have missed as a ten year old. The rifle bucked against her shoulder and she worked the bolt automatically. But the ice had stiffened it, and besides if she had hit it hadn’t done any damage at all. She put her muscle into the bolt and cleared the cartridge as she tried to remember everything she had leaned. She had been lucky to have actually met Toma, who killed a dragon while still a prince. She had listened at length as he explained a dragon’s strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately many of the former, almost none of the latter.