Within the Ice

by LaPolla, C. J.

  Eskor jumped in between them spreading his arms out wide to separate them. “By the gods, does this really need to continue?” Eskor asked without it being truly a question. “Worse than children.” Asvald turned his attention away from Devyn and looked down at Eskor and he continued. “Asvald sir, there are not enough of us to make a dent, we have found something here, we need to return and call the other teams here to help us dig. As we dig, it becomes more apparent there is something down there. But it is going to take a better part of the day for all three teams.”

  Asvald scoffed as he turned away and with his back turned he spoke. “Fine, we will return and I will explain to Hrodny that he supplied me with a weak crew who cannot cut through simple ice. Hopefully, next time he will supply me with real men.” And he began walking back into the cave towards the camp without any light to guide his way.

  “Perhaps he’ll trip and die.” Devyn added.

  Eskor slapped him. “Listen up Devyn. Your attitude with that man is putting us all at risk. I have a family and a life I’d like to return to! And you, with your every word, put that at risk.” Devyn tried to interrupt but Eskor shushed him. “You need to deal with this. You need to accept that the man walking away from us now is scum and he will always be scum. I’ve seen you fight, I know you were a warrior in the past from the way you move but you need to stow this warrior’s bravado and get to the task at hand so you can return to … to…” he snapped his fingers trying to remember.

  “Rana.” Devyn felt a rush of embarrassment at the way he’d been acting with Asvald. The man deserved to die and has disrespected Devyn at every opportunity possible, but Eskor was right. Devyn had to accept his fate so that he could return home.

  “Yes, Rana. So if you’d like to return to Rana you best shape up or else the patience of Asvald and of Hrodny will wane and you will be dead.” Eskor put a comforting hand on Devyn’s shoulder. “I consider you my friend now, we’d not known one another before, but I am speaking to you as a friend. Endure this.”

  Devyn nodded and smiled at Eskor. Asvald had disappeared into the darkness down the cavern just as the men began to pack up their gear. They had been working for many hours, multiple pick axes had broken on the rock hard ice and pieces of their equipment lay everywhere. The men were exhausted and shivering due to everyone being covered in a layer of sweat. They left the broken equipment and took only he necessary gear as they knew they’d be returning here in the morning.

  “You sure do have a way with people Devyn. You made our fearless leader sulk off into the dark unknown of this cave alone and your newest friends are slapping you.” Dorm said with a sardonic smile.

  “Shut up, Dorm.” Devyn replied with a grin as they hefted their gear and began the long march back to the camp.

  Chapter XII

  The return trip went much more quickly as they were not searching for anything, they were only trying to return to camp. No one seemed to take notice of their arrival as they went about their nightly routines they’d all established since beginning this campaign. Asvald’s crew found their camp fire cold but dropped their gear and themselves around it, they were all exhausted. They were unsure of how long their day actually was, they had set out at dawn and spent the day searching the caves for signs of anything valuable. Once they made their find, they dug long enough to tire all of them to the point of passing out. The return march was made on the pure will to see a camp fire and a bedroll again.

  One of the men from the camp, Paurn, came over to them. “Welcome back, Asvald reported you all found something?”

  The men nodded in reply but none of them felt like answering with words as their eyes drifted lazily to sleep. Once the men nodded the man tossed a cloth sack towards their fire. “Enjoy men. Hrodny asked me to deliver this to you for your work. Should fill your bellies for tomorrow’s digging.”

  “What of the other teams?” Devyn asked Paurn.

  “None have returned yet, you were the first. My guess is they will be returning any minute.”

  Devyn nodded thanks to the man as he watched the crew attack the bag like starving dogs attacking a wounded deer. The sack contained a large amount of food; rolls, dried salted meat, and a full flask of what appeared to be liquor. A quick smell of the drink caused a quiet cheer up among the men as they were all ready for a drink after the days they have had. A small gift for finding the first evidence there might be something to this expedition, Devyn was sure.

  Inspired by the food and the drink the men lit a fire, they enjoyed the warm glow while they celebrated a small victory under wretched circumstances. While on campaign either for mining or for war, it did not take much food for men to consider it a feast. Devyn’s stomach was not rumbling for the first time since the beginning of this campaign, and he sat back leaning against his large back pack satisfied. His eyes slowly drifted closed.

  After dozing for some time leaning against his pack Devyn could hear raised voices behind him. When he turned he could see that Koll’s men, dirty and exhausted, trudging out of the cavern they had explored. Much in the same manner that Devyn remembered this crew collapsed by their fire and he could see them quickly falling asleep and unwilling to discuss their day. They merely wanted to rest after an exhausting day in the caverns.

  There was still no sign of Thorolf’s team and the cave they entered remained silent and dark. There was a slight edge about the air with the knowledge that the team may have run into trouble. Not for the team itself, because this was not a group brought together by camaraderies, this was a group brought together by force. As patrols moved past the cavern Thorolf’s team had disappeared in, Devyn could see they would grip their swords a bit tighter. The members of this band were not concerned over the well being of Thorolf and his men, they were concerned over what it meant for themselves. If trouble found Thorolf, what would stop that trouble from finding any one of them.

  Devyn rose stiffly after laying in the same position for so long. His back and arms ached as he once again reminded himself how old he was getting. In a mix between a limp and a stagger of sleepiness, he worked his way over to Koll’s party who were just lighting their nightly fire. He could see the men were absolutely exhausted.

  Devyn nodded in his direction. Fat Koll was a friendly man for being one of the commanders of the army which enslaved him. In his few brief encounters with him, he did not sense any of the unwarranted hatred that Asvald had placed on him.

  “Greetings Koll. How did your team fare on the trip?”

  “Not well, Devyn. We suffered three cave ins on us into deeper caverns. We found more stone work like that bridge but nothing more. We almost lost two men on the journey, the rest of us were lucky to only escape with bruises.” Koll rubbed his dirty hands through his greasy hair.

  Devyn who still had a small amount of the liquor in his flask handed it to Koll. “Drink, its good and strong. They gave it to us when we returned.”

  Koll took a long draught draining the flask dry. “Appreciated. As I expect I will not hear from Hrodny or Asvald until the morning, how did your team manage the caves?”

  “After a few hours of searching we found something. We aren’t sure what it is but it looked as if there may have been gold under the ice in a deeper cave. We were going to continue digging tomorrow.”

  Koll nodded while staring tiredly at the ground. “Where’s Thorolf? I do not see his men at their camp.” He said with concern in his voice.

  Devyn shook his head. “He hasn’t arrived yet.”

  Koll rose with a new found energy that sprung out of no where. “That is unlike him. He doesn’t push his men as hard as I. He would never be gone so long.”

  Without a word Koll marched off towards Hrodny’s tent. Unsure if he should follow, Devyn hesitated a brief moment but soon fell in behind him. They quickly arrived at Hrodny’s tent and Koll entered without hesitation. Before the tent flap fell shut he could see Hrodny with his head deep in his hands, he had obviously fallen asleep at his desk in mid-th
ought. The tent flap closed quickly and he lost sight of the men inside. Devyn felt like a small child told to wait outside while the adults spoke. He was not even sure if Koll had intended him to follow but he did not seem to object.

  After a brief moment he heard Koll’s voice “… lost. They must have gotten lost or hurt. Those caverns are strewn with sink holes. We had three that we had to fight to get out of. If they are trapped someone has to go and find them.”

  “Who is outside?” Devyn wondered how Hrodny knew he was outside. “Devyn, get in here!” Hrodny called out quickly.

  “Dropping eaves on me are you, Devyn? Huh?” Hrodny grumbled.

  “No sir. Passing through.” Devyn responded.

  “Stay. I will have need of you. Koll, continue.”

  Koll rubbed his rotund stomach while he waited for Hrodny to finish with Devyn. Devyn could hear rumbling from within and was sure Koll had not eaten this day after all of their torment in the caves. In comparison, Devyn had a luxurious experience when he was in the caves.

  “We were hit by multiple cave ins from below. These caves are becoming unstable. The first was our fault, we thought there was something below us so we began to dig. After an hour of digging the entire area collapsed below us, pushing us down into a deeper cave. Our entire crew was swallowed up, thankfully no one was injured because it took all of us to get out. As we were departing two more times the ground just fell beneath our feet. Two men never rose, the remainder of us only suffered cuts and bruises. Thorolf’s team may have been hit worse than us and could be out there. I’ll go find him with my team.”

  “No. No. Your team will be too exhausted to help the injured men. I’ll send Asvald’s crew with Devyn here. They are better rested. You will take your crew and ten other men from the guard to dig out the area that Asvald found in their cave. Asvald will search for Thorolf and when you all return we can get back to work in the caves. We are not leaving here empty handed!”

  Koll eyed Devyn up and down calculating him. “Thorolf is my friend, there aren’t many in this world who hold that honor. You best find him.”

  There was no threat in Koll’s voice. He wasn’t trying to intimidate Devyn, he was simply stating a clear fact.

  “Shouldn’t we be speaking to Asvald about this?” Devyn asked.

  “Asvald will be disposed for the next few hours while he sleeps off the drink.” Hrodny responded. “We will tell him in the morning, but I am counting on you to bring those men back. We need them. Now go get some rest.”

  Koll and Devyn left just as Hrodny was laying down in his bed roll in his tent. When he exited the tent a cold breeze hit them and took both their breath away. The hairs on the back of his neck raised as the air smelled different, it held a sour musty smell to it. Devyn wrapped his arms around himself tighter and saw Koll’s eyes on him. He did not say a word, he only locked eyes and clapped him on the back and walked away silently into the freezing cold night.

  It had become incredibly cold in the past few moments that Devyn was inside the tent. The wind had picked up and small flakes of snow were falling from somewhere in the cloudless sky. The multi colored stars blanketed the sky and yet flakes brushed across Devyn’s face. Devyn stopped dead not far from Hrodny’s tent and listened carefully, a sound that could only be described as a crashing sound approached them quickly. He remained still, listening intently and quickly he began to realize it was the wind and it was picking up strength in the distance. Almost at the same instant he realized what the sound was, he could see a torch waving back and forth far above on the canyon walls. The watchman was trying to get the attention of the men within the camp, but he was too late. Devyn knew something was not right, he began to run towards his group, but like the man above, he was too late.

  The strong winds grew into a blustery torrent of air and blasted Devyn from his feet. Snow and ice were picked up from the ground and flung around like small spears as the wind picked up to dangerous levels. He remained as flat as possible with small pieces of ice and dirt whipping him painfully in the face. He watched as tents and fire pits and men were all blown from their positions and sent tumbling away. The camp that he had made his home for this short span became a tumble of men and equipment and he watched his backpack fly through the air and crash hard into the side of the canyon. The man who had been running down to the canyon to give warning of this storm was holding onto an ice spire while the wind picked him up and whipped him like a flag. Devyn knew he would not hold on forever and he would fall to his death in the canyon and there was nothing anyone could do.

  The winds were extremely powerful and Devyn felt the impact of Hrodny’s tent smacking into his back. He ignored the pain as one of the spikes that held the tent down struck him hard. The camp which had been so peaceful moments before became a massive tumult of equipment and men. Ice and snow flew above him in a cyclone and began to lift everything into the air. Devyn was sure this was the end, this ancient glacier had had enough of these mortals walking upon its surface and it was now intent on extracting them.

  Just as Devyn felt the pull begin to drag him into the air and as he watched the camp begin to lift into the sky, it stopped and then collapsed to the ground. Men, equipment, tents, food, and everything else slammed into the ground. Silence struck the camp as they collectively took a deep breath. Devyn rose quickly and ran to the camp, passing a few broken bodies of men who were strewn across the canyon ground. The man who had clung to the spire far above was nowhere to be seen. Dorm sat on the ground holding his head with blood covering his hands. Devyn approached him quickly and looked his friend over for serious injuries.

  “Dorm! Dorm! You alright?”

  Dorm looked up, he had a small gash on his forehead with a flow of red blood streaming from it. It was not a bad wound and his friend would be okay, but as he gazed around the encampment, many of the men would not be.

  “What in the world was that, Devyn?” Dorm yelled the question.

  Devyn shrugged his shoulders while he recovered his pack that lay twenty feet away. After hauling it back he rummaged through the pack to find his bandages he had pack away. He wrapped the wound around his head while taking in the happenings around the camp.

  Men were just starting to move around the camp and pick up the pieces and find out who had been injured. Again, the crew Devyn was a part of was lucky as other than being displaced and bruised everyone was relatively uninjured. Eskor was moving from man to man checking on their health while he caught a glimpse of Asvald sleeping on his bed roll with his tent being blown away from him. He wondered how Asvald had managed to not be blown away, and wondered what god was against him to not allow him to be among the men who lay shattered against the ice. Devyn watched as a man came bolting down the canyon walls and into the camp.

  “Dorm, you can manage on your own?” Devyn asked his friend.

  “Yes. Where did that come from?” Dorm responded.

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to go find out. Stay here and try to salvage some sleep before morning comes.”

  Devyn stood up and hurried towards where Hrodny’s tent once stood and to where the sentry was running. He had to change direction and leap over many obstacles but he arrived quickly just in time to listen in on the discussion.

  “… out of no where. We watched the wind pick up and blow from the direction we came. It hit us like a wave and Arick and Odell were blown clear off the wall and into the canyon.”

  Hrodny stared at the sentry intently, his eyes were a deep red. Devyn was sure the man had not slept in many days and just as they were both about to head off in a slumber this strange wind came. His voice was strained when he finally spoke. “Anything else?”

  The sentry shook his head.

  “Position one man at the top of the hill and another at the bottom and make a signal to tell if something like this is happening again. Now go.”

  The sentry left quickly and Hrodny turned his attention to Koll and Devyn. “Why are you here? Where is Asvald?”


  “I thought to help.”

  “You thought? Go help clean.” Hrodny turned his attention away from Devyn. “Get Asvald, I do not care how drunk he is. Get him!”

  Devyn left the area dejected and confused. Less than an hour prior Hrodny, was friendly towards him and appeared to ridicule Asvald and now he requested his presence over his own. Devyn knew this was a childish way of thinking, but it starkly reminded him of his place in this band and that he was nothing more than a slave for them to do with as they pleased. Regardless of Devyn’s status with Hrodny, he was still nothing more than a pawn.

  Koll passed him by as Devyn walked slowly back to his camp. Devyn turned his back on the man and he sulked back towards his camp as he watched men all around gathering equipment and cleaning up the dead.

  Chapter XIII

  Morning could not come soon enough for Devyn, who sitting next to his snoring friend, found no sleep. Light had just begun to touch the sky when men began to rise and begin their daily routines. It would not be daily routines for Asvald’s crew, it was a rescue mission. He knew this day would end with either amazing fortune or terrible tidings. There were very few chances of middle ground in this instance. Either Thorolf’s band was found alive or they would be found dead. Devyn was ready to be rid of the mystery, while he did not hold any love for any members of their band the more people in this rag tag army the safer they all would be for the return trip. It dismayed Devyn that with the events of last night the army grew a bit smaller. Five men had met their demises at the hands of the storm, no one was sure where it had come from or how it had ceased so suddenly, but it decimated the camp. It was unlikely to be repaired and Devyn believed the constant cold was beginning to wear thin the resolve of this party. Sleep came hard for most, even Devyn, and the constant wind biting at his skin seeped into his bones. Patience was beginning to wear thin everywhere, but the storm was the final straw. Dark circles lay under the eyes of every man Devyn gazed upon and he knew he mirrored their appearance.