Hearts Under Ice

by CS Patra

  “Well, you’re a gracious host.” He muttered, trying to get out of bed. Having his hands shackled made it hard to do anything. His wrists were also red, but this time they weren’t freezing cold. The room was a little warmer, even though its only exit was the door in front of him. It had no locks or knobs on the inside, so he knew could not open it. He didn’t even have the strength to break it down. The only thing he could do was find someone who could explain things. Looking around, he called out for someone. “Hello! Is anyone out there?”

  “Good morning, Dr. Vaughn.” The familiar voice greeted him. “I take it that you’ve noticed a few changes to your accommodations.”

  “Well, it’s warmer here, and at least I’m not bound at the ankles,” Donnie agreed. “Why did you move me? It’s probably not because I was uncomfortable.”

  “Actually, that is part of the reason. We saw how much you struggled against those chains on your ankles. Despite everything, we can’t have you hurt or dead. That’s why we moved you from the ice prison cell to this one. Your girlfriend will be pleased to know you’re alive.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend! Seriously, we’ve only had one date!”

  “You keep telling yourself that. However, I’m not interested in your love life. You have a skill that I want. You can build almost anything. We have been watching you day to day, and we are impressed with your abilities.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that—”

  “I need you to build me a transporter that can help me move from world to world,” the voice cut him off. “I know that you’ve been working on it in your own world. You are getting closer to making a breakthrough.”

  “True, but I haven’t tested it. The technology is far from finished,” he frowned. “Besides, what makes you think I’m going to help you? You are the one who has kidnapped me and is using me as bait. You really think I’m going to just do as you ask?”

  “Oh, you will, because your life depends on it. You remember those tubes in your previous prison? We still have them. If you disobey us or try to pull off some scheme, you will see just what those tubes will be used for. Let’s just say—it wouldn’t be pleasant to die of blood loss.”

  Donnie shuddered, even though he still wasn’t sure what they wanted to do. Those tubes would likely drain his blood, but he didn’t know for what. “Okay, why do you want me to recreate an invention that isn’t even complete? I have never tested it. It might not work.”

  “We know that your invention wasn’t complete. All we need is for you to make a replica of what you have done so far. We’ll provide you with all of the proper tools. You just have to start working. The faster you do it, the better it will be for everyone.”

  “I thought I was only needed to be bait.”

  “You’re needed for both. This is just phase one of our plan. Once you’ve completed this, you will find out what phase two will be. Hopefully, the one we’re waiting for will show up during that time.”

  “I still don’t know who you are, or what you want.”

  “Patience, Dr. Vaughn. All you need to do is build what you’ve already built before. Once you finish and your girlfriend shows up, everything will be explained. You’ll see why we need the Hearts Under Ice, and the two of you.”

  Donnie bristled at the word girlfriend, but decided not to argue. There was no point in wasting his breath on this. He had to make this invention somehow. “All right, I can do this. When do I get my stuff?”

  “Wait here for an hour. Someone will come for you. Then we will begin.”

  Donnie shivered and waited for the voice to continue speaking. When he didn’t, Donnie realized they must be gone. He looked around his metal prison and wondered how something like this existed in the Frostland. The prison was warmer than his previous one had been, and there was a lot more room to move around. He didn’t really have windows, so he had no idea if it was day or night. Surely, the Frost Queen would not maintain a warm prison cell like this.

  She’s not the one who wanted me. The truth hit him hard, and he knew that Olivia was not going to get to him on time. No matter when she started her search or where she went in this world, she would not find him. The Brotherhood of Iced Blood had moved him on purpose, and he began to fear for the worst possible fate. If he couldn’t reach Olivia in time, then everything would be doomed.

  I’m not in the frost-covered world anymore.

  ~ ~ ~

  Olivia had a dream that night, but this time it was of Donnie. She could see how depressed he looked, and she was trying to speak to him. He kept turning away from her and pushing her hand away. It hurt to know that he didn’t want her help, but she kept trying. She hated seeing him so upset and wanted to cheer him up. She struggled to open her mouth in the dream, so all of her communication was done though movement.

  “Good morning!” Astrid greeted her. “I take it you aren’t ready to leave at this moment.”

  “I need a shower and some food,” Olivia mumbled. “I also wish there was a way to send a message to my mother from this world. You don’t happen to have a phone or anything, do you? Do phones even exist here?”

  “What’s a phone?”

  “That’s what I figured you were going to say.” Olivia put on her clothes. “Do you have any way of communicating to someone in another world? I feel like I should let my mother and father know what I’m up to.”

  “I’m afraid it’s hard to send messages from world to world. Every world has a different timeframe, or so I’ve heard.” Astrid shrugged.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much, dear. A day over here equals about two minutes in that world,” Gemma said. “Your mother and father will be fine. It wouldn’t be a good idea to get them involved in this. Even if they were to believe you, they would not be much help. It’s your boyfriend who we need to worry about here. If the Brotherhood of Iced Blood has him, chances are high that he’s in danger.”

  “I was telling everyone else about them.” Astrid explained as Olivia went to the sink. “The last time we had an attack from them was about ten years ago. After the Frost Queen went into hiding, they came back out and firebombed a factory. Several people lost their lives, and the place was destroyed. When a few of the suspects were caught and questioned, they said it was meant to free the people from their chains.”

  “Sounds like a bunch of lunatics to me.”

  “Most of us thought that as well. However, some people saw this as a sign and joined them. They believed in the idea of a free world. In their minds, a free world means no responsibilities or central leadership.”

  “A free world doesn’t make a better world. The whole world would descend into chaos if there is no order,” Alice said. “Something tells me that they’ve got another plan up their sleeves. It’s the reason they may have kidnapped Olivia’s boyfriend.”

  Olivia started to open her mouth, but stopped. Instead, she took the conversation in another direction. “I’ve been dreaming of this world lately. I wonder if that has anything to do with what’s happened. Maybe they’ve mistaken Donnie for me?”

  “How could they do that? You don’t even look like each other!” Gemma pointed out. “No, I think that you are connected, but in a different way. Every event has something to do with the others, and I bet we won’t know the truth until we find that Frost Queen’s castle.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? I’ve decided to join you on your quest. Get dressed, ‘cause we are getting ready to go. I’ve got a ride for us,” Astrid said. “I hope you are used to reindeer.”

  “Reindeer?” Olivia repeated, taking a look out the window. Sure enough, there was a beautiful sleigh made of wood out front, along with two reindeer to pull it. The reindeer were made of ice, like all the other animals here, and were standing patiently at the sleigh. All of their supplies had already been loaded up. “Wow, we can get there much faster with that! Thanks!”

  “It’s a good thing that I’m coming with you. I take it that you’ve never dealt with an ice reindeer b
efore?”

  “I haven’t even seen a normal reindeer before in my life, let alone an iced one,” Olivia said. “Now, you’ve got to give me the lowdown on the Brotherhood group. All I know is that they wanted a free world, and they claim to want to spread peace. If that’s the case, why cause any destruction and death?”

  “They use extreme measures to get their words across. They don’t care if they are hurting innocent people in the process.” Astrid said, taking more things from the cabin to load onto the sleigh. “Now, get dressed. You’re holding everyone up.”

  Olivia quickly put on her clothes, drank a little bit of the tea that Astrid had made, and joined everyone else. Alice patted the spot next to her. “About time you got out here! We were thinking about leaving you behind.”

  “Yeah, right. You know you won’t be able to find Donnie without me.” Olivia sat down and stretched her legs out. “I think we can go now. I do have a lot more questions to ask, though.”

  “Save them for the trip.” Astrid pulled on the reigns. “All right, boys. Let’s get a move on!”

  The ride was a lot smoother than anyone had anticipated. The reindeer moved fast, but they did not go over too many bumps or hills. Olivia relaxed and tried to send Donnie another message. She hoped that he would get this one, because it was different. She needed confirmation that he could hear her the way that she’d heard him. Donnie, if you can hear me, I need you to reply. Send me any thought. I need to find out where you are located.

  She waited for a few seconds and received nothing. Sighing, she leaned back and decided now was a good time to ask her questions. “All right, I need to know about the Hearts Under Ice. I assume you’ve heard of them, too?”

  “Oh, yes, I have heard of them,” Astrid said. “I never saw them with my own eyes, though. The Frost Queen kept them locked away after the attacks. Legend has it that there is only one way to thaw them out of the ice. There is one person who can do that, and that person is the one who decides how the world should be run.”

  “Who would that person be?”

  “I have no idea. That person is the one who will know what to do with the gems when they get them out. The Brotherhood of Iced Blood has tried in vain to find them. They were unsuccessful. I’m guessing that, if they are the ones who have kidnapped your boyfriend, maybe he’s the special person who can thaw them out.”

  “Donnie? He’s unable to get into this world on his own,” Olivia pointed out. “I highly doubt he can thaw the gems out. He only knew about this world because I told him. He’s a scientist. He isn’t meant to save the world, or control it.”

  “Scientist?” Astrid was confused. “You told me he was a medicine man.”

  “Same thing! The point is—they kidnapped him for another reason. I just wish I could get ahold of him somehow.” Olivia looked past the sleigh and was amazed by the winter landscape before her. She had seen snow only when she was a little girl. Before her family moved out west, they used to live up in New Jersey, and she remembered the snow falling there. That was the one thing she missed the most. She missed those cold winters where she used to run outside and play around in the snow. She missed looking at the icicles forming on trees, and school closing if the snowstorms became terrible. Being in the Frostland reminded her of those fun times. The only thing she wished was that she could have Donnie with her now, to enjoy this place together.

  “You still haven’t heard a thing from Donovan, huh?” Ms. Howard asked.

  “I’m trying.” Olivia shook her head. “I don’t know how I was able to hear him the last time. Maybe he’s too busy to get my thoughts. I still don’t think he’s dead, though.”

  The ride was smooth until Olivia began to have another vision. The snow and ice was turning black in front of her. She managed to touch Gemma’s shoulder but that was all she could do. The whole world was fading in front of her, and she struggled to make sense of her thoughts. Someone was trying to reach her. It was that same feeling again, and then she heard the voices.

  The Brotherhood of Iced Blood demands your uncompromising surrender. Should you fail to do so, you will lose the one you love.

  “The one I love—?” Then it all faded to black.

  Chapter Twenty

  Donnie had been trying hard to reach Olivia by sending her a mental message, but it was not working. He had no idea why he believed it would work, but he had no other way to get in touch with Olivia, and he also had nothing to lose. Trying to make a communication device would take time. He had no idea if phones even existed here. Writing a letter and sending it wouldn’t work, since he had no idea where she was exactly. He just knew she was here. She was not going to let him die in this metal prison, and she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  The problem was that he had no idea if they were even in the same world. If he was here and she was there, he needed her to know it. Knowing Olivia, she had brought Ms. Howard and her friends here with her. She wasn’t going to do this by herself. It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in her, but she was smart this way. She didn’t know the world that she was traveling to, so it made sense that she’d want to bring help. He just wished that she didn’t linger in the frosty world for too long.

  For the time being, he was attempting to make another invention. His captors had dropped off a lot scrap metal and junk after an hour, like they had promised. They had also given him some food—cold meatballs and some clumpy spaghetti. Normally, he would have complained, but he held back. They had given him something to eat, even if it wasn’t what he wanted. If he appeared ungrateful, they would hurt him. He didn’t want to find out just why these creeps wanted to drain his blood out. As long as he was breathing, he would do as they asked. That wasn’t all, though. They had given him enough to make a replica of his invention, and a little more to make something else. He didn’t know if they had purposefully given him too many supplies or not. In either case, it was just what he had hoped for. Not only that, someone had also come in and loosened his chains so he could work. He had no idea who it was, as they had covered their face with several scarves. The person never spoke to him, but nodded towards the pile that they had left behind.

  “Who are you?” Donnie asked.

  The hooded figure didn’t reply, but pointed to the pile and tools. Donnie nodded and went over to them. “Look, I can make you anything you want. You just have to tell me why you need me. Couldn’t you kidnap another scientist out there? I’m sure there’s someone who has more skills than I do.”

  “No one else out there believes in this world like you do. You believed in it before your girlfriend said anything about her dreams. Now that she’s discovered the Frostland, you are working harder than ever. You wanted to find us the moment she told you this world existed.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you want Olivia,” he said. “She didn’t start working for me until a few weeks ago. We didn’t spend that much time with each other, and I wouldn’t have known about her dreams if she hadn’t told me. What makes her so special to you?”

  “I told you that you’d find out in due time. You, on the other hand, have some work to do. Remember, the faster you get this done, the sooner you will be set free. If you fail to do this, the consequences will be dire. You don’t want to find out what I mean by that.”

  Donnie felt his heart beating faster as he stared at the pile of junk. He hadn’t gotten very far in making a replica. Whenever he sat down to do anything, he would forget the steps that he had taken the first time. He didn’t have the picture of his parents to talk to, either. He felt alone and depressed, all over again. Olivia hadn’t sent him a mental message, and he didn’t think his were getting through to her. He was starting to miss her the most of all. She had no way of knowing where he was, yet he could not stop thinking about her. The funny thing was that he wanted to be rescued by her, as emasculating as that seemed. He wanted to see her face again, or at least hear her voice.

  This sucks. He leaned against the wall and looked up at the cei
ling. It didn’t seem like there was an opening anywhere, and everything felt like it was made of platinum. He had no idea what world he was in, but it didn’t feel like the Frostland. This world had electricity in it, and he could feel the air circulating in and out. From what he knew, the Frostland seemed like it was still growing, and hadn’t quite hit the technological age yet.

  “Wait a second.” He snapped his fingers. “There’s air in here, so there has to be a vent! If I could just find it, maybe I can find a way out of here.”

  Pushing the things away, he began to look for the vent. As he moved around and felt the walls for a weak spot, someone knocked on his door. Straightening up, he pushed some of things back to where they belonged and pretended that he was hard at work. The door opened to reveal a woman with long white hair and pale blue eyes. She looked like the same color as ice, and her gown just enhanced the effect. For a second, he felt the room grow cold, and everything seemed familiar. He had seen this woman before, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where.

  “May I help you?” he asked, pushing some of the scrap metal away.

  “You are the one they told me about.” The woman began, stepping inside the prison. “They wanted to keep you in my castle, but you weren’t able to handle the cold.”

  Donnie blinked and realized he was looking at the Frost Queen. Bowing down, he tried to be polite. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. My body isn’t used to those temperatures.”