by CS Patra
“Wow, okay!” he exclaimed, touching the handle. It was so hot that he had to step away and nurse his hand. Not only were the walls hot, but so was the door that could have led to his freedom. “What is this place?”
There was no way he could get out of that door if he couldn’t even open it. At the same time, he was curious as to why this was hidden from people. If it was just a boiler room, why did someone need a secret passage for it? There had to be something else behind that door. He couldn’t open it, so whatever was kept there had to be dangerous or valuable. He stared at the door for a second and wondered if he should go back up. There was a path to his left, but he didn’t know where it could lead.
“On the other hand, I get to stay in a boring prison and have to be bait. I have to wait around for someone to save me,” he spoke his thoughts out loud. When he weighed his options this way, he realized that leaving was the better choice. “All right, let’s see where this leads now.”
He started to move to the left and noticed that things were getting cooler. Whatever world this was, the temperature kept changing drastically. This couldn’t be the Frostland. Judging from what Olivia had said, the Frostland was always snowing and cold. Even if they did have heat, it wouldn’t constantly change like this.
There’s one room with a hot door, and this hallway is cold. I wonder if this means I’m closer to seeing what’s outside. Once I figure that part out, then I’ll be able to figure out how to get home. I just hope Olivia is okay.
Once again, his mind went back to Olivia. It was funny—when she first joined his team, he had no idea what kind of person she would be. He never expected her to be his sole confidant about parallel universe exploration. Not only that, she was actually the one who had made it to another world without much effort. Regardless of whether the Queen or the Brotherhood were telling the truth, he knew that she was special. Deep down, their relationship felt like it could be growing into something more than friends, and he hoped more than anything that he wasn’t reading the signs wrong. Again.
~ ~ ~
Olivia was glad when the group stopped in the latest town, a small place known as Kojan. She had no idea where all the names for these towns came from, but made a mental note to at least remember them. Once they saved Donnie, together they could try to figure out the patterns between them. Kojan was a lot smaller than Thymasa, but it featured several small shops, and an inn that was big enough for all of them. Unlike Thymasa, people were walking around everywhere. They didn’t seem to be worried about the snow that was falling.
“Don’t they ever go inside?” Olivia asked.
“No, the people of Kojan tend to spend their days outside. The night falls sooner here than anywhere else,” Jei explained. “Since they don’t get much sun, they try to make use of what they get. Once the sun goes down, they go inside.”
“Is there a reason why this area doesn’t get much sun?”
“If there is, I haven’t found it yet. Anyway, we should probably stay here for the night. The sun is about to go down.”
They spent a while in one of the shops, checking out everything that was there. Olivia admired all of the things that were made of ice and snow. There were fountains that had water pouring out of them, cherubs made of sculpted ice, and all kinds of lovely animals carved in large blocks of ice. She could not understand their value as they were priced in coins, but they seemed expensive. As far as she knew, all the coins they had would not even be enough to purchase a tiny ice squirrel sculpture.
After Astrid had purchased everything necessary for the sleigh, they decided to head for the inn. According to the shopkeeper, the next stop from Kojan would be the castles. She was telling them the quickest way there as she packed their things. “You just have to keep going further north, and you will see them. I wish I could tell you which is the real one, but I have never figured it out.”
“Has anyone ever figured it out?” Alice asked. “We’ve been asking around, yet no one seems to know what the difference is.”
“If I’m being completely honest, most people don’t get further than our town. There are many that make it as far as the castles, but there are so many replicas. The Queen became so scared that she kept making castles, each as elegant and beautiful as the one before it. I have seen pictures of many, and I never could figure it out. I guess that the difference is so small that you’d have to spend days trying to find it.”
“We don’t have days.” Ms. Howard sighed, taking one of the bags. “Does the Queen ever come out of her castle?”
“Rumor has it that she does, but I’ve never seen her. She must come down here in disguise and never draws attention to herself. I might have seen her, but who knows? Anyway, I have to close up shop soon. I hope you found everything all right.”
“Yes, this should be enough,” Astrid said. “Thank you for all of your help.”
Once they left the shop, they rented a room in the inn and decided to spend the rest of the night there. Olivia was sharing a room with Astrid, while the others took the room next door. She sat down on the bed and looked out the window while Astrid bathed. It felt extremely strange. This was going to be her second night in this world, yet her parents probably had no idea what she was up to. She had to stay alive so she could see them again. At this point, her father was probably coming home from work, while her mother was looking up recipes on the Internet. Tonight would probably be another casserole night if she had found a new one to try out. A part of her was going to miss that. She missed talking to them and finding out what had gone on while she’s was at work. She missed listening to them point out when she left keys in the wrong places or shoes in the freezer. She wanted to tell them about what happened, but it was too late now. She was already in too deep the moment she met Donnie and heard about his goals.
Astrid came out of the bathroom and noticed Olivia staring out the window. “You can use the tub now if you want to. I managed to buy you some clean underwear. I figured you didn’t want to wear the same old clothes again tomorrow.”
Olivia gave her a smile. She hadn’t thought about bringing extra clothes before getting into the Frostland. Come to think of it, even if she had planned ahead, she wasn’t sure that items from her world could have survived the trip here. “Thanks. To be honest, I never thought I would be spending longer than a day here. That’s why I came here with nothing.”
“Well, we should be there by tomorrow, so you can rest at ease tonight. Before you know it, you will be home again.” Astrid’s words weren’t convincing. Olivia just leaned against the wall and kept staring at the snow outside. It was completely dark now, but she didn’t want to do anything else. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s the usual stuff that I’m thinking about,” Olivia said. “You all say that the Queen is a good person, but how do you know that for sure? Is it because of the spells she has put on the town? Or is it because of the things she has done for you guys?”
“Those things are part of the reason. It is because of her that the Brotherhood has stayed quiet for so long. In fact, your boyfriend’s kidnapping was the first time in a long time that they showed up. It does seem unusual for them. They normally go after the kings, queens, members of the court, and anyone else who is considered powerful. Your boyfriend being a scientist or medicine men or whatever he is doesn’t really fit their bill.”
“I feel like I’m finding out new things every hour,” Olivia admitted. “We’re going from place to place, and I discover new things everywhere. At the same time, I also think we might be getting too comfortable here. Just because they’ve been quiet doesn’t mean they aren’t planning anything huge.”
“Oh, I know. When you mentioned their name, I felt cold inside. I was so scared that they were planning another giant attack.” Astrid shivered visibly. “Are you sure that your boyfriend is alive?”
“I heard his voice. He has to be alive. There’s no way that this is all in my head here,” Olivia insisted. “Besides, I’ve got
a gut feeling that he is. He might be alone and scared, but he’s not hurt.”
“How can you be sure about that?”
“I just am.” Deep down, she didn’t know why she felt so confident. Maybe his voice was all in her head. “I think he’s okay. He’s probably just trying to find a way out, just like we’re trying to find him. He said that the castle was something. I’m thinking that the inside might have something special about it. The big problem is trying to figure out which castle is different.”
“We could always split up and check each one out.”
“That might still take up a lot of time.” She closed her eyes. “You know, I think I do need to take a bath. It might calm me down.”
“It’s free.” Astrid nodded towards it. “Look, if you’re still feeling blue and need to talk, I’m not going anywhere. We can talk all night if you want.”
Olivia nodded at her before heading into the bathroom. Astrid had already laid out some clean underwear, a nightgown, and robe for Olivia. She was grateful for the new friends that she had made and was enjoying their company. They were keeping her safe, and were also willing to stop everything in their own lives just to help get Donnie back. At the same time, she felt like they had been making progress so easily. She hated that they had to stop for the night, especially when they were so close to the castles. Donnie needed her now. He needed to be back home, talking to her about his experiences in another world.
Not that he’d likely had many experiences in the first place. He was stuck in some prison, while she was able to witness this beauty. That’s why she wanted to move out faster—so they could both enjoy the beauty of the Frostland, together. It felt awful to just stand around and seemingly do nothing.
I’m sorry, everyone. She thought as she stepped into the tub. The water was surprisingly warm, and she felt refreshed as soon as she submerged her body. I can’t keep doing this anymore. I have to get there by tonight, in darkness or not.
Olivia slowly came up with a plan as she washed herself. Once everyone else was asleep, she would sneak out and try to get to the castles on foot. If she was lucky, she could find a sleigh lying around and use that. While she made her way through the woods, she would try to get in contact with Donnie and figure out just which castle he was in. As much as she hated leaving everyone else behind, she didn’t have a choice. She needed to leave and get to those castles as soon as possible.
For the remainder of the night, she stayed silent. The others talked strategy, while she tried her best to tune in. None of the plans sounded like they were going to work. No matter how they split it up, it would take a long time to find which castle was the real one. There had to be an easier way to find out, one that didn’t involve going inside all of them. She thought about this as they made their plans. She pretended to listen while she was really doing her own plotting.
Sorry, guys. I’ve got to take this path on my own. I’m done waiting around.
Chapter Twenty-four
Donnie finally found an exit as he reached the end of the long staircase. The warm room had no way of opening for him, so he gave up on that. He looked down at the lock on the door and saw that it could be broken easily. It was made out of ice, and was already melting. This made no sense, since the rest of the castle was in fine shape, but he didn’t take the time to question it further. He held the lock up and yanked on it. It came undone in his hands, and he pushed the door open.
Wait a minute. This isn’t all platinum. What’s going on with this place? He asked himself. Something told him that the Queen hadn’t given him the right answer. The door was made of ice, yet the walls were platinum, and there was a boiler room down here. Was he even in a castle in the first place? Sighing, he put his hand on the door. Well, here goes nothing. I’m breaking out of prison, and going on the run.
“I knew it!” Donnie exclaimed as a blast of cold wind hit him in the face. He realized that the outside was much colder than it was inside, and he had no coat. He knew he could not stay out here for long, but he needed to escape. “All right, Donnie. It’s probably below zero out here, and you are not prepared for this. However, I’m sure there’s a shop or town nearby. You can’t have all these castles without someplace to buy stuff. That’s only logical.”
His teeth were chattering as he looked out of the open door. The snow wasn’t so bad, but the wind-chill was killing him. He had never experienced frostbite before, and didn’t want to find out how it felt now. He could feel his nose running, and a sneeze was sneaking up on him. He had to make a decision. The warmth was great, but it was a literal prison. He had no way of getting back home if he lingered here too long. He needed to take action now.
“All right then.” He sighed, opening the door wider. The arctic wind was strong, but his desire to leave was even stronger. Taking a deep breath, he put one foot out the door and felt it immediately sink into the snow. His ankle could feel the cold, wet snow, and he began to fear the worst. Frostbite on his feet was very likely if he did not find any boots to get through this mess. Carefully, he put the other foot out and slowly tried to make his way through the snow. His pant legs were instantly soaked, and he was starting to feel the chill all over his body. Still, he needed to get out of there. He needed to get home and get back to Olivia.
“Hang on, O! I’m on my way!” he said, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s hope I survive the weather first.”
Holding in his sniffles and feeling the water pooling inside of his shoes, he tried to find a town nearby and get some warmth as soon as possible. If the snow picked up, then the chances were high that he was not going to make it through the night.
~ ~ ~
Olivia woke up in the middle of the night and saw that Astrid was sound asleep. The clock read 3:45, and there were no sounds outside. Nothing could shake Astrid awake, which was perfect. Carefully, she got out of bed and slipped into her winter things. She took one bag of food and some supplies, then quietly left the room. The others were in the room next door, and she couldn’t hear anything from them. She made her way down to the inn’s lobby and made sure that no one was lurking around. The innkeeper was also asleep, and she didn’t see anyone else around. The rest of the inn’s guests must also be asleep.
Feeling guilty that she was walking out on them, Olivia took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The snow had stopped falling, which made it the perfect time to escape. She saw an empty sleigh on the side of the building, with two white horses tethered to it. Unlike the other animals in this world, these horses looked like they were made of flesh and blood. They were both looking at her as if they were beckoning for her to come closer. She made her way to them, holding up her hands to show that she meant no harm.
“It’s okay, boys. I just need to use you for a little while. Get me to the castles, and everything will be all right.” She promised, gently patting both of them. They were very different from the other animals in this world. Unlike most animals, they weren’t so easily spooked by her. “Come on. We have to get out of here. I promise to treat you as well as your owner did.”
The guilty feeling was hitting her again. She was not only running away from the group, but now she was also a thief. No one was going to trust her after this little incident. She loaded up the sleigh, grabbed the reins, and gave them a tug. “Come on, guys. Gently now, okay?”
They seemed to understand her, because they started to walk. Since it was still dark, no one would be out. There were at least three feet of snow on the ground now, but at least it wasn’t a storm. She figured that it was because the Queen was also asleep. The only time the world seemed to be calm was when she wasn’t awake.
Something strange is going on in this town, she thought, as she made her way through the woods. The lantern she had was good enough to light her path, but she knew that there were ice wolves out here. All she could do was hope that the horses would not get scared. It was bad enough that she was already regretting this decision. A part of her wanted to turn around and go back. Then
Donnie’s face would flash before her. He probably wasn’t sitting comfortably. That Brotherhood might have been torturing him by leaving him in some freezing cell. Bait or not, he couldn’t stay there. It didn’t matter what the Queen said.
“All right, Donnie. I’m coming!” she exclaimed. “You may not like the fact that I’m on my own but it is the only way!”
She gave the reigns another tug, and she was on her way.
Chapter Twenty-five
Olivia didn’t know how long she had been riding through the woods, but it felt like ages. No wonder no one went out at night. Everything in front of her was dark. Even the one lantern that she had wasn’t enough. She was glad to have at least some light, though. If she was going to do this by herself, she didn’t want to do it in the dark.
Once or twice, she looked behind her and when she thought she heard someone calling her name. Astrid would be shocked to wake up and see that her roommate was gone. Everyone would eventually be looking for her. With no way of communicating with each other, they would have no idea where she went. The guilt was starting to swallow her up, but she knew it was still the right thing to do for Donnie. The wait was becoming brutal, and she needed to get a move on. If it had to be behind everyone’s back, then that was fine. As far as she knew, the castles were straight ahead. Olivia took a deep breath and hoped that the horses were faster than reindeer, though since they were not made of ice, she guessed that they would not be able to stand the cold for too long.
“Hang on, fellas.” She told them, holding onto the reins. She could hear something howling, and shivered. Of course there would be wolves out. “Just stay calm and keep moving. If we don’t try to stop or doing anything to slow us down, then we should be fine. We’ll get out of here without anyone noticing a thing.”