As Winter Spawns

by Jason Hamilton

  On the way, however, her eyes found Girwirt among a group of gnomes. The gnome’s eyes landed on her at almost the same instant.

  “Jak!” the gnome said excitedly as she approached, scrambling to his feet. Jak raised an eyebrow. The gnome almost never used her name. It was usually “hey you” or “giant”.

  “Hey Girwirt,” she said. “How are the caves treating you?”

  “Alright as things go,” said Girwirt. “Good to be out of that wretchedness.”

  “You mean the cold?” asked Seph.

  “No, the sun,” replied Girwirt.

  Jak hid a slight smile. “I’ll admit it’s much warmer in here though. You and the other gnomes are doing a great job of keeping the place heated.”

  “It ain't easy,” said Girwirt, though he did look pleased with her praise. “It’s much harder to heat up a rock just a little bit, than to melt it completely. Takes more control. A delicateness.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” said Jak. “Thank you for all your help.”

  Girwirt paused to grumble something that sounded like a ‘you’re welcome,’ or at least as close to it as the gnome could get.

  “Are the Water Fae in those wagons?” Jak asked, pointing towards the back.

  “Yeah,” said Girwirt. “We keep them back there because it’s closer to where we keep the molten rock. Keeps their water warm.”

  Jak frowned at the gnome, “I thought you said you don’t heat the rock that much.”

  “Outside that’s true, but in here it’s easier to just take what we can from the back, melt it, and let the heat travel through the cave. Keeps all the giants warm for longer and gives us a break.”

  A sudden idea surfaced in Jak’s head. “And what do you do with the rock once you’re done with it?” “We let it cool and heat it up again, obviously,” said Girwirt. “What else?”

  “And you get the stone from the cave wall?”

  “And floor.” Girwirt’s eyes narrowed. “Why the stupid questions?”

  But Jak was facing Seph, her eyes beginning to widen. Seph was understanding too, judging by the way an excited smile began to spread on his face. A silent communication passed between them.

  “From the back of the caves?” he pointed.

  She nodded, “And we could use the extra for bricks.”

  “What if the caves collapsed?”

  “The dwarves could help with that. They can sense that sort of thing.”

  Girwirt stepped between them. “Will you two tell me what’s going on? Are you both okay?”

  “Girwirt. Has no one tried melting the stone at the back to create a bigger cave?”

  “I…” Girwirt raised a finger and opened his mouth as if to give a sarcastic retort. But for once, Girwirt said nothing as realization dawned.

  They started gathering all the gnomes and dwarves in the area. Even Girwirt seemed somewhat excited at the prospect of simply building a more complex cave system of their own. Now that she had thought about it, Jak was shocked that someone hadn’t come up with the idea sooner. It was simple, really. All they had to do was melt the stone into a lava-like substance using the gnomes, and then carefully carry that stone to the front and use it to mold a larger entrance, one with a roof, or bricks for outer structures.

  Though the gnomes had worked a lot in recent days, most of them seemed eager to try something new, something that could potentially change their situation for the better. And the dwarves were also eager to pitch in, mostly as guides on where to dig, letting the gnomes know what areas had less stress on the rock, so they could reasonably melt it without the cave ceiling coming down on them.

  Unfortunately, there was one person who was unhappy with the new developments.

  “What do you think you are doing?” said Vander, pushing his way through the excited onlookers as the gnomes took great handfuls of molten lava to mold into bricks and take away towards the front entrance.

  “It’s progress,” said Jak, turning to face Vander. “Now if we don’t find any more caves in the area, we have a backup plan.”

  “You’re exploiting the gnomes for their abilities. You’re enslaving them like they were enslaved before.”

  Jak scoffed. It wasn’t the same at all. The gnomes were choosing to help. If they needed rest or didn’t want to work, no one would force it on them. She was about to say as much when Girwirt spoke instead.

  “Actually, it’s not all that bad.” He held a glowing orb of rock in both hands, his Fae magic keeping it from cooling. Jak could feel the heat of the small piece of molten rock washing over her. “For once, the girl giant had a good idea.”

  Jak smiled. Girwirt must be in a good mood if he was back to calling her a giant.

  Vander scowled, but nodded. “I guess it would be good to have a bit more space in here.” He didn’t look like he was pleased, which Jak couldn’t imagine why. It would take the gnomes a long time to make significant progress, but it was a win win for everyone. They got more space, and the gnomes were happy to do the work. Everyone was happy that at least something was happening.

  “I’d like to speak to the Sky Fae as well,” she said, her confidence increasing now that Vander had conceded to her ideas. “I’ll be coordinating their scouting trips with the humans and anyone else who wants to join in.”

  Vander’s eyes darkened. “Be careful, Jak. You may be Karlona’s daughter, but you no longer bear the same authority you once held.”

  Jak met his eyes head on. She was not going to let Vander bully her into backing down. Not when they had something good going for them for once. “So power is the only authority you recognize?”

  Vander said nothing to that. He merely sneered and retreated back to his side of the cave. Jak fought down a small smile. She had won this round, but Vander was going to become a problem if he kept up this attitude. Especially since the other Shadow Elves seemed to agree with him. Or at least, they followed him as devoutly as they had followed Karlona. Except possibly Viona, who met Jak’s eyes briefly before turning to follow Vander.

  She continued working with the gnomes and dwarves, coordinating where to enlarge the cavern, and where to place the stone they extracted. She couldn’t directly help of course, but she managed to gather several of their Flamedancers to help move the molten metal. That sped up the process considerably, though it was still slow work.

  When they were finished for the day, they had carved out enough of the wall to fit at least fifty more people. And the caves were still structurally sound thanks to the guidance of the dwarves. Perhaps this was originally how the cavernous network of Mt. Harafast had first formed. Perhaps they could eventually house everyone, and have enough space left over to grow a large crop of mushrooms.

  It didn’t solve all their problems. It would still take weeks before they were able to fit everyone, and by that time they would likely be out of food, even with all the stores they had brought with them.

  But still, Jak slept very well that night, choosing to indulge herself by sleeping in the caves, with Seph nearby, among the many dwarves and gnomes who also slept well after a hard day’s work.

  The next morning, Jak awoke to someone jostling her awake. It was Yewin, his face grave.

  “Come Jak,” he said. “Gabriel has asked to see you.”

  Her sleep fled from her eyes and she rose, glancing down at Seph who was still asleep. She would leave him be for now. It was still early. But Yewin’s face did not look like there was good news. Was Gabriel okay? Skellig had mentioned he wasn’t feeling well. But she hadn’t considered the possibility that it might get worse.

  “Lead the way,” she said to Yewin. She followed the Bright Elf until they exited the caves and a wave of icy cold washed over Jak’s entire body, causing her flesh to tingle. She’d forgotten just how cold it was out here.

  Yewin led her to a tent not far from the cave entrance. Gabriel should be inside the caves. If he was sick then surely Vander would be okay with him sleeping there, at least until his sickness
lost its edge.

  But when Yewin entered the tent flap, with Jak following close behind, she realized it was more complicated than that. Many cots lay in rows inside the tent, full of people. All of them were coughing and bore pale faces. A few volunteers were going up and down the rows to feed hot pots of tea and soup to everyone on the ground. But the rations were still small, and the tea was thinned by adding extra snow to the boiling pots.

  “I didn’t know it was this bad,” she muttered to Yewin as they passed a man with red sores on his arms, likely caused from frostbite. Why weren’t these people inside the caves?

  “It has worsened over the past few days,” replied Yewin. “That is why Skellig was so adamant to get a proper rotation through the caves that she held back rations from the Fae.”

  Jak glanced at Yewin. “What do you think of that? You are a Fae after all.”

  Yewin paused, “I believe in equal opportunity.”

  That was all he said before they arrived beside one cot, where Li knelt next to Gabriel, washing his face. She caught sight of Jak and stood. “Thank you for coming. He’s been asking for you.”

  She hadn’t known Li was a healer. Or at least had some kind of training. But the woman wasn’t exactly looking so well herself. Her skin was slightly green, and her posture sagged. Hopefully the job wasn’t taking its toll on the woman. They didn’t need the spread of disease on top of everything else.

  “I’ll talk to him,” Jak said, kneeling to take Li’s place beside Gabriel. “Why don’t you sit down?”

  Li nodded, and Jak turned her attention to her old mentor.

  Gabriel lay with several blankets piled on. His face was pale, and his beard seemed touched with more gray than Jak remembered. He smiled upon seeing her.

  “Hello Jak,” he said. His voice was hoarse, as if he was trying to make his voice sound normal, but didn’t have the strength for it. “I’m glad you could come.”

  Jak knelt next to him. “Gabriel, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was this bad.”

  “It’s alright, Jak. I’m honestly surprised I lasted this…” he broke off as a fit of coughing racked his body, lasting for quite a while before he got it under control. Jak winced. The coughs came from deep in the lungs, wet and coarse. Gabriel was not well.

  “Don’t we have any Healers?” she asked. If only she still had her brands she could probably do something.

  “We have a few,” said Gabriel. “I branded some of them myself from Li and Mosaial’s company. But Healing takes time to learn and it’s also incredibly draining. They can only do so much. People are becoming sick faster than they can heal.”

  “Is it something serious?” she asked.

  Yewin answered, “Not that we can tell. A common flu most likely, but compounded with the cold it’s spreading fast and not going away.”

  “We need to get you into the caves.” Jak responded as Gabriel went into another fit of coughing.

  “No good,” said Gabriel. “Vander is relentless. He won’t let us in because he thinks if he lets one of us in, then more will follow, till no one remains in the caves except those that are ill. And he fears the illness will only spread faster in a confined space.”

  “Then so be it,” Jak retorted. “We can’t let that stop us. I’ll talk to him, don’t worry.”

  “Jak,” said Gabriel, taking her hand in his. She didn’t like the way he addressed her. It was soft and...final.

  “We can get you past this,” she said. “Just wait and in a few years we’ll be laughing about this day. I’ve found a way to expand the caves.”

  “I heard,” said Gabriel, the ghost of a smile coming to his face. “I’m very proud of you. Jak, I need you to understand something.”

  Jak hesitated. Once again Gabriel was behaving like he wasn’t going to last long. She couldn't deal with that line of thinking. Gabriel had been her mentor only for a year or so, but it felt like much longer. With her parents gone, Gabriel was the only parental figure she had left. But despite all that, she found herself saying, “What is it, Gabriel?”

  “You are not done,” he said in response. His voice was growing more hoarse with the effort of speaking. “You may think your efforts are no longer needed, now that you have created this planet and lost your branding power. But you are not done.”

  Jak’s eyes began to sting. “There’s not much I can do. Even what we’re doing to increase the size of the caves, that was the gnomes, not me. I didn’t do any of that.”

  “Your work with the gnomes is only the beginning. But you were not destined to do all that you did, only to falter here. I need you to believe in yourself.”

  “How, Gabriel? How am I supposed to continue when I can’t even keep the air in here warm for you with Flamedancing, or fly with Telekinesis so I can search for more caves with Sightseeing. There is so much I can’t do. I can’t even give you a Healing brand to make all of this better.”

  Gabriel chuckled, “Jak.” he said. His voice seemed stronger all of a sudden. “You know better than to focus on what you can’t do. Focus on what you can. Look to Seph for an example. He has come to accept a life without brands, and it works well for him.”

  Jak wanted to point out that Seph would still be more powerful with a brand, but she had a feeling that wasn’t what Gabriel wanted to hear. And she supposed there was some wisdom in what he was saying. After all, she had never felt better since arriving than when she worked with the gnomes to expand the caves. That had been focusing on what she could do, rather than what she couldn’t, just as Gabriel said.

  Gabriel coughed again, and Jak thought she saw small specks of blood fly out of his mouth. But when the coughing subsided, he spoke once more. “Jak, I may not have much time left. Just know that I believe in you. Even now. And I don’t know if you’ll ever get your brands back. Perhaps there is no way. But if there is, I trust you to find it eventually.”

  He began coughing again, and Jak rested one hand on his arm before standing. “We should let him rest,” said Li.

  Jak gave Gabriel’s hand a final squeeze. “Thank you, Gabriel. I hope you are right.”

  They exited the tent. A few of the sick reached their arms out to her, as if supposing she could help them. But she couldn’t, not like this. If she had her powers back, she could have given each of them a Healing brand and they would have all been fine.

  But Gabriel was right, she couldn’t focus on that. Wishing she had the power to heal would not save anyone. She had to focus on what she could do.

  8

  “Vander,” she yelled the moment she was back inside the caves. Yewin hadn’t followed her, choosing instead to remain with the sick. But that was fine. She didn’t need his support for this. “Vander!” she called again. “We need to talk.” Everyone inside the caves was looking at her. Good. This wasn’t something to be kept secret. They all needed to know what the Fae were doing by keeping everyone out.

  In the confining caverns, it didn’t take her long to find the Shadow Elf. He was off down the right passage, along with the rest of his kind. He didn’t come to her, instead he leaned against the cavern wall with his arms folded.

  “There are people dying out there,” she said as soon as she was close enough.

  “We all knew people would die eventually,” Vander replied without a hint of remorse nor surprise in his voice. He had known about the sick people. “Your scouts were the first, these are only the latest to meet their end here.”

  “Do you care nothing for these people who have supported you, whose brothers and sisters gave their lives to defend the Fae.”

  “I honor them,” said Vander. His voice was still calm, unusually so. “But we have also given our lives to save them. At Foothold, at Skyecliff. No more. If this is to be our home, our planet, then it is all important that we survive.”

  “This planet is not just for you,” Jak shot back. “It is a place for Fae and humans to live in harmony.”

  “And if all the Fae perish from exposure outside, or i
llness inside, then what was the point of creating this planet in the first place?”

  Jak glanced around to meet the eyes of those around her. The humans would understand, they would see that Vander clearly cared little for their wellbeing. But she saw no humans, none close enough to listen. The area was full of Fae. Gnomes, dwarves, Sky Fae, Shadow and Bright Elves. All of them surrounded Jak, the only human among them, apart from the scattered few closer to the entrance.

  “Vander, please,” she said, her voice dropping to something barely above a whisper. “Gabriel is dying. And he’s not the only one. The gnomes can make the room. Within a few weeks we can make these caverns big enough for all of us. Until then, can’t you make room for those who are ill.”

  Vander paused. Perhaps he would see reason. With the gnomes working on the walls, perhaps he could allow some compassion for those who needed it.

  “They would likely spread their diseases to us,” he said finally, and Jak’s heart dropped. “Perhaps when the caverns are large enough I will consider it.”

  Anger flared in Jak, and her face grew hot. “Who are you to decide? Who gave you the right?”

  “And who gave you the right?” Vander shot back. He was angry now too. “The only reason you were anything is because you were an anomaly, you had the ability to give multiple brands. But now you are nothing but a little girl entering the real world now, pouting because she can’t have her way.”

  That dug deep, but Jak kept a straight face. You are not done, Gabriel had said. She had to believe in herself the way Gabriel did.

  She took a deep breath. “Vander. I respect your wishes to protect yourself and the Fae. But what you are doing is only promoting more violence. If you continue, you will be attacked.”

  Vander’s eyes turned cold, and a tension rose up among the Fae that hadn’t been there before. “Is that a threat, Jak?”