As Winter Spawns

by Jason Hamilton

  As she neared the newcomers, she could see that the person walking toward her was a man, or at least something very similar. But his skin was different than a normal human. He had a kind of blue-gray look, and snow seemed to fall on him and stay, instead of melting from his body heat. His hair and beard were a bright white, contrasting starkly with his skin.

  There was something familiar about this person, whoever he was. Or at least, the way he walked and held himself seemed more like what she would expect from a human, despite the man’s more unexpected characteristics.

  But even as he came closer, more and more became familiar. He had on clothes that she recognized from people of their own group. And his face and beard…

  “Bretton!” she cried as she finally recognized the man.

  The gray-blue face split into a smile. “Jak,” he said. “It’s good to see you again. We weren’t sure if the others had survived this long, or if you had all become like us.”

  “How?” was all she managed to say in response. “I found you before. You were dead. Frozen solid.”

  “More of a cocoon, I think,” said Bretton. He still had that deep, strong voice. “I told you I have experience with such weather. It wouldn't take me that easily.” He winked at her.

  “But what happened?” Jak couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that this was really Bretton. But there he was, clearly the man that had accompanied her, leading his own people from the valley to this planet.

  “We’re not entirely sure,” he replied. “We were simply traveling before we suddenly found ourselves rooted to the spot, with ice forming all around us. But when it covered us completely, we were still able to breathe, and we quickly found our bodies adjusting to the cold in a way we had never felt before.”

  Something clicked in Jak’s mind. “You’ve become a Fae,” she said. “Sometimes the change is sudden like that. And what you did to those demons…”

  “Ah yes, that was a little something we discovered shortly after coming loose from our icy prisons. We now have a certain knowledge of that which is cold. We’re able to sense the building blocks of the world around us and make them slow down in a sense. It causes anything we desire to freeze. We can create temperatures far colder than what is natural, even on this planet.”

  “Incredible,” said Jak. She glanced back at her fellow scouts. “You’ll have to come explain everything to the others. I think they’re worried you’ll freeze them like you did to the demons.”

  Bretton let out a hearty laugh. “Very well, we can diffuse those fears at least.”

  12

  With a wave of his hand, Bretton signaled to the others of his kind to come join them. As they approached, Jak noticed that they all had the same blue-gray skin and white hair. There were both men and women, all of the scouts that had accompanied Bretton in the first place.

  They had to be Fae. That was undisputable. But what would they call this particular variety? Snow Fae? Ice Fae? The latter sounded better to Jak, but perhaps they had a name of their own that they wanted to use. And how had they formed? Was there a Relic buried nearby that had sparked their transformation? Somehow, Jak doubted that. Perhaps it was the planet itself, a planet that likely radiated magical energy so soon after its creation. The formation of new Fae species, thus far, had been unpredictable. Who was to say it happened the same way for these Ice Fae as it had for the others?

  The reunion of Bretton with the others was heartfelt. One of Bretton’s former followers was among those that accompanied Jak, and they were all happy to see that such a large group of people that were supposed to be dead, were in fact still alive. Only Girwirt seemed uneasy, though that was understandable, given the nature of Bretton’s Fae powers, polar opposites of what gnomes were capable of doing.

  “Ain’t right,” he said. “No one should have power over the cold. Too dangerous.”

  Jak looked down at the gnome and narrowed her eyes. “And just how is it any more dangerous than what you do?”

  “Because it is, simple as that,” responded Girwirt, as if that was sound reasoning.

  Bretton turned his attention to the two of them. “Don’t worry, little man. We bear no ill will towards you or your kin. In a way, we are very much alike. Our powers are not unlike your own but where you can create heat, we create frost.”

  Girwirt grumbled something about those two things being complete opposites. He said it under his breath but Bretton laughed anyway. “Yet we both deal in matters of climate and temperature. None of the others could say the same. So perhaps we’re more alike than you think.” He then turned to Jak and asked, “So I assume we return to the camp?”

  “I suppose so,” Jak replied. “We were supposed to continue for a few more days, but now that we’ve found you, all that has changed. The others should also know that there’s a chance of demon attacks.”

  “Good,” said Bretton. “Our supplies are running low and we were about to return to the camp anyway, though some of us were afraid of doing so. I hope the others don’t take our transformation as too much of a shock.”

  “Skellig won’t, but I can’t speak for the others, like the other humans from the valley.”

  “Those of my company will follow me, but I can’t speak for the others.” Bretton said, rubbing his icy chin.

  “They’ve seen other Fae before, I imagine they would be okay with this.”

  “Yes, and many even seemed eager to become Fae. And we’ve become immune to the cold, which I imagine would be an attractive position right about now.

  Jak nodded, “It would indeed. There have been...tensions since you left. Vander isn’t letting most humans into the caves and things are escalating. Some good news is exactly what we need.”

  “Well then, we can only hope they take it as good news.”

  “Agreed,” said Jak. “When do you want to set out?”

  “Well, you say the others don’t know of the demons falling from the sky?”

  “They’ve seen those portals before, but to my knowledge they don’t know about the demons, unless something has happened since I left.”

  “Then I suggest we leave now.”

  They arrived back in the camp towards the end of the next day. Jak told the new Ice Fae to stay behind while she broke the news to Skellig. The major, to her credit, took the news very well. It was good to know that those they had presumed dead were still, in fact, alive. And not only that, but they didn’t need shelter or warmth to survive in the cold.

  The general public took more time to get used to Bretton and his crew, though they were encouraged when most of Bretton’s tribe received him back with open arms. In fact, most of them were almost jealous of Bretton. He now had advantages that they did not have, one that could spell the difference between survival on this planet and a cold death.

  But what Jak really wanted to see was Vander’s reaction to the news. He seemed to value the Fae so highly, so what would he say when he discovered that more humans had become Fae. Would he welcome them in the same way that he welcomed all the others? Not that the Ice Fae needed shelter in the caves, but perhaps they didn’t need to tell Vander anything about that just yet.

  Yewin agreed to enter the caves and ask Vander to come out for an audience with Skellig. Jak stood with the major at the mouth of the caves.

  Yewin exited, and Jak held her breath. To her relief, she saw Vander emerge immediately after the Bright Elf, though his face bore a scowl, and a look that suggested they were wasting his time. Jak tried to catch his eye, but he was purposely not looking at her. Apparently he still held a grudge against her for their last conversation.

  “What is it?” he said, striding forward until he was several feet away from Skellig. “Do you intend to shorten our rations again? I warn you that we will take them off your hands if you even attempt it.”

  Starting out with a threat. That wasn’t a good sign at all. What would they do if Skellig increased the pressure on them? Would they kill the major? Shadow Elves made great as
sassins, but she couldn’t think that even Vander would stoop that low.

  Skellig, to her credit, remained calm. “We thought you should know about something that happened to some of our scouts.” She waved a hand and the soldiers behind her parted to let Bretton and a few of the other Ice Fae through.

  Vander’s eyes narrowed as he took in their strange skin and white hair, but otherwise failed to react. “I assume you’re going to claim these are some new type of Fae.”

  “They are. We’re calling them Ice Fae, and they changed here on this planet.”

  “Well how convenient for you. Perhaps you won’t die of exposure after all, but will turn into these Ice Fae. You see, there was no reason to fear.”

  Jak grimaced. Vander was not a fool. He recognized instantly that the Ice Fae would be immune to the cold, or close to it.

  Bretton opened his mouth to speak. “And if that were true, and everyone became as we are now, would you welcome us?”

  “There would be no need,” replied Vander with a shrug. “You don’t need the security of these caves. Perhaps they would even be too warm for you.”

  “But would you welcome them?” emphasized Jak. Vander turned his head slowly to look at her for the first time. She continued, “would you treat them as your own, and care for them in the same way that you claim to care for the rest of the Fae?”

  The corner of Vander’s mouth twitched, and Jak knew she had finally caught him in a conflict. He wouldn’t accept people he considered, at least on some level, to be enemies, even when those enemies changed to become Fae, the people he claimed to defend.

  “I do not have time for silly hypotheticals,” he said, half turning away from them. “When your entire company transforms into these Ice Fae as you call them, contact me again and then we’ll decide what to do.” He turned fully to head back into the caves.

  Jak’s lips tightened into a thin line. She opened her mouth to retort. “There are demons here.”

  That got Vander’s attention. He whirled around to face her. “What do you mean?”

  “Those strange disks that appeared some days ago? They’re not random. They’re portals. Someone on earth is trying to open a stable gateway between our worlds, like what I used to bring us here. And they’re sending demons through.”

  Vander advanced on her, taking slow, meaningful steps. “We did not see these portals that you describe. We only heard the commotion from inside.”

  “I can confirm that they…” Yewin began.

  “Shut up, Bright Elf!” barked Vander. Why did he look at Jak with such venom in his eyes?

  “Yewin’s right. Anyone who was outside when it happened saw it. There are thousands of witnesses.” Jak folded her arms, trying to keep herself from backing down as Vander advanced on her.

  “Human witnesses, and those loyal to them,” he shot a look of pure hatred at Yewin. Why was he so mad? What had Jak said to upset him so? Vander came closer. “And now, your Gifter friends would raise a demon army against me.”

  “What?” It wasn’t Jak who spoke, but Skellig. She took three full steps toward Vander. “You honestly believe that we would stoop so low as to create demons just so we could...what? Kill you? Drive you out of the caves? We could do that with far less effort on our own.”

  “I’d like to see you try, you pompous sack of self-righteous trash!” Vander spat. His hand strayed to his side where Jak knew his daggers were.

  “Please!” she yelled. Neither Vander nor Skellig so much as glanced at her. “We can’t keep doing this. Vander, you know we would never raise a demon army. There are demons coming through portals, we’re telling the truth, and that’s it. If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is wait and you’ll see them for yourself.” “I am done with you people,” growled Vander, still not looking at Jak. “Always coming to me and begging for my assistance, or that of the others. I am done. For anyone who truly is Fae, and who renounces their allegiance to our oppressors, we will allow them to stay in the caves.” He waved a hand at Bretton. “But I doubt this lot will need it, just as I doubt they would choose to ally with us.”

  And with that, he turned on his heel and strode back through the cave entrance, leaving the rest of them to gawk and wonder what had just happened.

  13

  The next few days went by without incident, at least compared to what they had experienced recently. Jak waited with hope beyond hope for news from the other scouting parties. If even one of them brought news of another suitable shelter, they could potentially diffuse this situation with Vander.

  But one by one, the scouting parties returned with nothing but dire news. Only one had discovered anything of value, a cliff overhang that provided some shelter from the elements, but not enough for all seven thousand of them. And it wasn’t like a cave that could be insulated and heated from the inside. Still, it was something.

  “Permission to send as many of our number as will fit,” Jak said to Skellig once the scout had finished reporting. They were in Skellig’s tent, along with a handful of others, including Yewin who had essentially been kicked out of the caves for his open allegiance to “the oppressors” as Vander put it. He was the only Fae to remain outside, other than the newly formed Ice Fae, and the trolls, who still seemed to care little about what was going on. They simply patrolled the camp, sometimes pausing in place for literal days.

  “Permission denied,” Skellig responded, her face grim.

  “But—”

  “I can’t justify sending anyone away at the moment, not with Vander presenting such a threat.”

  Yewin jumped in, “I do believe he will leave us alone if we do not provoke him.”

  “Well it’s too late for that,” said Skellig.

  “What do you mean?” asked Jak.

  “As of today I am officially cutting off their food supply. I only waited these last few days so I could prepare for his inevitable response.”

  Jak’s face went pale. “You’re preparing an ambush.”

  Skellig nodded. “And it won’t be easy. We’re expecting some, if not all of the Shadow Elves to come out and steal what they can while disguising themselves. We’ve got Telekinetics, Strongarms, and a few others ready to lock down that entire area of need be.”

  “But you know he would consider that an act of war. People could die.”

  Skellig took a slow step towards her, so that they faced each other head on. “Jak, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I can say with some certainty that yes, people will die. And there’s no getting around that. My priority now is to make sure that as few people die as possible. And that means seizing control of these caves.”

  “Wait, what?” Jak said. “You said you were just cutting off their supplies. Now you want to take back the caves?”

  “We need to teach Vander and anyone loyal to him that they don’t own such luxuries, physically superior as they are. A message must be sent that everyone has an equal right to those caves.”

  Yewin spoke next, “I hate to say it, Jak, but I think Skellig is right. We can’t just allow Vander to continue down this path that he has chosen. It’s unfortunate, but he brought this upon himself.”

  “But we’ve already lost so many in the fight against Cain, or against the queen. We can’t start fighting each other, no matter what the cost.”

  “We have little choice in this matter, Jak.” responded Skellig, her face a mixture of sorrow and determination. “By not taking action, we will simply remain exposed to the elements until most of us die. Expanding the cave doesn’t do anyone any good if Vander will not permit access, and it cannot be expanded fast enough to prevent losing people out here in the cold.”

  “And what if I were to offer you an alternative,” Jak replied hastily.

  Both Skellig and Yewin paused, but they stared at her expectantly. “Such as?” Skellig said after a moment of waiting.

  “Ah…” Jak hadn’t exactly thought this through, but she did immediately latch onto one theory that had been b
rewing for a while. “The portals,” she said. “We know that demons have managed to come through.”

  “So you say,” interrupted Skellig. “We have yet to see any of these demons ourselves.”

  “I know, but that’s probably because very few make it through. I wouldn’t be surprised if the four that we fought with were the only ones, and besides, they can only come through wherever the portals are appearing, and that could be anywhere.”

  “So how does this help us?” asked Yewin. He didn’t seem impatient when he said it. In fact, he was considering her with a curious expression on his shining face.

  “Well, if demons can come through from Earth to Illadar. Maybe we could find a way to use them to get from Illadar back to Earth.”

  Now Skellig understood. She tilted her head back and nodded slightly in comprehension. “I see. And your plan would be…”

  “To retrieve the Pillars of Eternity for starters.” said Jak. “And possibly send more food and medicine back here, as well as any other resources we lack.”

  For a moment, it almost looked like they were considering her proposal. Yewin rubbed his chin with his hand, and Skellig stared off into space for a time, thinking it through, before finally meeting Jak’s eyes again.

  “I’m sorry, Jak. But that is too much of a long shot. If you want to figure out how it can be done, then by all means go for it. But we can’t delay our plans against the Shadow Elves just because you have a theory, one that would take time and involves too many unknowns.”

  Jak’s heart sank, “We can’t fight each other,” she said, desperate now. “Any other option is worth the risk.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t see any other choice. You don’t even know where those portals are going to appear, and none of them stay open long enough for anyone to get through.”

  Jak opened her mouth to protest further, to say that they could not shrug aside the portals, since they represented a threat from Cain. If the demon king managed to create a stable gateway between their worlds, they would have far more threatening things to deal with than Vander and his hatred of humans.