As Winter Spawns

by Jason Hamilton

  “Good, now the only way you will have a chance at defeating Vander is if you strike early and strike hard. If not, he will wear you down and eventually break through your defenses. A defense, in this case, will only get you killed in the long run.”

  “Any suggestions?” Jak asked. “If I can’t see him.”

  “Shadow Elves cannot do too many things at once. It’s likely that if he attacks you, he will become visible for a short period of time. If you are ready for him when he does attack, you can catch him off guard and get in a good blow before he can disappear again.”

  Jak was about to respond, when she heard the slight crease of Skellig’s armor as the major lunged for another attack. Jak sidestepped this time, anticipating the direction of the blow, and bringing her own spear down. She didn’t hit anything, but she also didn’t get hurt. That was something at least.

  A sharp blow to one knee caused her to buckle and fall. Shortly thereafter she felt the butt of Skellig’s practice spear on Jak’s neck. “Vander will attack ferociously. Don’t expect him to back down after just one attack.”

  “But you said I would be able to see him.”

  “I said it’s possible. We have to practice under the assumption that you won’t. That’s the only way to build an advantage.”

  Jak got to her feet. “I understand. Let’s go again.”

  18

  They spent the rest of that evening, and a good portion of the following morning practicing. Though Skellig insisted on not pushing her too much, especially in the morning. Her excuse was that it would wear Jak out before the actual fight.

  Well, she was probably right. But that didn’t stop Jak from wanting to continue even after Skellig called a halt. Skellig still managed to break through Jak’s defenses all too often. Only once, literally once, had Jak managed to hit Skellig while wearing the blindfold. And despite Skellig’s congratulations and assurances that doing so was a very difficult task, she couldn’t help but realize that she had to have that same combination of luck and skill at the very beginning of the fight, or Vander would tear her to pieces.

  She didn’t see much of the others while she practiced. Seph showed up once in the morning, but disappeared shortly thereafter once Skellig bested Jak three times out of three. He was probably just worried for her. She would have to talk to him before the fight. Try to reassure him that she was doing what’s best, and that the others, humans and Fae, would be okay even if she died.

  A glance up at the sun, and Skellig insisted that they quit for the day and that Jak get something to eat. They walked to the place where a quartermaster was serving soup for the day. It was heavily watered down.

  Skellig allowed Jak a second ration, just in preparation for the fight. She didn’t complain, even though it would take away from someone, somewhere. But she needed every advantage she could get. And if she lost...well then they wouldn’t have to worry about her using up the rations ever again.

  Taking the soup with her, she retreated back to the makeshift shelter of her tent, looking for Seph. Seph wasn’t there so she continued on, her head swiveling from side to side in between large spoonfuls of soup.

  She finally found Seph back at the small clearing where Jak had been training, and where the battle would eventually take place. He was standing with his arms folded, looking out across the clearing, and to the snowy landscape beyond.

  “I’m sorry to put you through this,” she said as she approached him from behind.

  He didn’t act surprised, just turned his head to look at her. A ghost of his dazzling smile touched his lips, but it quickly faded. “I understand the need. I just wish it could be someone else.”

  “I thought you had faith in me?” she said, coming closer and squeezing him with one arm while keeping the soup in her other hand.

  “I do, and for once, that’s the problem.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean…” he broke off. “I don’t know what I mean. I feel like...like for the first time I’m conflicted. I do believe in you, and I believe you have a destiny beyond what you’ve already accomplished. But…”

  “But you’re still scared.” Jak concluded for him.

  “Yeah, I guess so. You may be surprised to learn that very little has scared me in the past. Even when Cain was fighting you on top of Mt. Knot. By comparison, this isn’t as bad as that, not even for you.”

  “Are you scared now because I don’t have my brands?”

  “Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s that we’ve come to fighting amongst ourselves. I never thought such a thing would happen. Illadar was supposed to be a place of peace. And now with Vander...and you getting caught up in it…”

  She set down the bowl of soup and put both arms around him. He responded by embracing her in a tight hug, one that almost seemed to meld them together. Then she leaned up and kissed him.

  “Marry me, Seph.” She said the words almost before she realized what they were. Seph looked at her, agape.

  “Ah, what?” he stammered.

  Jak almost took the words back. Marry him? She was probably about to die, fighting against an incredibly gifted opponent with nothing but a wooden stick. She couldn’t get married now. She couldn’t do that to Seph, could she?

  But the words had felt right, and they were right. She loved Seph. Sure, he wasn’t exactly the most aggressive man, or the most talented. But he was good. And he had never once done anything to hurt her, or to discourage her from being anything but her best.

  “Yes,” she said. “Marry me. I know I may or may not make it out of this alive. But if I do, there’s no one I want to be with more than you.”

  Seph gazed at her for a long time. Long enough that she began to wonder if he was okay and she hadn’t gone too far.

  But then he kissed her. Their lips met with a hard passion. She felt tingles run up and down her spine as Seph held her closer to his body, holding the kiss long enough that her breath began to come faster and faster.

  His hands moved lower, his mouth all but attacking hers with furious heat. She reciprocated his response, grabbing his hair and pulling his face down harder.

  When he finally let her go, every limb of her body was quivering with excitement. That had been, by far, the best kiss he had ever given her.

  “If that didn’t make it clear,” he said, that familiar grin spreading across his face. “That was a yes.”

  “Skellig!” Jak called as she ran back to where she had last seen the major by the quartermaster. Seph trailed behind her, his hand firmly enclosed in hers as she pulled him along. Skellig was still there, helping with the distribution of rations to a long line of people. At Jak’s hurried gait, she quickly stopped what she was doing and stepped away to talk to Jak.

  “What is it?” she asked. “More portals?”

  “No,” said Jak. “I need you to marry us.” She pulled Seph to her by the arm for emphasis.

  Skellig glanced at Seph, then at Jak, then back at Seph, then back at Jak again. “Are you serious? You’re about to…”

  “Yes, I know what I’m about to do, and yes, we’re serious.”

  Seph ran his free hand through his hair. “As a religious leader I’d perform it myself except since I’m the one getting married…”

  “You two really want to get married?” said Skellig, still stuck on the idea.

  “Did I not make that clear?” said Jak.

  Skellig stared at them for a moment longer, before a rare smile spread over her face. She laughed. “Jak, leave it to you to take me by surprise even after everything you’ve done. I would be happy to marry the two of you.”

  “Thank you, Skellig!” Jak felt like she was a young girl again, like the day when she had finally received her first brand. Excitement bubbled up inside of her.

  “Mind you, I haven’t actually officiated in a wedding before. Our circumstances are somewhat unusual. But I suppose if we could get a pair of witnesses and some kind of written record, then it doesn’t matter who performs the ce
remony.”

  Seph spoke up, “I’m sure Yewin and one of the Triad like Li, Bretton, or Mosaial would be happy to witness. But as to a written record, aren’t we short on paper?”

  “We are,” said Skellig. “But perhaps we could find a flat rock, or some leather that we could…”

  “I just had an idea,” said Jak. Without pausing to explain what she was thinking, she let go of Seph’s hand, and dashed back to her tent area. It took her some moments to get there, and a few more to find what she needed. Near the small shelter was a pile of belongings, including one pack that held all of Jak’s clothing and other items. She opened the drawstrings and fished inside for what she needed.

  Down at the bottom she finally found it. Her journal. It was old and weathered now, and she hadn’t used it in a long time, not since she had lost all her brands. But it still remained one of her most prized possessions, the result of all her research since she learned to read and write. And there were still several blank pages in the back.

  It was perfect.

  She backtracked to find Seph still standing where she had left him. “Skellig went off to find Yewin and another witness,” he said as she approached. “She said we should head to the edge of the camp, where we just were.”

  Jak smiled, “Where I’m going to fight Vander later?” she asked.

  “Ah yeah, that’s the one.”

  For some reason, that didn’t bother her. After all, it was as good of a place as any. And they wouldn’t have to worry about people crowding around them.

  Jak glanced at the sky as they hurried to the chosen spot. It was almost mid-day. Vander would be emerging from the caves soon. As much as she would have loved to savor the moment, they had to get this done. She would not wait until after the fight to get married. She needed this now. Needed to make that connection to Seph, even if they did not have the time nor privacy to connect on that level physically, at least she could know that he would be there after the fight with Vander. And if anything, that was exactly the motivation she needed.

  No, she would not abandon him now. He needed her, and she needed him. She wasn’t about to give that up.

  Skellig appeared shortly, accompanied by Yewin and Li. Li still didn’t look very good. Her face was a pale, almost green color, but her face smiled as she saw Jak and Seph.

  “I am so happy for you,” she said, her eastern accent more pronounced in her excitement.

  Jak smiled back. She didn’t know Li very well, but they shared a special connection ever since Jak had gone back in time and met the woman years earlier. Jak grinned inwardly as she remembered how the captain had mistrusted her back then. How things had changed.

  Yewin was also smiling at the both of them. “You have an odd sense of timing.” His light washed over them. “But I’m happy for you. I only wish we could enjoy this moment under better circumstances.”

  Seph squeezed Jak just a little harder. “I think that just means we’d better get on with it. Skellig?”

  Startled, Skellig started forward. “Of course. Did you have something where we can all sign to make it legally binding? Or at least as legal as we can manage in a time like this.”

  Jak reached out her hand holding the journal. “We can use the last page in this.”

  Skellig accepted the journal and the charcoal pencil that Jak offered next, after pulling it from her pouch. “I suppose this is as good as anything.” She scratched a few words into the paper, and gave it back to Jak for approval. She read what Skellig had written.

  This paper certifies that Jakniteksnewodheghoma and Seph of the eastern nations, are hereby joined together in wedlock, effective today, the eighteenth of Vel, in the year four-thousand, nine-hundred and seventy-nine after the years of our ancestors.

  There was a space for Jak and Seph to sign their names, as well as a space for Skellig and the two witnesses.

  Jak nodded, “I think it’s perfect.”

  “Well then,” said Skellig, spreading her feet apart and adopting a more rigid posture. “Do you have anything you wish to say to each other?”

  Jak blinked. She hadn’t thought about saying something. Everything was happening so fast that she’d just assumed Skellig would marry them and that would be it. But to her surprise, Seph spoke up immediately, “I do.”

  He broke their embrace to face her head on. She looked up into his gray eyes, those deep wells of goodness.

  “Jak,” he began. “I would like to thank you for having the courage to ask this of me. I know I haven’t always been the most aggressive with my own desires. I’ve always kind of assumed that I was a vessel to facilitate change, for the greater good, but at a sacrifice of my own wants. Today, you proved that didn’t have to be the case.”

  Jak smiled. It was true she would like it if he were a bit more aggressive in their relationship, and not just in moving it forward. But there was something truly good in the way he respected her as well, in the way he only did what she wanted of him. And that was enough for her.

  He paused for a moment, and Jak let him have a moment to think before continuing. “The truth is, I’ve wanted to be yours since the moment I saw you in the library at the College of Skyecliff, asleep after reading your book. Ever since then I knew you would be special. Not just for Illadar and the Fae, but for me. And you have been, Jak. You are the greatest person to ever enter into my life. And I love you more than I can possibly express in words.”

  Her hands were in his, otherwise she could have wiped away the small tear that crept out of the corner of her eye. Why did he have to be so sweet?

  “And if we make it through this, and you survive your fight with Vander, I promise to remain true to you for the rest of eternity. Not just in this life, but in the life to come. You won’t be able to get rid of me.”

  He grinned and she let out a soft laugh through her tears.

  “I guess all I’m saying, Jak. Is that I love you, and there’s nothing more that I want now than to marry you. And for once, I’m getting what I want, and I could not be happier.”

  He smiled as he ended his statement, and now looked to her expectantly. To her surprise, the words simply came to her. “I love you, Seph. I don’t think I truly understood what love was until you came into my life. I can see now what my father and mother must have felt, and understand how painful it must have been for them to part, even though it was necessary. I promise that I will never leave you. Not ever.” She emphasized that last part. She wasn’t just talking about loyalty, she was talking about her fight with Vander. She was not going to die and leave Seph without his wife.

  She didn’t have as much to say as Seph, but it seemed right. They both turned to Skellig, waiting.

  Skellig cleared her throat. “Well then, as a former major among the Watchers, and as military leader of this expedition, I declare you to be married. Let the witnesses observe this act today to be legally binding, to be kept in the records of...of Illadar, and to declare the love of these two people for all to know.”

  Both Yewin and Li nodded, their smiles radiating off of their faces.

  Before Skellig could give them any kind of go-ahead, Jak turned back to Seph, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and pulled him in for their first kiss as husband and wife.

  She hadn’t thought such a kiss would feel any different, but for some reason it did. Seph kissed back with a fervor that sent tingles down her spine. She wanted nothing more than to pull him closer and closer.

  After a few seconds, they broke the kiss. Jak smiled at him. They were married! “What would mother or father say if they could see me now?” she said aloud.

  “I think they do.” Seph gave her a comforting smile. “The dead are closer to us than we realize.”

  “One of your mysterious prophetic insights?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “No. Just a feeling.” He stared off into the distance for a moment before his eyes came back to her. “Today, the only thing I know for sure is that I love you.”

  She smiled and lea
ned in for another kiss before resting her head on his chest and letting her arms wrap around him as tightly as his did around her.

  “It’s almost time,” she said, noting the sun’s position high in the sky.

  “I know,” he replied, not breaking the embrace.

  “I’m not going to let him kill me.”

  This time he did break the embrace to stare into her eyes. “You’d better not.” A slight grin graced his face. She mirrored the grin back at him.

  19

  Word traveled fast that Jak was fighting Vander at mid-day, and her hasty marriage to Seph had already attracted onlookers. Soon, an enormous crowd surrounded the patch of ground outside the camp that had been cleared of snow for the fight. Skellig did what she could to keep people from crowding Jak, who spent the next few minutes perched on a rock, staring at the ground and letting her mind go blank. It was not an easy task.

  She had to remain focused. Now that she was joined with Seph, she had a far greater motivation than she had ever experienced in her life, even more than the times when she had used her brands and the Pillars of Eternity to create Illadar, or defend the Fae from the queen. This was something different. It was primal, born out of a place of pure charity for someone she loved. It was beyond what she thought possible to feel for another human being.

  But motivation wouldn’t help much if she couldn’t remember her training. Mentally she ran through everything she had learned over the years, first from Naem in her early days after leaving Riverbrook. What would Naem think if he was here now? Would he have accepted her choice to marry Seph? He had confessed that he still harboured feelings for her, shortly before leaving to recruit people from Skyecliff. But that seemed like a lifetime ago, and she was already in love with Seph by that point, though she hadn’t been ready to admit it yet.