As Winter Spawns

by Jason Hamilton

  And she did get rest. Viona quickly informed her, following the battle, that she had been selected as the new leader of the Shadow Elves, and that Jak was welcome to rest in the caves. Jak took her up on the offer, but only for the first two days. After that, she insisted, despite Li and Skellig’s protests, that she be moved outside to allow someone else to take her spot in the shelter.

  Besides, the outside was where all the excitement was happening anyway. On Jak’s suggestion, the Ice Fae were beginning to build a dome of ice that would eventually extend for more than a mile away from the caves, possibly further, giving them plenty of room to live.

  Most of the space in the caves was now being used by the gnomes and dwarves to plant and harvest as many mushroom as possible. Skellig had slowed the rations down to a quarter of what they once were, and they still did not have enough resulting in more people falling sick. But they had extended the date that they would run out of food by several weeks. And if they could grow enough mushrooms, they might be able to hold that off indefinitely though it would be a long while before they ever had more than the bare minimum to eat.

  Jak met with each of the council members, including every Fae representative daily now, usually from where she and Seph slept. Her new husband had been the greatest source of joy in the days following her battle with Vander. He had never once complained about waiting on her every need. It provided her with more motivation than ever to heal and find some private time with the man. Though there was little of that to be had.

  On the fourth day following the battle, she managed to spend some time walking around the ice walls that the Ice Fae were forming. They already towered above her head some twenty feet. The Fae were building it in an arc, so that it would eventually connect with a similar wall several hundred yards away. Some of the gnomes and dwarves were helping to construct large piles of rock that would help to support the ice dome, though Bretton assured them that the ice would remain extremely solid once they bridged the two walls.

  It was a marvel of engineering, and one that Jak couldn’t help but stare at in awe.

  “It’s something, isn’t it?” said Skellig. The woman approached Jak from the direction of her tent, which was now almost completely covered by the arching ice barrier. Jak was pleased to see that the woman looked far less pale, and even bore a soft smile on her face.

  “It is,” said Jak. “Any word on when it will be finished?”

  “Bretton says it will be completed in two to three weeks. We’ve survived for longer, so we can probably stay alive long enough for that to happen. Then we’ll have all the shelter we need for some time.”

  Jak smiled. “And if we manage to harvest more mushrooms...”

  “We’ll all be sick of them,” Skellig grinned, “but we will be alive. And that’s more than I could have hoped for a week ago.”

  Just then, Jak saw Noralim running towards them from behind Skellig, huffing and puffing as he moved his small but stocky body as fast as his little legs could carry him. Jak frowned as he approached. He did not look very happy.

  “What is it, Noralim?” she asked. Skellig turned to look at the dwarf as he arrived.

  “It’s Girwirt,” he said once he stopped and caught his breath. “I don’t know what to do about him. He’s not eating and he won’t come in out of the cold.”

  “He’s outside the walls?” Jak asked.

  Noralim nodded.

  “Well can’t he make enough heat to keep himself warm?” asked Skellig, her eyebrows furrowing.

  This time Noralim shook his head. “He hasn’t used his abilities since killing Vander. He won’t talk to me either, which is not like him. Oh please, young Jak, please help him. I’ve been trying for days but I’m afraid he’ll die if he doesn’t find warmth or food.”

  Jak locked her jaw. Whatever Girwirt was suffering, whether it was shock or guilt or something else entirely, Jak could probably relate. “Of course, I’ll go talk to him.” Noralim led her away from the camp, far enough that the sound of everyone working began to fade, replaced by the gentle whistle of a cold wind. Skellig remained behind.

  It didn’t take long for Jak to catch sight of Girwirt. The little gnome was sitting with his back to Jak. His flaming hair that usually stuck straight up, and gleamed a furious red, now seemed dull and flat. His shoulders were slumped, and even a thin layer of snow lay on his clothing, as though the wind had dusted him and he never bothered to move or brush it off.

  “Hello, Girwirt,” she said as she approached.

  The gnome said nothing in return. Only his head turned slightly to acknowledge her presence.

  Jak made a small hand motion to Noralim to indicate he stay back and let her handle this. She took a few steps forward. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

  Girwirt grunted something inaudible.

  “We’re concerned for you. What you did to Vander, it saved my life. You don’t have to feel bad about it.”

  Still the gnome said nothing. So Jak knelt and put one hand on the ground so she could sit, wincing as the wound in her leg protested.

  “You have to eat something and come back to the caves,” she said, trying again. “You’ll die out here.”

  “About what I deserve,” said the gnome. His usual sharp, high-pitched tone was soft and forlorn.

  “You saved my life, Girwirt,” said Jak.

  “Doesn’t make it okay,” he bit back at her.

  Jak opened her mouth to retort, but stopped herself. No, he was right. Killing someone even to save someone else didn’t make it okay. It justified the act, perhaps, but she could understand what Girwirt was going through.

  “I suppose not,” she said instead. “I wish I could tell you that it gets better. But I’ve killed people I didn’t want to kill. I would have killed Vander too if it had come to that. But that would not have made killing right. Killing is never right.”

  A sudden sniff caused her to look sharply at the gnome. He was wiping his nose. “No one looks at me the same,” he said. “They wonder who I’ll kill next.”

  “Oh Girwirt,” Jak couldn’t help herself. She wrapped the small gnome in her arms and felt his cold body shake against hers. “They don’t think that. No one blames you for what you did.”

  “Not yet, but what if things get bad again? What if there’s another Vander? What if I’m another Vander.”

  Jak closed her eyes. “That won’t happen, because I know you. You’re not the kind of gnome to throw away reason for your own pride. Vander wanted power, and he thought himself superior to the rest of us. You are not like that.”

  “Sometimes I am,” Girwirt confessed. Jak looked at him but continued to hold him close until he spoke again. “There are times when I think of you giants as stupid, and that I hate you for what happened to us in our mountain. I agreed with Vander sometimes. I thought we should have the caves for ourselves. We were meant to live in caves anyway.”

  “So what changed?” Jak prompted.

  Girwirt didn’t say anything at first, but his arms eventually rose so that he was hugging Jak back. “I’m sorry for all the bad things I’ve said about you before,” he said, his voice quivering. “I think you’re a good giant.”

  Jak’s heart melted. She had never held the gnome’s snide comments against him, but it was nice to know that he cared, and that it was their relationship, however strange, that had resulted in his change of attitude towards her and other humans.

  “Thank you, Girwirt,” she said, hugging him tighter.

  “You can’t link,” said Girwirt back to her.

  Jak was caught off guard by the sudden change in the topic. “What?” “I just tried linking with you, and I couldn’t do it,” he replied.

  “You...what?” She hadn’t felt a thing. “That’s dangerous, Girwirt. You know that linking with me, if we don’t have a troll around to provide the energy we need, it could kill you.”

  “But you can’t do it,” he repeated.

  “Well no, it’s beca
use of the Void brand.” She raised her right hand to show it to him. “Yewin and I tried to link right after we got here, and it didn’t work then either. Void brands apparently block linking as well.”

  Noralim had edged closer through the conversation and was wringing his hands. “You mustn’t try to link with a human unaided, Girwirt, it can be dangerous for us. You know that. But…” he looked like he was changing his mind about being so demanding with the gnome. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better at least.”

  A thought occurred to Jak. “Girwirt, why did you want to link?”

  Girwirt shrugged. He still wasn’t back to his usual pessimistic, grumbling self, but at least his face wasn’t a mask of depression anymore. “I don’t know, honestly. Sometimes when we link, we share something that I like. Like I can feel what you’re feeling.”

  “Ah yes,” said Noralim, a little more encouraged now that Girwirt was talking normally again, and relieved that Girwirt hadn’t tried to link in order to hurt himself. “That is common in links.” He said addressing Jak. “We often share one another’s...awareness, one might say. We can’t read minds, per se, but it does provide us with some measure of comfort knowing we’re part of something larger.”

  Jak nodded. “It’s the same for me as well. I can’t really put into words what it was like when I created this planet.”

  “Even though it’s not complete,” said Girwirt, offhandedly. “Where are the plants, the animals, the warm air. It’s like the planet is broken.”

  Jak began nodding slowly. “Yes, that’s true. After all, there are supposed to be more Fae, and I built this planet before we had them all, so naturally there would be a few things missing.”

  “Yes, but even with one more, it’s not exactly helping.” said Girwirt. “We’re still struggling to find basic things like food.”

  Jak paused. “Say that again, Girwirt.”

  “I said we’re still struggling to find food.”

  “No, I mean the other thing. You said we have one more. One more what?”

  “One more Fae, of course.” Girwirt narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you sure you’re recovered from all those hits to the head?”

  Jak smiled, momentarily grateful to have the old Girwirt back. But what the gnome had said quickly took precedence. They had another Fae now, the Ice Fae, a new race that hadn’t been present at the formation of Illadar. They had developed after.

  Jak rose to her feet, feeling pain stab through her leg and chest at the sudden movement. “Girwirt, I think you’re brilliant.”

  She began walking as fast as her bad leg would allow, back towards the main camp. Girwirt got to his feet and began walking after her, followed closely by Noralim, who was practically skipping at seeing his friend feeling better and coming back into the camp.

  Girwirt trotted to keep up with her, even though she was moving slower than usual. “Well you know I’m brilliant, and I know I’m brilliant, but what exactly are you on about this time?” he asked.

  “The Ice Fae. They weren’t there when we created Illadar.” Jak replied. “Which means they could be a next step in the process of creation. Perhaps they could help heal the world in a way.”

  “How?” said the gnome. “They make things cold. That’s not exactly something this world needs right now, we have plenty of that.”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Jak. “But I’ll bet the two of you could figure it out.” She turned to give Girwirt and Noralim a slight wink.

  “How do you mean?” This time it was Noralim who spoke.

  “Well, it’s like you said, when you link with someone you gain insight about their abilities. I can’t link, so that leaves you two and any of the other Fae who want to join in.”

  Just then, she caught sight of Bretton at the edge of the wall, his arms out and his face a mask of concentration as he drew in moisture from the air to become part of the barrier.

  “Bretton,” she called as they neared. The Ice Fae glanced up from his work. He quickly let down his hands and the wall ceased to grow. “We need to talk.”

  22

  “Jak,” he said in a booming voice, his eyes welcoming her with a warmth that did not match his Fae abilities. “I’m glad to see you up and walking about.”

  “I’m feeling much better,” said Jak, though it was only partially true. Her chest ached, and her leg was going to give way soon if she did not sit down again. But at least she could move.

  “What can I do for you?” said Bretton.

  “Well, have you ever linked before?”

  Jak told him about her conversation with Girwirt and Noralim, and about how linking worked. Most humans couldn’t link, and she couldn’t since receiving the Void brand, but Fae could link with other Fae. And perhaps that would give them the knowledge they needed to save themselves on this frozen rock.

  “I must admit, I knew nothing of this link before you said something,” said Bretton. “I’d be willing to give it a try with the gnome if it’s alright with him. After all, we seem to share a common element regarding our Fae abilities.”

  Girwirt narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure I want someone who can freeze me solid with a touch to…”

  “Oh don’t worry about that, Girwirt, give it a shot.” Jak literally pushed Girwirt forward so he was standing closer to Bretton. For a brief moment, there was an awkward silence.

  “I’m afraid you will have to show me how it’s done, little gnome,” said Bretton. “You have the experience after all.”

  “Oh,” Girwirt seemed taken aback. “Well it’s no trouble, really. All you do is clasp hands,” he reached one arm forward, and Bretton immediately took the smaller fist in his. “Then you just open up.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean?” said Bretton, his eyebrows drawn together.

  “It’s really simple, once you get the hang of it,” said Noralim. “Girwirt, why don’t you initiate the link this time so he can understand how it feels?”

  Girwirt shrugged but said nothing. Just a few moments later Bretton’s eyes widened. “Well, now that is interesting,” he said. “Utterly fascinating.”

  “What is it?” Jak asked, eager to know more. What would it be like to link with an Ice Fae? “There’s something there,” said Girwirt, his own eyes open wide. “Something to do with the air.”

  “Yes, I see that,” said Bretton, concentrating. “The wind and air is determined by shifts in temperature. Perhaps with the Ice Fae and gnomes together, we could…”

  “We could change the weather,” said Girwirt. His eyes grew even wider, and he let go of Bretton. All trace of his more cynical side was gone. “We would have control over the elements.”

  Jak’s mind began racing. Okay, so perhaps the Ice Fae were some kind of missing link, one that could help them normalize the weather patterns here. It was something for sure, even though it still wouldn’t help them with the food situation, other than maybe generate an environment more friendly to mushrooms.

  “Okay,” she said. “I think we should get some of the other Fae in on this. The Sky Fae will certainly be interested in helping, and we should have at least one troll as well, to provide you with any additional energy that you might need. In fact, we might as well have all the Fae link.”

  “For what purpose?” said Bretton. “To change the weather? If it gets too warm, the barrier will melt.”

  “If it gets warm enough, we won’t need it,” said Jak. ”And it’s not just for us. This planet is unfinished. We need you to heal it.” Bretton raised his arms, palms outward. “Well I’m willing to help. But I’m not sure we’ll be able to do much, considering you won’t be able to guide the link, and you don’t have the Pillars of Eternity like you did last time.” “I know, but the Fae haven’t needed a human for their link to work. Dwarves and gnomes have been doing it for generations to make armor, weapons, and such. We should at least be able to improve the climate.”

  Girwirt was looking far more excitable than usual, especially considering he had
been willing to let himself die not long before. “Well, this can only mean one thing,” he said.

  “What’s that, Girwirt,” asked Noralim.

  “I’m going to need some mushrooms.”

  After the gnome ate his fill of mushrooms, or as much as they could spare anyway, Jak called a meeting of the council just outside the caves. Skellig, Seph, Mosaial, Li, and herself represented the different groups of humans, while Viona, Yewin, Girwirt, Noralim, Perchel, Rael, and Bretton represented the Shadow Elves, Bright Elves, gnomes, dwarves, Sky Fae, trolls, and Ice Fae respectively. Last to arrive was Amelia, pulled along by several humans in her water-bearing wagon.

  Jak couldn’t help but smile as she saw her friend pulled into view. It had been so long since she had talked to Amelia.

  “You know what I never thought I’d say?” Amelia said, leaning over the edge of her wagon as it approached. “That I actually miss the cold air. It gets stuffy in there.”

  “You got to watch the fight,” Jak pointed out.

  “Yeah, and it was pretty brutal from what I could see, probably worse than I thought, now that I can see all the colors of the rainbow on your face.”

  Jak chuckled, feeling her spirits lifting already. But that quickly faded as she caught sight of Viona’s face. The Shadow Elf was not smiling, and it didn’t take long for Amelia to notice as well, quickly stopping her mirth. What had happened to Vander was not a laughing matter, and no one knew that more than the Shadow Elves.

  “Apologies, Viona,” said Jak, then waited for a nod before continuing. “I asked all of you to come here because we need to talk about the Ice Fae.”

  She then went on to explain about the importance of the link, and how the Ice Fae might be able to help heal the weather patterns on the planet, when connected to the gnomes, Sky Fae, and other races.

  “It sounds promising,” said Yewin. “Though honestly not what I expected you to talk to us about.”