by K T Munson
The Temple was overrun with wounded refugees. Not a single pew or square inch of floor was empty. Exhausted healers and medical experts, and a few of the capable wounded, looked up when she entered. They followed her with their eyes for a few moments as she was led to the left side of the sanctuary and through another, smaller set of silver doors. Past them was a wide stone staircase that spiraled down to the basement where natural research took place.
Darha had always hated it down here. It smelled funny and there were a lot of restrictions in a lot of areas. You couldn’t touch anything in some rooms for fear of contaminating the work. Today, however, she strolled down the white, smooth limestone hallway with hope and joy. There was no place she’d rather be at the moment.
The soldiers led her to the right side and, at the end of the hall, more people and soldiers waited. Coor was already there, standing outside the door with his arms crossed, talking to one of the Dersers. When he saw Darha and her party coming down the hall, he excused himself and went quickly to meet them.
“Hey,” he said and kissed Darha’s cheek. He leaned in to kiss Thea’s lips, but paused and looked at her face in concern. “You haven’t slept,” he said rather than asked.
“Like I had time,” Thea responded and leaned in to kiss her husband’s lips quickly. “Let’s go,” Thea said, gesturing impatiently toward the room. “We have to figure out if this mess is fixable.”
Everyone filed into the oval-shaped, brown, stone room. Darha liked this room the most out of the entire basement. It wasn’t so white and sterile feeling. There was actual warmth to the stone. Long silver tables were set up in a ‘U’ shape where some officials were already gathered, along with prominent figures like Fitzu and Kimbro, the regional leaders, and the four province overlords from the north, south, east and west. Everyone in there bowed low at the waist as Darha entered.
“Ladies. Gentlemen,” Darha said, acknowledging their sign of respect in the strongest voice she could muster. She held tightly to the image of fierceness she’d seen in Thea’s eyes just outside the Temple, and it doubled her determination. If Thea could still be strong after no sleep for two days, Darha could be strong now.
Coor pulled out Darha’s chair in the center of the head table, and she sat down. Thea took a seat to Darha’s left, and Coor sat on her right. All the regional leaders and overlords took a seat after that, looking toward the front where Dorsh, the head researcher of the Derser Rects, stood amongst a lot of paperwork and charts. He appeared nervous, or perhaps scared. He was a short man in his early forties, with thinning orange hair. He was skinny throughout his whole body, save for the small pot belly which seemed a little out of place on his thin frame. He had large, sensitive brown eyes that reminded Darha of a nervous deer.
“My Queen,” he said, his voice shaking. “Prince Coor. Lady Thea. These disasters have proven quite a challenge to diagnose.” He swallowed heavily. “And I’m afraid the diagnosis is…” He paused, and Darha’s heart leapt up into her throat. “Catastrophic.”
Nervous glances and murmurs went around the room. Darha herself even shot one at Coor and Thea. Coor returned the glance, but Thea’s light gray eyes just narrowed on Dorsh, and Darha wondered for a second if Thea was afraid of anything, anything at all.
“Get on with the explanation,” Thea said firmly.
Dorsh hastily bowed once. “Of course, Lady Thea.” He turned toward the wall behind him and pulled down what looked like map of the planet, including the Frost Nation to the south, only with a new dark line surrounding both nations that cut through some of the land as well as the sea, in an irregular shape around the two nations.
Dorsh faced the ensemble again. “As we all know, the planet the Gods gave us runs on its own self-sustaining cycles. The Sun heats the world and water. Water evaporates, which later turns into rain. The rain cools the planet again. Cycles like that occur all around us all the time, whether we notice them or not. It’s the Gods at work.” Dorsh’s brows furrowed in fear. “What we have learned recently thanks to the samples, particularly the samples the Frost Nation sent us, is that there is another cycle we were not aware of happening under us.”
“Under us?” Fitzu asked.
Dorsh nodded. “We do not have all the details yet—we may not have all the details in two lifetimes—but what we know so far is that under the ground of the planet, there is another cycle that destroys and renews the very land of our planet.”
“What is this new cycle’s process?” Thea asked.
“Very deep underground, below even the sea level in some places, the current land is being melted into the lava that erupts from our volcanos. Now, if that were happening without some land renewal someplace, we would have run out of land eons ago. If the planet is melting its own land, where is more land coming from?” Dorsh pointed to the black line on the map. “Thanks to high levels of sulfur we found in the Frost Nation’s ocean, where no aboveground volcanic activity is seen, we have made the conclusion that there are underwater volcanos, and they all run along this black line on the map around both of our nations.”
Darha glanced over at Coor and Thea again. “What does this cycle beneath the planet have to do with these disasters on the surface?”
“It’s given us a point of origin.”
Darha’s eyes went a little wide, “Which is?”
Dorsh pointed to Rask, a large island in the northern volcanic island chains. Darha’s heart sped up because that was the only island on the entire planet that held a mega-volcano. That volcano had been dormant since before the dawn of time, which was a good thing—since it was the only volcano with the power to destroy the planet with one eruption.
Darha leaned forward in her chair and pressed the tip of her finger a little too hard into the table top. “Are you telling me the volcano on Rask is active?”
Dorsh swallowed heavily and nodded, “Yes.”
Loud chatter erupted suddenly as panic went around the entire room. Darha was lost in her own silent thoughts for a moment, thinking the world was about to end, when she noticed Dorsh trying to calm the mass and say something.
“Be silent!” Darha yelled without looking away from Dorsh. The room went silent immediately. “What are you saying, Rector?”
Dorsh brushed his hand across his sweaty forehead. “There might be a way to stop it.” Murmurs erupted again as Dorsh met Darha’s eyes desperately. “There is a chance that the volcano can be cooled.” Curious noises went around this time, and Dorsh swallowed heavily, clearly having a hard time getting the next words out. “With the help of the Frost Nation.”
Angry sounds erupted in the room. Fists went flying into the air and accusing fingers pointed at the head Derser. Dorsh looked afraid as some soldiers threatened to kill him, others called him a traitor, many called for his execution. Darha’s teeth clenched as she stared at the top of the table. She didn’t know what to do. Anger was not an emotion with which she was well acquainted.
“Did you not hear the Queen!” Thea suddenly yelled and jumped up from her chair. The noised in the room dimmed. “Be silent! Or I will execute every one of you myself!”
Darha’s eyes shifted up to Dorsh’s. He held his hands out to her pleadingly. “It’s the only hope we have, your majesty,” he said in a small voice.
Darha took in a deep breath and looked back down at the table top. “Everyone out,” she called sharply. Soft murmurs went around the room. “Everyone out except the four regional overlords, Kimbro, Fitzu, Coor, and Thea. You all stay. We will discuss these matters without the risk of further outbursts.”
Darha didn’t take her eyes off the tabletop as the soldiers and regional leaders all filed out. Coor followed and closed the door behind them. The silence wrapped around Darha’s throat, choking her. Thea lifted a chair and put it on the other side of the table, then slid herself over the top of it, landing on the opposite side, and sat down again, this time facing Darha. Kimbro, Fitzu, and the overlords all gathered closer around the Queen as
well.
Darha looked at Dorsh again. “Rector, are you sure about this?”
Dorsh nodded. “Yes, your majesty. The recent disasters are all linked to the heating of the Rask Island volcano.”
“How?”
Dorsh pointed to Rask Island on the map. “As you can see, this black line we have drawn around our planet, lines up with all visible volcanos on the surface. It only stands to reason that there are also volcanos under the water along this line.” He faced Darha again. “Or there could be fissures, or cracks of some kind. We aren’t completely sure without further studies. They don’t have to be the cone-shaped volcanos we are accustomed to seeing on the surface, but”—he returned to the map— “either way, as the surface volcanos act as vents for the immense pressure and heat under the land, so do these underwater anomalies.” He looked back at the small crowd. “The amount of sulfur in our ocean, and the Frost Nation’s ocean, and our natural springs, could only come from massive volcanic activity that only the mega-volcano on Rask could be responsible for. One of the regular volcanos in the north, even the largest one, Tamon, could not be responsible for as much devastation as Rask has put out already.” Dorsh dragged his pointer along the black line of the map. “The activity of Rask has caused a chain reaction along this entire black line, affecting everything in its wake.” He turned his attention to Darha again. “The sulfur output from Rask, even in just six months of activity without a full eruption, would cause a massive amount of sulfur, not only in our water, but in the air. The excess sulfuric gases in the air are causing the hotter days we’ve experienced, thus causing the excess storms, and putting the weather patterns out of whack.”
“What about the quakes?” Thea asked.
“That is why, Lady Thea, we believe these underwater vents are actually cracks, or fissures, rather than traditional cone-shaped volcanos. We believe the masses of land on either side of these fissures are moving…floating, if you will…on top of the lava under the ground. Because they are not stable, they are crashing into each other, causing the quakes.”
“The tidal waves?” Coor asked.
Dorsh nodded. “Those are the result of the quakes under the ocean. When the land moves suddenly in a quake, it displaces those tons and tons of water in the ocean. That water has to go somewhere, so it comes inland, where there is room for it.”
Darha let out a short breath. “And cooling the Rask volcano will stop these disasters?”
Dorsh shifted uncomfortably. “We don’t believe it will stop them, but it will greatly minimize them. It will certainly reduce the risk we are at now with Rask active. If Rask is cooled, it will end the superheating of the fissures and volcanos along the black line. They may still run hot, but won’t be deadly. And if we can stop the rising of sulfuric gas in our sky from the excess volcanic activity, our planet won’t heat up any further and weather patterns will eventually return to normal. Also, if we can stop this volcanic chain of reactions, it will end the rise of sulfuric effects in our drinking water.”
Darha sighed heavily and sat back in her seat, placing her hands on her lap. Everyone remaining in the room regarded each other silently. Thea sat back in her chair as well, and crossed her arms as she looked from Coor to Darha.
Darha rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. She saw no other option. She scanned the faces of the gathered people and shrugged a shoulder. “So, we will inform the Frost Nation that they need to save our planet.”
“Now hold on a moment, your majesty,” Askari, the Northern regional overlord said, holding up his hands. The north had suffered the most in these disasters, since it had started with the volcanic activity there. Unable to understand why he would be objecting, she stared at him in astonishment. “Your majesty, we have our own problems to attend to. The Frost Nation is an extra unneeded burden we should not concern ourselves with.”
“Let them burn for all we should care,” Porva, the Eastern overlady said with a careless shrug.
Coor and Thea stayed frustratingly silent. “Did you not hear the presentation?” Darha said slowly, trying to stay calm. “Rask needs to be cooled. And we have an entire nation of ice and snow magic wielders just a six-hour boat ride south of us.”
“Let them deal with this in their way, and we will deal with it in our own,” Askari sneered.
Recalling the kindness of Queen Vesna during their meeting, and the huge abundance of gifts she had sent to aid the Fire Nation, Darha felt herself get very angry deep inside, where she never let anger reach her.
She glared at Askari so hard that from the corner of her eye she saw Thea’s eyes widen. “If you think for one moment that I will spare any aid to my nation, including from the Frost Nation, you have seriously underestimated me as your Queen.” Askari’s eyes went wide. “I love this nation, and I will spare nothing, nothing, to save her. Least of all my pride over some ancient grievances with a nation that has done nothing but help us abundantly since communication about these disasters began. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Askari sat back in his seat. “Y-yes. Of course, your majesty. I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend.”
Darha continued to glare at him. “Do not challenge my decisions again about the Frost Nation. Do you understand me?”
Askari dipped his head down low until his chin touched his chest. “Yes, your majesty.”
Darha glanced at Thea, only to find her faced turned to the side, eyes squeezed closed, lips pressed together, and her shoulders shaking with silent hysterical laughter. Darha tried not to smile since business wasn’t concluded yet, and pursed her lips instead. “I will write the letter to Queen Vesna myself and arrange a meet in three days’ time to discuss a course of action. I will only take a small host with me this time. Thea, Coor, I want you to stay here and continue disaster aid with the army and the melting of ice and snow for drinking water.” Darha loved her brother and sister, but based on the last encounter with the Frost Nation, she didn’t dare take them on this run. “Are there any questions or concerns?” Everyone stayed silent. “Good.” Darha stood.
Without a word, and without her entourage, or her brother and sister, Darha swept out of the room feeling fearful, yet exhilarated from that meeting. They knew what was wrong. They might be able to fix it. But still, that was a big “might.” If they couldn’t cool Rask, the world would end. End! Everyone would die.
Her emotions were a mess. She wasn’t completely sure what the proper thing to feel was. All she knew was that she and Queen Vesna needed to meet. After that, things would be decided and action would be taken. She could not wait to get to the southern shore.
Frost: Chapter Thirteen
Aradel stared straight ahead as the soldiers constructed the makeshift tents. When they were done, two large tents would face each other—one to host her people, and the other for the Fire Nation. Most of the candidates were with Queen Vesna, but Aradel had needed some time to herself, so she had come to watch Kirill order people around. He was always very good at ordering people around.
Aradel stopped watching the activity of the men working and walked across the softening landscape to the edge of the river. The River Gora had been so far from her, and now she had been there twice in a short time. She felt the warmth press in around her as she kept her shield carefully secure. The world was deteriorating so quickly Aradel worried that not even their wall could protect them. From the serious tone of the letter, it seemed that whatever the Fire Nation had found out did not bode well.
She heard the soft ringing of a bell. With a smile, she turned back toward the activity and waved at Yorten and his son, Tallus. Memories of their last encounter flooded her mind, but she kept her emotions in check. There were more important matters to attend to. Aradel looked back over the river as both started to unload the ice and stack it around the Queen’s tent. Queen Vesna would keep them cool until the Fire Nation could take it. The good thing about ice and snow is that they had it in abundance. Although the Fire Nation had little they could t
rade, the stone they did have had repaired many homes.
“Lady Aradel.” Tallus’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she turned around again, unable to hide her surprise that he had approached her. “It is good to see you again.”
She felt her cheeks warm softly at his attention. Careful not to stumble over her words she replied, “And you. In these trying times it is good to see a familiar face.”
“Yes,” he replied still grinning. “I just wanted to thank you again.”
“Your continual thanks aren’t necessary,” Aradel replied, facing him completely. “You and your father have worked tirelessly. Has there been any progress at The Wall?”
The Queen elects had each been assigned weeks at the wall, and hers had already passed. It would be some time before Aradel would be up again to help with the repair. Queen Vesna had been talking about going to their mountain palace. Deep within the Lonely Mountains, the power to repair The Wall was waiting for them. If the moon pearls could harness the power of the ancient Ice Crystal, the tear in the magical fabric of The Wall could be fixed.
Tallus’s grin fell a little. “It is higher, but continues to slowly melt. It will take some time for it to return to its former glory.”
Aradel nodded, guarding her emotions, and gazed back over the river. A light fog kissed the surface of the water, but she could still see when the first boat broke the horizon. It seemed that fewer boats, with fewer people were coming toward them than had last time. She glanced back at Tallus and found that he, too, was watching the boats.
“I had better go back,” he muttered and started away.
“Tallus,” she said and faced him. He paused, looking back at her expectantly. For some reason, she felt comfortable around him even though she had known him such a short time. There was something unassuming about him that put her at ease. “Please be careful,” she finally added.