A Frozen Heart (A Blood War Novel Book 1)

by Alia Johnson

  Odesha gestured back to the cloth, “This soft blue cloth, it’s perfect, yes? Perfect for Ranna with someone special.”

  Halana whimpered in distress, the pain in her eyes intensifying.

  Odesha gently moved closer to the skittish yeti. She didn’t want to frighten her away. She whispered, “I would like to give it to you.”

  Halana’s body stiffened as her head shot up, looking questioningly into her eyes. Odesha nodded firmly, hoping Halana saw her sincerity. She repeated, “Yes, I will give this to you if you promise to help me.”

  Halana's face turned suspicious. “Why furless creature need help?”

  Her face turned a soft pink, Odesha replied slowly, putting emphasize on her name, “Odesha would like to learn how to dance for Ranna.”

  Halana, stunned at the request, looked from the cloth to Odesha, making her decision. “Sashi won’t like.” The sides of Halana's lips twitched with a repressed smile. Sashi didn't like much, but this would send her into a rage unlike anything the tribe had ever seen.

  Odesha agreed seriously, “No, Sashi definitely won’t like. Could you help me learn by next Ranna?”

  Halana reached out, running her hairy fingers down the soft cloth lovingly. It was what she had dreamed she would wear during Ranna to Boni. But that was a forgotten dream. Maybe just having the cloth would be enough. She whispered, “Yes. Halana help Odesha Ranna next.”

  Odesha smiled, triumphant. She handed over the soft cloth to its new owner happily. She had captured her prey.

  Let the lessons begin.

  In the dead of night, Odesha left the wooden keep, hurrying to the secret meeting spot with Fanni at her side. Of course, with all the giggling Fanni was doing, they probably didn’t go unheard.

  “Fanni. You must stop giggling so loudly. You are waking the whole tribe!” Odesha attempted to whisper-shout to her friend who found this hilarious, almost doubled over with her laughter.

  Fanni tried to stifle her laughter. She said, “Fanni sorry. Laugh late night.”

  Odesha snorted, unladylike. “Or it could be all the loma you had at dinner.”

  Fanni smacked her lips. “Tribe make yummy loma Ranna. Fanni taste. Tribe hate rotten.”

  Odesha groaned. She muttered to herself, “I can’t believe I’m dragging a drunk yeti around in the dark for dance lessons! How far I’ve fallen, Freyja.” Odesha looked up the heavens in complaint when Fanni’s giggles continued. Odesha shook her head, moving quicker, finally having spotted her intended destination in the hidden area in the ice formation.

  “Who Odesha get help?” whispered Fanni loudly, stumbling in the entrance. She kicked at a large tree branch hidden in the snow. Pointing her finger in at it, Fanni began to lecture it as Odesha watched in astonishment.

  Goddess help them all, she was talking to the vegetation now. Halana popped her head out of the ice formation, trying to see what the commotion was. Fanni took a deep breath to yell out to Halana in greeting, but Odesha made it to her in time, slapping her hand over the yeti's mouth.

  “Fanni, remember, we talked about secrecy. Halana is going to help us,” whispered Odesha urgently.

  Fanni nodded, eyes wide. Odesha took Fanni inside as best she could, deposited her on an ice cap with a huff. Fanni struggled to stay upright, finally propping herself up with the branch she had just berated.

  “Thank you again for coming to help. Both of you. This means the world to me,” Odesha said, dusting the snow off her hands. She was already exhausted and hadn't danced a step yet. Halana nodded, her furry face drawn in concentration as she sat on the ice cap next to Fanni.

  Curiously, Halana asked, “Odesha dance before?” Odesha nodded, stretching out in the snow with light breaths.

  Halana narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “Show Odesha dance.” Halana's lips quirked while she watched Odesha's continued stretches, chasing the sadness from her eyes. The furless creature was amusing to watch. Odesha hummed to herself, thinking of different dances she had been taught at court, picking the fluid line dance. It was a lively jaunt she enjoyed dancing in the past.

  “Alright, I’m ready,” Odesha said to her audience. She shuffled far away from the two, hoping there was enough room. The dance started off, arms wide as she hopped from one side to the other, legs kicking outward, the dance performed so many times at court it came naturally with no thought. She followed the steps finishing with a flourish and a hand clap, turning to find her captive audience looking at each other.

  Fanni and Halana started to laugh uproariously.

  Odesha tried to shush them. Feeling hurt, she put her hands on her hips to march over to her audience. She asked, “What part of ‘quiet’ did you two miss?! What's so funny?”

  Halana hiccupped as she tried to control her laughter. “Odesha no Ranna like baby king bird hatching shell. Ranna tribe. Ranna shousha.”

  Confused, Odesha turned to Fanni to translate, never hearing of this word until now. “Shousha?”

  Fanni pointed to her chest thumping herself emphatically and said, “Shousha.”

  Soul, whispered through Odesha's mind.

  “Each tribe Ranna different. Shousha guide tribe.” Fanni hummed to herself, slapping her large hands on her hide dress making a thump, thump, thump, sound like a drum. She nodded to Halana. Halana bowed her head in shyness, standing slowly. Her body swayed softly, arms moving to the beat. The dance displayed her soft soul. Her large frame hid an inner grace. Odesha felt the sweetness of Halana's spirit, her kindness. Her body movement helped the mood in the small enclosure turn relaxing and calm. She stopped, hair standing on end when she realized she held a captive audience. She hurried to sit back down on her ice cap, ears moving back and forth in distress, rubbing her arms.

  “Halana, that was beautiful. Thank you for showing me your shousha. Any member of the tribe would be lucky to have you,” Odesha said softly, gently touching her arm.

  Fanni nodded her head. She agreed, “Halana big help tribe. Chief say Halana best cloth worker.”

  Halana’s hair stood on end even further, showing her embarrassment. She murmured a small, “Thank you.” She tried to turn the attention away from herself, looking up to Odesha. “Deep inside shousha stay. Feel?” Halana closed her eyes, placing her hands over her chest. Odesha sat down on an ice cap adjacent to them, closing her eyes to feel her spirit, trying to get a grasp on what she really felt.

  The fire. The ice. Battling for ground inside her. The fire raged inside of her, hungry for release, like a volcano ready to erupt. The ice stood nearby waiting to consume her. To make her fall in a comfortable sleep forever encased in its grasp.

  “Yes. Yes, I feel it,” whispered Odesha.

  “Release shousha,” Fanni ordered. She hiccupped loudly, almost falling over.

  Odesha groaned, opening her eyes, “I can’t though.”

  Halana tilted her large head. She confusedly asked, “Why?”

  “Mother always told me to control the fire,” Odesha murmured absently to herself. “And what if I do decide to release myself in front of the tribe? I’m afraid I will scare them. The vampire inside me wants out.” Odesha groaned again as all the reasons she shouldn’t dance filled her head. Her head fell to her hands, knowing she couldn’t show her true self to these gentle people. She was so afraid that they would turn from her, when she had finally found the place she belonged, beside Kunchok.

  Odesha felt a furry hand grab her free hand and looked up to see Halana kneeling in front of her. She softly said, “Parents no always right. Tribe shousha change. Bad. Good. Ranna sacred tribe. Ranna love.”

  Odesha looked into Halana’s eyes thoughtfully. Her suggestion was helpful, but Halana couldn't recognize what held her back from Ranna. Odesha whispered so Fanni couldn't overhear, “Maybe Halana should listen to Halana’s own words.”

  Halana's eyes widened at Odesha’s statement. Her hand trembled slightly. Odesha knew Halana secretly wanted Boni, but she was afraid.

  Fanni interrupted,
hiccupping, “Odesha drink blood. Tribe no care. Odesha save tribe last Ranna.” She snorted with a thought, “Halana remember Otari Ranna? Otari kick Rulf hard. Bed many moon. Rulf no hunt.” Fanni and Halana reminisced together on disastrous Rannas in the past, their easy-going ways giving Odesha hope.

  Odesha stood up from her ice cap, startling the two yeti, fists clenched with determination. “I hope you two are right because you may be my only friends left after this Ranna.” Odesha raised her fist in the air. She could do this. “Let’s try again.”

  Fanni shushed her, giggling, finally serious. Halana clapped softly in encouragement. And Odesha let loose the fire.

  Chapter 12

  Odesha practiced every night with her friends. Occasionally she saw Kunchok with the hunters, the fierce looks he sent her way keeping her hope alive. She watched him with his people from a distance. He organized his hunters to lead them to their last hunt. She realized most of the burden fell on his shoulders, Dek more of a decision maker. The wise leader that kept the marketplace together. Kunchok kept them alive and fed. Together they were a team.

  Kunchok was gentle with the tribe's children, bringing them trinkets from his trips. The hunters, he ruled with a firm hand. Her admiration for him grew with each passing day.

  Odesha walked through the marketplace, getting fresh air during the middle of the day. The tribe was having hunter training with the younger yeti in the clearing they usually reserved for Ranna. Kunchok led the training with wooden swords and stuffed orik on posts. Dede walked towards the group, dragging a wooden sword twice the size of her, huffing and puffing with her effort. Kunchok noticed her, leaning down to speak quietly in her ear. She nodded sheepishly, handing him her sword, standing by his side. He noticed Odesha standing there gawking at the two of them and smiled softly.

  He stood, calling to the group, “Dede help teach today. Soon first girl hunter.” The group cheered, holding their swords up in celebration. Dede blushed prettily, holding her chin up proudly. Kunchok had included her in the training, promising her a spot in the hunt even though Dede was a small girl. It was surprising that the tribe was already thinking progressively when Merdi was stuck in the olden days where women couldn’t fight.

  Kunchok tasked the hunters with going on the last hunt before Ranna to gather more meat. From the whispers, Odesha figured out the tribe had thought what they gathered previously would last, but they were wrong. The people were hungry, and rationing was starting to cause unrest. She could see the worry on Fanni's face when Dek came back at night. Odesha could hear the talk in the marketplace growing among the people, but something else had been weighing heavily on her mind.

  The fierce pirate lady in the snow.

  Where did Esmerelda come from and why would she help her? What did she have to gain besides a simple promise? The last comment Esmerelda had made didn't sit right with her either. Make them see, she had said. Make the tribe see what?

  Her mind full of thoughts, Odesha absentmindedly walked towards the group Kunchok was training in the circle. The hunters gathered there with their packs of provisions, shopping the stalls a final time while Kunchok was busy training. Odesha had a fierce urge to see if Esmerelda was still out in the snow. If she could answer her questions.

  Suddenly it felt vital. A clawing need, making her wander away from the tribe. Odesha's heart beat faster the farther she walked. She walked for what seemed like forever until the orik forest disappeared. The sparkling white landscape was calming and quiet, until she spotted a shocking blue feather standing on top of an orange mass of hair. Esmeralda lounged on an ice cap, gazing into a barren snowy field alone. She looked lonely sitting there. Odesha called out, alerting the pirate to her presence.

  Esmerelda turned with a smile, reaching a hand out to help Odesha up the jagged ice she sat on.

  Esmerelda exclaimed, “Bonjour, ma petite!” Her pixie nose looked small in her heart shaped face, brown eyes sparking with mischief. She was older than Odesha. Laugh lines were etched around her eyes and forehead.

  Odesha huffed, “Bonjour, Esmerelda. Do you live out here in the snow by yourself? It seems lonely.” Dusting off the snow, Odesha settled beside the peculiar woman.

  The pirate laughed, holding her giant scabbard tightly, replying, “Non.” Face sobering as her accent changed, she added, “I haven’t had a home in a long, long time.”

  Odesha felt sorry for the eccentric witch sitting there with no one. She pushed her white hair out of her face to ask, “Could you answer some of my questions?”

  Esmerelda smiled sadly, “Oui. You want to know so much. But I think these are the wrong questions. You see, we are almost out of time, no? A storm is coming, they hope to consume us. To bring back the past we worked so hard on. Even now they test their boundaries.” Esmerelda sighed, looking into the distance. She whispered forlornly, “I can’t see them anymore.”

  Odesha leaned in to ask more questions, trying to figure what in hellfire the witch was going on about, when Esmerelda placed a finger to her lips, hushing her. The witch's calm demeanor shifted. Looking around her wildly, she pulled her sword from her side, the inscriptions carved in the shining blade glinting in the snow. Esmerelda’s focus narrowed in the darkening distance. She grasped the sword tightly in front of her, pushing Odesha behind her. The skies continued to darken, a rotten smell permeating the freezing air. Odesha shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. It was from the aura of menace pulsing towards them, like a sickness spreading across the land with the threatening clouds.

  Esmerelda shouted, “Get down!”

  Odesha crouched on the ice out of Esmerelda's path, trying to see the source of the gut-wrenching smell in the darkness while the storm clouds continued to build. Silent lightning was beginning to streak across the clouds, giving the appearance of a spider moving its legs.

  Odesha squinted when she noticed a movement through the lightning. Pinpoint red dots shone brightly close together. Eyes. The two dots were eyes. The heavy breathing of the creature was piercing across the distance. Odesha shivered. She could see the outline of the shape now, the hanks of wet hair hanging, the bloody trails falling from its sightless eyes.

  A true monster from the deep. It was as large as a lion, moving quickly towards them. Spittle flew from its fanged mouth. She had thought the cow beast was diseased. It had been only the beginning. This being was truly death running towards her. The skin hanging down looked to be rotting.

  Esmerelda released a battle cry, swinging her sword in the air. Odesha tried to be brave in the face of this beast but let out a small whimper. Its eyes seemed to see into her very soul, locking her in place. Before she could blink, a large bone spear cut through the distance, sticking in the creature’s leg, pinning it to the shattered ice. It screeched in anger, turning on the object holding it from its path. It snarled at the offending spear, ripping it from its leg with its teeth. The bone spear splintered, giving way. As soon as the spear was free, the monster stopped its motions, its face suddenly slack.

  The eyes dimmed as if lost.

  Like a puppet on a string, the head fell to the side, its body dropping to the ground to slide back across the ice into the lightning. The darkness engulfed the beast, swallowing it whole. The clouds parted and scattered to all sides of the sky after the monster’s disappearance. Shards of low light filtered through the menacing clouds, breaking them down until nothing remained.

  Esmerelda faced the direction the creature had come from, looking from side to side, checking to make sure the danger had passed. She relaxed her stance.

  Brown eyes blazing, Esmerelda asked, “We are almost out of time. Will they die? Or will you convince them to live?”

  Odesha heard the shout of her name, stopping her reply to Esmerelda. Kunchok's long, lumbering strides tore through the snow. Odesha relaxed with his presence. He made her feel safe when he was near. She turned back before she forgot her reply to Esmerelda, but the pirate was gone, along with the storm. The odd pirate was truly f
rustrating, disappearing when Odesha needed real answers.

  Kunchok reached Odesha, grasping her arms to check for wounds. He had seen the creature advancing on Odesha on the ice cap. He had thought he was too late, throwing the bone spear at the last minute. He asked desperately, “Creature bite Odesha? Odesha hurt?!”

  Odesha shook her head frantically, trying to convey she was unhurt. Kunchok looked angry. His hair was standing on end in agitation and his eyes moved all around them to check for danger.

  “Where Odesha go? Why Odesha gone?” His shouting escalated as he asked his questions. She was supposed to stay at Dek's home for protection, didn't she realize that? He had tried to tell her the dangers of the ice before.

  Kunchok growled deeply, “Every night Odesha leave Dek’s hut.” He gritted his teeth from saying more. Kunchok had heard reports from the guards he had posted throughout the tribe hiding in the snow that Odesha left with Fanni every night. Several other tribe members had been disappearing at night as well, but she was the one he had been concerned about. What they did was unknown since the guards were ordered not to leave their posts. But he was going to find out after this Ranna, he had promised himself.

  He was jealous! Odesha thought delightedly, before she found herself upside down suddenly, over his shoulder, his large hand holding her bottom. His strides took him to the bone spear buried in the snow. He picked up the least damaged piece in case he needed to defend them from another beast before he made it back to Dek's home. Odesha tried to pull her tunic down to cover her important parts exposed to the winter weather, wiggling on his shoulder in distress at the tribe seeing them like this, but she didn't blame him. Leaving unprotected without telling anyone where she was going again wasn’t the best decision.