by Alia Johnson
Odesha sighed. “Vashti can be…harsh at times. She turned her back on our mother's teachings, refusing to acknowledge her while I followed them to the very last word. But now I see that Vashti was right on many things she argued. I just haven't had the chance to tell her yet. But I will next time I see her.”
Halana wiped her hands on a hide cloth, turning to pat Odesha on the back as they finished handing out the last ration. They had saved two plates for Boni and Kunchok for later. “Odesha tell sister home one moon.”
Odesha smiled, hoping Halana was right. Clearing her throat, Odesha said, “I never gave you my sorrow over Sashi's death.”
Halana shook her head, muttering, “Sashi no friend. Evil. Jealousy change Sashi. Glad Odesha.”
“I'm glad I'm here too.” She patted the yeti on the back of her soft hand, smiling gently. Halana was a good friend.
“Odesha take food Kunchok,” Halana ordered gruffly.
Odesha paused in taking the food, asking, “Halana, do you think it's early to be so dark?”
Halana frowned, sniffing the air, whispering, “Storm.”
A low growl in the darkness alerted Odesha that they weren't alone, making the two women stop in their tracks. The sound magnified as if it came from every direction, many sinister sounds raised in chorus around them. The storm had arrived, hidden in the fading light, releasing the monsters it held in the deep.
Terror grasped Halana by the throat, causing her panicked breaths to escalate. Odesha didn't seem to have the same reservations. She let out a loud scream, alerting the guards.
The hunters ran to protect the tribe, bracing themselves around the group in a circle. They pulled weapons free from their sheaths to ready for the battle. Kunchok heard the yell, his blood turning to ice at the terror in Odesha's scream. He wouldn’t let anything hurt his mate, letting out a roar in challenge to the thing that had frightened Odesha. He was coming, he promised her. He wouldn't lose her when he had just found her.
Odesha put her back to Halana’s to keep an eye on the beasts hidden in the snow, the glow of the eyes glistening lifeless with bloody tear tracks furrowing their face. The skin hung down in giant rolls as if something had been stuffed inside the body that wasn’t made to fit. The droopy eyes looked calm, the teeth and tusks standing out in a snarl. It was startling to see. She heard the stomp of feet as the cow beasts emerged, attacking the hunters, rushing through the snow to ambush the tribe. They weren't like the first cow beast she had encountered. That cow beast was in the throes of the sickness that gripped it, fighting for his life. These were lifeless puppets being told to kill.
One beast stood silently inside the protective clouds surrounding them, watching the carnage without movement. The same soulless beast Esmerelda had fought in the snow the first day Odesha had met her. Odesha kept her eyes on the cunning one, trying not to alert it that she was watching.
The puppeteer waited for its victory hidden in the storm. Inside lurked a powerful being capable of using the skin of the dead animals for its own purpose.
“I’m going for the large beast over there,” Odesha whispered to Halana, handing her friend an ice spear she had quickly formed to defend herself. The pain never came with forming the ice, which Odesha was thankful for. She didn't need the distraction. With Kunchok's blood pumping through her, she felt invincible.
Halana shook her head with worry, trying to convince her friend not to go. She could sense how menacing the thing inside was. It radiated a black magic pulsing with the blood of its victims. Halana warned, “Beast evil. Odesha no safe.”
“If we kill it the attack will stop. Someone is controlling these beasts through the eyes of that one,” Odesha pointed out. If the puppeteer couldn't see its puppets, it would drag them back into the storm like last time.
Odesha gripped her pointed ice spear tightly, trying to keep the beast in the corner of her eye while she made her way to the side of it, avoiding cow beasts charging towards her and hunters swinging swords. The skin hanging from their faces impeded their vision. The smell of rotten flesh flowed from them, clogging her senses.
Whirling in panic at a soft noise behind her, thinking a beast was attacking from behind, Halana stood before Odesha shivering bravely, clutching her spear.
Odesha frowned, ordering, “It’s dangerous. Go back to the tribe so the hunters can protect you. Please, Halana, I don't want to see anything happen to you!”
“No! Halana help Odesha,” the yeti stated firmly, not budging an inch, yelling out her denial. It was the first time she had raised her voice to Odesha, but if something happened to her furless friend, she would never forgive herself.
A scream of death pierced the air from a tribe member. The hunters roared in fury at hearing their fallen brethren, their great arms swinging swords. The skin of the cow beasts fell to the ground easily with a swipe of the sword, but the sheer amount of them was hard to overcome.
“We’ve got to hurry before it sends more!”
Odesha moved swiftly to the side of the beast, taking it by surprise. The head lolled on its nape, trying to see the danger. She threw the ice spear towards the drooping head of the beast. It moved back, bending in half to escape the shard. Its head flopped forward, looking at her as if annoyed by her interference. The animal took off running in a loping sprint towards her. The skin gathered itself up to help propel it forward awkwardly. Odesha scurried back on her hands and knees in panic, trying to escape before it trampled her. She didn't have time to grow another spear. A large yeti arm descended over the beast’s head, stabbing an ice shard through the top. The shard pierced deep, the animal stopping its advance towards Odesha. Halana fell back in shock, scuttling away from the creature she had just stabbed. The oddly shaped skin melted around the glowing eyes, staring menacingly at Odesha. It glowed brightly, its last moments, to memorize the face of the being responsible for its defeat. And it would remember.
A yeti sword swung in a downward arc across the neck of the animal, narrowly missing the two women. The head was torn from the creature’s body. Kunchok stood over them breathing heavily, cape torn from his shoulder as blood flowed down from deep cuts in his armor. He had fought four cow beasts, killing them as quickly as possible to reach Odesha. He had felt a battle rage take over him he had never felt before. He was mindless, hacking and slashing through the animals attacking.
As soon as the creature’s head fell from its body, the cow beasts around them dropped to their bellies. Their skin lay in the snow not moving, the glow of their eyes gone. The glowing strings of the puppeteer become evident, pulling the cow beasts back to their dark hole in the storm. The dark clouds disappeared in a swirl of wind and snow, rising from the ground. Their evil presence was gone.
Several tribe members yelling for help became evident. Kunchok checked Odesha for wounds, running his hands up and down her body checking for blood when he was the one flowing with it.
“I’m fine! Help the tribe, Kunchok. Oh, great Freyja, you are bleeding!” Odesha cried out, mopping at the blood dripping from his armor. She checked the wounds, but they were shallow. He brushed her hand away, replying, “Kunchok heal fast. Help tribe.” The shouts of distress were increasing.
Odesha turned her attention to Halana once she made sure Kunchok's bleeding stopped, asking, “Halana, are you hurt? Can you stand? I can smell blood across the tribe, we need to see who needs help.” Odesha rushed to help her up, dusting the snow from her body. She didn't notice any wounds.
“Halana good. Help tribe. Boni help tribe…Boni?!” Halana ran off, shouting for her mate, but she didn't hear him among the voices.
A head popped up from a fallen yeti, holding pressure on a wound, calling back to Halana. Odesha breathed a sigh of relief that he was okay. She didn’t know what the two would do without each other. Kunchok grasped her hand, running to find Dek and Fanni while checking on anyone they passed. Dede cried softly in Fanni’s arms at the noise and chaos. Dek still had his bloody sword in one hand, issuing o
rders.
“Kunchok, six dead. Much wounded,” Dek yelled, moving towards them. Kunchok nodded to the hunters gathering around him. He ordered them to help the fallen tribe members. They were used to staunching wounds and healing cuts while hunting.
“Cow beasts come where?” Dek wondered aloud.
Odesha answered, “From the storm that's been chasing us. Someone very powerful controls the beasts, using their skins to attack. When Kunchok cut down the skin it hid in, it pulled the other beasts back inside the storm. That’s where your food source went. The cow beasts were taken away to be used against you this whole time.”
“Tribe wonder where food go. Why attack tribe?” Dek shook his head in disgust at the waste of it all.
Odesha thought hard on this, remembering Esmerelda’s warning that if they stayed, they would all die. She replied, “Because the mage behind all of this wanted you to be the skins it could use. Your strength is superior to most races and your intelligence sets you apart from the rest of the beings on the ice. Did you notice the orik when the storm passed over the trees? They hid from it. They knew what it is capable of.”
Kunchok growled, “Monster kill tribe.”
Dek nodded his head, remarking, “Tribe left good time.”
Odesha realized he was more right than he thought, muttering, “Yes, almost like we were led here. Sashi said when she died “the sky will use me no longer” Sashi wasn't trying to kill Kunchok that day. She was trying to kill me. Because without me, you wouldn't have left. You would still be out in the snow. The sky was using her. The mage in the shadows used Sashi. Don't you remember the blood coming from her eyes? She was sick. Like the cow beast that had attacked on the first day. But they weren't dead yet like these creatures.”
Without Esmerelda’s warnings and help, they would still be out in the snow, waiting. The tribe would've been killed and taken in the storm. Esmerelda had said she couldn’t see them anymore, but maybe that was because she was looking for someone, and not the storm itself. She knew who it was that was doing this.
Dek hurried away to check on more tribe members, calling, “Dek think. Rest. Some injuries no big. Hunters bury tribe in snow. Storm no get tribe,” He paused while leaving. “Horm gone Odesha.”
She placed her fingertips to her lips at the shock, whispering, “No…poor Halana. I need to find her and see if she is alright.”
Kunchok wrapped his arm around Odesha, asking, “Odesha good?” She nodded, thankful they were alive and unhurt.
“I'm sad for Halana and the other tribe members loss.” She looked around. “Is Halana with her father?”
He shook his head. “Halana and Halafren say bye. Father gone. Halana with Boni. Tribe rest.”
She sent a prayer to Freyja to watch over the fallen tribe members when they entered their tent to rest before the final day of hiking. They would hold each other tightly tonight, knowing their near loss and thinking of the dangers lurking in the night. The storm had suffered a loss this night and had withdrawn to lick its own wounds, but it would be back one day. She only hoped to be back in Antiqua by then.
Chapter 20
The day began, the happiness diminished. The somber mood and loss of their tribe members caused them to move slowly like a mourning party. Odesha hurried from her tent to find Halana standing beside her sled hugging Halafren.
“Halana, I'm so sorry for your father,” Odesha said gently when they parted. Halafren returned to his own sled, securing it tightly.
Halana nodded her head in thanks, a lone tear falling from her face. “Father no good. No bad. Halana miss. Glad Boni. Glad friends.” Odesha hugged her furry body to her.
“You saved us all yesterday, Halana. Your father would be proud.” Halana smiled. She had felt courage for the second time yesterday, the first was her Ranna day.
This was the day the tribe would reach the other side of the mountain by traveling up the mountain pass the hunters had spotted. It was a shortcut carved in the side. Dek bellowed the order to begin the trek and the group marched along with a brisk step eager to reach their new home. The glistening icicles and frozen trees were beautiful in the low light through the path. The frozen stone shined brightly, giving the tribe a sense of peace. A light after the storm. The trek was long and hard, the tribe stopped frequently to rest and regroup the stragglers. By the end of the day, they reached the end of the pass and could see the very top of the castle turrets in the distance. They were moving downhill now. At times the slippery slope caused a fall or two. The tribe laughed when they called back that they were unhurt, enjoying the ice.
A shout from the bottom of the mountain sounded through the pass. The hunters became alert, drawing their swords from their backs, bracing in a protective stance. Odesha called for Dek to stop. The voice that had shouted was familiar, but she needed to hear it again. The thudding of hooves became evident, the shadows from the ground came into view. A face peered up from his horse, noticing the group. Her personal guard sent with her to Antiqua straddled the horses at the bottom of the mountain, calling to her.
Captain Philo shouted from the front, “Princess Odesha? My lady! We received a pigeon from Vashti on where to find you!” The tension leached from her body; she gave a sigh of relief. Her guard would help protect them.
“Yes! Yes! I hear you! I have brought many people with me on my journey. Stand down as we emerge from the pass. We shall meet you there at the bottom, Captain.” Dek nodded to her, the straps tight on his shoulders. She gripped Kunchok's hand nervously. They were almost home. The tribe marched down the pass, excitedly talking of their arrival to their new home. A loud cheer rang in the air when the guards spotted their princess, celebrating her return. Odesha called out to the guard, “These people are honored guests to Antiqua. Please help guard them as you would me.” Her orders were followed.
The guards acknowledged her orders, fanning out to help with children, hefting sleds from weary travelers. The walk to the castle was much quicker with their help, cutting down the time it took to make it. Darkness was falling on the land when the large group reached the inner gates of the castle. The yeti looked around in astonishment at the workmanship of the castle, the large gargoyle-like demons carved in the stone watching over their domain. The rough points of their skin frozen in stone were menacing in the fading light.
Some of the yeti were so weary they lay down to rest on the snow in the courtyard. Dek and his family stayed with the tribe, giving a nod to Kunchok to approach the castle with Odesha, letting him take charge of their well-being. On the steps of the castle, waiting silently, stood Prince Endemion and King Desmond. They were regal and tall, their black horns flared into the air. Endemion with his long black attire, matching his short hair, stood proudly beside father with a menacing presence. He reminded Odesha of the dark cats slinking in the Bijou forest she had seen in books, waiting for their prey to strike. Odesha glanced to her father, who stared hard at Odesha's hand clasped in Kunchok's. The king's hair fanned out from his face, sticking in all directions, his large clawed hand absently scratching his belly.
Suddenly the king let out a giant bellow of a laugh, sending a shock wave through the tribe at the loud sound. He lunged down the stairs to reach them, clasping Odesha in a tight hug, yelling, “Well look at you, little princess! You've got color to your cheeks and fire in your eyes. And you've gone and caught yourself an ice fey!”
Odesha was surprised, asking faintly, “Ice fey?!”
Confused, the king cleared his throat and repeated slowly, “The hairy man you won’t let go of. I don't think I'm seeing things. What time is it, Endemion? “
Endemion shook his head, not bothering with a reply. Desmond had started drinking earlier in the day, causing problems in the castle again.
Annoyed, Odesha flailed in her father’s arms. This made everyone around them chuckle. “I thought he was a yeti,” she cried out, shielding her face in her hands.
At this, Desmond looked perplexed. “Now, you know there is n
o such thing as yeti. I thought I told you of the ice fey that ruled Antiqua before the vampires when you were younger.”
“Yes, well, I am aware that there's no yeti, but what else was I supposed to call them? I vaguely remember you telling the story now that I think about it. Put me down, Father,” Odesha sighed in exasperation. She was embarrassed for calling the noble ice fey yeti this entire time. They had once been the rulers over Antiqua, and she had studied them in the past. Great Freyja, she had even seen their relative in the hallway with the other rulers.
The king chortled and released Odesha from his arms. Landing with a thump on her feet, Odesha heard Endemion call her name. She turned to face him apprehensively. Odesha walked slowly up to her younger, stern-faced brother curtsying low to show her respect.
Father was called the jovial king. The laughing one. Prince Endemion was known as being harsh. His judgments rained hard over wrongdoers, his edicts heeded by all. Everyone knew that the prince was to be feared, a perfect contrast to the king.
A dark prince…for a light king…
“Well met, Prince Endemion,” Odesha whispered to him softly.
He bowed stiffly, ordering Odesha to raise her eyes to his. The black of his eyes swirled dangerously when he pierced Odesha with them. It was hard to tell if he was in a pleasant mood or not. He looked around the tribe brought before him, lingering on Kunchok.
“Your trials over the mountain seem to have brought new faces to our doorstep, Princess Odesha.”
Always so proper. But he was worried about something. She could feel it.
Odesha rose from her curtsy. “Yes, Prince. These people sheltered, protected, and fed me during my time away. I hope to explain the whole story to you in private, in hopes that they may st…”
His dark brow furrowed, eyes flashing to say, “You wish for them to stay here? Why?”
Clearing her throat, nervously holding his gaze, Odesha replied, “I am in love with Kunchok. I married him in their custom, which makes him your brother now.”