by Samuel Small
“Right!” Jake called, nodded to Sara, then about-faced and left the room.
Chapter 11
The wind hissed, spraying snow in all directions, which sent Jake’s jacket swaying. He placed his forearm in front of his face to shield it from the dull numbness the freezing air created, not worrying about his ability to see. The snow was so thick he would only have been able to make out maybe 10 feet in front of him anyway.
Still, Jake thought as he glanced at the guards walking at his side, I look weak next to these guys. They marched forward in formation, arms at their sides, and took the brunt of the snow right in their faces without even flinching. Beyond them an engine purred rhythmically, although it could barely be heard over the howling wind. Führer Bellator sat inside, spared being assaulted by the weather. If any of the stories Jake heard about him were true, however, he wouldn’t care anyway.
A single set of clumping footfalls headed for Jake, not in rhythm with the others. He turned to see Major Miles striding toward him, raising his feet high with each step to overcome the drifting snow. His thick coat with the Republic’s colors flapped in the fierce wind.
“How you doing out here?” he called over the gale.
“Fine,” Jake answered.
“You sure about that? It’s no big deal if you can’t handle it. Even fully-fledged guards aren’t trained to deal with these conditions, so if you need a break it’s okay.”
“No, that’s all right. I don’t want to hold anybody up.”
“You wouldn’t be holding anyone up at all. You can sit on the edge of the sleigh if you want. Hell, I can ask the Führer if it’s okay for you to ride with him. I doubt he’d care.”
Yeah, that’s just what I need, Jake thought. Sit on the sleigh while the elites plunge through the snow next to me. He could already imagine the looks he’d get for doing that. And sitting opposite the Führer, having admitted he didn’t have what it takes to walk in the snow, let alone defend the country? “Forget that,” he said.
“Suit yourself,” Major Miles said with a shrug. “But don’t be afraid to come to me if it gets too much. These guys are the elite among the elite, and I’m no slouch myself, so we can handle it. None of us are going to look down on you if you need to rest.”
“I’ll be fine,” Jake repeated and Major Miles stopped talking, although he continued to move through the snow at the boy’s side. The wind picked up, shifting the direction the snow whirled in at Jake’s side, which he found much better than lashing at his face. The heavy plodding of his feet, the howl of the wind, and the awkward tension between himself and Major Miles continued for hours until the snow all at once died down.
A city shined brightly on the horizon, the rays of the sun bouncing off of it at all angles. He’d read about it in history and heard plenty of homesick rants from Sara, but the real thing couldn’t compare. A city constructed entirely of ice, shining like the legend it was.
It didn’t take long for Jake and company to reach the city limits, which possessed no formal wall like the Republic. Snow piled up at either side of the path that they walked, making entering from any other direction virtually impossible, so Jake supposed they didn’t need any other kind of physical barricade. When they reached the entrance a guard waited, reading a book. He must’ve heard them coming as he asked who they were, even though his eyes didn’t leave the page. One of the Republic’s guards coughed, which prompted the Niflheim officer to look up, and as soon as he recognized the Führer’s convoy he immediately allowed them passage.
Stepping through the city was odd. Everything was ice, even the tall buildings to either side of him as well as the small shops and outbuildings. He could see wood inside the structures if he looked really closely, meaning they were reinforced internally. People moved around inside those buildings, pink blobs distorted by the crystal. The ground beneath his feet was also ice, but small bumps and raised sections kept it from being too slippery, which was something he was grateful for. If it wasn’t for that he would have slipped several times by now. Every time his boot seemed to slide on its own the bumps and ridges would stop it.
It wasn’t long before they made it to a grand structure, which was actually a fairly ordinary hotel, but its material made it seem very special. So this is where the guards’ll stay, he thought. You’d figure they’d drop the Führer—
But the door to the sleigh slammed and Jake turned to look: Führer Bellator stood in all of his regal glory, looking around the area disinterestedly. He jumped down from the carriage’s raised steps, ignoring a hand from one of the guards who tried to assist him, then scanned the area. He was of a normal build and sported the same haircut as Major Miles, an efficient military buzzcut. There was a faint orange tint to the stubs of hair. Tied around his neck was a long purple cape that rustled over the ground with each movement of his body. Without waiting for anyone he headed for the entrance of the building and several of the guards raced to reach the front desk before him.
Major Miles leaned into Jake’s ear. “I know you know by now that Führer Bellator used to be a soldier, but you probably didn’t guess that he’s just an average guy. He doesn’t like the whole regal thing, although you wouldn’t know that by how he carries himself. Coincidentally he’s a man of few words, which fits the image of a ruler pretty well.”
Jake nodded absently at the statement, his focus on the Führer. A hotel employee attempted to hand a key to the guard that had spoken to him but Führer Bellator snatched it before they completed the exchange, then headed further into the building. One of the guards tried to follow him but he said he didn’t need to be accompanied. The employee, an eyebrow raised, watched him go then faced the rest of the group.
“Okay, please line up and I’ll hand out your keys individually,” he said.
They formed a line with Jake almost last, only second to Major Miles who took up the rear. It was a quick process as there actually weren’t too many guards – the Republic had decided to go with quality rather than quantity apparently, and Jake received his key in no time. The leather strap attached to the key said 215, which would be on the second floor, so he headed off in search of the stairs. Major Miles took his side, pinching his key between his fingers, which read 216.
“Looks like we’re almost all set up. You know the plan for tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah,” Jake said, “we gotta be at the meeting at one, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“But why so late? I figured it would be early, like seven in the morning or something, since we’re all here now.”
The Major’s eyes narrowed at Jake’s casual inquiry, which indicated that he probably knew exactly why it was schedule at that time. Jake asked him again but he only trailed off while looking away.
“Er… Sara hasn’t told you much about her father, has she?”
“Not really.” Thinking about it, he realized she mostly only talked about the country itself, as well as the activities she had to participate in as princess. Apparently she had to train pretty regularly with the elite guards, which she said was a pain, even though Jake would love to have the opportunity to do the same.
“Her father… likes a drink. Perhaps a bit too much. As I understand it Sara might actually be the current acting leader at the meeting.”
Sara, the girl who could be kind one minute then explode the next, the leader of an entire country? Jake knew she was a princess but she always acted so… normal around him. Like she was just another citizen who held no special title, not that she tried to hide the fact that she was royalty either. Often she would talk to Jake about the woes of duty, which he nodded along to disinterestedly, but she wasn’t bragging. She genuinely thought of Jake as someone who could understand her, so she occasionally vented her frustrations to him.
Thinking of that ordinary girl in charge of the whole country was something Jake didn’t know how to feel about. He knew she’d take charge one day but he’d always thought that would be after they’d both be
come guards. Now it was like she skipped several promotions and jumped straight to world leader, whereas Jake was still a useless trainee. It was a bit disheartening.
Before Jake knew it they’d climbed up a flight of stairs, which had a railing that he clung to desperately considering the slippery nature of the area, down a hallway, and found their rooms. Major Miles asked him if he was going to retire for the night, and he said yes even though it was fairly early. Within his backpack he held a bundle of materials, and there was also an entire city to explore. He wouldn’t be bored, that was certain. So he bid Major Miles farewell, gripped the icy handle of the door, and entered his room.
It was to be expected. No heating of any nature, although that might be because it’d melt the entire place into a puddle. Jake supposed ordinary citizens were used to the climate, hell they could shoot ice out of their bodies. He’d noticed in passing that the hotel employee wore short sleeves, despite the freezing temperatures.
It wasn’t too bad, the Republic had supplied Jake with a very warm coat that kept the chill out and the bed wasn’t hewn from ice (thank God). Jake went to it and felt is surface, finding that many pillows and blankets adorned it, probably due to the staff being considerate of people not native to the area. The trainee decided to test the bed, falling into it along with his backpack. He set it in his lap and pulled out a book, which he read before falling asleep.
***
As Sara paced around the castle, checking each individual aspect of the ceremony to ensure everything was in order, she couldn’t believe her father wasn’t there yet. She told him to be up at 10 at the latest, even told the guards to help him if need be, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was a large and stubborn man so it was possible that even a full squad wasn’t able to get him out of bed. And if he’d gotten angry and drunkenly used his Sol, it could’ve been disastrous. Was that another thing she had to add to her growing list of shit to do?
Sara’s heel caught the ground at a wrong angle and she nearly tripped, only avoiding the utterly embarrassing act by creating a pole of ice that she used to catch herself. She sighed in relief, melted it, and instructed a maid to clean it up. She stomped across the hallway, making a beeline for the kitchen. After the meeting she wanted to give everyone a meal and she had to be sure that the chefs and kitchen staff were the best Niflheim had to offer, but there were also hotel accommodations for the representatives who would be arriving today, and she wanted to make arrangements for all of them, even though only one had responded and they didn’t even need a place to stay. They were located right across from the ravine, after all.
But as the list of things she had to do raced through her mind Sara glanced upward in a casual gesture. Only that casual gesture led her eyes to widen and sweat to run out of her every pore. She had no time for any of that. According to the clock the meeting was starting in a matter of minutes and she had to be the first one there since it was held in her own country. Sara rushed through the hallway, the only sound the clacking of her heels. She checked her comp one last time, but there was still no word from her father. The princess frowned at this, but there was nothing she could do about it.
It wasn’t long before she reached the meeting room and pushed open the two heavy doors that led inside. It was a simple set up, but functional. A roundtable for everyone to sit at, chairs dotted all around it. Niflheim’s emblem, the blue silhouette of a girl holding hands with no one against a white backdrop, hung from poles that lined the room. It made Sara feel proud of her nationality and she put her hands on her hips as she looked around. Her peace was broken when the doors behind her crashed open.
A spiky-haired man stood just inside the room, one hand on each door. Sara took notice that he’d opened it so heavily that the walls were cracked where the doors had smashed into them. He pulled his leather jacket inward then offered Sara a grunt in way of acknowledgment before dragging a chair out and sitting down.
This guy was the leader of the fire country. Sara knew it had a name but it seemed to change each time it changed leaders and she just couldn’t keep up. He was different from the last meeting too. She did recall, however, that the last guy was very in your face and macho, and this guy had to be more of the same. If she recalled correctly their leader was picked by winning some giant fighting tournament, as opposed to by blood or election.
His head resting on his chin, the spiky-haired man, who Sara believed was named Kai, drummed his fingers on the table as he stared at the closed doors. It looked like he was trying to will the other leaders to get here sooner.
“You don’t have much longer to wait,” Sara said, prompting Kai to look at her. “Not many nations responded to the invitation, although I guess you didn’t either and yet you’re here. Still, I don’t see Shield or anyone from the Lost Woods attending.”
“Right,” Kai said simply, then returned his impatient gaze to the door.
Sara stood with her hands folded in front of her waist in silence with the man, whose incessant finger tapping became more annoying by the second. Sara had to present herself as the leader of this country, though, and she couldn’t say anything rude about it. After a few minutes the door creaked open and a man wearing blue and white stepped in. The colors of Magnum Undo, but this wasn’t…
“Is his Lordship Aquinas not attending?” Sara asked the man as he closed the door behind him. He didn’t respond, only looking at her with a cool gaze. There wasn’t a bow or any sign of respect to Sara even though she was the leader here, which she expected from Kai but not from a country she had a checkered past with that appeared to be trying to finally get along. It seemed he was trying to intimidate her.
“Excuse me, is Lord Aquinas attending?”
The man ran a finger along the table, scraping up a little pool of ice within his nail, then rubbed his fingers together and melted it. He glanced casually down at her.
“He’s a little… under the weather today. But he told me to send his regards and that he’s hoping to see you very soon.”
“I understand, and please send him my regards in return and a wish for his speedy recovery. The other presiding members should be here shortly so please have a seat.”
The man pulled out his chair and sat without responding to Sara before glancing at the door like Kai.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I got your name,” she asked.
“Whip,” he said without turning. No surname and that was a stupid first name if ever she’d heard one. Definitely a codename, which went to show just how fragile the trust between the two nations was, even at a formal meeting like this. Still, mentioning it would only worsen relations. All Sara could do was hope to improve things once she claimed the throne, which apparently had to be sooner than she thought being that her father still wasn’t present.
The door opened and Führer Bellator appeared on the other side. Jake and Major Miles trailed behind his purple cloak as it dragged across the ground. He glanced at Sara, nodded, and headed to his seat. A man of few words, but he had allowed Sara to stay in his country, so he—
“Eh? How come you get extra people?”
It was Kai, leaning over the table with his head tilted at practically a 90-degree angle. His mouth was slightly agape, which had to be a ploy to make him seem astounded that such a thing could happen.
“This is Trainee Jake,” Major Miles answered for him, “And I’m Major Miles. We were both involved in the inciden—”
“I don’t give a fuck about that! More people just means this shit’ll take even longer, and I don’t have time to sit around in this cold-ass place!”
Both Major Miles and Jake stood dumbstruck at the guy’s behavior. Sara was ready to say something when Führer Bellator extended his arm to his subordinates and waved them away. Without a word they obeyed, Jake looking over his shoulder at Sara. It seemed there was something he wanted to say, but it wasn’t like he could speak his mind with Kai like this. They hadn’t spoken a whole lot since… the incident anyway, so she suppos
ed they were long overdue a chat. But she was far too busy nowadays and after everything that happened it seemed a little awkward.
Führer Bellator sat in his seat without a word, staring straight ahead despite Kai’s murderous gaze fixated entirely on him. Once it was apparent that Führer Bellator wasn’t going to be intimated, Kai glanced around at each participant in turn. They flicked from the Führer, to Whip, to Sara, before he glanced at his own feet. Oh no, Sara thought, he must’ve figured it out.
“Ayeeeeee,” Kai said, “ain’t that everyone? Can’t we get this shindig started already?”
Sara didn’t want to get this ‘shindig started already’ because a certain world leader, the leader of the hosting nation in fact, hadn’t arrived yet. But she didn’t want to say anything to upset Kai further. So she kept her head down and tried to think of something good to say. She could feel the impatient gazes of everyone in the room on her, the eyes of these other world leaders sizing her up. She wanted to cover her face and tear out of those doors from the sheer embarrassment and pressure of it all. Before she could they once again opened, her father’s plump figure on the other side.
His hair was silver, as was hers, only it stretched into a long beard that ran down his plump belly. He swayed across the flooring, clutching a large gourd tightly in one hand that he spilled with each wavering step. Eventually he reached his chair and after three attempts managed to slide it out and sit. Once he was comfortable, he glanced casually at everyone in the room as if he wasn’t supposed to be the one to start the announcements. Sara could only grasp her nose in a futile attempt to shield herself from the embarrassment. She split her fingers ever so slightly to check the reactions of the other members but none seemed interested aside from the man known as Whip, who glared at her father like he was a fat sack of trash. She couldn’t really blame him.
“Well, that’s gotta be everyone! Can we get this shit started already or is there another special guest that needs to arrive?” Kai demanded.