The Ice Warden | Chapter 2
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That guy, Atres, really didn’t know how to shut up.
They had walked for a few hours and he had kept babbling about all sorts of things, so by now Yuri already knew that he was a mercenary doing odd jobs for the Imperial Court, his sister was some kind of scholar, and they were born in the Half Moon Kingdom, which was on the eastern coast of the Sea of Light, south from there. This Yuri knew because he had helped the Master Cartographer of Laske draw a map of that area, even if he had never been southern than the neighboring Plain Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the guards had been mostly exchanging dumb jokes with Atres until they decided to make a stop at a clearing, not far from the main trail, and the two Imperial soldiers alternated between resting and patrolling the area, while Atres went to get fresh water from a stream. He took a sip without a second thought and then shuddered. “This water is ice cold.”
“It’s good water,” Yuri reassured him, even if it was too late for that. He pointed northward. “It comes straight from the spring.”
The Urash proceeded to fill a couple of flasks and gave one to his sister, who had gone to sit on a broken log and was discreetly massaging her ankles.
Yuri was surprised by how quiet she was. She was struggling to keep up with the men’s pace and anyone else in her place would have at least complained at this point.
His thoughts were once again interrupted by Atres, who didn’t seem to take his eyes off him. “That dagger at your side, it looks like an Urash weapon.”
“How do you know?” Yuri reached for the handle.
“We’re from the Half Moon Kingdom, they’re pretty common there. How did it end up in the hands of a Wodran?”
Yuri wasn’t sure what to reply, that was a quite long story. “A man from the West left it behind a few years ago,” he just said.
“And do you know how to use it?” Atres taunted him.
“Just enough,” he shrugged. He knew better than to go there, especially when it came to mercenaries.
Atres got the gist and snorted, focusing his attention back on his sister. “How about you? Sore feet? Can you keep walking?”
“I’m good, we can go.” She gave him a pained smile.
Definitely, she was not good, but stubborn for sure.
“You can always use one of your spells that make the pain go away,” his brother chuckled, but Sheila glared at him sideways.
That was another thing they hadn’t told Yuri yet. His stare became cold. “Do you practice magic?” And what kind, should have been the exact question. Her hesitation was not a good sign.
“I… I’m just a scholar,” she reiterated, looking quite uncomfortable.
Yuri decided that, once again, it was none of his business and let the thing slide. He directed his gaze back toward the path. “If you are ready, we can leave again.”
* * *
“So, this is Soth?” Atres asked, when they were within sight of the first houses.
“That’s right,” confirmed Yuri.
The sun was already beginning to set and everyone seemed pretty tired. Fortunately, the rest of the journey had been much quieter, leaving enough space to enjoy nature. To him at least; the city people didn’t seem as interested in the wilderness.
Maybe the guards just wanted to save their breath for the climb, but there was something else that had made the atmosphere heavier. It was right after he heard Sheila murmur something under her breath, and then everyone started to feel uneasy, as if something ominous was in the air. Maybe it had something to do with those spells Atres had talked about?
He shook his head, while they proceeded into the village, which just consisted of a few scattered houses and a couple of shops, all around the main road.
“So where would this inn be?” Atres was the only one who didn’t seem to be bothered at all. Maybe because he was used to dealing with his sister’s eerie presence.
“Down the street,” Yuri replied without turning to look at them.
“Good.” Atres addressed the Imperial guards. “You guys take a room for the night while we go look for that person…”
Before Yuri could move or say anything, Sheila turned to him. “You should come with us. We need to find a house at the edge of the forest, northward, beyond the lumberyard.”
He observed the sky to see if the first star had risen, even if he already knew which direction to take. “This way.”
He led the siblings toward the woods laying on the mountain side, along a dirt path that continued beyond the village.
The last thing before the wilderness was a small house of wood and stone that looked like it’d been abandoned for years. “Are you sure someone is living here?”
Atres went to look through one of the dusty windows, while Sheila replied. “That’s what we’ve been told. But she might not be here… physically.”
Yuri furrowed his brows.
“There’s not a soul here,” said Atres in the meantime. “And it’s getting dark. Maybe we’d better come back tomorrow.”
“Just a moment.” Sheila rummaged through her bag and pulled out some kind of thin metal stick. She whispered something and a blue flame lit the rounded tip.
“What is that?” asked Yuri, immediately, caught by surprise.
“Something that will give us some light.” She paid no mind to his reaction and walked to the front door.
At least this kind of magic didn’t feel quite as uncomfortable.
Atres turned to him. “You stay on guard,” he said and then went after his sister.
The door was not even locked and, with a firm push by the mercenary, they were able to open it and get inside.
Yuri couldn’t get but a glimpse of what was going on or hear what they were mumbling about, but after a while they came out.
Sheila met his gaze and he instinctively averted his eyes and then felt very stupid about it. “Found anything?” He asked Atres.
“Nobody’s been here for quite a while,” he huffed. “Let’s catch up with the others, then.”
Sheila nodded and the three of them walked quietly back toward the inn. The darkness was already falling and a warm fireplace was lit in the common room. The space was illuminated by a few lanterns.
They went to sit at the table with the guards.
“We don’t get many illustrious visitors down here,” said the host, a big, bald guy with a bushy blond beard. “Get comfortable. I’ll get you something to warm your bones.”
“How long do you plan to stay?” Yuri poured himself some ale while they waited for the food. “I suppose I also have to take you back to Laske.”
Atres looked at his sister, prompting her to reply.
“If we are lucky, no more than a day or two. But only if we find what we came for,” she replied, again being mysterious.
“Which is?” insisted Yuri.
The host came, distributing bowls and filling them with some kind of stew.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, once we reach the woods,” Sheila whispered, cutting the conversation short.
“Smells nice,” meanwhile Atres was addressing the bearded man. “What is it?”
“It’s our special mutton stew, this will restore all your energy and keep you warm in the coldest Wodran nights!”
“Pardon me,” Sheila called him. “Do you have other accommodations for the night?”
“Of course, Milady. We have a couple of rooms upstairs, there’s enough space for all of you. The Lady can have private quarters if she so desires.”
“I’ll be staying with my brother, thank you,” she looked at Atres and then back to the man, who just bowed.
“At your service. The bedsheets are clean, as I said, we don’t have many visitors here. I’ve already sent my wife to get rid of the dust.” He laughed and then went back into the kitchen, leaving them to finish their meal.
“This thing’s not bad,” commented Atres, loudly slurping from his spoon.
Yuri just stuffed his face into the bowl and didn’t say anything else for the rest of the dinner.
When she was done, Sheila stood up. “I’m retiring for the night.” She started walking toward the stairs.
Atres turned to Yuri. “You can sleep with the guards. Be ready for tomorrow morning when the sun rises.”
Yuri nodded in response, and Atres followed his sister.
“That woman gives me the creeps,” mumbled one of the guards when the siblings were out of sight.
“There are rumors that she’s dabbling in dark magic,” replied the other in the same low voice.
Yuri just kept focusing on his meal, pretending not to listen.
“Rumors?” the first one scoffed. “We all saw she did some weird trick during today’s walk. But she has the favors of Lady Arjanna, so nobody can say anything about that. And you’d better shut your mouth about what you see here.”
The man huffed. “Honestly, I wish the Captain picked someone else for this job. My usual luck. Meanwhile, the others are resting comfortably at the port, scratching their belly and eating good food.”
“Food is not that bad here either. Just keep it together and we’ll be back in a couple of days.”
“And you? You’ve nothing to say, Wodran?” the younger guard addressed Yuri.
“I’m just a guide. You do what you have to, I keep to myself,” he shrugged.
“That’s a good way to live, out of trouble,” said the other, and both of them chuckled. “Let’s catch some sleep while we can.”
