Fuyu no Tenshi

"Daijōbu desu ka?" the shadowed figure enquires.

Her voice rings with bell-like laughter; light and malicious. From beneath her hood her icy skin reveals itself with a smile. A sense of danger follows in her wake as she moves around to inspect the silver creation.

The contraption is mounted on a white platform. Silver strips of metal are wound upwards. Once the metal is stretched high enough it takes the form of a semi-circle. Approximately five to seven strips of metal form the contraption. An extra strip of metal winds around the globe one third of the of the way up. As a whole the contraption resembles a globe.

She tilts her head back; revealing more of her face. She laughs once more at the piteous sight before her. Her tauntingly mockery is impossible to ignore. She tilts her head further back for a moment before straightening up. Never has she allowed any trace of her eyes to be seen. She is cunning and strategic- no one will recognise her from the shape of her mouth.

"Anata ga kowagatte imasu ka?" she trills joyously.

She calms and steps closer to the creation. The back of her hand caresses the metal. She smiles wickedly and her eyes flit to their target. She glides away a few steps. Her entire demeanour is hauntingly teasing. She turns her back and soon disappears into the surrounding mist.

"Ngh," a voice groans.

Within the graceful and elegant silver cage is Jessa. Her hair drapes over her shoulder and the metal. Her arms hang limp over the horizontal metal strip. Her head hangs low in shame and weakness. The movement from her is the feeble rise and fall of her chest with every shallow gasping breath that she manages to intake.


Skapti shivers as he glances around warily. He knows well that are no finer companions to have on such a journey but the world that they are in still terrifies him. They passed through the forest the night before; albeit reluctantly. The notion of leaving Thorkil behind had weighed heavily on them but they had to continue. Even Kari, who was and is so sure that he is well, was reluctant to continue without Thorkil present.

The horses whinny miserably as they carry their riders through the foreboding terrain. Kari casts his eyes to the ground. He knows that he did the right thing. Thorkil is safe with the person he has met. He won't be harmed or abandoned because she needs him. She wouldn't have bothered with him at all if she had no need for him. It's the only reason why Kari hadn't dared to defy her by forcing Thorkil to listen to the truth of her identity.

Truth be told Kari doesn't know either. He knows that she is the one who took Jessa. He knows that she is using Thorkil to gain an advantage of some sort. He knows that she has abilities that he can't begin to comprehend. She instils a great fear in his heart and he knows that if his mother was still around she would easily be cast aside by this woman's skills. He shakes his head slowly so as not to worry his companions. At one point Gudrun had been invincible but now someone has come with far greater power at a much younger age. He can barely begin to imagine the consequences of his intrepid group of friends failing. Would this woman take over the land with fear and intimidation just as his mother had? What could she want?

"The horses are struggling," Brochael frowns. "I don't think they can keep going."

"They lasted longer than this the last time that we came," Hakon comments, confused.

Kari lowers his head dismally. He knows why the horses' strength is failing. He can see the exertion in their pained eyes but there's nothing that he can do to ease their suffering. If things continue this way the horses will have to be left behind. He sighs exhaustedly; that spell caster has them exactly where she wants them. His grip on the reins tightens. He can't let her continue.

"They were different horses, Hakon, these ones are probably weaker," Skapti sighs, turning his tired gaze to the bleak night sky. "We lost most of the horses on our last journey. The only one left was…"

"It was Jessa's," Kari mutters, pulling on the reins.

His horse whinnies loudly before bursting into a run. He soon leaves his allies behind. His ravens had stayed behind to keep the horses still. He doesn't plan to abandon them, but with the spell caster nearby he can't tell whether he will or not.


"Baka," she scowls, circling the fire. "Dono yō ni orokana."

Her movements are slow as she makes another rotation. The flames reflection sparks in her eyes like furious fiery rubies. Her left arm is raised to allow her to sprinkle dust onto the earth around the fire. Hatred gleams in the dark depths of her eyes as she comes to a slow stop. She turns to face the flames on directly. Her arm swings around so she can drizzle dust on the ground in front of her.

She shoots a quick glance to her left. Her gaze is laced with suspicion and as her eyes gaze into the forest the leaves begin to rustle and ghostly voices hiss. She scowls and tears her gaze from the greenery to stare back into the licking flames. She turns her wrist upwards and opens her hand. The remainder of the dust falls into a small pile. As the third last grain lands on the pile the flames explode upwards in a brilliant array of light.

She emits a short, sharp gasp and staggers back. She falls to the hard ground with a shrill outcry. Trembling, she sobs and curls into a ball. A loud yell comes from the forest moments before Thorkil races out. He stops the moment that he sees her and kneels by her side. She stops trembling as he rests his hand on her side. Upon seeing him she throws her arms around him. Confused, Thorkil awkwardly pats her back in an attempt to comfort her.

She smiles slyly and draws a knife from her sleeve. She turns the blade's edge to the nape of his neck but she pulls it back as he moves. He grins at her brightly and she forces back her annoyance.

"I've got everything packed now, and I've found some food to bring with us," Thorkil says brightly. "We can move on to the next place now! It might be a bit cold so we'll have to stay close, okay? I'll keep you safe and we can find my cousin together. I'm sure that you'll get on well with Jessa; she makes friends easily. When we find her we can go back to the Jarlshold and you'll be welcomed there. They'll all love you over there."

He pulls her to her feet and starts to lead her away. As soon as his back is to her she lets her composed mask fall away. Confusion fills her eyes and becomes an intense expression. She grips the hilt tightly for a moment but she soon loosens her grip. The weapon lands softly on the forest floor and she shifts closer to Thorkil. The dark intensity that had previously embodied her has now vanished. There's now a gentleness to her actions. She flinches before she disappears from sight and stares, horrified, at the fire. The spell that she has cast is still in effect.

Author's Note: Can someone please tell me what the area after the forest is like? I've lost my copy of the Snow-Walker trilogy and I can't remember.

Anyway, thank you for reading. I appreciate your time and I thank you for giving this story your time. I apologise if you didn't like this chapter.

*Daijōbu desu ka - How are you / I'm alright. (I learned it)

*Anata ga kowagatte imasu ka - (sorry, I forgot! I think it's something like 'did you think you could escape'.)

*Baka - Idiot / Fool. (I learned it)

*Dono yō ni orokana - How foolish. (Used a translator)