Fuyu no Tenshi
The snow drifts across the shadowless land. The almost imperceptible whispering wind barely stirs. A pony whinnies weakly. Its legs struggle to rise above the eternal snow. Hakon urges his horse to slow and nudges at its back. Dejected, it barely even recognises his presence.
The atmosphere has darkened. Solemn silences and shivers are their only signs of life. The days of endless, undisturbed snow has weighed upon them. The cold has seeped into the depths of their bones. The heavy furs have done little to shield them in the recent days.
Kari glowers out over the land. In the far distance the slightest difference in shade marks what he hopes is the village on the water. He clenches his jaw. His hands tighten on the reins. A plan has been twisting through his mind endlessly since his phantom conversation with Jessa. He tugs on the horse's reins and it erupts into flight.
The yells of protest from behind swiftly wither away to nothing. The sharp whinnies of the frightened horse sound incessantly as it tears through high snowdrifts. He urges it ever on until finally the bridge is reached. There, he pats its neck and soothes its shivers before dismounting.
The walkway crunches beneath his feet. The putrid scent of decay and death and of the ebbing bog swirls around him. He grimaces deeply. The ice embraces the bridge completely. He glances at it, unnerved. A longing rises in him. It whispers to turn back. He looks ahead and places one foot before the other.
There is another, he insists, they must have found another.
At the other side the door falls open. The white ground matches the white houses and the white roofs. The snow is untouched, untainted. There are no footfalls marked. No voices sound. His strength lends him nothing in the silence of the village. He treads warily, eyes flickering and footfalls silent. The birds linger behind.
He searches and searches and searches. The village isn't large. The ground it stands on isn't wide or long. The stables are empty. The houses are dark and void. His prints remain the only ones. His breath remains the only sound. It feels like a world encased in itself with no beginning and no end with nothing in between.
He retreats. The emptiness plays tricks on his mind. It calls to him of monsters and rune users and questions his choice to leave his friends behind. He hastens. His stealth withers away and his raucous breathing resounds. There, on his path to the great gate, an umbrous silhouette stirs.
He halts.
He turns. He scours what the view allows. Nothing moves. He starts again. This time he walks. He takes care to watch his surroundings. Nothing moves. He reaches the third last house when, before him, a snow made stone shifts. His head snaps up. To his right something flees. When he looks it's gone.
He turns back, walking deeper into the village. His instincts are set on edge. It's a trap. He stiffens but continues. It's become suddenly harder to simply walk. His lungs choke and wheeze and scream for air and yet he doesn't dare. He merely watches, lingering in the strength of his last, long breath.
A giggle sounds. He turns. There's only snow.
"What a pleasant surprise. I have few callers,"
He whips around and she's there.
The lavishly copious veil of hair barely stirs about her softly tanned face. Her dark eyes hold mysterious depths and taunt him with their knowledge.
Kari scowls. "You're the one with Thorkil,"
She allows the ghost of a dead smile. "I am,"
A deep, unfulfilled anger rouses. "Who are you? What do you want?"
She makes no reply. Her gentle stare sears him.
He tries again. "What have you done with Jessa?"
Her voice is without emotion. "Why do you believe I took her?"
He hisses. "You-!"
Her expression takes the slightest shift. A sort of amusement has taken her. He takes a deep breath.
He asks quietly. "Is Thorkil here?"
"No,"
He fights to keep his surprise a secret. "Did you leave him?"
"No,"
He glowers. "Are you still travelling with him?"
Another near imperceptible change takes her. "I am, and I am not,"
He watches her in silence, waiting for her to continue. For a long moment it seems as though she won't. Her game deepens his hatred for her.
Then, she murmurs. "There are many ways,"
Kari clenches his fists. "Whatever your part is, I will find Jessa. 'There are many ways', yes, and I'll use them all to stop you. You may fool Thorkil but you don't fool me,"
She smiles and it mars her strange prettiness. The edges of her lips shiver. Her eyes grow deeper yet. The dark veil of her hair swathes her in its shadows.
She speaks. "You may chase me to the rising of the sun and still not found a trace of me that I have not allowed,"
He glares. "No. You don't have that power,"
She strengthens the allure of her eyes. "I possess your strength. I possess your dream. Your efforts are my own,"
A great wind wails. The roofs barely stir. The snow continues to coat the ground. There are only a few flakes that move and only by an inch. The silence fortifies.
Her dark delight grows.
Kari glances up, afraid that she'll vanish. "I don't believe you. You can't have that power,"
She allows a true ghost of a smile. "Every breath that you take, every taste of life, is me,"
Author's Note: I'm sorry that I didn't upload this last night. I was feeling tired and all and it had already reached one hundred views, which, for the moment, is my goal for every day of this month. It made me feel guilty. I've kept you all waiting for so long anyway! The good news is that I've finally gotten my book and I know exactly where to go with this! The bad news is that I'm off on holiday after uploading this. I don't think I can take the book with me so the work will be delayed for the next chapter. That being said, I'm working on it in my head, moulding out the way to explain her and her ways.
Thank you for choosing to read this story and for staying true to it. I truly, truly hope that you have enjoyed this chapter and I apologise for keeping you waiting for so long and for having to leave you waiting again.