Chapter Eighteen

Northuldra

VALLOKEN

Val couldn't help but imagine how Talya saw him: an angry little brother storming off into the night. The fact was, she was right. He was angry. But not just at her for dragging him into this, but at himself too for allowing himself to believe that this plan was going to work. Val knew he should've just followed his instincts and stuck to what he knew was true. All this magic, fantasy and myths never bode well with him, and their latest setback just proved it.

The storm, supernatural or not, had cost them a lot of time. Now that they were stranded at the far edge of the forest, it was going to take them a long time to get back to civilisation. Val emerged from the brush and stood on the beach which was made up of more rocks than sand. He narrowed his eyes and looked out into the horizon. The air here was very misty, and a fog lay over the entire sea, obscuring anything further than thirty yards. Maybe it really was something supernatural warning them to stay away.

Whatever the case was, Val knew he had to try and find them a way out of this forest. If the Northuldra people turned out to be hostile and found them trespassing in their territory, things would get messy. He had no intentions of letting himself and the others get caught. As much as he was angry at his sister for leading them into this mess, he still felt a brotherly sense of duty to protect her.

Miraculously, his tablet hadn't been destroyed in the crash, though the screen was cracked and part of the bezel had been chipped off. Turning it on, Val looked at a satellite map of the entire area. Right now, they were near the coast, which meant that they had over fifty miles of forest to traverse to get back on the main road. He squinted at the map, trying to find a motorable track, an unsealed road, or a trail of some sort that would get them out the fastest. Unfortunately, the entire area was obscured by so many trees that it was almost impossible to make out.

Sighing, Val turned off his tablet and cursed under his breath. For all his knowledge and skills, they were useless to him now. The others might be able to survive in the wilderness, but he wasn't a spy or a sorceress. How am I going to get through this?

"Hey," Peggy emerged from the brush behind him. "That was quite the temper back there."

Val grunted in response, turning to face her. She looked tired and as done with all of this as he was, but she had a look on her face which told Val that she was still divided.

"You look conflicted." Val pointed out.

"I am." Peggy confirmed, sitting down on the rocky coast, and Val felt compelled to join her.

Levering himself into a seated position, he probed further. "Why?"

"On one hand, I think you're right. This entire thing was a long shot to begin with, chasing after a myth who's supposed to be our ancestress." She looked pensive. "But on the other hand, I think Talya could be right too."

"What do you mean?"

"Deep down, it feels like there is some truth to it." Peggy said slowly. "It's as if a part of me knows that the Snow Queen exists. And she still lives," She gestured at the foggy sea. "Somewhere out there."

"Hmmn." Val answered noncommittally.

"I've seen enough in my line of work to know that it could be true."

"I must admit," Val grunted. "I've seen more in the past few days that's shaken my beliefs to the core. And honestly, it scares me. I'm…I'm afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Afraid of following Talya into the unknown." He went on. "It's like my whole life, I've been treading water on the surface of the ocean when there's an endless depth of darkness below. Now that I've seen that sorcery really does exist, it makes me feel like there's so much unexplained. That as a simple man of silence, I'm just…powerless to do anything about it."

"I can't say I understand fully what you're feeling," Peggy said after a pregnant pause. "But I suppose I can relate in a way. We're both humans, and there's a whole breed of enhanced beings out there, wielding sorcery and throwing bolts of fire. Some of them can squash us without breaking a sweat. It's unnerving."

"Damn right it is."

"I used to think that all of them magic types were evil." Peggy said in a quieter voice. "I told you both that my parents died when I was still a child."

Val nodded.

"Well, they were murdered." She said flatly.

"Ah." Val's eyes fell and he fiddled with his spectacles uncomfortably. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Not your fault. Both of my parents were state politicians, both in the running to be elected as senators of San Fransokyo. An opposing political party hired sorcerers to assassinate my parents. I saw the bastards use their witchcraft to drain the life from both my parents. I watched my own parents die before my very eyes as I hid in a closet, powerless to do anything."

Peggy paused to take a deep breath and continued. "ERI8 - or the ASRU - reached out to me and took me in as one of their cadets. They have a training programme for orphans in Eastpoint National Security, and I was inducted into the Anti Sorcerers Academy. There were so many times I wanted to quit, but I had to remind myself that I was doing it all to honour my parents. To make them proud and to exact vengeance upon all sorcerers that plague this country. I'd always seen sorcery as nothing but pure evil."

"Until we showed up on your doorstep." Val said.

Peggy nodded. "I'd never met a sorcerer that didn't want to kill me. But then I met your sister. Talya's really made me reconsider everything that I've taught myself. I don't think she realises it, but she helped me break out of my narrow-minded prejudice. And for that, I feel like I owe it to her to help. That, and doing all this for my great grandfather." She paused. "I think I just made up my mind."

"You're going to help Talya get to Ahtohallan?" Val asked, though he already knew the answer.

Peggy squared her shoulders. "I am."

Val drew in a deep breath and folded his arms. "You make a decent point. Talya's the best of us, with her unwavering hope, optimism and annoying perseverance. If there's one of us who has a chance of putting an end to Bjorn's reign of terror, it's her. But I'll deny ever having said that."

Peggy smiled a little. "Your secret stays with me."

He returned the grin. "Likewise."

The smile from Peggy's features disappeared. She suddenly stiffened like a cat, eyes narrowing.

In confusion, Val tilted his head a little. "What is it?"

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "We're not alone."

"Talya?"

"No."

Then wh-"

From the shadows, something tackled him to the ground, and he hit the ground face first. Unfortunately, he landed on a spot of the beach which was particularly rocky, and he cut his cheek on a rock. Before he could protest, something - or someone - pinned a leg on his spine, pressing him to the ground with his spectacles smeared in the mud.

He could heard Peggy grunting and then everything went quiet. From the peripheral of his eye, he saw various figures moving silently over the rocks as if they weighed nothing.

"What's going on? Who the hell are you?" Val growled sharply.

Someone said something in a foreign language which sounded vaguely familiar. It was almost recognisable and when he translated it in his mind, he felt shivers run down his spine as his captor forced him to his feet. Get his bag, then take them both back to the village.

TALYA

The fire she had built was slowly dying off, and again for the second or third time, she added more firewood and fanned the flames. They'll come back, Talya told herself. Val and Peggy just need time to clear their heads. It was understandable of course, after having endured and survived what could have been their deaths. They needed space, and Talya was willing to be patient. After all, she needed time to think as well. For instance, how the hell was she going to get to Ahtohallan now that their aircraft had been wrecked this badly?

Talya envisioned the possibility of failing. What if she couldn't get to Ahtohallan after all? What if she couldn't learn the strength to stop Bjorn and his army? What if Val and Peggy had been right all along, and she'd been wasting their time chasing after nothing more than a fairytale myth? No, that's not true. She shut her eyes and tried not to think about it. The legend of the Snow Queen has to be true. I know it's true.

There was a slight rustle in the trees from somewhere behind her. It was almost imperceptible to the ear for a regular human, but Talya imagined that her heightened senses had something to do with her sorcerous nature. Either that or she was incredibly on edge. She spun round to identify where the sound had come from, but there was nothing and no one in that forest clearing except for her.

"Must have been the wind." She murmured aloud to calm her nerves, feeling her sorcery awaken within her like a beast, prowling and waiting to strike. She had to hold back her sorcery from gushing from her hands, trying to keep her heart from beating too fast. But the damage had been done. Her mind was alight, and she instinctively knew that someone else was here.

"Val? Peggy?" She called out into the darkness, staying close to the fire. "Is that you?"

"Not quite, intruder." A low voice with a light accent echoed through the clearing like a whisper.

Talya whirled round, eyes narrowed and squinting. She could make out the figures within the shadows, and they began to advance. There were more of them behind her, and all around. They had surrounded her from within the trees, and were closing the circle.

Talya's eyes darted back and forth between them. These people held long staffs and others held pistols. They wore high collared dark blue gákti with bands of contrasting colours, along with traditional leather footwear. That could only mean one thing.

"You're the Northuldra." She said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yes. And you, trespasser, are in our territory." One of them, presumably the tribe's chieftain, said, brandishing his pistol. He was a man at least in his mid-seventies, with greying hair and sharp eyes that told the story of a wise, experienced leader. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"Woah, woah. I come in peace." Talya waved for them to stop as they continued to move closer, their staffs and pistols pointed at her. "We-I'm not here to intrude."

"Explain yourself. We do not take kindly to outsiders."

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear." Talya glanced around, feeling her fear rising along with her sorcery. The magic within was pulling at its leash like a thrashing animal hungry to be released. It was taking everything in her power to hold her magic back.

"If you will not talk here, we will take you in for questioning." The leader motioned to her. "Subdue her."

"Wait!" Talya called out in a panic. At that moment, she lost control of her powers and the sorcery flowed like a tidal wave. The soil, the mud and the trees in the nearby vicinity completely froze over, and the Northuldra who had been advancing towards her were taken off balance, sprawling on her accidental outburst of ice.

Well, shit. Talya stifled her magic as best as she could, trying to remain calm. Had she just made things worse? The Northuldra who had fallen had scrambled to their feet, but instead of moving towards her they now backed away.

The leader gaped at her. "You're…you're kojtijøl. A sorceress."

"Yes, yes I am." Talya raised both hands as a peace gesture. "I mean no harm."

"But not just any sorceress. You have the powers of the Snow Queen." He looked both awed and fearful. "Tell me, are you her? The Snow Queen?"

"What? No. No, I'm not." Talya answered hurriedly. "I'm not the Snow Queen, but I am looking for her."

The Northuldra began whispering among themselves, throwing each other worried and curious glances. It appeared that they knew more about the Snow Queen than the rest of the world, apparently.

"Who are you?" The leader asked apprehensively.

"I am Queen Talya of Arendelle," She said in a loud voice. "Descendent of the great Queen Anna of Arendelle."

This time round, the gasps and murmurs were louder.

The leader lowered his pistol. "You are the descendent of the Warrior Queen, you say?"

"Yes, I am." Talya answered.

"The Warrior Queen liberated our ancestors from an ancient curse of the forest and restored peace between our people and the Arendellians." He said, motioning to his people to lower their weapons. "Any descendent of the Warrior Queen is welcome here." He bowed low. "My apologies, Your Majesty. We meant no disrespect."

The atmosphere had changed in an instant, just like that. Talya almost couldn't believe it. She forced a smile, feeling the fear begin to dissipate. "Please, call me Talya."

"Very well, then. Talya." The leader gestured at the wreckage of the plane. "Might I ask what happened here?"

"It's a long story." Talya pursed her lips, not wanting to disclose everything just yet.

"And we have time. Please, might I invite you to our humble village where you may spend the night under shelter? The nights here can be unpredictable sometimes. It is only nearby, and it will be our honour."

Talya nodded slowly, and the Northuldra escorted her out of the clearing and into the forest. It was about a ten minute's walk before she saw the glows of more fires, and with it the sounds of a village. Sure enough, as they debouched from the tightly packed undergrowth, there was an entire settlement built in the forest.

Northuldra families had built their houses, spread out across this part of the forest. It was like a whole different world here that no one had known about or ever discovered.

She was led to the leader's house, which was a rather grand, modernised version of the traditional laavu. The interior was fairly large with a stone floor and wide-panels supported by bamboo logs, which extended upward to converge together and form a fairly high triangle-tipped ceiling. It was impressive architecture, to say the least, and Talya would have been rather awed, if it weren't for her apprehension.

"Welcome to my home." The leader bowed politely. "I hope you will find it comfortable for your rest."

"Thank you, ummn-"

"Oh, how impolite." he touched his forehead and bowed again. "My name is Aslak, Head of the Northuldra tribe, at your service."

"Thank you, Aslak." Talya said.

He gestured for her to take a seat on one of the chairs made in the traditional carpentry style, and settled down opposite her. "Now, perhaps, you can kindly enlighten me about your presence here in our territory."

Talya nodded. "My kingdom, Arendelle, has been invaded by our enemies from the Southern Isles. We managed to escape and have been on a quest to find the Snow Queen in the hopes that she will help us. After deducing that she's on Ahtohallan, we decided to fly across the sea to reach her. On the way, our plane was struck by fierce winds and lightning, and we had no choice but to crash-land in the forest."

Aslak had an inquisitive look on his face. "We. You came with friends?"

"Yes. My brother, and a distant cousin. They were with me before you came."

"Then the stories line up," Aslak nodded at one of his lieutenants. "Please fetch them here."

"Wait, you found my brother and my friend?" Talya asked.

"Yes," He stood up as the lieutenant escorted Val and Peggy into the laavu, and turned to them. "My sincerest apologies about any prior hostilities. We value our privacy and safety very dearly."

"Right, I wonder what gave that away." Val mused sarcastically as he dusted off his clothes which were a little damp and stained by mud.

"Talya?" Peggy had immediately assumed a defensive stance. "They got you too?"

"It's alright. They're not going to harm us. It was all just a big misunderstanding." Talya explained, nodding at Aslak. "These are the people I came with. My brother, Prince Valloken, and my distant cousin, Margaret."

"Very honoured to meet you," Aslak bowed to them both. "And once again, my sincerest apologies. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you."

"Well, is there any chance you guys have mechanics around your village?" Val asked. "We could really use some tools and extra hands if we're going to repair our plane."

"Absolutely." Aslak snapped his fingers, and another lieutenant came running. "I want you to inform the village that we require the mechanics and engineers first thing in the morning. We have a plane to repair."

"Hold on, you guys actually have mechanics and engineers?" Talya asked in shock. "I thought the Northuldra-"

"Stick to reindeer herding and farming?" Aslak finished with a smile. "Our culture has evolved, contrary to popular belief. Yes, we still specialise in reindeer herding and making clothes from their skin, but we have also changed with the times. We work in various industries. In trade, science, business, and even engineering."

"Interesting." Peggy remarked.

"Quite so." Aslak's smile disappeared. "But I must digress. You mentioned you were all on a quest to find the Snow Queen?"

"Yes." Talya looked at him. "You asked me if I was the Snow Queen. Why? Does the modern Northuldra believe in her existence?"

"Legends, old stories, yes." Aslak motioned for Val and Peggy to sit down, before lowering himself down into his chair again. "Much different from your own stories, I assume. Our own culture has our unique spins on what happened."

"You mean how the Snow Queen is the Fifth Spirit that protects the forest and is the guardian of the Northuldra?" Talya asked.

"That, and more." Aslak said. "In our culture, she is also known as Sølaka Turâhno. The Woman in White."

"The Woman in White?" Val raised his eyebrow as they were served traditional tea.

"Yes." Aslak went on. "Of course, every Northuldra child who is born knows the story of how the Woman in White and her sister the Warrior Queen liberated our people from the curse of being trapped in the forest with no way out. She then went on to lead them in the Coalition's war effort against the Exonian Empire. My ancestors passed down stories of how they saw the Woman in White tear apart entire armies single handedly, leading the League of Sorcerers and the Coalition through the gates of the Empire's Capital to dethrone the tyrant Empress Tal Yin. They say that out of the vast number of sorcerers present during the Exon Campaign, she was the strongest of them all.

"After the Empire crumbled and peace was restored to the continent, she was rumoured to still be alive, training sorcerers on the island of Ahtohallan. But she vanished a very long time ago, and no one has seen her for many generations." Aslak finished, taking a sip from his own cup of steaming hot tea. "That, my friends, is the story of the Woman in White. To us in present day, it is only a legend. Folklore. Nothing more."

"Wow." Talya whispered. Single handedly tearing apart entire armies. In her mind, her visual perception of the Snow Queen was being shuffled about, as though new pieces of a jigsaw puzzle had just been introduced.

"But you-" Aslak pointed his finger at Talya. "You are different."

Talya cocked her head to a side. "What do you mean?"

"Your powers. They mark you as a descendent."

She looked at her hands, and felt the distant resonation of the sorcery within her. "Maybe you're right."

"If there is anyone who can make it across the Dark Sea safely, it will be you, descendent of the Warrior Queen." Aslak's voice had risen in enthusiasm. "The Woman in White will sense the kindred spirit and the sorcery."

"That isn't a hundred percent certainty, is it?" As usual, Val sounded apprehensive.

"Nothing is, and especially not this." Peggy grimaced. "But it's a worth a shot, don't you think?"

Talya nodded. "We have to try again, as soon as the plane is fixed." She turned to Aslak. "How fast can your people work?"

He shrugged apologetically. "Depends on the extent of the damage." He raised a finger. "But do not fear. The Northuldra are among the best engineers and mechanics on this side of the continent. We will have your aircraft flying and off to Ahtohallan again in no time."