"The air smells like snow," Willa declared, reentering her house with a fresh bundle of firewood in her arms. Her hair was windswept from the buffeting she took fetching the wood a little ways away and she looked surprisingly cold for someone who had spent her whole life in frozen conditions.
Dany observed this as she looked up from feeding Rose her breakfast. "Flurry or blizzard?" she asked blandly, though her stomach lurched. If the weather held and everything had gone well on the hunters' end, Jon and the rest of the Shadowedge hunting party would be returning tomorrow.
In the end, despite herself and despite his initial protests, Dany had convinced her husband to go on the trip. It was a week. They couldn't plan to live for the rest of their lives without being able to be apart for a week. And anyways, Dany had told herself, Jon is going inland. He'll be safe.
Therefore, for the past week, Dany and Rose had been staying with Willa in Shadowedge. Willa was also hosting Myl and Thistle, a young girl of seven: two of the children whose families had gone away on the hunt with Jon and so many others. In fact, there were only four adults and ten children left in Shadowedge. Some had gone away trading in neighboring villages, but most had gone in pursuit of the elk herd with Jon and Tormund.
Besides Dany and Willa, only Old Dryn and Dorand were left. Old Dryn because, in his words, "These old bones can't keep up with your lot's runnin' an' hollerin' no more." And Dorand, who had volunteered as a bit of added protection and an extra set of eyes on the ten scurrying rascals whose parents had left them behind. His own children, Enda and Nerell, were out there in the Haunted Forest under Tormund's charge.
"Middle ground. Whatever's left of what was over the sea yesterday and something else coming from the Frostfangs," Willa replied, glancing around the home, "Where are the two terrors that call themselves children?"
"They ran off to round up the others - I heard something about plans to ask us to go to the beach?" Myl hadn't mastered the art of whispering yet, nor had he figured out that Rose didn't understand what his not-so-whispered plans meant, so Dany had heard the whole story from him before the little redhead dashed off with Thistle in tow: Going to the beach to see what the bad weather and waves washed up on the shore overnight.
After bad weather, one could find some very interesting treasures washed ashore. Shells, coins, bits of material like whalebone or parts of wrecked ships, even the occasional weapon. The blade Dorand wielded if needed was one he had found on the shores of the Shivering Sea many years ago.
Willa shook her head, sighing. "Do they have any idea how windy and foggy it will be there?" she asked exasperatedly, turning to add another log to the fire, "And we have to go down there too!"
"Is this coming from the person who was saying just yesterday that she wished she could have found new beads or shells for her hair before a certain man of hers returned?" Dany asked with a dreamy tone and a smirk as she fed Rose the last of her meal.
"By trading, Dany, not hunting on a frozen beach with ten rowdy children! I can't focus."
"Because you need to focus so you can pick just the right ones," Dany teased, eyes gleaming with mirth, "Tormund just loves when you have new adornments in your hair."
Willa turned around, blushing. "Next time Jon goes away and you don't want to stay in your own home, you can stay with Old Dryn," she said, narrowing her golden eyes.
"Sorry," Dany replied, though she was still smiling. She had been teasing Willa relentlessly ever since she heard her friend speak Tormund's name in her sleep on Dany's second night in Willa's house.
Ignoring Dany, Willa stoked the fire once more before straightening up. Her eyes darted to the basket on her right, from where an unfamiliar glow was emanating from beneath a cloth. "Does it ever do anything else?" Willa asked.
Dany looked up and saw what the healer was referring to. "No," she said, "Not since it started doing that. It used to just glow weakly and occasionally. Now it glows all the time."
"Does that means it's...you know...going to hatch soon?"
Shaking her head, Dany came over to Willa and the egg with Rose on her hip. "I wish I knew," she said, reaching her free hand down to uncover the egg and place her hand upon it. The scaly surface felt the way someone's mouth would feel after chewing on mint leaves and sucking in cold air. "I'm worried it will stay this way forever."
"Some people would say that's easier," Willa remarked.
Before Dany could respond more than looking at Willa with pursed lips, a tiny fist hammered the door and Myl's voice rang out. "DANY! WILLA! WE GOT A QUESTION!"
"Let me guess," Willa said, rolling her eyes and walking over to the door, "Something about a beach."
Despite Willa's protests from before, soon Dany, Willa, and Dorand were walking along towards the cliffside beaches with ten rambunctious children leading the way, shouting about who would find the coolest treasure.
While Willa, who had taken Rose from Dany to allow Dany to walk more freely than she would carrying two children around, went on ahead to try and keep up with the kids, Dany and Dorand fell into step in the back. The tall man's eyes had a detectable note of wist in them as he watched their excited charges.
"Do you miss them being that small?" Dany asked.
Dorand nodded. "Aye, sometimes. I miss being able to put them on my shoulders, make them feel like they're flying. But watching them grow up is something I wouldn't trade away. I'm looking forward to hearing about their hunt," he looked down at Dany and smiled, "You'll see soon. One day your children will be out hunting for elk instead of being carried to the beach. And then you'll watch all the little ones and wonder how time could pass so quickly. But it'll be worth it."
Smiling at the thought, Dany placed a hand over her stomach. She could just picture it now: her two children keeping up with Jon, little bows in their hands as he taught them how to track the elk herd and listen for their movements. Perhaps she would be with them. Leading Embar around with all the supplies, she thought wryly. Perhaps Dorand would be there too, hunting with his grown children. Maybe even Willa and Tormund.
The fog was so thick on the cliffside that it was impossible to see the beach below them. Eagerly, the children raced to the winding path to descend, oblivious to how the fog affected visibility. "Careful, now!" Willa called out to them, "If one of you falls off the path because you rushed, you'll get no sympathy." They slowed down near-imperceptibly and soon disappeared into the thick clouds that touched the earth. Dany watched as Willa followed with Rose, picking her way slowly down the steep path that led down from the cliffs to the shore.
"Can I help you get down?" Dorand asked, offering Dany his hand, "Astrid always said she felt safer walking down here pregnant when she had someone's hand."
"Thanks," Dany said, taking it as they began down the worn path of white and gray weathered stone, "Did you live here before the war?"
Dorand nodded, glancing around from the sheer side of the cliff to fog-covered area beneath them that hid open shores of the Shivering Sea. "Aye," he said, "Up and down these parts, we liked to move around. Stayed out of other folks' ways and minded our own business 'til we couldn't stay any longer. Always promised we'd come back here once it was safe…"
He trailed off, looking around again though there was nothing to see. The fog had become so thick as they went lower that Dany could have held out her hand and watched it disappear. It was beginning to seem pointless to look for anything washing up on the shore - they'd sooner walk into the sea unexpectedly than actually find something in this weather.
"That's why you came to Shadowedge?" she asked.
"Had to make good on the promise," Dorand said, "And Enda and Nerell got used to being around other people. Didn't make sense to go back to wandering when they were happy in a village. It's what Astrid would've wanted. But having them go out on hunts and see more of the world is good too. They like the balance, for the most part. One day I'll take them out to see more of the world - beyond the tree tops to where the sun sets. I've never seen the sun set on the sea before, only rise."
"You know they call it the Sunset Sea," Dany told him.
"Aye? Well then, must be the perfect place to go."
They rounded a sharp corner of the path, Dorand still helping Dany along. Ahead, they could hear the excited shouts of the children through the fog. It seemed as though they were close to the bottom. The path had become more gravelly and loose, and Dany gripped Dorand's hand harder as her feet slid on the rock.
"Hmph," Dorand grunted, steadying her for the second time, "Must be loose rock up the cliff. Wouldn't know with all this fog though. Boulder could fall on us and we'd have no idea it was coming."
Luckily, the potential falling boulders seemed to stay put and, with the last rounding of a corner, Dorand and Dany stepped onto the grayish sand. Dany loved staring at the whorl patterns of black in the sand, as if it had traveled from entirely different shores to end up here. Today, however, the patterns were obscured by the thick fog which had gotten worse, layers upon layers of it making the beach like a daunting maze to navigate.
She could hear the sounds of waves and shouting children, but see none of the action. Willa had disappeared as well, hidden by the clouds. It made Dany feel oddly uneasy, her friend and baby out of sight. The wind had gotten fiercer, it seemed to only blow in more fog instead of less. Cold air settled into Dany's bones, its damp chill making her feel as though she had been plunged into a constricting river. She shivered, but it only made the cold sink deeper.
The wind howled louder, ringing in her ears and Dany only just made out her name being called over it and a small shadow racing through the fog.
"DANY!" Myl cried, heard before he appeared. Expecting to have to scold him for something, Dany looked down with mock-suspicion, but her face turned to horror. She felt Dorand stiffen next to her.
Myl's small face was bloody, a crude gash along his cheek that was already purpling around the edges. His eyes were medallion-round in terror as he ran up to Dany, careening into her.
"There's scary men! The color men! They grabbed Thistle! And I got away! And Willa said to get you! And - "
Dany froze. Rose.
"What men?" Dorand shouted, drawing a dagger from his person, "Where?"
Myl wasn't able to say more, now gasping and still holding onto Dany's clothes, but Dorand didn't wait for an answer. "Stay behind me!" he commanded, seeming to grow more than his already staggering height.
Torn, Dany briefly struggled between staying still with Myl and not moving from the spot or following Dorand and staying together. A scream pierced through the fog, cutting across the roaring wind. Follow Dorand, Dany decided, find Rose.
From her boot, Dany drew the small dagger she kept on her person at all times. With her free hand, she grabbed Myl's hand tightly. "Don't let go," Dany told him grimly, looking around at his pale, bloodied face. Whimpering and shaking, he nodded, gripping as tightly as his little hand could close around Dany's.
They plunged into the fog, Dorand's shadow ahead of them, as the sounds of screaming and wind grew louder. Dany felt her heart alternating between racing and plummeting, her mind racing with thousands and thousands of questions.
They're here. Who? Why was Myl bloody? What about Rose? Willa? Why did I ever let them out of my sight? The nausea that had been ebbing away for so many days was suddenly back. Despite the frigid cold and wind, Dany felt clammy and dizzy. As much as Myl was shaking, Dany felt the same inwardly.
The fog was choking. Dany kept a tight grip on Myl, but she had lost Dorand ahead. Blood roared in her ears as they battled against the wind whipping sand and ice into their faces. For the first time above the wind, Dany could distinguish the foreign shouts of men that had an all-too familiar lilt that made Dany's blood freeze and Willa's voice as well. They were close.
"Just take me, please!" Willa begged, "Just let them go!"
Unable to stop herself, Dany called out, "Willa!" still walking towards the desperate sound of her friend's voice, where she knew Rose was also.
"Dany, no!"
Dany could hear more foreign words spoken and the unmistakable sound of a hand across a face. She gripped her dagger tighter and thrust Myl behind her by his arm. Through the next layer of fog, she found Willa, kneeling on the sand, face more badly wounded than Myl's - her mouth was bleeding profusely. She was flanked by four men with brightly-colored hair and beards, savage looking and brandishing weapons and rope. One had his hand raised to strike her again. Behind them were all nine children huddled back by another Tyroshi. Their faces were petrified, and many of them were sniffling, unable to cry out of fear. Dany saw, with a wrench that should have torn her heart from her body, Thistle holding a sobbing Rose in the middle of the children, all bound to each other like animals.
"Kelisi!" Dany shouted as she and Myl came out of the fog, "Kelisi!"
At the sound of Valyrian, the slavers turned towards Dany. Confusion crossed their faces for only a moment before two began to advance toward her, realizing that even if she could speak their tongue, she was woefully outnumbered. Pressing Myl further behind her, Dany threateningly pointed her dagger at the men. "Kelisi!"
"Tubī daor," one of them replied malevolently, snapping out a length of rope as he came closer.
Before he could make it to Dany, a figure leapt from the shadows of the fog with a mighty shout. Towering Dorand, armed with his dagger, got between Dany and then men, immediately ripping his blade across the face of the nearest Tyroshi. Hot blood sprayed the gray sand and the man crumpled, dropping his rope and grasping at his mortal wound in agony.
For an instant, Dany's heart leapt with relief. Dorand had come. She saw Willa taking advantage of the sudden diversion and elbowing one of the slavers in the back of the knee, sending him sprawling to the ground. She saw the Tyroshi holding the children captive rush forward to try and defend against the sudden ambush. She started to move Myl around the ensuing fight, to get him to safety and help Willa.
And then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the raised falchion glint off the weak light barely peering through the thick clouds. She saw it reach its arc and, sickeningly, she knew what came next.
The world stopped.
Though the wind raged on, though the sounds of fighting still existed, Dany could hear this whisk of the blade as it was brought down onto its target. Blood peppered her face. Flesh and bone cracked. And Dorand fell.
A lone tree beaten by the storm.
It was a thunderous fall as the stalwart man fell into the sand, the gray around him staining red. Dany's veins turned to ice, her breath left her, her ears filled with the growing thunder of wind and the echoed sound of Dorand's body upon the sand. The world had lost all warmth, the gray hues of fog and sand turned blue as if Dorand's death had taken any chance of life with it.
"Dany!" Myl shouted, bringing her back to the present.
The Tyroshi with the bloody falchion now came towards her with a companion. Somehow, she blocked the first blow from him, only to feel a sting across her face from the other one, stunning her and knocking her off balance. Lights popped before her eyes. Dany tasted blood in her mouth and felt the bitten wound in her cheek swell immediately.
Suddenly she was on the ground, unable to breathe and with so much pain in her stomach.
"Dany!" Myl cried next to her, trying to no avail to haul her up as the two slavers closed in. Blinking the sudden tears of pain from her eyes, Dany tried to regain her senses, tried to get up for Myl. For Rose. For Willa. For her baby. For Jon. To see him again and not die on this beach. The edges of her vision were fuzzy and dark. Like the slavers, the blackness closed in as she saw them looking down onto her and Myl, the falchion pointed at her neck.
Overhead, the wind roared louder than before. It seemed to freeze everything in its way, inviting Dany to just let go. It would be warmer if she closed her eyes.
No, can't.
"Kelisi," she groaned, spitting blood from her mouth to mix with the reddened sand. Her arms shook as she tried to raise herself up. Her entire body was aching, on fire, and frozen all at once. The blood pounded in her ears like the thunderous wings of her past, making her dizzier than before. Then it was the wind that sounded like wings.
The beach had gotten darker and she heard it. The word she had not heard in so long.
"Zaldrīzes," said the slaver, panicked, looking away from Dany and up behind them.
Drogon?
She heard the children screaming. She heard the Tyroshi shouting, suddenly running. And then the word changed.
"Zaldrīzoti!"
The thundering wind came closer, buffeting Dany from overhead, expelling the fog and stirring up the sand. Looking up at the spinning world, the darkness taking hold of her, she saw the flash of silvery-white and its black shadow. A terrible roar pierced the wind, shaking the beach and causing even more panic.
"Drogon!" Dany screamed to the roar, fisting the sand as a more crushing wave of pain took over and her body seemed to split in two, dragged to the black oblivion that could lay beneath the sand, "Help us."
As Dany sagged into the ground, giving way to the darkness overtaking her, she felt the lick of frost and flame against her skin.
End of Book 2.