AN: Last chpater wasn't too interesting, was it? I could tell by the reviews ( or the lack of it thereof ). Thanks to everyone who did review though. Very encouraging indeed I did promise something better, so here it is, and I hope I deliver. Enjoy! Don't forget to review, of course. I thank you in advance.
She leaped from her seat, and made a dash to the door. Kaiba grasped her wrist and held it tightly. "Where do you think you are going?" He asked roughly with an impatient look.
"Out." Isis answered simply, trying to escape his grip.
"Are you mad?" Kaiba barked, tightening his hold "It is almost midnight. What do you want to do outside, get yourself lost and freeze to death?"
Isis faced him and said coldly, "Unhand me now and let me go. Finally I realized the answer I have been looking for, and I must do something about it."
Kaiba did not let go. He stared at her incredulously, before a knowing light came to his eyes. "You mean you think Cold Wave is the card causing the storm? Ludicrous thought. And even it is the cause, have you considered where, how, and why? You are just going to march out and look for it blindly in pitch black?" He questioned cynically.
She didn't reply. Her brow knitted, and her eyes narrowed even more in frantic thoughts. Slowly and cautiously Kaiba let go of her wrist, seeing she was no longer so intent on escaping the room. "Do you think a single card has the power to bring about such drastic change in the weather?" Finally he asked coaxingly, with an awkward attempt of gentleness, trying to sooth her mood and thoughts.
"That depends on the power of the person using that card." Isis said quietly. "Yet unless it is the Pharaoh himself, I don't see anyone else on the face of Earth capable of manifesting a single card like this."
There was a moment of silence, before she mused on contemplatively, "But perhaps the spell was only a catalyst that started a chain reaction, or maybe some unstable forces of nature magnified the effects of the shadow magic." She sighed, "I do not know. I know next to nothing of meteorology."
"It shouldn't be too difficult to find out." Kaiba said, and seated himself before the computer. Isis came and stood beside him, looking on with faint traces of distraught in her eyes.
A few strokes of keys on Kaiba's part soon brought a map of the Atlantic Ocean and coastal areas. It was a complex looking map swirled with different shades of blue and tiny labels and descriptions thrown all over it like crawling ants. He studied the map for a moment with great concentration, finally he said flatly, "It is too full of strange terminologies to make much sense of, but the gist is clear at least. The weather condition of the northern hemisphere is controlled by the North Atlantic Current, and any disruption of the current may lead to drastic weather changes."
"And are there any disruptions?" Isis asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Apparently, there are." Kaiba replied, scrolling the map down and reading all the text. "The flow and temperature of the North Atlantic Current is monitored by many weather facilities, and a few days ago, a sudden decrease of temperature is detect at certain points, and the temperature is still dropping now."
"Where?" Isis asked sharply.
"Off the cost of Ireland, and New York." He stood up. "I think that was the answer you were looking for."
"Indeed." Isis mused quietly, a distant look in her eyes. "Planting Cold Wave in strategic points of the North Atlantic Current, and let the course of nature do the rest. An ingenious move, undoubtedly. Yet who would do such a thing, and for what purpose? I can not possibly let this continue unchallenged."
Kaiba's hand was around her wrist in a tight grip once more. "You are not going anywhere now." He said firmly. "When there is light."
Isis eyed him with a strange look, before saying, "You are right. It would be unwise to venture out now. It's late now. We should rest."
Kaiba regarded her suspiciously, wondering if she would leave the building as soon his back was turned. But finally with irked thoughts he decided to give it a rest. That woman seemed too sensible to do anything stupid. And even if she did, why should he care? Glumly he stalked over to the armchair beside the fireplace and sank down somewhat indignantly. All the worries will have to wait until morning, he thought tiredly.
The next morning looked no different, cold, grey and cloaked with infinitely unending white. Isis was leaning against the window once more, looking outside. Kaiba went over and stood near her, and said grimly, "I am going with you."
Isis turned to him with a questioning look, "Why though?"
Kaiba said impatiently with a snort, "Because you need someone to keep you alive. You will get yourself killed in no time at all if you are alone."
A light smile surfaced on her face and she said, "My thanks, that's very kind of you, Seto."
Kaiba looked at her incredulously, for he heard nothing but sweet sincerity in her voice. And that smile on her face looked so radiant and beautiful. Shaking his head with irritation he banished such thoughts, and steered his mind towards other things.
"So how do you plan to travel anyway? The snow should be hard enough to walk on, but I don't think you'd like to walk." He asked in a smooth voice, even as they emerged from the building, and stood now in the whipping wind.
"I thought of flying a shadow creature," Isis said, looking down the white street, "But I don't think so now. Storm clouds are gathering, and it is dangerous to fly in such treacherous wind."
Kaiba fingered his deck in his pocket, pondering the situation. Finally he said, "We will ride, then." He pulled out a card, and cried, "I summon Dark Zebra."
A swirl of shadows answered his call, and there came galloping across the barrier of worlds a great beast. Tall and mighty it looked, dark with flowing mane and tail. The beast neighed and stopped before its master, bowing its striped head respectfully.
"Jump on." Kaiba said simply.
Without another word Isis leaped onto the great creature. She positioned herself side way, and held on to the zebra's dark mane. Kaiba climbed up the zebra's back as well. He seemed to hesitate a moment, before taking the mane of the creature with both hands, and Isis firmly in his arms.
"We go eastward, towards the harbour." He commanded.
The great zebra gave a snort in assent, and galloped down the snow packed street. Buildings of steel and glass flew past them, looking incredibly dim in the grey snow light. The world was silent, and nothing could be heard saving the rhythmic tapping of the zebra's hooves, falling quietly atop the packed snow.
It did not take long for them to reach the seaside. It was pale and bleak like everywhere else, the snow extended all the way to the distant horizon, an unbroken field of white. Metal sterns and masts jutting from the ground were the only signs that it was indeed the harbour.
"So." Kaiba said with the faintest sign of uncertainly as he pulled the beast beneath them to a stop. "Where to from here?"
Isis looked before her, brow furrowed with thoughts. Finally she raised a hand, and with a swirl of shadows, a golden arrow appeared before her. It hovered in the air, flashing brilliantly. Then slowly it began to spin, faster and faster before it suddenly stopped, pointing northeast.
"Let's go," She said, "Follow the arrow."
With a simple command from Kaiba the great zebra moved again, galloping swiftly, following the golden arrow that always hovered before them. "What is that thing anyway?" Kaiba asked.
"A tracing spell. It will lead us to the magic card Cold Wave." Isis answered distractedly.
They rode on for another hour, and Isis called a halt. "You must be tired, Seto." She said. "Perhaps I should summon a creature now to bear us."
Kaiba sent her a glare and said obstinately, "I am fine. Let's just go. The sooner we get this over with the better."
With a thin smile Isis pushed away his hand and jumped off the beast. Gently but firmly she pulled Kaiba down as well. To his surprise Kaiba found himself devoid of any strength to resist her. He was indeed drained from supporting the shadow creature for so long. For a moment he stumbled and almost fell from his weariness, but Isis caught him and held him firmly.
"All you alright?" She asked worriedly.
With an irritated gesture Kaiba brushed her remark away, irked at his own weakness. "I am fine." He grumbled.
"Indeed." Isis said with faintest amusement. She stood beside him, one arm still tentatively latched onto his back with gentle support, her other hand went to her pocket and fished out a card.
Thrusting the card before her she called, "I summon Sekhmet's Steed." From the shadows a great horse sprang, black like a starless midnight sky.
"Can you still ride?" She turned to Kaiba and asked quietly.
With a snort Kaiba leaped on the great horse easily and pulled her up as well. "Don't condescend me." He said with a smirk, and there was a rare humour in his voice.
"You sure recover quickly." Isis murmured, before giving the great steed a gentle command, and went on northeast once more.
They rode onward in silence, it was deathly quiet all about them. Further and further they went, until at last the skyline disappeared from their view behind them. They were now travelling in a mass of endless white, stretching out to infinity in all directions.
Suddenly Isis exclaimed out loud with a strange look on her face, "Did you hear that?"
She fell silent after that remark, and seemed to be straining to catch some sound. The great warhorse beneath them slowed down to a saunter. Kaiba's brow knitted in confusion. He had heard nothing. Just then a sound sliced through the silence: a sound of something breaking and shattering. A second later a ragged crack appeared on the ice beneath them. The horse neighed in panic, stumbling and jostling madly. Tightening his hold on the horse's long mane, Kaiba gave the beast a non-too-gentle kick on the side and cried loudly, "Jump!"
The horse obeyed and leaped, landing neatly on the other side of the crack. But the trouble did not end there, for the ice was shattering into numberless small pieces. The horse began to run again, swift like a wind upon the sea, fleeing even as the ice field beneath its hooves slowly disintegrated into open water.
"You better have something up your sleeve." Kaiba said with a growl.
Isis did not reply, but instead pulled another card. "Wings of Pegasus!" She called. A pair of great wings sprang from the horse's shoulder blades. With a great neigh the horse opened its snowy wings fully, catching the wind and swiftly rose into the sky.
"I thought you said the wind is dangerous for flying?" Kaiba asked dryly.
Isis nodded distractedly, "It is, but we have little choice. And our destination is not far away now, I believe. Look."
Instead of pointing straight northeast, the golden arrow that guided them now pointed downward. Following the arrow with his gaze, Kaiba saw an island not far away. It was small, and clad in snow, a white hill that stood lonesome in the midst of black water and floating ice. Slowly the winged horsed descended, and finally with a few fast-paced beat of its wings landed on the island. With a distracted command Isis sent the creature back to the Shadow Realm.
"It's cold here." Kaiba said pointedly. "I suppose you could be right."
Isis nodded, "I can sense it. The spell should be in the water here. It can't be far, though I do think it's planted fairly deep."
She took a few steps towards the water, hand reaching for her card deck once more. But before she could do anything, the ground crumbled and opened up beneath her. With a low gasp that barely had time escaping her throat, she fell down the bottomless hole.