Chapter 6:

Fun Flakes and Horsemen

"Good, that was better. Now, again."

Jack groaned. "Solriiisss, we've beenat this for at least an hour."

Solriss very obviously suppressed and eye-roll. "Jack, it has been less than forty minutes."

"But I have to go to Norway to stir up a snowstorm… Come on," Jack said.

Solriss crossed his arms and gave Jack an arched look, and Jack realized he probably shouldn't have mentioned Norway. Solriss' massive stature, unusual accent and long blonde hair and beard had always reminded Jack of the tales he'd heard of the great Viking warriors, and for all he knew Solriss had been one before he'd become a spirit.

Which meant he would know all about the weather in the region.

"I'm quite sure the Norwegians wouldn't mind waiting another day or two for their cold spell. That aside, wouldn't it be nice if you could help them direct their ships into port if you could work better with Wind? Or if you could show them the beauty that can be had in winter with those little flakes of yours?"

Jack grinned sheepishly. "Well, I have heard a lot of grumbling whenever I go up there…,"

"I wouldn't be surprised. Now, W… Valka told me she's been working with you on finding a focus. How is that going?"

The sudden shift in topic startled Jack enough that he was silent for a few moments. "Um… well, I've learned to concentrate on one thing when we're sparring; she says it's best if you focus on your opponent and analyze their technique, but I'm not that good yet. I still have to think about the blocks and forms and stuff she's taught me, but if she comes at me with something basic, I can usually go four or five minutes without her knocking me over."

Solriss nodded, a thoughtful smile curling over his mouth. "All right. That's pretty good, considering how much… well, larger she is than you."

Jack felt a blush coloring his cheeks as he ducked his head. "She holds back. Way back."

Solriss outright laughed this time. "She has to with essentially everyone! Land sakes, she tosses me around like one of your snowflakes in a gale when she gets too into it!"

Jack eyed Solriss's massive frame uncertainly; while Jack was an absolute twig next to Valka, he could swear she and Solriss were roughly the same size. Heck, Solriss might even be slightly larger. "I think I'd need to see that to believe it."

Solriss laughed again. "I'd invite you next time we spar, lad, but I don't want to give you nightmares."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow of his own.

Solriss grinned. "Trust me, boy, you do not want to see old Red when she's real riled up. Now, as I was saying, you can apply the principle of a focus not only to physical combat, but to your magic as well."

"Really?" Jack said in surprise.

Solriss nodded. "Yes, though they're more emotional focuses than what you'd be using in physical combat. As I'm sure you've noticed, your powers are heavily based in your emotions."

"Yeah; I've actually started using special snowflakes to make people laugh!" Jack said. Solriss suppressed a smile when the winter spirit began bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

"Talking to yourself, Frost?"

Jack's smile fell from his face as he turned to face the tall, dark form of Pitch Black, who grinned back at him. Then the words registered and he glanced at Solriss, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"He can't sense me, lad."

Jack had suspected as much; he'd realized a long time ago that he seemed to be the only spirit able to see Ants'nel and his friends. He'd asked the older spirit about it, but Ants'nel's only words on the subject were that none of the spirits could see them unless they wished it.

"What brings you out here, Pitch?" Jack asked, returning his attention to the Boogieman. Though he often heard of Pitch's exploits, it was rare he ever laid eyes on the spirit himself; it was even more rare Pitch ever talked to him. Actually, it was rare anybody not associated with Ants'nel talked to him.

"Avoiding the question, Frost?" Pitch replied, grin widening. "You know, humans consider talking to oneself the first sign of madness."

"Rather rich, coming from a Boogieman who speaks to shadows," Solriss mused out loud. Jack laughed.

"Says the guy who talks to shadows," Jack said when Pitch gave him an odd look. Pitch pursed his lips and frowned at the frost spirit, who just grinned back.

Angry chitters and chirps had both Jack and Pitch looking to the south, and barely a second later a swarm of eight tooth fairies was zooming out of the swirling snowflakes toward them. They formed a buzzing barricade of green between Jack and Pitch, each of them facing the Boogieman. Two of them, apparently the leaders, were chittering angrily at Pitch, who now looked bored and slightly annoyed.

"You do realize I understand absolutely nothing of what you're saying, correct?" Pitch asked, smile reminiscent of a shark's.

The fairies' chittering only got angrier. The leader began gesturing furiously at Jack; Pitch rolled his eyes.

"I have no intention of harming the frost sprite."

And as usual, people talk about me like I'm not even here, Jack thought with an eye roll.

"Ignoring us? Rather rude. At least I have the benefit of being invisible," Solriss said as he walked forward to stand beside Jack. Jack grinned as Solriss gently turned him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Now, we were discussing emotional focuses. You were talking about making special snowflakes to make people laugh? Can you explain that to me?"

"Ummm…," Jack said, glancing uncertainly at the fairies and Pitch, who were still snapping back and forth at each other (though it seemed rather one-sided on Pitch's end). "Well, it works best when I remember how much fun I have in the winter… or sometimes just fun times in general. I shape a glittering blue snowflake and blow it at a person, and it cheers them up."

Solriss smiled. "And that's a perfect example of a magical emotional focus."

"What?"

"Controlling your emotions in order to direct your magic; when you want to create one of those snowflakes, you have to dredge up happy memories or happy thoughts."

Jack grinned. "Solriss! You make being happy sound like a chore!"

Solriss's face went flat as he said, "It is. I find no measure of joy in this existence."

Jack doubled over, howling with laughter. After a few seconds had the spirit rolling around on the ground gasping for breath, Solriss leaned over him with a slightly concerned look.

"Your face!" Jack gasped. "You looked just like Maras! Oh, Moon!" And he collapsed again.

Solriss grinned. "Don't choke."

"Too late!"

Solriss burst out laughing along with the frost sprite, pleased the boy had forgotten the other spirits (who were still arguing and had no idea that Jack was laughing hysterically at apparently nothing barely ten feet away) for the moment.

Just as suddenly as he'd started, Jack stopped laughing and hopped to his feet. "Hey! You just gave me an idea!"

Before Solriss could even open his mouth to ask, Jack had leaped into the sky on a gust of wind.

Death barely kept himself from rolling his eyes as War and Famine continued arguing; they'd been at it for about fifteen minutes now, War often losing her tenuous hold on her temper and snapping at her Black colleague. Famine was much more collected, but the cold glint in her pale eyes showed that she was just as irritated with War as the Red Horseman was with her. War's steed was mimicking his rider's temper, occasionally extending his neck to nip at Famine's much more skittish mount, who was at the moment watching him anxiously. Death had to give the black horse credit, though; despite his obvious fear of the red steed, he never spooked. He barely even moved enough to jostle his rider.

War's horse snapped at the black steed's nose. The black horse moved his head just enough to get out of biting range and pinned his ears, stomping a hoof in warning. To Death's right, Pestilence's mount heaved an annoyed sigh, undoubtedly mirroring his silent master's sentiment. Death's horse flicked an ear in agreement.

The Four Horsemen rarely congregated like this outside of certain rituals, and this little altercation only served as a reminder of exactly why that was.

"Knock it off, both of you," Death admonished when War's horse made to move forward again, Famine's looking to be about over his fear and getting irritated enough to start biting back. Both steeds looked over to his cloaked figure; Famine's was decent enough to look slightly abashed. A look from Death's horse was enough to get War's steed to lower his head, snorting semi-apologetically. Their riders, on the other hand, continued with their thinly veiled insults and accusations of interference with the other's work.

"Are they going to keep this up much longer? We're going to be buried in this snow if they keep this up," Death's horse grumbled.

"AH-CHOO!"

The sudden, loud noise had all four horses rearing and whinnying in alarm. Death quickly leaned forward, gripping his steed's mane to keep his seat. When his horse's front feet found the ground again, all he could do was meet War's startled gaze. Famine appeared just as baffled as they were, and her horse had gone rigid with fear, staring directly ahead.

Death's steed voiced everyone's thoughts. "Was… was that Pestilence?!"

As though manned by strings, all heads turned toward the White Horseman and his mount. Pestilence, looking thoroughly irritated and sitting on what looked to be a mildly put-out horse, was rubbing his nose and sniffling.

Complete silence.

And then, from the top of a snow-covered pine nearby, the Horsemen heard a faint "Told ya, lad."

"Dang!"

War and Famine burst out laughing, Famine doubled over in her saddle and War practically hanging off her horse's neck. Famine's horse still looked slightly concerned, but War's steed was whinnying right along with his mistress. Death smiled broadly, managing to subdue his own laughter, but his horse was making absolutely no effort to hide his mirth, whinnying and tossing his head.

Pestilence glared mildly at his fellows, then turned and shouted at the tree, "Dang it, Frost, I'm allergic to fun!"

War actually fell over her horse's neck at that point, but she was laughing so hard she and her horse barely seemed to notice. Famine's horse snorted in disbelief and Famine herself looked close to tears. Death joined his steed and outright laughed, while Pestilence sat looking sullen and the white horse gave the equine equivalent of a despairing heavenward eye-roll.