(Jack's POV)
The sun rose and set with little occurring between Alice and I. Our minds were temporarily our own, letting the true weight of what we were beginning to do wash over us. I could still feel Alice worrying about what would happen after the Emperor fell, I was still worried about if the emperor would fall. Night fell and, too exhausted to continue, we set up camp.
Alice walked out to gather wood for a fire, and I sorted through our supplies. Alice returned and dumped the sticks into a pile, which I lit with a flick of my wrist. The warmth was euphoric, and I suddenly realized how cold I truly was. I forced myself to dig through the suddenly freezing pack to locate a package of dried meat. I threw a few pieces to Alice and we ate our miserable dinner in silence. The ground uncomfortably cold and hard after the joyous experience of sleeping in a bed.
As the fire burned itself out, creatures looked towards us from the shadows. Creatures that appeared to be very apparitions from the darkness, but upon closer inspection they disappeared. I trudged back to the campsite, and threw myself down to the remains of the fire, not allowing myself to bemoan my current state. I threw a coat from the pack over myself, and curled up near Alice. Neither of us slept very well.
Thus began our routine. We said little, walked large distances, and slept. The days grew colder and more unbearable by the hour, and soon snow began to dot the landscape. At first it appeared in small clumps scattered around the landscape, with trees donning white masks to hide themselves. Then as the freezing days passed, soon the snow surrounded us completely. We could look in any direction and see only ice covering every surface. It was only through magic that we managed to get water to drink, or a fire started.
Still as we walked, the lack of other travelers baffled me. Normally caravans and farmers eager to purchase food would cover the main roads, but there was nobody at all. Not a single soul walked the roads along with us, which was a blessing in itself.
The days grew colder still, and the wind cut like daggers into our skin. We could hardly see a few feet in front of us, but the nights were worse. We could no longer find wood for a fire, so we kept ourselves alive by casting magic into the air to keep us alive. One night we tried to burn away the snow at our feet, but after a few feet the snow broke down to ice, and then to water, salt water. We were no longer walking on land, we were walking on a frozen sea.
Towards the end of our twenty-third day struggling for warmth, we stumbled upon a tent remaining steadfast despite the storm. It was simple, just a tan tan nailed into the ice by a few wooden practically threw herself into it, and it was all that I could do not to do the same. I emerged in the tent and the blissful feeling of heat grabbed me. The permanent numbness in my fingers and toes screamed in agony, but soon retreated.
After we had warmed ourselves, we adjusted our eyes to look at the rest of the tent. Three armed men stood brandishing swords and pikes at us, each standing around a table with a large map of the empire prominently displayed; the revised map with sections cut out for rebel conquests. The heat was coming from several overly large candles placed on the edge of the table, and we drank their warmth like a dying man. The central soldier stood with his sword at his side, a cocky demeanor to his persona. He stood tall with his hands behind his back, and looked at us each in turn. He had close cut hair and a strong jawline the looked tough but not cruel.
He was a general judging from his attire, and he didn't look too surprised to see us. He turned to his soldiers and barked an order. "At ease soldier, if they had been here to kill us they would have done something by now other than stare at our candles. Instead of shoving weapons in their face, let us ask them why they are here. Now, why are you two in Tarn?"
Recognition dawned on our faces, and I looked to inspect their uniforms. Pale white with an image of a shield depicted solidly on the surface. The mark of Frostrun the old northern kingdom.
"W...w...w….w" I cursed my chattering teeth. "e ha...ha….have been traveling north. To es...es...escape the empire." Alice finished.
"A worthy goal." The general. "One you should find beneficial only to yourselves, we are working to liberate the people from the clutches of the empire. You two seem fit and fast, and the cause would be furthered greatly if you were to lend yourself to our cause. I would like to extend the comforts our humble camp has to offer."
"That's a v...v...v...very kind offer, although I don't know how much we can help." I said.
"Nonsense, I'm sure that we can find some use for you. What are your names?" He asked kindly. I felt the urge to tell him, but caught myself.
Do you trust them? I asked Alice.
They seem to be in league with the Band of Spera. She responded.
That doesn't help. I don't want to get involved.
I don't think we have a choice. She acknowledged grimly.
Real names or fake?
Definitely fake.
"My name is Jack, just jack." I lied.
"And I'm Linda, short for Wendelyn." Alice said. The general's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press the issue further. He studied us, looking us over from head to toe. He focused on the blade pressed against my side, and I cursed myself for carrying Soulbender, the dark iron blade I used to carry out my father's will. Alice shot a nervous look in my direction, but I nodded encouragingly.
The general gestured for his soldiers to leave the tent, and then did so without complaint. The biting cold winter air bit at our backs and tore into us like knives, but we remained silent.
"Jonathan Ternac, and Aliendra." Alice winced at her name. "Your mother sent word that you would be coming, I had just received it a few hours ago. Excellent try on the names, but your sword gave it away Jack."
"That's not my name." Alice said, the familiar stench of regret burning in her chest so fiercely that I could feel it.
"Ah yes, your mother mentioned that your heritage was a... touchy subject." He said articulating every word precisely, it occurred to me that he might be just as dangerous in politics as he was on the field. He began walking towards us, and apprehension shot through me. I was perched at the entrance flap to the tent, my sword drawn before he could say a word.
"I'm not going to hurt you boy. Queen Alena sent word that you needed to visit someone very special" I heard "Someone who cannot be named lest we be overheard." I silently slid my sword back into its sheath. He brushed past us, and opened the flap of the door. It had started snowing and evolved into a full scale blizzard. Ice cut at my cheeks and my fingers felt numb within seconds. I looked at Alice who seemed just as uncomfortable as I was. She jerked her head to the sky, and I nodded, understanding her perfectly. She and I stopped in our tracks. The general turned around to see what was taking us so long, and saw both of us staring steadfast at the sky, ignoring the blisteringly cold air biting our faces. We focused on the clouds and willed them to disperse, and within seconds the sky cleared. The snow stopped falling and it even began to feel warmer. The wind died down, and it became much easier to walk.
Alice and I, as comfortable as we were going to get, looked out on the camp. To say that it was a rebellion was an understatement. Thousands if not hundreds of thousands of tent covered the landscape, tan imprints upon the infinitely white backdrop. Among these tents, workers, soldiers, children, and refugees of all shapes and sized bustled about going among daily business. They struck the tents and divided the pieces amongst themselves, so that no one person was carrying more than they could bear. Even the children helped out bearing blankets and clothes in little sacks tied to their backs. Each of these people preparing to move south, to free their homeland. This wasn't a rebellion, it was a revolution.
The general nodded appreciatively, and jerked his head. We followed and traveled a few miles easily before something broke in the ice. A splash of blue submerged in darkness sunk into the almost invisible whiteness of a hill. As we got closer I was able to see the formations of ice. The outlines of humanoid shapes that were too perfect to be mortal, imprinted in designs upon the ice, and carved into elaborate unmelting statues. These were the pictures of the gods, the true gods rather than the singular god that Emperor Ternac imposed upon the Empire. Shul, the god of work and harvest.I saw them all here, Malinna the goddess of magic, Sceptra the goddess of hope and wisdom, and the most powerful of them all Cin the god of family and love. All of them preserved in their immortal glory in ice. There was only one place in the world were these could exist, we have reached the frost caves of Belmouth.
The general looked apprehensive as he neared the caves, stories of what had happened to the travelers who ventured too close still permeated the continent. The chill that ran down my spine had nothing to do with the cold. "This is where I leave you." He said quickly, and nearly sprinted away. Alice and I turned to face the caves, and with a deep breath we surged forward.
The caves surrounded us and the light melted away, the caves illuminated only by dull reflections in the ice. Every surface was polished with crystal clarity, and Alice and I were visible in every surface. Soon the caves opened up to a large room over a hundred feet in diameter, with a dozen kneeling figures surrounding a fire in the center. Each wore robes of bright white, and rose once we entered.
They turned to face us, and I would've sworn that the gods had descended and taken mortal form. There were about six men and six women, each looking no older than twenty. Their faces were elegantly cut, and they sat impossibly still upon their shoulders. Although it was their eyes that marked them as "other". Pupiless eyes of liquid gold set still in their sockets, as they surveyed each of us in turn. I glanced to the right to look at anything else, and witnessed a large pile of bones in the corner. I decided that looking upon these creatures wasn't too bad.
"The boy marks us as creatures yet he doesn't understand." A woman hissed, and they moved quickly, faster than any person could, and surrounded us.
"They seek the answers. They want to know the truth." A man spat surprisingly impatient for an immortal.
"Can we trust them with the information though? Their flagrant disregard for the goddesses work makes me question their true intentions. Would they abuse the power?"
"Tell us mortals why you felt the need to tamper with the natural world. Why did you stop the storm?" A witch spat.
"We...uh...we… were cold." I stuttered, feeling my face drain of blood entirely. I glanced at Alice and she looked as if she was doing everything she could not to be sick on the floor.
"Ah yes. You tampered with the world, and unbalanced the climate because you were cold. Where do you think the water that you dissipated went? Do you believe that it simply fell into nonexistence? It is likely that you two have kickstarted a drought in an area, or began a flood in another. Nature is a delicate thing that one must observe carefully over centuries to begin to realize its true complexity. It is not up to you to decide how it operates. Why should we bestow anything upon you if you cannot even appropriate the use of your gifts?"
"We are trying to kill Emperor Ternac." All of the witches hissed, and bared fangs. With each passing second they proved themselves more than mortal.
"Blood traitor! Scoundrel! Murderer! Desecrator! There used to be thousands of us, until he rode in riding the darkness like a steed and slaughtered us all. We have walked the earth since the gods and goddesses molded it with their hands, and he swept us away, using the darkest kind of magic."
"But you're immortal." Alice pointed out, barely being able to speak.
"Immortality and invincibility are two different things girl. Blade and magic can still tear us from this realm, although we were never meant to leave. There is no world for us after this like there is for you. This is it."
"Do you know how the emperor got to be so powerful?" I asked quickly, and cautiously, afraid that they might go off again.
A short witch spoke up, and spoke with crystal clear enunciation, refusing to abuse the hiss that the other witches had adopted. "Of course we know boy, it was us that taught him how to do it. In the early days, when there were thousands of us, we used to teach the most gifted wizards in the world how to control and manipulate their gifts. Ternac was different. We discovered that his magic controlled more than a single element, gifts similar to yours Aliendra."
I could feel Alice want to respond, but she remained quiet. A testament to the palpable fear in the room.
"He was always fascinated with expanding his power, and once he learned about joining up with other wizards he departed immediately. I am aware that the two of you have experienced the proper method of conjoinment, an equal partnership. Ternac was interested in something different. He wished to tear the magic from a magician and keep it for himself, although he did not anticipate the effects. Magic is an extension of the soul, and when he began stealing magic, he started trapping portions of human souls within his body."
"How do we kill him?" I asked, and the woman turned on me with a strange look in her eye. She looked me up and down and I felt as if she were reading my past, and looking straight through me.
"You cannot, at least not with mortal or magical means. Unfortunately you and Alice are the only hope for the empire to relinquish itself of the evil ruler, and you will have to overpower him, unless you can find a way for him to drive a blade into his own heart." She said with a cackle that sounded somewhat like a laugh.
"Now begone! We have told you more than enough, if you remain we will not hesitate to strip you from your bones." Judging from the pile of evidence in the corner, I did not doubt her for a second.
Author's note-I finally sat down and wrote a plan for this story. I know how every chapter is going to work middle to end, so there may be a little more structure. I can also begin to focus more on character development and simple literary skills like imagery and diction in speech. This chapter has been four days in the making, I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading.