The snow crunched under three pairs of feet and Hiei, Amira, and Yoko continued forward carefully. The further in they got, the deeper the snow became and more snow fell from the cloudless sky. Amira shaded her eyes and looked upward, trying to discern where it was coming from.
"It's like it just…magically appears," she said to the others. "There are no clouds in the sky."
"It's powerful magic," Hiei said, his Jagan glowing in the presence of such powerful elemental sorcery. "This must be why none of the guards were at their posts. They must have come to investigate and got caught up in it."
Yoko said nothing, silently observing. Sarkan must have done this. But how?
"This must have been why he wanted Satira," Yoko finally spoke.
"To make snow whenever he wants?" Amira said sarcastically.
"This is deadly snow. As you can see, the ground has completely withered because of it. All the way to the roots. I can't even bring them back." Yoko explained.
Hiei frowned. "We can't stay out too long in it. It isn't hurting us now, but that doesn't mean that it won't."
"Yes," Yoko agreed. "This snow has killed the ground, and yet hasn't hurt us."
"Maybe Sarkan doesn't want it to kill us yet." Amira suggested solemnly.
The three said nothing more; the snow so deep it came to their knees. Hiei was having a particularly difficult time of it. He tried to use his sword to slice a path from himself, but to no avail. Amira hid a smile.
"Didn't you say you were born on an island of ice?" She teased.
His glare could have burned the snow to ashes.
"This is different! I am a fire demon!" He snapped.
"Half fire demon." She reminded with a waggle of her finger, as if lecturing a child.
"And how is it you know so much of me!" Hiei growled.
"Just because I don't cheat and read minds with a Jagan doesn't mean I don't have ways to find out what I want to know." Before Hiei could even reply Yoko silenced them with an outstretched arm. The two stopped their bickering and gasped.
The falling snow had lightened, even though it still came down in large amounts. A light frosty breeze blew over them as they stared at the scene before them. The front entrance door to the hideout was open, allowing them to see the training court and everyone on it. Everything was covering in a solid sheet of ice. From the wall that ran around the hideout, all the way to the individual thieves that had frozen right where they stood. Arrows from archers had frozen inexplicably in midair, floating frozen in their path. The archers themselves were also frozen and snow began collecting on their heads and shoulders. Thieves on the training ground had been stopped in mid-swing of their swords, staves, and other weapons. One even mimicked the arrows, in that he had jumped to cleave an enemy in two when the strange ice had frozen him in the air, his mighty sword frozen forever in his hands. "Everything is frozen!" Amira said in soft shock. "Everything and everyone." Yoko added.
"Look, even the arrows, mid-flight. They just…hang there. There is nothing connecting them to the ground." She stepped off the snow and onto the ice. Her foot slipped a little, but she immediately found Hiei's hand was there to steady her. Their eyes met for a moment before both looked away. Yoko stepped onto the slick surface as well, looking at everything.
"This is why he was heading here, and tried to slow us down." Yoko informed the other two. "He wanted to freeze this place before we got here."
"Braggart." Amira hissed angrily. "He's showing off what his new pet can do!" Yoko eyes flashed angrily as his head whirled to glare at Amira's choice of words. The golden wolf demon laid her wolf ears flat against her head in apology.
Hiei took out his sword and in a flash charged at a tree, slicing the trunk with his blade. Shards of ice splintered off and Hiei smirked superiorly when his face changed to shock when the ice reformed almost as soon as it was cut. Where his blade had hit the tree was now thicker than before.
"Try burning it." Amira suggested, eyeing the ice with suspicion.
Hiei conjured a small fire and aimed it at the tree. The flames engulfed the tree completely before it sizzled and died, the ice on the tree unfazed.
Yoko's eyes narrowed.
"Ice that can't be sliced, or burned." He looked up at the sky. The sun was still shining, even though the snow still continued to fall peacefully.
"We should get back to the others." Amira suggested.
Yoko nodded as well. "There is little we can do for them now." He agreed, looking at his frozen comrades.
Hiei snorted at the uncooperative ice and turned to leave with them.
"What now?" He questioned.
"We tell the others the situation. Then we find Sarkan. If Satira made this winter with that Glacieragon that is inside her, then she might be the only one who can thaw it."
"I can see why Sarkan would want this." Amira said, gently touching the arm of one of the thieves that usually accompanied her. Her eyes showed sadness for their loss. "Imagine what people would do to avoid seeing their homes trapped forever in this crystallized death?"
"And that is why we have to stop him." Yoko said striding forward. "At all costs."
Hiei stared at the fox's back. Yoko seemed to blend in perfectly with the snow and ice. His silver fur reflected the sun's light just as well as the ice, and his white clothing matched the snow. He was perfectly camouflaged.
"What if the only way to break this spell is death?" He said, not moving from his position. He spoke the question boldly, asking the one thing he knew Yoko didn't want to think about.
The wind blew over them with a small whistle. The only noise for what seemed like hours. Amira looked at Yoko for his answer and the silver fox sighed deeply. His shoulders seemed to sag and he didn't look at either of his two most trusted companions. When he spoke, his voice sounded full of pain, but his words were strong and clear.
"Then so be it."