Click here to read Part One, here to read Part Two, and here to read Part Three.
The children stumbled out of the library as the sky began to lighten in the east. The boy’s head spun with the enormity of what they had learned in the last eight hours. There was so much more to the world than what met the eye. Just to assure himself that what he'd experienced was real, and not some dream, he thrust his hand towards a barrel of rainwater which had accumulated a thin sheet of ice on top. It disintegrated, devolving back into the water. Even though he'd performed it a dozen times during the last several hours, the action still gave him a sense of wrongdoing, as if he were violating something sacred. It was the only way to stop the storm of ice, though, and that was certainly a good thing to do. The man at the library — who never would tell them his name — had said the feeling would wear off after a while. “What are you doing?” the girl snapped, pushing his hand back to his side. “What do you think would happen if someone saw you do that?” The boy shrugged. “They would hide, and spread rumors about us. We'd be quite a bit safer, actually, if the people believed I could destroy anything with the wave of a hand.” The girl breathed out sharply and turned her head. I knew it. This was a bad idea. It's getting to his head already. “Would you please just stop?” The boy gave her a confused look, but then shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “Are you alright?” he asked. “Yes, I've always wanted to lose my entire family and then let my only remaining friend get tangled up in sorcery. I'm just fine.” The girl kicked a pebble. There was an awkward silence for several seconds as the boy tried to think of something to say. He eventually decided there was nothing and tried to offer her his hand. After unsuccessfully trying to ignore him, the girl sighed and stopped walking. “What am I doing?” She raised her hands and then let them fall back to her sides. “We can't change the past, and what we’re doing right now is our only option. I'm sorry.” The boy stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to let either of the two remaining arrows touch her. “No, I'm sorry. I should've asked you. And don't apologize for saying what you're thinking. I always want to know.” “Always?” the girl asked as she stepped back. There were tears gathering in her eyes, but a smile played around the edges of her mouth. “Always,” he answered firmly. “In that case… right now I'm thinking that you're an impulsive moron who should listen to his best friend,” she said with a smirk. The boy laughed and shook his head. “I probably deserved that.” “Maybe. But you also deserve this.” She put her hands on his shoulders, stood on her toes, and touched her lips to his cheek. The boy blinked several times, then coughed. He shifted his feet, and pulled his hands out of his pockets, just to put them right back. After a few more moments, he cleared his throat and said, “You should call me a moron more often.” She laughed. “I might.” After a moment, she stepped away and looked down at the ground. “I do have something else to tell you though.” She drew a circle in the dirt with her foot. “It's about my family.” The boy’s eyes widened. Finally, he thought. After all these years. I wonder who they could be. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “My father is the king of our city,” she said quickly, as if to get the words out before she could change her mind. For the second time, the boy was rendered helpless to do anything but blink. After a moment it wore off and he took several deep breaths. “You’re… a princess.” She nodded, biting her lip nervously. “I never wanted to tell you because I thought you might treat me differently if you knew. Everyone else did.” She paused and let out a nearly inaudible sigh. “You won't, will you?” she asked, looking up. I thought my head was spinning earlier, he thought. Now I've just discovered that the girl who has been my best friend for years is a princess. And she just kissed me. It was a dream come true. All I want to do is stay with her forever. And yet… how can I? I have to get her to safety. How can I do that if I let myself think like this? The girl was still looking up at him, waiting expectantly, her eyes full of trust and hope. This is going to be the hardest decision of my life, he thought. But really, there wasn't anything to decide. Her safety comes before my feelings. Gritting his teeth and fighting the tears threatening to spill out of his eyes, he took a step backwards. “You should get to safety, your majesty,” he said, struggling to keep his voice even. “Go to the dock, you should be able find a trader that will take you downriver to the sea.” The girl slowly backed up, nearly tripping on a large stone. “No. No…” she said, her eyes growing wide. “From there you should be able to sail to the mainland. I'm sure someone will let you work for passage.” “Please,” the girl whispered, her eyes blurring. How can this be happening? “Goodbye,” the boy said as he turned around, no longer able to hold back his tears. She took several more steps backward and collapsed against the stone wall of a small house as he walked away. Both wept as the distance between them grew, but the boy’s resolve stood firm. Her safety comes first, he thought over and over as he stumbled towards the palace, barely able to see through the haze of tears. Her safety first. Her before me. Her before everything. The girl slowly rubbed the sticky spots on her cheeks where tears had dried. She straightened, pulling away from the stone wall she'd been leaning against. Did I fall asleep? She looked up and saw a colorfully robed man standing over her. Only then did she remember the hand on her shoulder that had woken her. “Miss?” the man said. “Can I help you?” “No. Yes. I don't know,” she said as she remember what had just happened… well, she wasn't sure how long ago. She stood up and shaded her eyes as she looked towards the sun. Probably about the third hour of the morning. I need to decide what I'm going to do, she thought. Now that he's gone… another tear slipped down her cheek. It still didn't feel real. But it was. The only thing I know is that I can't stay here. She turned her head back to the merchant. “Could you point me towards the docks?” “I'm headed that way myself,” the man answered. “You can tag along if you'd like.” He looked around. “Do you have any belongings to collect?” The girl shook her head. Her only possession that had been saved from the ice was her bow, and that was back at the castle with the boy. And he’s made it quite clear that he doesn't want to see me again. “Alright then,” the man said. “Wait here while I get my cart.” He rounded a corner and then returned several minutes later with a horse drawn cart laden with cloth. “Hop on,” he said, gesturing to the seat next to him. She climbed up and stared at the city as they started towards the docks. “Where might you be headed?” the man asked. “To the sea,” she answered vaguely. Not because she didn't want to tell more, but because she couldn't. “I have a good friend who is leaving for Estuary within the hour. I'm sending these goods with him,” he said, pointing to the cloth in the back of the cart. “I'm sure he'd be willing to take you as well.” “That would be nice. Thank you.” The girl tried to sound grateful and excited, but felt incapable of feeling anything but sorrow ever again. The man nodded. “No trouble.” With a sigh, the girl collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes. She had been given a room on the Wavesplitter in return for a promise to act as ship’s cook on the two day voyage. It was a sturdy ship, and the captain seemed to be a kind man, but she still couldn't seem to feel anything but complete devastation. She opened her eyes and stood up. “Why?” she asked no one in particular. “Why was my city destroyed? Why was my family killed? Why… why did he leave?” Out of nowhere, a man in black armor appeared before her, holding a long, double-edged sword in one hand, and the other held a black flag. The girl screamed and jumped backwards, only to find she was no longer in the cabin. She was standing on a huge warship that was moving rapidly down a river towards a large city. Cliffhaven, she realized. But we haven't even left port yet! The man didn't seem to have heard her scream. She breathed a sigh of relief. It must just be a dream. But it was too real for a dream. The details were too sharp, her mind too clear. What is it then? A vision? If it was a vision, she knew, there must be some reason she was seeing it. And someone must be showing it to her. Who? Are the star gods real after all? She turned slowly in a circle and took in the scene. There were about a dozen warships on the river, besides the one she was standing on. The decks were oddly empty. Each one had a man at the wheel, and maybe a few up in the masts. Too few for ships of that size. The sun was setting in the west, but to the north, it was already pitch black. Unnaturally black. And there was a line of blue, too… The ice army, she realized. They're nearly here. A small skiff on the river drew her attention as it approached. It flew the Cliffhaven colors, indicating a government official of some description. “Halt,” the man called up in a bored voice. “Please state your business and—” He was cut off as the armored man waved his sword towards the skiffs craft. It, and the man inside of it, crumbled to ice just as the trees in the forest had when touched by the ice arrows. The shards quickly disintegrated into the river water, leaving no trace. The girl breathed in sharply and stepped backwards. The man turned and raised the visor of his helmet, and she gaped in disbelief. It was the man from the library. “Prepare to attack!” he shouted. Dozens of horns sounded, and men began flooding the decks of the ships. He gazed on in satisfaction as the girl watched in horror. Defeating one ice army was nearly impossible, but two…? There was no chance. Once the army was assembled in ranks on the decks of the ships, the man began to speak. “Once we defeat Cliffhaven, the real battle will begin. You must be strong and ruthless. Never surrender, and never accept surrender. Always remember, once we win this battle, nothing will stand between us and our dominion!” The army shouted as one and raised their swords. Terrified, the girl turned to run, but tripped and fell. The wind blew past her face at an alarming rate and yet still she fell, further than the distance to the river could've possibly been. She screamed and flailed about, trying to find something, anything to grab onto. There was nothing, nothing... Then she was back in her room, laying on the bed. Everything looked just the same as it had. I have to warn him, she thought, jumping to her feet. I have to warn everyone. Written by Elia Tyson Edited by The Flabbits Copyright © 2018 by The Flabbit Room
3 Comments
Click here to read Part One and here to read Part Two.
The exhausted horse stumbled up to the gates of Cliffhaven just as the first of the two moons began to rise over the huge cliff that made up half of the city’s wall. The boy nudged the girl, who had drifted off to sleep and was leaning on his shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. “Where are we?” she asked. “Cliffhaven,” the boy answered, nodding towards the large wooden gate before them. “We’re approaching the gate guards.” “That wall isn’t going to hold the ice army back for more than a few seconds,” the girl mumbled, running her hand over the supplies to make sure her bow was still where she'd left it. “I know,” the boy answered quietly, scanning the huge structure. “We’ll come up with something.” “I sure hope so.” The girl turned and examined the forest behind them. No ice in sight. Thank the stars for that, she thought. As the horses hooves clopped onto the wooden drawbridge, a gruff voice called “Halt!” The boy continued to the end of the bridge and stopped. A man holding a sword and a lantern hurried out of the small gatehouse. “What's your business?” “We bear news for the King of Cliffhaven and his army,” the boy answered. “Your lands are about to be invaded.” The guard laughed. “Invaded you say? Why are you two children here instead of a royal courier?” “Our entire city has been destroyed,” the boy answered. “We were the only survivors.” “And why should I believe you?” “Hand me your lantern,” the girl said. The guard raised an eyebrow, but did as she asked. Realizing what she was doing, the boy handed her one of the ice arrows. A few seconds later, an inquisitive moth fluttered up to the lantern. The girl touched it with the arrow tip, and it crumbled into ice, hundreds of tiny pieces drifting to the ground. The guard cursed and leapt backwards. “What was that?” “That,” the girl answered, “is what is about to happen to everything and everyone in this city.” He didn't respond, just turned and unlocked the huge gate. As he pushed it open, he called another man out of the gatehouse. “Escort them to the king immediately.” The man nodded and hurried through the gate. The boy nudged the horse and it followed. Cliffhaven Palace was grand, with jeweled statues and golden chandeliers lining the walls. The boy stared in awe at the grandeur as they walked down the hallways. He'd never seen anything but the outside of the palace in his hometown. He glanced over at the girl, but she didn't seem particularly interested in the finery. He added it to the list of her abnormal characteristics. “This way,” the man said, stopping in front of a huge double-doored archway. The two guards standing on either side pushed the doors open, and the boy entered, followed closely by his companion. At the far end of the huge room, a middle aged man with a gold crown on his head sat on a large throne. His face was neutral; he looked neither kind nor cruel. The boy frowned. Is wasn't necessarily a bad sign, but sometimes the cruelest men hid behind the plainest faces. “Who are these children?” the king asked, his voice as uninterpretable as his face. The man who had escorted them stepped forward. “They are—” “We know how to speak,” the girl cut in, scowling. “We are from a small kingdom north of here, and we come with important news.” “Which kingdom?” the king asked. “There are only seventeen in this land, and I know them all.” “That is unimportant,” the girl answered. The boy and the king both gave her quizzical looks, but remained silent. “Your city will be invaded in approximately two days time by an army wielding weapons which turn anything they touch into ice.” The king considered for a few seconds, and then waved his hand. “Escort them to an inn and make an inquiry as to where their parents are. I don't have time to—” The king stopped, his eyes widening. The boy had snatched a spear from the guard, touched the tip of one of the ice arrows to it, and tossed it into the air. It exploded into ice, which then rained down onto the palace floor. “Unless you want your entire kingdom to end up looking like this,” the boy said, pointing to the ice shards on the floor, “I suggest you pay attention.” The king nodded slowly. Several hours later, the boy and the girl emerged from the king’s private conference room. “That went better than I'd expected,” the boy said. “Especially considering his first reaction.” “There's still no way we’re going to stop them,” the girl answered. “The fire idea might work. We still don't know how powerful the ice power actually is.” “Whoever is commanding this army knows what he's doing. You don't make an attack this large without careful planning.” The girl kicked a stray jewel which appeared to have fallen off one of the wall displays. “We’re not going to win.” The boy stopped and grabbed her shoulders. “Look at me.” The girl reluctantly raised her eyes to meet his. “The future is never certain. All we can do is hope. That's the only thing that ever keeps anyone going. Hope.” The girl sighed. “Maybe. But we have to be realistic.” Taking his hands off the girl the boy turned and began walking again. “What do you say we go visit the library?” She shrugged and followed him. As they continued down the hall, the boy withdrew into his own thoughts. They weren't at Stormport, but he was still determined to get the girl out of harm’s way. Maybe someone can take her down to one of the southern ports. If we fail to stop the ice army here, thousands will flee to the mainland. It's a dangerous voyage, but is better than certain death. The trouble is she won't go. No matter how hopeless she is, she still won't leave. What can I do to change that? After stopping to ask directions from half a dozen different people, all the while wondering why anyone was awake at such a late hour, they finally found themselves before an old stone building. The girl stepped forward and tried the handle. Unlocked. They slowly stepped in, and saw a single lantern burning on a desk to their left. “Welcome,” said a soft voice, coming from the direction of the light. The two made their way towards it. “What can I do for you?” As they came into the lantern’s circle of light, the man who had been speaking picked it up. It lit his face, revealing wrinkles and a long gray beard. “We’re looking for books on… supernatural occurrences,” the boy answered. “Ah,” the man said. “You're the second ones just tonight. I should add on to that section, it seems as though it's becoming quite popular.” The boy and the girl glanced at each other. “Is the other one still here?” the girl asked. “Yes,” the man answered. “He, however, seems to be fairly knowledgeable in the subject already. Maybe he could offer you some guidance.” They exchanged another glance. “Lead on,” the boy said. “Oh no,” the man answered. “I don't climb the stairs. That's what assistants are for. You'll have to find it yourself.” He lit another lamp and handed it to the boy. “Third floor, eighth row, somewhere in the middle. Watch out for the sharpteeth.” The boy nodded and turned around. The girl followed as he started towards the back of the building. It took them a full two minutes to find the staircase, and then another three to climb to the third floor. Once they arrived, however, they had no trouble spotting the section the man had pointed them towards. A faint light flowed several rows down. They slowly approached it, and stopped just before they turned the corner. “We need to be careful,” the boy whispered. “I'll keep the arrows handy.” They had left two with the king, but still had four. The girl nodded, and they stepped into the light. A tall, thin man stood leaning against the shelf, a large book resting in one hand. He glanced up. “Who are you?” he asked, his voice smooth and cunning. No trick figuring out what he's like, the boy thought. He tightened his grip on the arrows. The girl took a step forward. “That's not important. We're here to learn about supernatural power. We need to know how to use it.” “Not the kind of subject I thought children were interested in,” the man answered, closing the book. “The man downstairs told us you knew a lot,” the girl said. “Will you teach us?” The man laughed. Not an amused laugh. A cruel, condescending laugh. He set the book down, and his face hardened. “No. You two had better run along before you stick your heads in something too big for you.” “I guess we'll have to do it again, then,” the boy said. He removed a book from the opposite shelf and glanced at the title, which read, The Chomping of the Skonk. Doesn't look too important. He touched the arrow to it, tossed it in the air, and ice fell. The man stood still, staring at the pile of ice. Without warning, he lunged for the arrow, his hand narrowly missing the shaft. The boy jerked it out of reach. “Give that to me!” the man said, taking a threatening step forward. The boy pointed the arrow at him. “Not until you teach us.” “Done,” the man said as soon as the words left the boy’s mouth. “Eight hours of lessons, then you hand over those arrows.” “Only two of them,” the boy answered. “Fine.” The girl looked at the boy in shock. “What do you think you're doing?” “Saving the world,” the boy answered. “That's not how—” “Let’s begin,” the man said, interrupting. The girl scowled as he picked up his book. This is not going to end well. Written by Elia Tyson Edited by The Flabbits Copyright © 2018 by The Flabbit Room Click here to read Part One.
Normally, the girl wouldn’t have screamed. It took a lot more than a single arrow to faze her. But when the tree exploded into a mass of razor-sharp spikes of ice, it was too much. The horse reared and spun to the left, nearly bucking its riders off of its back. The girl wrapped her arms tightly around the boy as the horse galloped off towards the west. Several more arrows followed, but, fortunately, none were nearly as close as the first. Still, the girl gasped every time a tree was demolished into shards of ice. As soon as the arrows stopped, the boy — with some difficulty — slowed the horse and turned it around to get a good look at what was behind them. They both sat, speechless, and gazed on as a storm of ice approached. Trees, bushes, grass, and anything else in the path of the huge army froze and crumbled to the ground, leaving a frozen wasteland in its wake. After the initial shock, the boy started trying to calculate numbers. Any army that helped them would want as much information as they could get. If they believe us at all. The boy’s heart sank as he had the thought. Why would anyone believe them? What proof could they give? “What are you waiting for?” the girl asked after a few moments. “They're coming. We need to get out of here. And we can't go to Stormport, they're coming from the northwest. Cliffhaven is—” “We need one of their weapons, and we’re not leaving until we get one,” the boy interrupted. “No sane person is going to believe that an army of ice monsters is chasing us unless we have solid proof.” “So what do we do? Walk up and ask them for one of their swords?” The girl let out a mirthless laugh. “I'm sure that will go well.” “Great idea,” the boy answered. “Hold on.” He dug his feet into the horses sides, and after a moment of hesitation, it started towards the advancing line of ice. “What are you doing?” the girl yelled over the sound of the horses galloping hooves. “Asking them for a few arrows,” the boy answered. When the girl started to protest, he turned to face her. “Trust me. Please.” She pursed her lips and stared ahead for several moments, but finally nodded. “Thank you,” the boy said, and turned back towards the ice. As soon as they were within what he judged to be an arrow shot away, he spun the horse around and yelled over his shoulder, “Excuse me! Could we borrow a few of those ice arrows please?” He was rewarded with a half dozen arrows, one of which narrowly missed the horse’s leg. “Cover me!” he shouted as he jumped down to the ground. The girl yanked her bow out of its place among the supplies and quickly nocked an arrow. The boy began to gather the arrows from the frosty ground, careful not to touch the blue-ish metal tips, which he presumed was where the ice power came from. He was proved correct when he touched the tip of one to an as of yet unfrozen piece of ground, and the grass crumbled into ice chips. He looked down at his boots, which were starting to frost over as well. Quickly grabbing the last two arrows, he swung himself up onto the horse’s back. As he did, the girl released her arrow and quickly nocked another. “We've got at least ten coming at us,” she told him as she fired another arrow. “They’re on foot, but I'd suggest we get out of here.” The boy kicked the horses sides — though it hardly needed any encouragement to flee the ice, which had begun creeping up its hooves. They shot off towards the southwest, quickly leaving the range of the enemy’s arrows. Once it was obvious that they had escaped, the girl let out a laugh. A real laugh. “I can't believe that actually worked!” “It was your idea,” the boy answered. She slapped his shoulder. “I know when I was being an idiot, you don't have to rub it in.” The boy laughed. “You weren't. You just needed a little hope. We all do sometimes.” The girl smiled. “Thank you.” “Any time,” he answered. “I have to say though, I'd probably be dead if it weren't for your shooting skills. You must've had an excellent teacher.” She slapped him again. “So, I'm not allowed to compliment you at all, or…?” The girl rolled her eyes and replaced her bow. She started to turn back around, but changed her mind and grabbed one of her arrows. “Can I see one of those ice arrows?” she asked. “Sure,” the boy answered. “Just be careful not to touch the tip, that's where the ice comes from.” He let go of the reins for a moment, selected an arrow, and handed it back to the girl. “Thank you,” she said, grabbing the shaft. She carefully examined the arrow for several seconds. Standard arrow, nothing odd about it. Except the tip… she thought as she examined the metal arrowhead. It did, as the boy had noted earlier, have a blue tint, but it was a bit more complex than that. In a few places, it looked like plain steel, but most of it had a nearly transparent blue coating covering it. Looks almost like ice. She placed her hand near it, and felt intense cold radiating off of it. She drew it back quickly, shivering. He was right, she thought, glancing up at the boy. Whatever this is, it's definitely supernatural. Carefully, holding the arrow away from herself, the boy, and the horse, she touched the tip of the ice arrow to the tip of hers. She watched in fascination as the metal arrowhead slowly frosted over and then began disintegrating. When it reached the wooden shaft, however, it moved so quickly that it appeared to explode into pieces of ice, as the trees had back in the forest. With a short cry, she let the few pieces of ice she had caught fall to the ground and drew her hand back towards herself. It was unnaturally cold, and her skin had turned a pale shade of blue. After a few frightening moments, though, it returned to normal. She tapped the boy’s shoulder and held the arrow out to him. He took it and put it back in his left hand, which held the other five arrows. “Where are we going now?” she asked. “Cliffhaven,” the boy answered. “As you said, it's closest and has the largest army. I've heard that it also has the largest library on the island. If we can find out anywhere about the power the commander of the ice army wields, it'll be there.” The girl nodded. “To Cliffhaven, then.” Written by Elia Tyson Edited by The Flabbits Copyright © 2018 by The Flabbit Room |
WelcomeWelcome to The Flabbit Blog! Here you will find writings by the many members of The Flabbit Room, most of which will be set in the world of Ildathore. Categories
All
Archives
April 2020
|