Hugh and his mentor, Maril, returned through the woven grass curtain that served as a door. Elody had not seen Maril, having only been exposed to Hugh and whomever had rescued her from the wilderness. Despite this, Elody could only surmise that she was very old, given her haggard appearance. She was larger than Hugh, but not by much. She gathered that this must be Maril, the mentor that Hugh had previously mentioned.
The two both sat down on the ground, legs folded to the side as they bowed gently to Elody. Elody felt unsure of herself, questioning whether or not she ought to bow in return or not, or whether she was capable in her current state. She tried anyways, not wanting to seem disrespectful, bowing her head as far it would let her.
Maril began speaking, a sound similar to the ones Hugh and the others made, but raspier and harder for her to make. Elody had no idea what kind of people these were, but inwardly chuckled that age is as humbling a process for anyone. Maril spoke for a short while, then stopped, allowing Hugh to begin translating for Elody and Sam.
“Blessed breath and good stride. I am Maril Bindherb, our Giver to the Gods. Beside me is my pupil, Hugh Stonegazer. He will speak my words that you may understand, and tell me yours in turn."
"It is an honor to meet you," Elody said. She spoke with uncertainty that slowly thawed as she went on. "My name is Elody Kyne. I'm not used to being the guest rather than the host, so thank you for your hospitality."
Elody once again tried to bow, only for Maril to put a flat palm out; a gesture to stop. Elody returned to her propped up position and instead settled for a nod.
"You are a strange one," Hugh translated for Maril, "You are not one of us, nor one of our neighbors. You appear different than anything we have seen. We know of the rats and cats, lizards and tree dwellers, such as our other guest here. You have the color of dark clay, but no fur to speak of, so the cold must bite. You have a tail, but unlike one I have ever seen before. Where are you from?"
"North," Elody said, remembering what Sam had mentioned, "Far north. I come from a land of sand and sunlight. The sunlight here isn't the same as where I am from. You're right, the cold does bite me, er, Giver?"
"Maril is fine. If you come from so far away, how did you arrive here?"
Elody sat and thought about what she should say next. Maril didn't seem to think she was suspicious, but she had no idea what that would even look like on these huge, hulking elk people. She wanted to be sure to tell only as much as was needed to avoid looking like she was concealing the truth, while not revealing anything she didn't have to.
"Ultimately, I'm not certain," Elody began. "My memory is a bit hazy, but I guess it was... magic? I don't know what else it could be. Nothing else makes sense. I was taken by some men, and dragged to a room with a huge circle in it. It was intricate, and it glowed. I threw some dust at it as they threw me at it and it glowed in a rainbow of colors. It opened up, and then I was out there."
Hugh did not translate this immediately, instead reaching up to touch the choker at his neck. Maril turned to him and asked him something to which he nodded. She said nothing for a while, sitting in contemplation. Elody took the opportunity to ask a question of her own.
"I know that I'm foreign to you, being Adstrani and all, but your kind is also foreign to me. What can I call you? Your kind of people I mean? Or, gods, there's no good way of asking this is there? Don't translate that last part, Hugh, please, this is actually really embarrassing right now. Just, what do I call you?"
Hugh chuckled, a low rumbling sound.
"We call ourselves ★★★★★★★★★★★★," Hugh replied.
Two things came out of Hugh's mouth with that line. There was the sound of his native speech, that low growl and groan that made up his mother tongue, normally layered underneath the understandable speech. The other thing stopped being sound and was instead a sensation, as though someone had attempted to cram a dozen concepts forcibly into Elody's head without any comprehension to tie them together. She clutched at her head, grimacing as her mind translated the confusing mess into lancing pain. It lasted only a moment, but was still thoroughly unpleasant. Elody looked back up to see Sam was also rubbing his temples.
"It was that bad for you too, right?" Elody asked.
Sam grunted affirmatively as he continued to massage his temples.
"Does that name perhaps mean anything?" Elody asked Hugh, praying that he didn't repeat whatever that was.
"It means Those-Who-Tread-Upon-The-Frost-Hardened-Ground. That is an incomplete, but sufficient explanation of its meaning," Hugh answered. Maril nodded beside him in confirmation.
"That's a bit of a mouthful to say every time," Elody noted. "May I call you Frostwalkers, as shorthand?"
Hugh squinted at Elody as though she were playing a game he did not understand. Maril looked to Hugh for a translation, but Hugh only shook his head.
"Yes, we are Frostwalkers," He agreed, matter-of-factly.
Elody was internally elated to have a term for these people, so that she no longer had to work around the idea of "Elk monster" when considering them. Despite their appearances, the Frostwalkers had been extremely kind to her thus far, and Elody wanted to ensure that she treated them as respectfully as was possible. If she were to be honest with herself, she would realize she felt indebted to the Frostwalkers. However, she was acutely aware that she could do no more than recuperate, and pushed it from her mind.
The Frostwalkers had just as many questions about Elody as she did about them. They went back and forth, asking each other questions, both the astute and the embarrassingly obvious, until everyone was satisfied.
The Frostwalkers, as Elody discovered, were a people spread over a vast distance, with many villages dotting the seemingly endless tundra. They called it the Antiadore Tundra, and much to her surprise, was near the southern pole of the world. The Antiad Mountains formed a star-like shape near the pole, with spokes of ridges reaching far north, defining the boundaries of the tundra. This village- which was only referred to as “The Village” by the inhabitants- was one of many that ringed the northern edge of the tundra, where forests grew. Even the Frostwalkers, accustomed to the cold and frugal living, stayed out of the tundra proper and clung to the forested taiga. It was common practice to have members venture into the tundra for various resources. It was during one such venture that one of the villagers saw the smoky pillar of Elody’s fire that led to her rescue.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Elody awkwardly admitted her mistake in letting the grease pencil fall into her fire that led to the accidental signal fire. As grateful as she was to live, she hated that she was one writing implement away from death. When she had seen that first Frostwalker, whose name was Milo, coming to save her, she thought that it was already over.
Her hosts had many questions about her homeland, the city of Ade. Elody told them of the great walls that encapsulated the city, and the people that lived within it. She told them of her pharmacy and how she helped keep people alive and healthy, and help them recover from injury and ailment. This idea tickled Maril as she told Elody about several plants that might have helped her out in the tundra, much to Elody's chagrin. Elody told them of the Medeah Consul, how they maintained a rigorous social structure through fear and manipulation, despite being flagrantly exempt from any such stricture themselves, and of her burning resentment for Orivaughn. She hadn't always spoken against them so ardently, but in light of her recent traumas, she had to restrain her brimming anger to stay comprehensible.
Her description of her homeland was far more pleasant, and shocked Hugh and Maril. The Pelera desert was a place of red sands and rocky outcrops- the city of Ade being built on one enormous outcrop. While the plants of the tundra clung to one extreme, she spoke of the great variety of plants from her homeland- from the fields of flowers that appeared in the spring, only to dry out in summer, leaving only vast scrublands until spring returned the next year, to forests of giant cacti that were revered for their beauty and raw materials. Rocky mountains that jutted from the sands to reach into the sky, the largest of which were covered by forests and plants just like the mountains nearby were capped with snow. To the Frostwalkers, it may as well been a different world entirely.
During the questioning, another Frostwalker had come to bring a bowl of stew for each of the four of them. It was a thick stew with many roasted vegetables floating in a savory broth, with a plethora of large meat chunks that soaked in the flavorful herbs. Elody couldn't help but note that a good helping of salt would have made the dish perfect. Still, the meaty stew gave her all the energy she had lacked since her sudden departure. Sensing the background questions winding down, she shifted focus back to the present.
“I need to get back to Ade. Do you know how I could get back?” Elody asked.
Hugh and Maril looked at each other, and then shook their heads. Hugh opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
“I think I can help there.”
Everyone looked to Sam, who had been a wallflower through the entire meeting.
“I’m a travellin’ merchant. Y’all don’t think I don’t have maps with me? I do. I got a mostly empty wagon right now, and you can hop on board with me. You just said you got an employable skill- I can make use of you. Work for me, and I’ll get you all the way up to Ade as fast as it makes sense. Can’t promise a straight line, but anyone who does is a conman.”
“Wait,” Elody said with a shake of her head, “Work for you? What would that even mean?”
“Well, you can identify common useful plants, right? As soon as we’re out of this frost-blasted land- no offense dear hosts- I’m sure it’ll be handy. Plus you can process some of them, right? I don’t have a mortar ‘n pestle, but I’m confident we can find one. Actually, Hugh, do y’all got one we could trade for?"
Hugh confirmed, and turned to translate for Maril. Elody had become accustomed to the pattern of telling Hugh something, him telling Maril, then waiting as the reply got back. This was different, just a conversation between Hugh and Maril. There were several minutes of back and forth as they conversed, topic evidently straying from the previous topic based on the increasingly strained tones. Elody looked to Sam for any kind of help. All he could offer was a shrug. As it continued, Hugh's expression worsened, his ears going back, his posture slacking and eyes becoming dull. After about five minutes of conversation, Hugh finally turned to the other two, his face an tumult of emotions.
“Sam,” He began slowly, “We would like to alter the deal you have offered.”
Sam raised an eyebrow at this. “The offer between me and Elody?”
“Yes," Hugh responded with a choked up throat. He fought through his emotions to deliver the message. "Maril has informed me that I am to leave the village. For an extended period of time.”
Elody goggled, understanding the magnitude of what had just been dropped onto Hugh. Sam merely looked on with a flat gaze.
“So yer wanting to come with me, then,” Sam stated, rather than asking.
“This has- apparently- been discussed by the village elders for, some some time now,” Hugh continued. “While the time and means by which I would be departing, was uncertain, Maril assures me that this presents the best opportunity.”
Once again, the two conversed, still incomprehensible to the two visitors. Hugh let out a sound that began as a high keening, before being joined by lower tones as he broke into an unmistakable sob. Tears streamed out of Hugh's eyes as he wailed. Maril merely placed one of her withered hands on his knee and let him cry.
"Get it all out," Sam said, only to be shushed by Elody.
It took several minutes for the tears to come to an end. No one said anything when it stopped, everyone silently agreeing that Hugh should be the one to continue. Rather than say anything, Hugh simply sat there, staring off at nothing in particular as he processed the new information. Marin sensed that Hugh needed prompting, and broke the unspoken agreement to instruct him. Bleary-eyed, Hugh turned to speak to Sam, voice drained of enthusiasm.
“Samengawin, esteemed visitor. Please take my pupil, Hugh Stonegazer, with you on your journey, so that he may continue his training. Please keep him safe and give him what he needs to learn. In return, we will give you supplies and be grateful for your assistance. He will work for you. He will earn his stay."
Despite the words coming from Hugh's mouth, they were obviously Marin's words, repeated if not verbatim, then as close as the magical translation would allow. Hugh spoke them with a hollow voice, not hearing what he was saying. He was still lost in the tumult of emotions that his sudden exile had stirred up.
Elody looked to Sam, expecting him to ask about details, such as what such training even was. Instead, he merely shrugged and said, “Arright.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
They weren't able to depart immediately, with the state Elody was in. Maril said she would need two days to rest and recover until she could travel, and even then she would have to take care not to aggravate her broken ribs while they healed. This was little better than a guess, given Maril's lack of experience with non-Frostwalker physiology, but both Maril and Elody knew that, ultimately, the only solution was time.
Sam used this time to collect the supplies he had been promised as well as conduct a few honest trades, now that he had a translator. He was given enough preserved food to last the three of them roughly two months on the road, though Sam knew that it should only be several weeks to their first destination. He was able to trade off some of the toys and several alloy tools for large collections of local plants. To the Frostwalkers, some of these plants were little better than weeds. To the wider world, however, Sam knew he could sell even a fraction of some of these exotic plants for a tidy profit.
Hugh threw himself into preparation. He was both Sam’s translator on demand and main mover of large crates, but he did both without question nor complaint. It was plain for all to see that he was trying to forget his new and sudden reality with these menial tasks.
When the time to leave finally arrived, there was no fanfare nor sendoff for Hugh, apart from Marin and Hugh's father. Elody wondered where his mother was, but dared not ask Hugh now. It was odd to see Hugh next to his father. His father was only slightly taller, but boasted a similar rack of antlers as Milo had. Hugh had no antlers, another question Elody put away for later.
Hugh and his father embraced for a long time as they spoke. Despite being able to direct who could understand him when he spoke with the choker on, Hugh had kept it off for this exchange. Despite being almost abreast with him, Hugh acted as though Maril wasn't there, speaking only towards his father. When they finally separated, Hugh wore the same hollow expression that he wore when Maril informed him of his exile.
"Let's go," Hugh said flatly as he put his choker back on. He sat in the back of the wagon, alone with the cargo.
"I hope he's going to be okay," Elody said to the open air.
"It's just like your ribs," Sam said callously as he passed her, "The only solution is time."