Chapter 16: Cold As Ice

It’s been a minute since the garden maze was open for public entertainment. I remember navigating it with my family when I was a runny nose child. The hedges looked way taller and scarier to me then. Everything seemed scary to me when I was away from familiar settings. Even with all of the foot traffic the maze received over the years, it still amazed me how no one ever found the hidden entrance within hedges.

Lucky for them.

I’ve been told that the secret lab beneath the maze was originally designed as a hideout for the crown should the capital come under siege. But, with its close proximity to a water source, Ahrmanian scientists had other ideas.

I guess their work is more important than the safety of the crown.

A gangly fellow named Renfore was the lead scientist here. He preferred to be called an alchemist, an art no one bothers with anymore. The guy should spend more time out of this underground lab; the sun might put some color in his cheeks.

The minute I entered the main lab, I began to shiver. Was it always this cold down here?

“Hurry and close the door!” someone said from the lab.

I looked back and saw a trail of ice leaving the lab; it spreaded quickly in all directions. I quickly slammed the door shut.

“What’s that doing down here?!” I wondered, then I saw it. The ice beast.

“Sir Breuke!” said Renfore, with a nervous chuckle. “Jericha didn’t say you’d be here.”

“Why is that ice beast here??” I demanded. Just seeing it was an unwanted reminder of the night I lost Tasha. Was this the problem Jericha wanted me to solve?

“Calm down, sir! It’s restrained and under heavy sedation; which took some doing. Have you ever tried to prick a brick of ice with a toothpick?”

“Why??!”

“We needed it for our research on Rebirths. You know better than anyone that the creature is the Rebirth of Ice in every way.”

“What good is it like that?” I asked. “Or are you trying to control the beast?

“No, no, no, no, no,” Renfore dismissed, with his voice and his hands. “That thing is completely mindless.”

“Then what good is it??”

“You know what happens when you drop an egg, right?” He paused and waited, as if he expected me to answer that. He was going to grow old waiting. “Well, think of the ice rune as the eggshell and the ice creature was what’s inside of the shell.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” I said, impatiently.

“If we can figure out how to get the egg back into a shell, we could have another Rebirth in our arsenal, permanently.”

Permanently, you say? “What makes you so sure?”

“As I explained to Lady Jericha, the Rebirths are physical objects that...attach themselves to a host... a human. What we have with the ice beast is the power of the Rebirth emitting outside of the rune. Like the contents of an egg without a shell.”

Renfore motioned for me to follow him over to his work area. A frozen cup of coffee sat on top of a bunch of frosty papers. I don’t know how he had gotten any work done in these conditions. Even his chair was stuck in place.

He picked up a partially iced over notepad and shook the frost off of it. “I studied Jericha’s rune for a spell and discovered something shocking,” he said, reading over his notes. “It’s organic.”

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“Meaning?” I asked.

Renfore turned his notepad to me, as if I were versed in the scientific lingo written on it. “It’s kind of a living organism; kind of not. It’s just not intelligent; not even on the level of a gastropod mollusc. A slug,” he continued, after reading the annoyance on my face. He motioned for me to follow him. “So, my amazing alchemic research led me to the only solution to our problem.”

Renfore struggled to pull a frosted curtain back, unveiling a separate room and its occupant. “...Alba...” The lieutenant was strapped to a gurney; frozen, lifeless. The last I heard of him, he was still comatosed.

“We have to transfer the egg into a new shell.”

Alba was so obsessed with Rebirths, he dedicated much of his time researching them; what they were, where they came from, why some rune bearers reacted differently to them than others. Then he became a host for one, and allowed it to spread death and destruction for miles. I’m probably the only one who openly blames him for letting the rune manipulate him. I saw it in his eyes. He enjoyed Damnation. Now Renfore wants to give him the power of another rune?

"We're talking about uncharted waters, here, but with your rune, I do believe we can pull this off."

“No!” I said. “Not him!”

“Sir, I know the lieutenant had been through alot, but his condition makes him the ideal candidate.”

"Who's going to control the rune's power if he's brain dead?!"

"I mean," Renfore paused for a moment before answering. "In theory, the rune's power should breathe life into him again."

"In theory? Are you mad??? Have you tell Jericha about this insane idea?”

“Yes, she was okay with it.”

“She’s as crazy as you are!”

“Whether you like it or not, we have to do something soon, sir. The ice creature’s power continues to grow. This lab won’t hold it for long.”

I so wanted to smack that guy. His brain must be frozen! Clenching my fist, I turned to him and barked, "I will drop that beast into Dalila's Peak before I let you go through with this foolish experiment! Now, return Alba to the med ward and go to your quarters, Renfore, before I lose my temper!"

***

I needed to find Jericha! How could she agree to this madness?? There is no way I’m going to allow Alba to control any rune, comatosed or not!

“Jericha!” I exclaimed the second I saw her step into view. “Don’t we have enough to worry about with Sisten and the Ozarks??”

“What do you mean?” she asked. She rushed over and pulled me aside. “And keep your voice down! Gloria is here!”

“You want to give Alba the ice rune? After everything he’s done??”

“So you’re blaming him, too? You know it was the rune controlling him, Breuke.”

“What makes you think it’s a good idea to give him another?!”

“We’re talking about two different runes!”

“It doesn’t matter!” I snapped, probably loud enough for the entire east wing to hear. I took a deep breath and lowered my voice. “Anyone but Alba. That’s all I have to say.”

“Okay. Okay. I don’t know where we’re going to find a better candidate now.”

I stepped back and unwind. Seeing that ice creature and Alba again was a sour note. “Where’d they even find that thing anyway?”

“Chilling in the tundra,” Jericha said, studying a piece of paper. “Katherine came up with an idea that might help increase the Royal Guard’s numbers. It’s a tourney where the winner joins the guard and earns a generous reward. What if the winner becomes a bearer for the ice rune as well?”

“As long as it’s not Alba,” I said. “When’s this tourney?”

“Next week, coinciding with the king’s statue reveal.”

The statue. How could I have forgotten? "You know, I’ve been looking over my shoulders for Sisten since I left the Ozarks, but what if he’s waiting for something like King Lisador’s statue unveiling to make his move?"

“I hope he does,” Jericha said, confidently. “You haven't asked how you-know-who was doing.”

"I'm surprised you left her alone."

"Can't you tell I'm a nervous wreck about it? One wrong move, one wrong word --"

"There you are!" Gloria interrupted. She marched towards us with anger written all over her face. "You two have some explaining to do!"

"Is there a problem, Gloria?" Jericha asked. She glanced over at me like a cornered rabbit.

"What do you mean keeping my sister caged up in this place for weeks?!" Gloria demanded.

Jericha's body relaxed. "It's for her own safety. There have been hostiles ---"

"What are you two for?! You're to guard her where ever she goes, am I right?"

"Not everywhere," I replied. "I'm not following her in her privy chamber."

Gloria glared at me. So much for lightening the mood with a little humor. "We're going to the finest eating establishments in the capitol, tonight! And the two of you are going to do your jobs, like you're supposed to!"

With that, Gloria marched back the way she came and Jericha let out a sigh of relief. "Whew! She had my heart racing for a minute. I thought she had us! I think she just wants some free gourmet meals."

I'd rather go back in the Ozarks than watch over Gloria for a minute. The queen came from a long line of alcoholics, and Gloria couldn't hold her spirits any better. Maybe Sisten will make his move tonight and save me from her.