Ingrid was beginning to realize how nervous she was. The group had approached the mountain on the backs of their wyverns, looking for a place to land close by. Any spot that seemed at all favorable was covered in a thick layer of ice. The wyverns may have been able to dig into the ice with their claws to stay put, but actually traversing it would be a nightmare for anyone but Natalia. When Alice suggested Ingrid clearing a space for them to land so that they could put on proper climbing gear, something else became apparent: the ice didn’t respond to her magic.
Ice and water were much more difficult to manipulate than even stone, but clearing out a small area should have been simple enough. Anything more complicated and they likely would have needed a sorcerer to do it for them. It was a little embarrassing, but the signs were always very clear when manipulating the elements simply wasn’t an option. At the hardest of times, her magic felt like wading through a bog. It was difficult, but with effort, she could push through and at least make some progress. This was more like a solid wall. She could push and prod at it from whichever angle she wished, pouring as much energy into it as she wanted, but there was no way to truly budge it. Thankfully, the group didn’t press her on it.
Natalia attempted to melt through it by focusing her light, but made very, very little progress. It didn’t even melt like normal ice. Anywhere she sent her magic did melt more slowly than natural ice, but still was reduced to water quickly. The issue was that as soon as the water drifted even slightly away from the point of Natalia’s focus, it froze right back up. By the time Natalia finally decided it wasn’t worth it the surface had gone from a thick, wavy layer of solid water to what looked like an angry sea. Formations of the ice rolled like waves, casting unnatural and uneven shapes up and around it. They came to the conclusion that they’d need to have the wyverns drop them off as close as they could, but that most of the journey was going to be on foot.
“I apologize for being unable to help with this,” Ingrid said, slightly ashamed. “Shaping the land is meant to be what I do best.”
“What are you apologizing for? You tried to help and nothing came of it. At least you didn’t make the situation actively worse,” Natalia huffed, helping Kallen attach the crampons to the bottoms of her boots. “If I hadn’t messed with it, we likely could have at least touched down and gotten our gear on a little closer.”
“There isn’t much use thinking about who did what or what could be different. It doesn’t change the situation we’re in,” Kallen said happily. “All we can do is keep going, right?”
Ingrid glanced at Alice, practically able to hear her rolling her eyes. It wasn’t an incorrect statement, but it came from Kallen, therefore her lover was probably looking for any sort of way she could disagree.
“Talkin’ about it would at least make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she grumbled, walking over to an ice covered rock and shoving the crampon into it, making sure it would work. The metal spikes definitely dug in, but they hadn’t gone as deep as they probably should have. Alice groaned in annoyance. “Oi, be careful. Ice is still gonna be slippery as shit even with these.”
“Do you think we should ask Colette about this? At the very least we should let her know what’s going on,” Ingrid offered. “She did tell us to check in with her whenever we were about to do something notable. I believe this would fit that description.”
“Might be good. Let’s make sure we, you know, don’t reference the whole Druid thing though? I’m not even a little bit ready for the box’a questions that opens up,” Alice grunted, wrenching the spikes out of the icy surface. “Can’t say I know what the hell this is. Definitely don’t seem like magic I’ve dealt with, and I got hired to deal with a Cryokinesis sorcerer a couple years ago.”
Ingrid made the conscious choice to ignore the rather alarming statement and chalk it up to Alice being good at her job, regardless of any moral hangups. She reached into her shirt and removed the small pendant looped around her neck, staring down at its smooth purple surface. Holding it in both of her hands, she did her best to try to focus on it the same way she’d focus on communicating with plants. The principles of the communication at least seemed fairly similar in her experience. After only a few seconds of channeling her magic, she heard an anxious voice in her head. It was likely in her companions’ heads too.
H-Hello? Is everything alright? No one is h-hurt are the–
Yeah yeah formalities formalities, Ingrid could see Alice rolling her eyes. Colette there? We gotta ask her about some–
I am here, but Alice, I will request that you do not act so rude to Malori. She is just as important a part of this as I am, the Archmage interjected, sounding much more firm than her usual tone of voice. If she is attempting to speak, you will let her. Is that clear?
Alice’s brow furrowed as she looked at Ingrid. The confusion was apparent on her face as she mouthed her annoyance. Rolling her eyes, she spoke in the link again. Yeah, totally.
Good. Malori, what were you attempting to ask? Ingrid was even more confused. While Colette was clearly excellent at making sure she kept a professional tone at all times, the previous statement had definitely been the most irritated she had ever heard the woman. As soon as she shifted her focus to Malori though, her voice changed completely. It was much gentler. Caring, or as close as she could get without dropping her polished demeanor.
Um, it’s alright, I was just a little w-worried. I didn’t expect the first message to be so soon, and w-wanted to make sure everyone was alright, she said apologetically. Ingrid clicked her tongue. Malori sounded just as surprised as she was.
We’re all okay, Ingrid comforted, smiling at the concern. Well, I believe Natalia may have taken a blow to her ego.
Y’think one or two more’ll make her easier to be around?
I’m right here, you know.
Obviously, why d’you think I’m sayin’ it?
Ingrid cleared her throat, giving an accusatory look at her two companions. Alice raised a finger to argue, but lowered it and closed her mouth.
My apologies for their bickering. Though I suppose I was the one responsible for the jest. Regardless, we wanted to inform you of our next moves, given how close we are to the first Dark Zone.
Ah, if that’s the case, I appreciate your contact, Colette responded. Ingrid breathed a sigh of relief at the Archmage’s pleased tone.
Surrounding the mountain is a rather unnatural amount of ice. It seems supernaturally strong as well. When Natalia attempted to melt it, it would almost instantly freeze over again. Whatever we’re going into could end up being dangerous. Do you have any idea what it might be?
There was a long pause, but little bits and pieces of general feelings were sent over the mental link. It was like listening to someone search through a bookshelf to look for the answer to something.
I… have a theory, but I’ll need to double check. Please stay put for the moment. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
We understand, thank you.
She opened her eyes as the connection went cold, greeted by the wonderful sight of Alice and Natalia giving each other the middle finger. Rolling her eyes, she looked over at Kallen, who was still testing out their climbing gear.
“I guess now we play the waiting game,” Ingrid sighed, resting her chin in her hands.
“That sounds great ‘n all, but I’m not super keen on waitin’ around here for whatever could be watchin’ us. Plus, I don’t like her. We should start heading up and she’ll get back to us when she gets back to us,” Alice said, waving a hand.
“I agree! The best thing to do if a big monster or more enemies are around is move forward and get the drop on them. I think Alice has the right idea!” Kallen chimed in excitedly. Alice’s face immediately soured, not breaking eye contact with Ingrid. That was the ‘I regret everything I just said’ look.
Ingrid clicked her tongue. They weren’t entirely wrong, but she didn’t want to go against a direct request from Colette. “She did ask us to stay put. Maybe it won’t be that long?”
“They told us to do a job for them at knifepoint. Last I checked, none’a them are out here to tell us how to do that,” Alice rolled her eyes. “‘Sides, I don’t really like her sticking ‘er nose in our conversations like that. Woman’s our slave driver, not a personal resources officer or somethin’. Also don’t like gettin’ bossed around by a woman a third of my age. Feathers if you make a sex joke to that I will kill you.”
Natalia threw her hands up in defeat as Alice pointed to her without looking. “You said it, not me.”
“Still, it doesn’t particularly feel right,” Ingrid murmured, shifting nervously. Trying to make her own decisions and not just go with the flow was much harder when she was being pulled in two completely separate directions.
Noticing her trepidation, Alice stood up and walked over to her, taking Ingrid’s hand in hers as she sat down. “I know it’s nerve wracking. I promise you though, I’ll be there every step of the way. Alright?” she said softly. She planted a kiss on Ingrid’s cheek, earning a smile from the elf.
“That does make me feel better. Are you sure this is the best way to go about this though? This isn’t just brought on by how you feel about her, right?” Ingrid leaned in closer to Alice, resting on her shoulder.
“I can’t say it doesn’t affect it, but I do think time is money out here. We’ve got a long way to go up there. She’ll find her stupid book before we’ve gotten close. Plus, she’s probably just tryin’ to save face. Girl is young, probably just as in the dark as we are,” she assured her.
Alice did sound quite confident in her claim. The fact that she was sticking with it even after Kallen had agreed was… surprising to say the least. Ingrid did truly want to see them begin to get along though. Perhaps this could help with that if it went well? She smiled as she stood up, steadying herself on Alice’s shoulder. Walking on the ice certainly would take getting used to.
“Alright, I trust you. If this goes wrong, you’re cooking for the rest of this trip though,” Ingrid joked.
“Love, I like cooking. I cooked the entire trip until we got here. That’s not a threa–”
“Kallen will be your sous chef.”
“Okay up the mountain we go!” Alice said quickly, clapping her hands together. “Everyone make sure you have your ice picks and walking sticks, don’t think I need to tell you that falling is bad.”
Natalia cleared her throat.
“That falling is bad for most of us,” she rolled her eyes. “Actually y’know what? No you don’t get to do that, most species don’t have fuckin’ wings asshat!”
Ingrid found herself laughing again as the two fell back into their routine of playful bickering, though it seemed Natalia had the upper hand this time. Even as Alice tried to jokingly throw a punch that was easily dodged.
“Sorry, guess I’m faster than you,” she taunted.
“Oh no shot you just said that.”
It was amusing how much they fought, given how many times they’d proved to care for each other. Not to mention Alice getting along with someone other than her. Even in its strangely hostile way. They began their march up the mountain, leaving the wyverns in the most secluded area they could reasonably find. Ingrid knew better than to hope everything would go off without a hitch, but she at least had faith in the competence of her allies. Their teamwork was improving, even Alice and Kallen’s. Even if there did end up being an enemy, she was confident in their ability to deal with it.
Besides, if they couldn’t, then all of this had been a waste of time anyway.
Malori hurried after Colette, struggling to keep up with the surprisingly quick pace. As soon as the Archmage noticed, she apologetically slowed down. “D-Do you know what m-might be up there?”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I have a couple of thoughts I’d like to check on. Would you mind getting changed with me? We’ll need to go into the city. If you don’t want to, you aren’t required,” she said thoughtfully.
“I-I’m fine!” Malori insisted, still not entirely used to that. “Who are we g-going to see?”
“Adonis. There’s no one more familiar with legends and folklore. I’ve heard stories before of ice that was impossible to melt or break, even by the strongest tools or the warmest fires. They’re just legends though, with nothing to describe a cause,” she explained, opening the door to her quarters and applying illusion magic to both herself and Malori. “If anyone would know the root cause of such ice, it’s Adonis. There are likely similar legends that could tell us what’s behind it.”
The shorter girl nodded. Normally, she’d have to struggle to swallow her nervousness at going back into a crowded area such as the city. For some reason, that wasn’t happening. It felt like something as simple as walking from one room to another. There was much less anxiety involved in it. She took a deep breath as she waited for Colette to change into a less conspicuous outfit. It was nice, having something that didn’t make her want to panic, small as it may have been.
Colette tossed her hair behind her as she re-entered the room, smiling at Malori. “Ready to go?” she asked, grabbing her spellbook and coin purse. Seeing her confusion, she jingled the purse, cheeks turning slightly red. “I tend to take any excuse I can to pick up one of Olympe’s tarts,” she admitted.
“I-I see,” Malori said, stifling a small laugh. That was another unfamiliar sensation, but one she greatly enjoyed getting used to. “Um, yes, I’m ready to go.”
“Excellent!”
The Archmage walked over to the wall, purple light glowing from her fingers as she traced the patterns and sigils into the wall. Once she completed the large, circular rune, she pressed her hand into the center. In a flash of light, Malori found herself staring into a portal to the alleyway next to The Lucky Tome. Colette gestured to it politely.
“After you!”
Malori smiled, giving her a small, playful bow as she passed through the portal. The way the fresh air hit her upon stepping through felt like, well, a breath of fresh air. Even in an alley like this, the mountain air felt so clean and refreshing. She could see why Ingrid enjoyed the mountains so much. Stepping out into it from the stuffy castle also tended to make that much more of a difference.
The sound of the portal closing behind her, followed by Colette walking past finally made her open her eyes and follow along. They stepped out into the street and turned to the front of the humble bookstore. As Colette walked up the steps however, she frowned, her hand halfway to grabbing the door handle.
“I-Is something wrong?” Malori asked.
Colette didn’t respond at first, pursing her lips. “The lights aren’t on,” she murmured. She stepped back, craning her neck to look up at one of the windows on the second story. “The reading light isn’t on either,” she observed, her voice significantly more concerned. Stepping forward, she placed her hand on the handle. As she did, Malori could hear the faint clicking and shifting of lock tumblers. Was Colette telepathically picking a lock?
Not given much time to process, the door creaked open and Colette hurried inside, holding it for the other girl. Malori had no idea what was going on, but Colette seemed worried. That was most certainly a cause for concern. She hurried in after the Archmage, who then closed and locked the door again.
“W-What do you think is the matter?” Malori asked as they quickly made their way past the shelves of books.
“Usually even when Adonis can’t make it down into the shop, there’s a light on in the bedroom. Gods forbid a single free moment be spent doing something other than working or reading,” despite what was clearly a jest, Colette’s concern was more than apparent. There was no smile to go with it, only a weak attempt at one that didn’t come close to her eyes. The pair opened a door in the back corner, revealing a set of stairs that took them to the second level.
The second floor appeared to be devoted to a living space. They entered into a small common room, a neatly kept tea set out on the table between a set of comfy looking armchairs. Closeby was a small kitchen, and attached to that, a bathroom. Similar to the shop itself, no lights were on. Colette rushed past it all, picking up her pace. Thankfully not so fast that Malori had to struggle to keep up, but enough to notice the increased sense of urgency.
Malori followed her down a hallway, a single door closed at the end of it. The moment she made contact with the door handle, Colette threw it open. Malori’s heart sank at the sight.
Crumpled on the floor unmoving was Adonis. The human looked gaunt and pale. For a second, it was hard to tell they were even breathing. Colette all but sprinted to their side, propping them up. Their hair was a wet, sticky mess, drenched in sweat. As Colette propped them up, she gasped. There was color on their face; a dark, black crust from the blood that had clearly been coughed out.
“Oh gods, oh gods,” the Archmage repeated, trying to pat the human’s face and wake them up. “Adonis? Adonis! Adonis wake up!” she cried.
Adonis’s head lolled to the side, completely limp. A small groan was audible, followed by a gurgling sound. Adonis’s head jerked forward in a cough, a fresh spatter of blood staining their face and Colette’s clothing.
“Adonis!” she lifted them up and placed them back on the bed. “The illness, it was supposed to be getting better! I need to get the nearest doctor,” she said frantically.
Malori was dumbfounded. Seeing Colette in hysterics like this was so alien it barely felt real. “W-Where would the nearest one be?” she asked, swallowing her anxiety.
“They–shit–they’re on Icefall Street,” the woman’s face dropped, concern and calculation making way for pure dread. “I haven’t a clue if we have enough time, the blood here is old. Adonis may have already been like this for a full day.”
“We could t-teleport there!” Malori suggested hopefully. She placed a hand on Colette’s shoulder, trying to calm her. The fear in her eyes when she looked at her made Malori’s heart leap.
“No, no teleportation only works with an anchor. I-I can only bring it to different sigils, it’s why I have one set up here, and Gertrud’s personal doctor is certainly with her right now,” she rambled, running her fingers through her hair as she went over the options. “I could enhance my speed, but who knows if I’d still even get there in time and–”
“Colette?”
Malori’s stomach twisted in knots as Colette looked at her. The anguish and fear in her eyes reminded her of the look Alice had when Ingrid was poisoned. The desperation and bargaining that came with being unable to know whether or not your friend would live, and the knowledge that you didn’t have any way to help them. This was a terrible idea. Likely the worst she had had in this entire journey. Worse than agreeing to go on this journey. It was stupid, reckless, poorly thought out, and depending on how things went, potentially even suicidal. When she looked at Colette and Adonis though, she could feel her body pressing her forward.
Energy was already flowing to her fingertips, pleading with her body to be released. Maybe it wouldn’t work. Maybe it would all be for nothing, and all of her friends’ hard work would be ruined, and they would hate her more than they already did. Even with those thoughts screaming in the back of her mind, she still couldn’t bring herself to stay silent.
If someone in front of her needed her help, even if she couldn’t save them, what was the point of anything if she didn’t even try?
“Do you trust me?” she wished she sounded less pathetic. Less like a scared animal. She wanted to be confident, heroic, anything other than the way she was. Maybe it would make her more convincing.
A torrent of emotions cycled through Colette’s head so fast that Malori couldn’t even tell what they all were. On her face it just looked like desperation. The Archmage gulped, then silently nodded.
Taking a step forward, Malori crouched down at Adonis’s side. Their breath was so faint it was barely there. The only reason it was audible at all was the quiet bubbling of whatever blood was in their lungs. When she had thought about the idea of curing something like this, she had expected it to be an idle thought. She had wanted it to be. It certainly wasn’t something she wanted to test so soon after. Life rarely ever gave her choices she wanted though. As if it wasn’t going to be difficult enough to heal, she didn’t have her staff. Why had she bothered hiding it if she was going to blow that cover now anyway? It wasn’t worth thinking about, it was just going to distract her even more than the deafening sound of her own heartbeat.
“I need your Grimoire, please,” she all but whispered.
Despite the confusion, Colette didn’t hesitate to hand it to her. Malori placed a hand on the cover, channeling as much magic as she could into the focusing stone at the top of the circular design on the cover. Erstonite. It enhanced evocation magic, magic that called upon forces to create pseudo-physical reactions like explosions or teleportation. The latter was probably what Colette used it most for. While healing magic was technically its own category of magic, it shared the most similarities with evocation. It certainly wasn’t her staff, but at least it was something.
Placing the book on Adonis’s stomach, she rested her hands on either side of it. From an outside view, it wasn’t nearly as involved or flashy as the work of a mage, or even a sorcerer like Natalia. While mages traced their sigils in the air and Natalia manifested light out of raw energy, Malori simply kept her hands in place and focused. She could feel every breath, every heartbeat, the rushing of blood, the shifting of organs, everything. Pulses of healing magic emanated from the erstonite to her hands and into Adonis’s body, coursing through every vein and nerve as it tried to repair all it could. She furrowed her brow. It wasn’t enough to be general. She needed to find the focal point of the issue and focus as much energy as possible there. Her thoughts drifted to the coughing of blood.
Concentrating her magic, she directed it all towards the lungs. She was grateful she needed her eyes closed to do this. If she could see Colette’s reactions, she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to hold it together.
As soon as the strands of magic linked together, she could feel just how dire things were. Adonis’s lungs were, in one word, a mess. Malori could feel the corroded and dead tissues pervading through the organs. Now that she’d located the source of it, she realized how far it had spread. Traces of the decay were present in nearly every part of the body. Other internal organs, nerves, muscle tissues, it was probably the reason they needed a cane. It was like the body had started decomposing while the brain desperately tried to stay alive. The illness hadn’t seemed to have traveled that far, though it likely didn’t need to. This had clearly been present for ages, and while the effects of treatment were apparent in certain places, it could only do so much.
She took a shaky breath, continuing to let her magic pore over the inside of the human’s body, examine every defect and lesion, then frantically try to sort out what needed to be addressed immediately, and what could be treated with common medicine. Sliding her hands to rest over Adonis’s ribcage, she knew the lungs were the most pressing. They felt barely held together, prevented from complete collapse only by sheer luck and whatever miracles had come their way. Making matters worse, they were steadily filling with blood. Without help, Adonis was going to suffocate.
Biting her lip, she willed her magic to press forward. She could feel it crash like a wave over the infected and dying tissues, burning away the necrosis like a fire. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. Magic like this didn’t cause physical strain in the moment at least, that usually hit her like a building afterwards. It strained her mind and her focus. Her life force and energy fueled Adonis’s, calling it to mimic hers. That magic and energy had to come from somewhere after all. As if nearly reconstructing a pair of lungs wasn’t complicated enough, she had to consciously remind her own body that her heart had to continue beating, her blood to continue flowing, her own lungs to continue breathing. It was nightmarish at times, especially on problems as deeply rooted as this.
Even as the infection pushed back against her, fighting for its own life, she could feel it giving way. Bit by bit, she could feel Adonis’s lungs piecing themselves back together, like a shriveled fruit being rehydrated. Tissues regenerated, lesions closed, and bacteria was forced away.
Her mind was going numb. Despite her progress, she could feel her grip slipping. Without a proper focus, it was unorganized, misdirected. This was something she surely would have struggled to accomplish even with her staff on hand. A pale imitation was like trying to walk by dragging herself across the ground with a single hand. It wasn’t enough. Even with her eyes closed she could feel her vision starting to blur, her head feeling light. She was overexerting her magic. She was going to pass out, the healing incomplete, and Adonis was still going to die.
A small whimper escaped her throat as she pressed on. Just a little longer. All she had to do was last a little bit longer, then she could take a break. She could let herself recover her focus and continue to put Adonis’s crumbling body back together. Her ears started to ring. Just a little bit longer. Her breathing was shallow.
Just a little.
Bit.
Longer.
Despite her concentration, a dull sensation became noticeable through the numbness that pervaded her entire body at this point. She furrowed her brow, barely peeling her eyes open to see a blurry pair of arms wrapped around her. Maybe it was the vertigo, but she was confused. What was happening?
“You can do this,” a gentle voice said. The voice was brimming with fear, but also something else; trust. “You are so much stronger than you think, Malori. You are amazing.”
Colette?
It was muffled, but it sounded like Colette’s voice. More than that, it sounded genuine. Did Colette really have that much faith in her? In someone she barely knew? The world felt like it was a little clearer, the voice piercing the haze of her focus. Through that haze, she could sense the emotions radiating off of the Archmage as well. There was an overwhelming amount of fear, that was obvious from her voice. The trust was there too. It was less the presence of something that Malori took notice of, but the absence. Throughout the maelstrom of emotions that bombarded her psyche from Colette, there was one she was abundantly familiar with. Despite her familiarity, there wasn’t a single trace of that feeling that she knew like an old friend.
There wasn’t a single trace of doubt.
Malori felt the magic within her swell as she drew upon reserves that she had no idea even existed. Everything she could possibly tap was cleared out as a thought that she had never once genuinely had toward herself echoed in her mind louder than any scream.
I can do this.
Spurred on by Colette’s encouragement, she could feel the mental grip that had been slipping tighten. She wasn’t going to let it go. It wouldn’t so much as flinch. The thread she had been grasping at felt like it was actually connected to something. A little bit longer. It was no longer a statement of desperation, it was a statement of resolve. Not only could she do this, she was going to.
Forcing her magic to its limits, she could feel the thread beginning to snap. Just when she thought she couldn’t hold on for another second, she felt herself shoved backward.
Her head spun as she waited for her brain to remember how her body functioned. It was painfully slow, but it was as good as she could ask for. Touch came back first. She was limp, held against something supporting her as her legs slowly realized they could move. Colette’s arms were still around her. Next was sound, and she wished that her body could have saved it for last. The only thing she could hear was retching and coughing, followed by the sound of liquid splattering. As her vision slowly began to shift from black to blurred to slightly focused, she realized what the source of the sound was.
Adonis was hunched over the side of the bed, coughing up clots of blood onto the floor. Malori didn’t know what to do other than stare. She could feel Colette unmoving behind her, her entire body rigid. In her delirium, Malori made no move to escape her grasp. It was warm, comfortable even. She wanted to stay there.
After an eternity, the human slumped back onto the bed, unable to even hold their own weight after expending every ounce of energy possible trying to regain composure. They lay there for a moment, exhausted. Adonis placed a hand on their chest, a look of bewilderment on their face. They took a breath. Then another. And another. Slowly in through their nose, then out through their mouth. Their mouth hung open as they forced themself to sit up. Tears began to well in their eyes as they spoke in a voice that was still frail and raspy, but not nearly as much as it had the first day Malori had met them.
“I… can breathe…”