Chapter 1 When Hell Freezes Over, Who Will Save it?
One year, when winter came to Northfell, it stayed. This wouldn't matter much to anyone who didn’t live there, except that its season became contagious. Every day, the snow and ice stretched out from the center of the city and froze plants, creatures, almost the air, as Northfell's chill flashed across the countryside in glacial outbursts. As time passed, the frozen curse encompassed more and more land and began to freeze the ocean.
This saga follows a group of travelers who were caught in the wake of the curse, as their ship became strangled by the spread of cursed ice which moved with ungodly speed. Fearing the eventual spread of tundra across their world, these travelers became unwilling heroes who matched the threat with (an equally ungodly) reluctance. This is their tale.
[https://i.imgur.com/U3nbJh5.jpg] [https://i.imgur.com/U3nbJh5.jpg] [https://i.imgur.com/U3nbJh5.jpg]
From her perch on the foremast of a ship, Tine was the first to notice the coercion of the Nagirrigan sea from water into ice. She rode passage on a ship crossing the sea’s narrow strait when it became trapped in the unnavigatable arctic expanse that overtook it. The frozen plain that had appeared swiftly around them endangered the Brigantine vessel.
Her whiskers felt the cold before she could see it coming. Then she saw the frost in the distance, and watched, stunned, as it grabbed the ship in a breath’s time. She scrambled to grip a nearby rope as the Brigantine’s bow crashed and came to an anguished standstill. The ship, betrayed by the frozen sea, groaned sadly from its confinement in the ice. Tine wanted to groan, too, but remained quiet. Her right ear twitched while she clung fast to the rigging.
As a Mutkin with cat ancestry, Tine disliked large amounts of water in all its forms. She eyed both the malevolent glacier and the remaining area of ocean that flowed freely in the distance, trying to decide which she hated more. As the ship quieted down, voices from the other passengers soon replaced the din. Tine stayed in her perch away above the chaos on the deck below as crew and passengers panicked on deck. Some even disembarked and walked on the newly formed ice, testing it and scrutinizing the hull for damage. No need to get involved in all that. Not yet, she mused.
Above the crew’s shouts, Tine heard a tinny scream from the ship, "Get this thing moving! I paid for immediate passage across this excuse for an ocean! Uneducated as you are, you may not realize, but I am a very important individual and need to get to Svlandir NOW. Don’t you know who I am?"
What overblown drivel is this? Tine would have thought it was a joke, but she’d heard too many claims like his before. Most likely, he did really believe he was the most important person on the planet. And, most likely, he believed the laws of weather and physics simply didn’t pertain to him. Tine found that, for the most part, if anyone had to proclaim something about themselves to make it known, it probably wasn’t true.
She could just make out the Crewmaster’s growling reply, "Sure, I know who you are. You’re someone who's going to take a long walk to Rigan." Tine watched as some of the passengers who were standing on the ice had to move quickly to avoid a large trunk and satchel that were hurled over the side in their direction.
The Very Important Man - Tine silently named him VIM - sounded less confident now. “No, really, my cousin lives next door to a member of the Grand Consulate. You don’t want to do this!” She saw him wring his hands, or try to, since wearing an obnoxious amount of rings made that difficult. She heard the Crewmaster’s muffled retort and watched as the VIM screeched, "My baggages!" and leaned over the edge of the ship. The irate, glittery man’s agonized face peered over the starboard side at his broken luggage below. Ok, this might be worth going down for, she thought.
She climbed with feline ease down the foremast, checked the straps on her backpack to make sure it was in place, then slinked toward the baggage on the ice. The crew had set the gangplank down so they could walk around the ship and assess the damage, allowing her to exit the ship with ease.
Tine thanked goddess Mut that she had fur and wore warm boots as she walked on the ice. Worried the ice would break beneath her, she used her quarterstaff for extra support and walked gingerly. Best to distribute my weight in case it breaks, she thought, wincing. Not sure how thick this ice is, after all.
The ship’s crew began the slow process of clearing a path to unfrozen water and rounding up help from the passengers. Tine spotted a trio of hooded figures standing away from the others. They were each entirely covered in gray, hooded cloaks and were slumped uncomfortably where they stood, which gave them the appearance of melting faceless statues.
Water, Ice...and now this creepiness? Mut, I hate traveling. I'd give my tail to take a safe nap in the sun somewhere away from all this.
One of the crewmen came over to her, interrupting her thoughts. “Oy, kitty miss, I’d stop starin’ if I were you. Those be Strige.” He looked from the hooded figures to the boat. “It’ll be more than a day or so to get this ship outta the ice, and I don’t fancy our chances with those three if it takes too long.” He glanced at the Strige again. “After all, we aren't stocked with food for a long journey…but to them, come nightfall, well...we are food.”
Fear chilled her more than the ice ever could. Tine had never seen a Strige, but had heard of them. Everyone had. It was hard to ignore creatures that lived off your blood. And that they easily had the most influence and wealth, which gave them an incredible amount of freedom to do as they pleased in some regions. To them, everyone else was a servant, a snack, or a plaything. Evil ice, now living vampires, too? Maybe I should have stayed in Nagir City. Then she remembered the work mines. And the isolation. No, even this is better.
“Oh, right. Maybe I can get some of the others to help get the boat out,” she offered. The crewman nodded and waved in thanks, as he headed to talk to some of the other disembarked passengers.
Another piercing yell came from onboard, near the bow. “Someone will pay for this! You’ll be in trouble when my cousin’s neighbor hears of—” Tine looked up just in time to see the VIM’s spectacularly coiffed head duck out of sight. She continued to hear his hysterical screaming and arguing from on deck. Looking down, she saw that his fallen satchel lay open, littering the ice with some of the VIM’s Very Important Things. Near her feet lay a scroll and an odd-shaped lantern. Others had gathered around the baggage as well. She wondered if she would have to fight for any of this junk. Tine pondered what would be most useful. What do I need most if the ship is stuck for good?
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Tine wasn’t a theif at heart, no matter what people said, but because she was forced to leave Nagir quickly, she really didn’t have any supplies to sustain her if she had to travel by foot on the ice. I don’t think he’ll miss any of this, she told herself, hoping it was true.
She thought back to the reason for her trip. She’d already been ostracized for her low caste in Nagir City. She’d hoped to find a new start. And friends. It was a silly dream, she thought, but friends would be nice. Sailing to Rigan would mean the chance to start over for her. For her sister, too, if she would come. Tine doubted it.
Tine was tired of being alone, of always being on the outside looking in. And of course, that’s where she was now, stranded on ice, no less. Time to make the best of this, she supposed. I’ll need supplies if this ship is done for. I have to see if anyone will help get the ship out, or if I need to, make a run for it.
She touched the side of her pack, just to make sure it was there. It was uncomfortable to wear, but traveling this way made life a lot easier, even though it meant she couldn’t take the thing off if she felt cramped. She held onto one of the straps with her free hand and gripped it resolutely. No one must know. If they find out who—what—I am, it will start all over again.
Tine considered the other disembarked passengers who stood nearby. Out of the three closest to the satchel, two looked especially sinister. The human grinned too easily and had shifty eyes. The Aamonwelp, due to his race, was imposing. He stood at least one head taller than anyone else in the vicinity. Plus, the Aamonwelp race’s terra-cotta skin and onyx horns typically conjured visions of hell. The devilish figure looked as serious as he was silent. Looking down, Tine noticed the gnome last. She appeared pleasant enough. Short races usually were. Tine supposed it helped them get along.
The gnome strode towards the items first and grabbed the scroll that was lying on the ice between them. “I’ll take this, thankyouverymuch…” She unrolled it and smirked. “Bounty be! This’ll do!” Tine could see it was a map. The gnome saw Tine’s interest and strode a distance away as she studied it with a navigator’s intensity, looking like she meant to memorize its contents.
The Aamonwelp bowed toward Tine and the others nearby, a bit apologetically. “Pardon, but I should like to take a look at this,” he poised a red hand over the lantern, “if you will.” He glanced around as if for permission. The human ignored him, eying the satchel.
Tine shrugged and looked away. “It’s yours as much as mine.” Tell him about the danger, you fool. He actually seems nice.
The Aamonwelp looked a little guilty at that but plucked the lantern up anyway and inspected it in earnest. “Oh…look at this. So many symbols…and it positively zings with magic!” He tapped the glass with a narrow finger. “I wonder what wonders it has been imbued with…” Holding it aloft, he began to play with any of the moving parts he could find as he wandered off with it.
Well, first things first, maybe I’d better claim some gear, just in case, Tine thought.
Tine and the smarmy human reached for the satchel at the same time. She held back a small growl. The human seemed uglier the closer he was to her. He smiled and gave her an exaggerated bow. “Cat ladies first, eh?” He said and gave her a lopsided smile. “But hows about we share? We should be quick about it too.” He glanced meaningfully at a servant who had picked up the trunk for the VIM.
“Fine,” Tine agreed. It was not fine. Not really, but she didn't want to argue. She didn't mind sharing, but wasn't sure about him. Tine realized she couldn’t put anything in the pack, so small, pocketable objects would have to do.
The tall Aamonwelp walked back to Tine and the man as they squabbled over the contents of the satchel.He and the gnome were peering over their shoulders as they went through the bag, clearly curious.
The man began packing the spilled items into the overturned satchel and swiftly took the lantern from the tall Aamonwelp. Then he plucked the map from the gnome’s stunned hands as well. He casually slipped those two items into his own bag instead of returning them with the rest of the spilled items to the VIM’s baggage. He pocketed a few scattered gold coins for good measure. “There. All set.” He gave the others a greasy grin.
“All set? I want that map back, you lumberfoot.” The gnome held her hand out and stared up at the human. Her eyes looked almost black against her pale skin and aubergine hair.
“You fancy it’s yours then, eh?” He smiled back down at her. “What right do you have to it, little-un?”
“I’ll give you a right,” she roared and shook her small fist at him. It reached his waist.
“Ooh. Scary. Look. I’ll give it back. Don’t read anyways. But if I do now, you’ll just lose it again.” He nodded towards a well-dressed man in a long coat who was gathering up the VIM’s things. “Glittery boy’s servant is likely to notice you wandering around with it like you been done.”
The gnome gritted her teeth. “Fine. For now.”
The Aamonwelp looked uncomfortable. He turned to the man and frowned. “Um, actually, shouldn’t we return that—“
Tine gritted her teeth. This is nonsense. “Stop it! Stop arguing.” She hissed. “If we don’t do something, we’re all going to be vampire food or freeze to death out here.”
The Aamonwelp spoke first. “Pardon?”
Tine shared what the sailor had told her about the ship, the food, and the Strige. Collectively, they turned to look at the three ghoulish figures, who stood slightly bent under the sun, then at the ship’s crew who were diligently working on the slow process of clearing a path to unfrozen water.
The Aamonwelp, for all his size, seemed the most shaken. Noting this, the man spoke first. “Never seen any of them before, demon?” He gestured towards the Strige.
“Autumnus, if you please, sir,” bristled the Aamonwelp, then held out a hand. “And you are?”
“Hafoc. The name’s Hafoc.” He continued, ignoring Autumnus’ hand. “They’re what you call vampires of a sort, but they’re alive like you n’ me.” He looked Autumnus up and down. “Ok, maybe just me. But from what I hear, that bloke was right; they will need to feed. And it’ll likely be us.” he continued with an insistent, matter-of-fact helpfulness. Hafoc looked as if he rarely got to be smarter than anyone else, and was enjoying his brief role as an expert in something for once.
“Ah, well. Ahem,” Autumnus took back his open hand and coughed into his fist. awkwardly.
The gnome spoke up. “I’m going to grab some of this gear and go. I’m not ready to be a vamp snack.”
Tine nodded and looked out at the icy expanse. She thought she should go too. But how would she survive? “The crewman seemed to think if we all chipped away at the ice, we could get moving in time.”
They looked again at the Strige and then at the boat. There are about a dozen crew and passengers working to clear the ice from the area around the bow. The progress was still minimal.
Hafoc spoke up again. “Look. It’s taken them more than an hour already and they barely have made a dent in the ice. It’s too thick. Maybe if the ship were by the edge, y’know, near the water, we’d have a chance, but there’s no fekking way that boat is moving anytime soon, much less before nightfall.” He looked to the others. “I say we grab this stuff and run.”
Tine looked across the ice. “But we don’t even have decent clothes for this weather or food.” She didn’t like the idea of staying with the boat and waiting for death, but also wasn’t sure about Hafoc’s motives, either. She clutched the end of her tail and played with the end of it fretfully.
The gnome cut in, “I think we’ll be just as cold and hungry if we stay here.” She pointed to Hafoc’s bag. “Plus, that map says it shouldn’t be more than a day or so’s walk to get near a port.”
Autumnus cleared his throat. “Perhaps, instead of simply wandering off, each of us alone, upon this frozen expanse—perhaps it would be safer if we could travel together? Maybe we could even find a way to end the curse and stop this ice?” He nervously kicked a clump of ice.
The ice chunk fell over. Autumnus jumped back in surprise. It was a frozen sandpiper’s head. The rest of the body was still frozen to the glacier. The small, brown-spotted bird had been swimming when the icy curse surged in over the water. It looked like it died instantly. Tine could see they each had a similar thought: Can the curse actually be stopped or will it spread until nothing is left?
Tine stared at the stony-looking Strige. Despite her distance from them, she thought she could see eyes gleaming back at her from under one of the hoods. She shivered. This time, it wasn't from cold.