Emeline smiled at me, as though she already knew what I would choose. “Excellent. Then, today, we will spend the time aiding your education, while we wait for night to come, when we shall have you undergo the Embracing. You have learned some of what it means to be one of the Lady’s children by your time in the Tribes, but we will continue and expand upon that foundation.”
I cocked my head to the side, unsure. “What do you mean, Priestess? The Tribe worshipped Tempus, for the most part. While they did make offerings to the Lady, they were mostly pleas for safe passage, rather than asking for her favor.”
The older woman smiled at me. “That is exactly it. Know now that the Frostmaiden is not a kind or forgiving goddess. She shows favor to those who earn it, or who gain her fancy, but she is like winter itself. Few things in nature are as beautiful as looking out upon a field of fresh-fallen snow in the sunlight, and few things are as terrifying as a sudden blizzard in the mountains. These are both part of the Lady, and who she is. To embrace one, you must embrace both.”
“That is why the ritual is called the Embracing, then?”
The woman nodded. “Good girl. Yes, a little before night falls, you and I will walk outside the city, so that our work will not be disturbed by the city guard, wondering why a blizzard has been called up inside the city. I can assure you, my brother would not be amused.”
This intrigued me, obviously. Conjuring up a blizzard like the one I’d seen at Indsamling was impressive magic! “So, what does the ritual entail?”
“It is simplicity itself. You will be dressed wearing only boots and a light shift, painted in the symbols of our Lady, and will run through the blizzard I create throughout the night. Those who survive the night become one with the clergy. But, since you our touched by the Lady, and do not suffer from the cold, we will alter things somewhat. You will do a service for the church as part of your initiation.”
Right, nothing in life is free. Still, doing a service to a goddess I was already owing services to didn’t sound like a big deal. “What service is asked of me?”
“There is an ancient crypt not far from the town. As one might expect from such things, it has become a haven for the undead. But this tomb contains a great many things, including a relic sacred to the Lady’s church. It was lost long ago. You will venture into the crypt, and wrest it from the clutches of the undead.”
“Mistress, if you know where the relic is, and what is guarding it, why have you not gone to retrieve it, since it is so close by?”
She smiled at me. “Always asking the proper questions. Good. I would have thought less of you if you had simply accepted things at face value. In truth, there is a binding in place on that crypt. It is the ancient resting place of House Frostbourne, who were worshippers of the Frostmaiden. Long ago, the Patriarch of House Frostbourne turned from the Lady, and took up the practice of necromancy, in service of his new dark master, and began experimenting on the bodies of his fallen kinsmen. A great battle was fought, as the forces of the dead were threatening to consume all. It was a hard-fought battle, but the Patriarch was forced back to the ancestral crypt, and barricaded himself inside. The forces arrayed against him, led by his kinsmen, sealed the tomb, and laid a binding so that none of their line may pass into or out of the crypt, even in undeath. That day, the clan took the name of House Emberlash, to burn away the shame of their fallen Patriarch.”
In general, I found undead distasteful, a mockery of life. Especially mindless monsters like zombies and skeletons. While I could see their use in combat, the idea of doing that to your own family was horrible. Both my lives agreed on that. It was such a callous disregard for the bonds of family, and that was not something I could easily ignore.
And the revelation of the binding certainly explained why I was being sent, instead of a full priestess of Auril. Such a story was not something that people usually told to outsiders. That I was being told was a sign of trust, but also a test. I doubted she would have done even this much, if it were not for my unique situation.
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“In that case, I can see why the relic remains within the tomb, even after so many years. What is this relic, and how will I know it? Will it be openly displayed, or hidden away? I do not have any skills at finding and disarming traps, or discovering secret doors, or things like that.”
Emeline nodded slowly. “The tomb is not that expansive, and should not have much, if anything, in the way of traps, as crypt originally lay under the home of House Frostbourne, which was destroyed to hide the entrance. None have entered that crypt in five hundred years, so I do not believe that you will face defenses save for the restless undead.”
“As for the relic itself, it will be in the tomb of the first Matriarch, Emma Frostbourne. The Cloak of Winter’s Might is a powerful relic, and may only be worn by one of the bloodline of House Frostbourne, who is in the service of Auril. It is a blue cloak lined in the fur of the winter fox, with the symbol of Auril upon it.”
I nodded. That sounded all right, then. “Then I have only two questions. Will I be able to take my weapons and gear with me into the crypt, or must I do that the same as I run through the snow? And what of other items found within the crypt?”
“You may carry your bag with you, and change before entering the tomb. As for whatever you may find there, that place has long been lost to my family, and most weapons or items inside will have long ago fallen to the ravages of time. However, if you bring me the head of Gamlad Frostbourne, the fallen Patriarch, I will allow you to keep what treasures you find there.”
With that, there was nothing more to be said. Emmeline sent a messenger to her brother, informing him that an initiate would be undergoing the ritual of the Embracing, so that people would not be afraid of the blizzard when it came. A response came within the hour, asking if the ritual could be moved to the western side of Westlake Village, as scouts were reporting that a large force was gathering in the direction of Indsamling, and it would take two more days to gather the troops. Another blizzard would give them more time to prepare.
Emmeline sighed, and said, “Well, it would seem that we are called to action, then. The idea of using the Lady’s favor to impede the Tribes, while testing one seeking her blessing, should not be unacceptable in her eyes. We’ll fly out to the west, then, and prepare for the ritual. Our work may be cut short, so you will use your wings to fly, while I take my steed.”
“Understood, Mistress. And if we meet the tribes?”
Emmeline laughed at that. It was not a cheerful laugh, but a wicked one, like that of someone preparing misfortune to fall on another. “If the Tribes have someone that can catch you in the heart of a blizzard with a Priestess of Auril at your side, then you deserve to be caught, girl. But there is no reason we need to be gentle with them if we see them.”
I helped her gather a few supplies into her own bag of holding, and watched as she gathered weapons and armor for herself. She carried a mace that radiated cold just by looking at it, and a shield that was clearly made of mithril, and emblazoned with the Frostmaiden’s symbol. Her armor was a shirt of mithril rings, that would, no doubt, provide excellent protection, despite being lightweight. She did not have the look of a warrior priestess, but she was prepared to fight nonetheless.
When we got outside, I spread my wings, and watched as she pulled a bronze statue in the shape of a griffon from her bag. With a command word, the statue grew to the size of a true griffon, and became animated. “Come, we will go as fast as we dare.” With those words, she took to the air, and I followed her.
The griffon was fast as I was in the air, and so we made good time. In three hours, we covered almost fifty miles, if I were any judge of the distance, for we were unhindered by little things like the terrain. Westlake Village, the village I had stayed outside the first night of my exile, passed beneath us, and soon we were landing in the snow.
“All right, child, we’re far enough from the town that none of those fools will be able to see you. This is not ideal. Normally, we would have more time to paint the symbols properly, and you would have done most of it yourself. But it would do the Lady no favors to wait, and allow the barbarians to sack Westlake. Especially as the blizzard is just to observe the proper rites, and the true trial is later.”
Having no reason to object, I changed out of the clothes I’d been wearing, those of a Tribeswoman, and adorned a thin cotton shift that did little more than protect my modesty. The cold did not bother me, thanks to Auril’s blessing, but I still was not entirely comfortable being dressed in so little. Life in the tribe had been what amounted to thirteen years of therapy. My old life was in the past, and I rarely thought about it most days. But the events of Indsamling had brought it back to mind, both the rage I’d felt, and the promise to never be weak again, but also the insecurity, the helplessness. The last time I ran out into the snow wearing so little, I had died.
I was not that person, though. Not any more. I focused on my breathing, watching Emmeline as she went about casting her spell. It was not a simple one to cast, taking ten whole minutes for the Priestess to invoke. I could feel the magic in the air. As the spell took hold, I could see the air all around us begin to change, as clouds gathered in the sky. Ten minutes after the spell was cast, the wind was blowing, and snow was threatening to white out the area all around us.
I could barely see Emmeline, even though she was only a few feet away. “All right, child, now we are going to run towards these barbarians, and give them something to think on. They won’t be keen on advancing into a magical storm.”
I sighed, not enjoying the prospect of running through the snow, but we weren’t here for my enjoyment. I struggled to keep pace with the Priestess as she trod through the snow, and soon learned an unpleasant fact. While I might be able to shrug off the frosty wind, the feeling of ice and snow getting inside your dress or into your boots was never a welcome one. And I had hours yet to run.