Creatures of Snow (41 page)

“
Sky, we’ll just be
outside the door.” The Captain reassured him as he gently closed
the door.

“
Don’t worry, Victor.”
Rinten placed a hand on the Captain’s shoulder to stop him from
pacing, “I’m sure Zeph is just telling him the
complications.”

“
Complications?” Sara
blurted out.

The Captain turned,
finally noticing her, “Sara.” He walked straight up to her and
wrapped his strong arms around her, “Thank you. Thank you so much.
I don’t know how you broke through to him, but I’m so glad someone
could.” He continued to hug her tightly for a few more moments, and
it was a feeling of loss that overtook her when he finally released
her.

She squeezed the stone
between her hands in an attempt to stop the shaking, “What
complications?”

Rinten sighed, leaning
against the wall, “From my research when a mark is sealed the Fury
will generally retreat from the host body and the seal then
prevents them from easily coming through into the Living realm
through that particular mark. The Fury that was possessing Sky did
not leave.”

Sara gasped, “It’s trapped
inside him then?” Her voice came out high and verged on hysterical.
Is that why Ixanna didn’t want to wake him? “We made it worse? I
helped trap that thing in him.”

“
No, honey.” The Captain
pulled her back to him with a reassuring arm around her shoulders,
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Correct.” Roland scooted
his glasses back up his nose, “Furies aren’t meant to be in the
Living realm, the longer they are here, the weaker they become.
Since Skyden has been unconscious for three days already, his Fury
is likely to have become dormant.”

“With the power of the
Snow being cut off the only possible source of strength is Sky’s
own negative emotions.” Rinten added. “And even then, the thing
would never have the strength to do much more then give him a bad
thought or two.”

“So…” She forced a breath
out, “He’ll be okay?”

The Captain nodded beside her and squeezed
her shoulders. “He’ll be back to himself in no time. All thanks to
you.”

She leaned into the
Captain, thankful for his solid support since she felt like a
wobbly mess. Turning the stone over in her hand she wondered if she
should tell them that it was really Joey who they should be
thanking. Her and Sky’s dead mother.

Without a single hint or
warning, Roland pulled her from the Captain, and guided her down
the hallway. “Excuse us for a moment.” He said back to the
others.

“
Roland, Sir.”

“Just walk.” He pushed her
on and led her out to one of the balconies overlooking the
expansive courtyard. He glanced behind him once, then let his
spectacled eyes drift out over the yard. “Don’t tell anyone about
that stone. Not yet.”

“How did you-”

“You’ve been fiddling with
it this entire time.” He gestured down to her hands. “I don’t know
how you found it, but you should put it back, tonight if you
can.”

“
Why?” She pushed it down
into her pocket. There was no way she was putting it back in the
ground.

“There are two things that
could bring this realm to its end. One is the Valley of Ruah. The
other has its roots in stones like the one you hold.” He turned
towards her, looking even more serious then normal, “Some things
are better kept hidden.”

“I just don’t understand.”
She mumbled, “Any of it really. Why would anyone want to bring this
realm to an end if they live here?”

Roland smiled sadly at
her. “I’ve been Zeph’s apprentice for nearly seven years now.
Following in the shadow of one with such power and influence lead
me to see and hear many strange, wonderful and truly frightening
things. Please, understand that we are a very small part of this
universe, Sara.”

“
Sir?”

“The Councilmen are five
of the oldest and strongest Iko’s, and under them gather a
committee of the best minds in the realm, none of them human. When
the Living realm was formed, you see, the Councilmen were the ones
given the reigns and charged with watching over the living. So in
essence, the Councilmen helped to build this reality and in fact
are still the ones who really run the show.”

Sara shook her head, trying to wrap her mind
around the idea. “So they are good then? The Councilmen?”

Roland shook his head
slowly. “Time in this realm does funny things to old souls. Their
story is long, and I’m afraid now is not the time for it, but I
will say that no, they do not hold us mortals in very high regard.
The Valley of Ruah, you have head of it, yes? From your people’s
history.”

Her face flushed red,
again her ignorance of her people’s past came back to slap her in
the face. “No, my parents were arrested on charges of treason years
ago; they never passed on the history rite to me.”

He stared at her
momentarily with a look of disbelief. “I see.” His eyebrows raised
and he slipped back into teacher mode, “The Valley of Ruah is what
we call the place where all energy originates, it is the soul of
existence.” He began. “Legends state that the valley is located
somewhere in the Snow, and the map to it lies hidden within the
pages of the Book of Nine.” He paused to gesture dramatically
towards her, “It is said that only the blood of the Blue Star can
open the gate that seals it, but all of this is speculation of
course, no one knows if any of it is true.”

“The blood of a Blue
Star…” She leaned against the railing, spotting Lee rushing into
the courtyard from the other wing of the compound.

“They would rebirth
reality – destroy what is and reshape it into something else…”
Roland’s voice trailed off as his attention was pulled down into
the courtyard as well.

“
Captain!” Lee’s voice
boomed desperately through the courtyard. “Master Zeph!”

“Lee!” Sara yelled down to
him. She had never seen him so out of sorts.

“
They are here, Sara!” He
screamed up to them, “Get the Iko’s. The Powers, they are
here!”

She backed away from the
railing, “No.” She breathed, the strength drained from her body.
Roland had already taken off back towards the others, yelling Lee’s
message the whole way.

“
Where’s Al?” She said so
weakly no one could possibly have heard.

Something flashed and
caught her eye. Standing across from her on the opposite balcony
stood a small, red headed boy wielding a sword nearly as big as he
was. Sara froze.

A hand grabbed her arm and
her instincts took over - she spun around, elbow up, ready to
strike, but it was a wasted effort. Soul had her pinned to the wall
before she could exhale.

“
You are the witness,
Sara.” Soul spoke loudly and clearly. Behind him stood Al, his face
spoke of a silent determination. “Al is coming with me on his own
free will.” Soul released her arms and backed up till he was
side-by-side with Al.

“I found my mom, Sara.” Al
looked like Al, and he spoke like Al, but if the Powers were in
league with the Man of Mist, he could easily have been manipulating
him.

“
Why is he here, Al?” She
nodded towards Soul. “How did they get in here?”

“They came here to stop me
- they knew what I was doing, and tried to stop me. But they were
too late.” Al’s smile wasn’t a real smile; it was just there to
hold back his tears. “What I did led the Man of Mist straight to my
mom.”

“I can’t believe you. I’m
sorry.” She spoke honestly with a wavering voice and looked between
him and Soul, and then beyond them down the hall. The others should
be there soon.

“I’ve put her and the
whole realm in danger. I have to go. I have to warn
her.”

“
Al, no.” But before the
words left her lips they were gone.

Chapter
T
hirty-One

“Get the ship ready. I’ll
be down in ten.” His dad burst in through the main doors, shouting
back outside to Zero.

“I’m going with you!” Sky
was right behind him.

His dad ignored him and
found Rinten waiting for orders, “Zero and I are taking off now,
you can handle things here, right?”

Rinten nodded. “Of
course.”

“I’ll get my things.” Sky
didn’t care if he wasn’t listening.

His dad turned to him with
his hands clenched. “For the hundredth time, No! You’re not coming
with us, Sky. This is serious. I’m not risking something happening
to you again. So just stop. Zero and I have got this.”

“
Victor, what’s going on?”
Ixanna came up from the lower level. “Why is Zero preparing the
ship?”

His dad headed for the
central staircase, frustrated and verging on anger, “Soul took Al,
Lee thinks their headed to Mye.”

“They might have a few
hours lead on you, but nothing more.” Roland reported, making
gestures on a halo map. “Soul can only move to places he’s linked
with or has a strong connection with, and there are no records of
him ever being to Mye. Plus I’ve never seen him take more then two
people with him anywhere. They’ll be traveling by ship.”

“
How did he even get in
here?” Rinten looked wounded, most likely it was just his
pride.

“He would have needed a
direct link. Some small object he could have planted on one of us.”
Roland mumbled absently.

Sky rubbed at the bracelet around his
wrist.

“What about the necklace
that Al used to find his mom?” Sara offered up.

“Soul’s not the one who
stole it!” Sky yelled down at her, running up the stairs behind his
dad.

“Stop following me. You’re
not coming.” His dad shouted, nearly to the top. “You shouldn’t
even be out of bed.”

He had to think of
something that would convince his father. That or he would just
stow away.

“
Oh, what’s wrong with
letting him go, Victor?” It was Zeph’s voice that carried over to
his ears. He stood in the center of the foyer, draped in an overly
large bathrobe.

His dad stared down at
Zeph in reproach, “Everything! Everything is wrong with that,
Zeph.”

“Do you think he’s going
to back down?” Zeph gestured over to Sky, “Do you think he’ll
forgive you for leaving him again?”

His dad turned to face him
finally, “I don’t know what’s waiting for us over there. Please,
Sky, just stay here, just be safe.”

“Al’s my best friend,
Soul’s my brother and you’re my guardian. I’m not scared,
Captain.”

His dad pulled him close,
resting his head on top of Sky’s, “What can I say that will make
you stay here?”

“
Nothing.” Sky whispered.
“I have to go.”

“Well then I’m going too.”
Sara’s voice came out strong and determined as she made her stand
at the bottom of the stairs. “I swore to protect you too,
remember.”

Was that before or after
she stabbed you in the heart?
Zar’s voice
was barely audible in his head.

“I wish to go as well. I
was supposed to keep Allen safe, and can not live with myself if I
do not correct my failure.”

“Take Roland while you’re
at it. He might come in handy and frankly needs a bit more
experience in field work.”

Zar! You’re all
right.
He almost laughed out
loud.

Hardly.
The voice came back distant and
bitter.

His dad drew a hand down
his face. “I can’t.” He said firmly. “I won’t.”

“I’ll keep Sky on the
ship.” Sara took a step up the stairs towards them. “I’ll make sure
he stays out of trouble. Lee’s a seasoned Agonion warrior and a
high level telepath,” She looked back over her shoulder at him,
“You’ll need someone like him to find Al.”

How bad are you?
Sky walked up the last few stairs, ahead of his
dad
. Zeph said you’re stuck inside me and
we’re cut off from the Snow.

Your power comes from the
Snow, my power comes from you. How bad do you think I am.
Zar’s voice was fading in and out like a bad
connection.

What’s going to happen to
you?
Should he really care? Zar had been
nothing but trouble for him, but, at the same time…

“
Victor,” Ixanna swirled
to the center of the room next to Lee, “You’re right to say no.
They’re just children.”

“Children that can help
you.” Zeph scoffed. “There are only two people I know of that could
actually defeat the Man of Mist, and neither is you
Victor.”

Stop worrying about me. Don’t you understand
what this means prince? Every second that goes by, it’s not just me
getting weaker. Without the power of the Snow you’ll become mortal,
and vulnerable. Your body has no immune system or natural defense;
you’ve been relying on the Snow since birth.

“I’m not going there to
defeat anybody.” His dad said slowly with more force then he had
ever heard before, “I’m going to get Al back, that’s it, nothing
else. Everything else isn’t my problem. Man of Mist, Councilmen,
Book of Nine be damned.”