The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Three: Crown of Ice Read online

  He watched her move toward the creature. She was confident. Unafraid. With every step forward she took Edric followed, curious to see how she handled a beast like this. The Boeikath. He’d never heard of it before, though that meant nothing in this country. There were many animals in the northern arctic regions that he had likely never seen, nor would he ever during his lifetime. He was content with that realization. Some of the creatures known by the Ovatai he had no desire to become aware of.

  Closing the distance between them and the Boeikath, he was able to make out the details of its appearance, the yellow eyes locked on them, giving no indication of fear or intention of backing down. It was covered head-to-toe with a pure white fur, resembling a bear in many ways while the tail was too long and wide, the claws on its feet sharp and strong, dug deep into the layer of ice which was under the freshly fallen snow on the ground. “Not aggressive?” Edric whispered. “Be careful, Neomi. I have never seen a creature with claws like that which didn’t use them for defense.”

  “The Boeikath use them to cut through ice on the rivers and streams to catch fish under the surface. Now stand back. You are going to provoke it and I will not be responsible for the consequences.”

  Doing as he was told Edric took a step back, leaving a gap between him and Neomi. His muscles were tensed. Prepared to jump into battle if the beast made an attempt to harm her. He wasn’t comfortable letting her get so close to it. She gave an impressive display of confidence, chest out, shoulders back, approaching the Boeikath in an authoritative manner, speaking to it in calm, commanding tones. In response it gave another growl, louder this time, the long, sharpened teeth on either side of its mouth bared menacingly.

  Neomi’s head twisted slightly, glancing over her shoulder to where Edric was standing, a look of confusion creating deep lines along her forehead. Slowly her hand slid along the side of her body, coming to rest on her hip. It paused there, a moment of sudden realization dawning on her to discover her own sword to have been left back at camp with the others. “Edric,” she stated with a strained air of calm. “Do you have a blade? I do not care about size.”

  “I removed my weapons when we retired for bed. Is something wrong?”

  “I do not know.” Renewing her efforts Neomi puffed her chest outward once again, her voice louder than before, commanding the beast to leave. It sniffed the air between them with a loud snarl, snapping its teeth with a violent shake of its head.

  Edric’s arms and legs tingled from nervous anticipation of what would happen. His fear grew with every second that passed, watching in horrified silence as the Boeikath took a step forward, one of the massive paws raised high. He had to do something. He could see the claws extended, slicing through the air toward Neomi. From the close proximity of where they stood, it would hit her if he didn’t act fast. But what could he do? He had no weapon. No way to call for help. The thoughts in his head raced over the possibilities while his body moved as if it had a mind of its own, carrying him forward to where Neomi stood in the line of danger. Gathering the energy from within, he thrust his hand out in front of him, a bright flash of light erupting from his palm into the creature’s face. It granted a small window of opportunity, his arms reaching for Neomi to pull her with him and out of the way, a loud, ear-splitting growl echoing through the air from the Boeikath, its head shaking to clear the light from its vision.

  Seizing the opportunity to make their escape Neomi fell into step at Edric’s side, fingers clutched tightly at his arm to drag him along, preventing them from becoming separated. Edric had taken only a few steps when he felt an overwhelming dizziness wash over him, the world spinning wildly in front of his eyes, causing him to sway and stumble unsteadily, nearly falling into Neomi as they ran. What was wrong with him? His breath was lost to him, a tight, choking sensation gripping his throat like a strong hand crushing his esophagus. He couldn’t keep going. He couldn’t tell if he was actually moving, Neomi’s hands tugging at his arm the only indication that he hadn’t been left behind to the mercy of the Boeikath.

  “Edric!” He could hear Neomi’s voice but her face was lost in a whirl of color in front of his vision. “Edric, come on! We have to keep going!”

  “I cannot see. Neomi, go! Find the others and bring our weapons…”

  “I am not leaving you.” The feeling of her fingers around his arm tightened, dragging him through the snow. He could feel the cool, wet flakes against his skin. Had he fallen? He couldn’t see anything. The mere thought of moving his legs was exhausting, the muscles no longer reacting to his mental commands, leaving him helpless to defend them.

  Through the blur of his vision he was aware of the world moving around him. Neomi’s hands were at his waist, guiding him forward along the ground. Was he running? She couldn’t possibly be carrying him at the speed which his body moved, their feet stumbling over uneven patches in the snow. He could hear the Boeikath behind them. It was impossible to determine the distance between them and the beast but he knew it wasn’t far. The sound of its feet over the surface of the snow echoed through his head. It was getting closer. They were going to die unless he thought of something fast.

  Suddenly he felt his body pitch forward, thrown to the ground by Neomi’s strong arms. At his side he sensed what seemed like a wall of ice against his shoulder. Had they taken cover? Where were they? “Neomi?” he gasped, breathless from the exertion. A hazy image formed in front of his eyes, his body face-down in the snow at the bottom of a shallow break in the ground, Neomi’s slender figure positioned on top of him, shielding him from view. All around them the wind began to blow, snow rushing to create a barrier around them, concealing them in its cold depths. A brief pulse of warmth exuded from Neomi’s body, dissipating quickly until everything fell quiet once again other than the sound of Neomi’s heavy breathing next to Edric’s ear.

  They laid there for what felt an eternity though he knew it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. From where he was positioned under Neomi’s body he could feel her fingers grasping at his bare skin, a faint pulse of energy radiating between them. “What happened to you?” she whispered, clearly baffled by something he couldn’t see. “The balance of your body is disrupted. I can barely sense the energy within you.”

  He felt her weight raise slightly, the palm of her hand lightly rolling him onto his back in their confinement. They were limited in space and movement, flakes of snow falling onto his face from the protective layer over top of them. Gradually things started to come into focus. White. Everything was white. In the darkness he could make out nothing but the faint outline of Neomi’s face, the flash of her icy eyes staring hard into his. Silently he listened, muscles tensed, aware of a loud sniffing sound coming from nearby. Opening his mouth to speak, he felt Neomi’s cold finger press against his lips, preventing him from saying anything.

  Voices. He could hear them, no more than a muffled noise in the distance. Although the words were inaudible, he recognized one to be Callum, calling out Edric’s name. There was a commotion. A struggle. People shouting followed by a loud, piercing shriek from the Boeikath. Edric wanted to go to his friends. He had to help them. Callum was out there with that beast. What if there were more of them? He knew too little of the creatures in this country; if they hunted in packs. But Neomi claimed they didn’t hunt at all. Fish eaters. Non-aggressive. It didn’t make sense how she could have been so terribly mistaken.

  “Stay here,” Neomi ordered quietly. “I will check on the safety of the others. If the Boeikath is still alive, it needs to be killed. It must be sick.”

  “How are you going to kill it? You have no weapon.”

  “I do not need a weapon to take the beast down.”

  “It nearly killed you –”

  “I was distracted by the unusual behavior it exhibited. Under any other circumstance I would have been in perfect control of the situation.” Neomi’s eyes dimmed slightly, their brilliant blue glow gazing solemnly down to where Edric lay, immobile from the str
ange ailment which rendered him so weak. “I have not decided if what you did was incredibly brave or unimaginably stupid,” she added. “You could have died. I must say I am still not convinced that you won’t.”

  “I will be fine,” Edric tried to assure her. It was easier to say than to believe. Hearing the hesitation in Neomi’s tone regarding his physical condition left him feeling somewhat empty. Hollow. This wasn’t the way he pictured death. To fall in battle at the hand of an enemy was honorable. He wasn’t content to die without some explanation of what ailed him. No. It wasn’t that. He refused to die like this.

  “You saved my life.”

  He blinked, wishing he could see Neomi’s face with more clarity. Her voice was soft. Gentle. Somewhat uncertain by the admission she made. Had he saved her? They weren’t safe yet. For all they knew, the creature was still out there, waiting for them, watching their hiding place in preparation to pounce and finish what it started. He couldn’t let her go out there alone. Arguing with her would do nothing to stop her if she had her mind set on going. I just need to show her that I’m strong enough to go with her. Focus. The energy inside his body was still there, merely scattered throughout his limbs. Weakened by the odd illness, he felt somewhat depleted. As if the internal energy had been drawn out of him by an invisible hand.

  Closing his eyes, he tried to direct what little energy he had left into the core of his body, centralizing it, hoping to stabilize himself by forcing it into motion once again. At his side his fingers twitched. A slow reaction to his efforts. It was working. Frustration welled up inside at his inability to know whether the numbness which remained was from the depletion of energy or the unrelenting cold.

  Neomi’s weight shifted on top of him. Through his dulled senses he could feel the glove on his right hand slide away from the skin, exposed briefly to the full extent of the cold before quickly clasped between Neomi’s warm fingers, her palms rubbing it to create more heat. His ability to feel her touch was enough to satisfy the fear of the cold. This ailment was purely physical. It could be overcome with enough determination. Tensing his muscles he focused on the effort it took to hold his arm in place where Neomi released it. He was making progress. A little more and he would be able to do something other than lie there like a helpless child. They needed to get to the others. If he didn’t get himself standing soon, it might be too late.

  A breath of relief escaped him as he opened his eyes, the constant spin of his vision having ceased. He could see Neomi’s face, her long, silken white hair falling over her shoulders, draped lightly across Edric’s chest where she hovered. Regaining the function of his arm Edric let his hand come to rest on the side of her face. Her skin was cold at first, quickly warming under his touch. What was he doing? She was so close. So beautiful in her stone-like appearance. He had to feel her there to know that he wasn’t dreaming. They remained there, frozen in that moment, until another shout drew their attention to the outside again. A female voice calling Neomi’s name. Moinie. She was still alive. But what of the beast? And Callum?

  Pulled back to reality, Edric’s hand retracted quickly from Neomi’s cheek, the concerned expression on her face replaced by one of pure confusion. Quickly she retrieved Edric’s glove, throwing it down on top of his chest, the usual hardness of her gaze returning. “If you can stand, do so. Do not let Moinie see you like this.”

  “Moinie?” Edric peered at her quizzically, baffled by the unexpected command. “What does it matter if she sees me?”

  “Just listen to me,” Neomi hissed. As if conjured by the intensity of her eyes, a breeze began to pick up around them. A distinct crack of ice could be heard from the snow surrounding them, breaking away to reveal the starry sky above. In a spray of snow and ice Neomi rose to her feet, reaching for Edric’s hand to pull him up, positioning him slightly behind her to allow him to support his weight against her body without making his need for assistance obvious.

  He was well aware of what was happening around him yet his head spun from the confusion of trying to take it all in. What was going on? One minute he was terrified of having destroyed any chance of a friendship between himself and Neomi and now here they stood at one another’s side, staring at the shocked and relieved faces of their friends. Several feet away he saw the body of the Boeikath, impaled through the heart by a long, slender arrow, the color of the flights the same as the ones protruding from the quiver at Callum’s side where he stood beside the corpse, his bow clutched tightly in hand.

  “Neomi!” Moinie called out, stern, irritation barely contained within the calm. “What happened? Why were you hiding away with that man?”

  “We were taken off guard. I was waiting until the opportune time to strike since I was left without a weapon with which to defend myself.”

  “You do not need a weapon to fight.”

  “I may not, but I was unsure of how the Prince would fare. It was more strategic to seek shelter and determine a plan of action before taking on the Boeikath empty-handed. However, it would appear the Vor’shai Captain’s arrow took down the target before I had a chance.”

  Edric’s legs trembled from the strain of supporting his weight, knees shaking, wobbling from the effort it took to keep from falling over. A firm yet subtle hand at his hip grabbed onto the fabric of his pants to hold him steady, Neomi’s posture never faltering under Moinie’s disapproving gaze while she worked to help Edric stay on his feet. Moving in closer Moinie looked them both over carefully, a critical eye settled on Edric, brow furrowed, the bright blue of her eyes roiling wildly with discontent. “Since when do we babysit children during battle?” she asked through gritted teeth, the words no more than a whisper to prevent being overheard by Callum and Gadiel. “If we start fighting with distractions, it is only going to get us killed. If our fellow warriors are not strong enough to handle the battle, let them fall. One warrior standing is more useful than two warriors dead.”

  “This was not a war, Moinie. It was a simple Boeikath. Do not forget your place. One more lecture from you and I will send you back to my brother and forego your company to Isavo,” Neomi snapped. “As you can see the Prince and I are alive and in one piece. I am not a fool, so do not treat me like one… Edric,” she added, turning her head to glance casually over her shoulder. “Check to make sure we have left nothing behind. I will see Moinie back to the camp. She and I need to discuss some things.”

  A hard push on his shoulder from Neomi’s hand sent him to his knees over the snow where they had been hiding only moments before. She didn’t give him a chance to argue, moving swiftly to where Callum remained standing, alert and watchful, poised over the corpse of the Boeikath in case it somehow rose from where it lay in its pooling blood. Grateful for the moment of reprieve from standing Edric did a double-take as Neomi passed Callum by. For a brief moment her head tilted in toward his, as if to speak, though no words could be heard coming from her lips. She gave no pause, snapping her fingers to direct Moinie to her side, leaving the men there to stare after them.

  It had been a trick. She didn’t want Moinie to see him struggle with the effort of walking back to the camp. In forcing him to the ground it concealed his weakness long enough for her to lure Moinie away. Clever girl. Her attention to detail never ceased to amaze him. Nothing about her was short of perfection.

  Watching her figure disappear into the distance toward the camp Edric became suddenly aware of Callum at his side, staring down at him, clearly concerned about something. “Are you alright?” he questioned, reaching out to help him to his feet. “Neomi indicated that you might be injured.”

  “She might be right,” Edric frowned. Gadiel came quickly to his other side, taking his arm to support the weight of his body. “Something happened when I tried to fight that creature,” he continued quietly, lowering his voice to make sure his words went no further than his friends. “When I tried to use the magic against it, the energy drained from my body. I don’t know how to explain it, but what I do know is that I wouldn’t
be standing here now if it hadn’t been for Neomi.”

  “Let’s just focus on getting you back to camp,” Callum nodded, looping Edric’s arm around his shoulder. “We will discuss the details of the attack in the privacy of our tent. You need to lie down if you are going to be in any condition to continue with us to Isavo by morning. Unlike the Ovatai – I don’t leave anyone behind.”

  Lying on his back in the mild warmth of the tent, Edric let his mind race over the events of the evening, desperately trying to put them into perspective. Everything happened so fast. He replayed the confrontation with the Boeikath in his head, straining to think of something he might be overlooking which would explain the sudden weakness he felt. It was improving. Slowly. Through the darkness he was aware of Callum sitting next him, the umber glow of his eyes the only light visible through the room. Edric wanted to say something. To explain what happened. But how could he explain something he didn’t know?

  “You should get some sleep,” Edric mumbled, rolling onto his side to face away from his friend. Night was passing them by quickly. Soon it would be morning and they would be heading toward Isavo again and no one had gotten any rest since they stopped for the night.

  “I don’t much feel like sleeping,” Callum argued. “Your current condition is my fault. Until I know you are stable, I’m not going to lie down.”

  “Callum, I’m just a little tired. No one ever died from a mild bout of fatigue. No sense in depriving yourself of sleep over my foolishness.”

  “Foolishness?” Callum’s brow rose curiously. “Do you mean to say that you know what caused your illness?”

  Turning onto his back again Edric stared up at the roof of the tent, heaving a long breath in frustration. “All I have are speculations,” he frowned. “The Boeikath moved to attack Neomi. I was in a panic to think of something to protect her and the first thing which came to mind was to stun the creature, which would grant us a brief window of opportunity to run away. Nothing I did was unusual. I gathered my energy and flashed it in front of the creature’s eyes. It worked. I saw the animal cringe and shield itself from the light. Almost immediately I felt dizzy and completely drained. But it all goes back to that moment where I utilized the energy. Have you ever heard of a creature capable of draining our bodies of the essence which flows within us?”