THE BLIZZARD whipped snow and ice across the mountain pass, threatening to send the two figures skidding off the side of the cliff. If their shoes hadn't been equipped with spikes and if they hadn't been used to such tough travel, they would've certainly been dead by that point.
The winter weather was being awfully wicked.
Zephrain dug his boots into the ground to get a firmer stance, one hand clinging to a bit of rock on the mountainside. This storm had come from nowhere. Nothing in the sky that morning had warned either him or Angelica that a blizzard was on the move, so they had thought it would be safe to go hunting and gathering on the mountainside.
The two of them, along with the other members of the special squad, were on a mission in the northern land of Deirdre. Their comrades were left behind in a village near where they were right now.
Bits of ice sliced at any bit of skin that was exposed, making him wish he had a full mask and not just his hood a
WARMTH.That was the first thing Vivien felt as she stirred into consciousness. She was warm again, and she could feel blankets and furs tucked in around her. A piece of soft fluff was tickling her exposed skin, but she realized that it was just Snow, who seemed to be laying on her chest. Snow was the small white bird she saved while in a travel with Marjien. Since then, Snow tagged along with the two of them.Someone touched her forehead; delicate, cool fingers resting against her skin. The hand traveled to her cheek, a thumb running across her cheekbone. Her hand snapped out and caught the three of the big fingers that were touching her. It was more of a reflex than anything. She opened her eyes, blinking in the dim candlelight, and saw a young man leaning over her. She recognized the big emerald eyes, but now she could see the face those kind eyes belonged to.The man, Zephrain, had auburn hair that looked like the leaves in the autumn season. It fell around his
AFTER all those days of simply laying in bed and recovering, Vivien was finally allowed to get up and move around Zephrain's quarters. She was under strict orders from Celine to stay inside if at all possible, since the days were bitterly cold up in the mountains. No one wanted her to get sick again.Snow was perched on Vivien's shoulder as she stepped out from the little room she had been sharing with Angelica, cautious in this strange house. It was different from any houses in Demetrius Kingdom, although the Cold Mountain was still within the territory. The house, particularly the huge quarters of Zephrain and his friends, was a large circular structure made entirely from thick wooden beams that held in the warmth, and the rooms were all arranged a central space.It was also seemingly full of people.The circular space in middle of the house was overflowing with circus members sitting around, working, chatting. There was a table where people were sewing and stitc
THEIR dance costumes waved around, creating a blur of silver and white, with Vivien laughing and trying to escape from the clutch of the girls of the village while Gisel held her down and Clara was torturing her. They wanted to know about her and Zephrain and all she could say was "shut up".The door to the building flew open, letting in the harsh frozen wind. It swirled inside, bringing snowflakes, ice, and Marjien. "Vivi!" she called, interrupting the laughing and the music.She was instantly on her feet, recognizing the urgency in her young friend's tone. She stepped over Gisel and Clara and rushed to her side. "Come on, Celine needs us. It's their two men, they were out in the snow too long," she said as grabbed her cloak and tossed it to her while she hurried to take off her dance slippers and put on her boots. "They seemed to be attacked," Marjien added in a whisper.Worry and frustration showed through her expression, and she knew there were multiple reasons
ZEPHRAIN was still hovering near the doorway when he heard Celine and Angelica telling Vivien to rest. He moved the cloth from the door to look at Vivien and saw her trying to stand. She looked overly exhausted, even if her mask was still on her face, and was going down. Before he could think about her other situation - that she was wearing one cloth down to her underwear - he was already moving past the door and hurried towards her. Before she toppled over or any of the girls could move, he was already in front of Vivien.He caught her by the waist, keeping her upright and holding her close to him. She was trying to look at him but he could see past the holes of her mask that her eyes were closing. "You did a good job, Viv," he told her. "Thank you."She then closed her eyes completely and lost her consciousness. Zephrain shifted Vivien and hooked his other arm under the bend of her knees and carried her in bridal style. He turned to Celine, Angelica and Marjien. "She h
"I CAME from the Li Tribe," Vivien began. She paused and watched for their reactions. Nobody even batted an eyelash as they stared at her. She turned her eyes to Zephrain and they stared at each other's eyes, his emerald ones unwavering. "So, you knew," she despaired. How much do they know?Zephrain nodded. "We suspected when you used the crystal magic. But now that you confirmed it, we still can't understand how you acquired such power. Healing using the crystals or even transforming into one is not a quality a Li possessed, no offense meant."Vivien shook her head. "None taken." She looked down at her hands and continued, "Ever since I was little, I've had this magic apart from my tribe." She found herself not looking at them. It was easier to tell the story if she didn't have to look them in the eyes. "This power, the Crystal Beast, had been in our tribe a long time, even before the Blood Stars were born. But sometimes it skips generations. My great grandaunt was the
VIVIEN stood up and squinted into the distance, but the raiders were too far away for her to see. "How do you know?"Zephrain let out a foggy breath and smiled. "The light.""We have to tell the others," she said, taking his hand and heading for her their shared house. He hurried along beside her, the snow and ice crunching under both of their boots.Worry created a storm within her. Raiders are not the same as bandits. They were Krysts defected from the ranks of Krystalline Palace and were creating ruckus all over the Kingdom of Demetrius. She couldn't remember a time when a village was attacked with her in it before. And as far as she could see, the village in the Cold Mountain was well-hidden and tucked away into a remote place in the mountains, almost impossible to find unless you knew it was there. It was probably simply bad luck that they had been discovered, but that bad luck could ruin them.If there were raiders on the way, the village would need to
A TENSED silence settled over the village as they waited for the raiders to appear. Up on the ledge, Marjien hoped that Vivien would be safe. She knew that Vivien was hell-bent in protecting this village. It was always like this when Vivien felt compelled to protect something or someone.Not all in this village could fight, but they - the villagers - were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their home. Including the two young women beside Marjien.Gisel, who was positioned on Marjien's right, was shivering and nervous, but she also looked confident. Clara, however, was calmer in the outisde. Among the two of them, Clara was hard to read. Sometimes, she teased around but there were times that Clara was silent and focused on her work. Marjien had seen battle numerous times before, and seeing Clara holding a bow that seemed like a natural extension of her arm made her deduced that Clara was adept in the long-range combat."Maji," Gisel said, scooting closer to
ZEPHRAIN was immersed in the battle, steadily clashing with raiders and cutting them down. He was exhilarated. He never had this difficulty in a battle before. The raiders were indeed a step higher than normal rebels he subdued. A flash of light caught his eyes, and he followed it, spotting Vivien briefly among the boulders as she careened up the path. Crystals glinted on her body as she was heading up for the village.Where was she going? Why would she be going back to the village? Zephrain froze as he looked up at the village gate. Unless something had gone wrong... Zephrain turned and ran for the barricade. He sheathed his swords at his back and speed up his pace. "Celine! Take over the command!" he shouted amidst the battle noise.Celine looked over at him curiously before she ducked and swung her flaming sword. She then looked over to the direction Zephrain was taking and she saw Vivien racing for the village. She turned her head to her team and yelled, "Notch up!"