Phantom Frost

by Alfred Wurr

  He took a deep breath and continued with his story. “I knew from what Scott had told me that you’d lost your memory, so when we finally met, virtually, I couldn’t just explain everything. I didn’t think you’d believe me, or I thought you’d say something to Scott, and I’d lose his trust. Plus, I couldn’t be sure that Scott’s relay system was as secure as he claimed.”

  I rolled an ice cube around in my mouth, sucking it slowly, as I took this in. “Scott said you moved in five years ago,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You’re telling me you’ve spent the last five years trying to get me out? That’s a long time. We must have been really good friends.”

  He shrugged, swirling his glass. “We’re nothing if not patient. And, yes, we were and are pals.”

  “Okay, I can accept that. It helps explain a lot, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Why doesn’t anyone at Olivia’s…uh, Orithyia’s work know who she is?”

  “Keep calling us Wilhelm and Olivia, even in private; it’s too easy to slip up at the wrong time if you don’t. To answer your question, that’s easy. She doesn’t work there; she never did,” he said, grinning. “That was just our cover story. Neither of us need to work. We’ve got substantial resources at our disposal.”

  “What about Bear? Where is he?” I asked, looking around the room. “You said he was fine, right?”

  “Right, he’s fine, or will be.”

  “You’re going to have to explain that one,” I said, scratching my head. “Where is he now?”

  “Recuperating. The battle took a toll on him,” Wilhelm explained. “He got hurt, but he’s tough; he’ll be okay.”

  “I know, I saw him. He was on fire.”

  “Yeah, he was pretty agitated about that,” Wilhelm said. “I was worried, so I brought him down here, then started firefighting.”

  I paused, thinking. “I didn’t see you there.”

  “No, you saw me,” Wilhelm insisted. “You just didn’t know who you were looking at.”

  Understanding dawned, and I said, “Were you the spectre or the oak tree?”

  Wilhelm winked and pointed a finger at me. He made an approving sound and said, “Now you’re getting it. The oak is an old friend. Don’t look so shocked, man. There’s more to this world than you know, or at least than you now remember.”

  “And Olivia? If she wasn’t at work, where was she?”

  “She was on a mission and too far away when those things showed up. She didn’t get back until just before you got here.”

  I waggled my empty glass and tilted my head toward the bar, looking at Wilhelm.

  “Sure, man,” he said, bobbing his head. “Help yourself. No need to ask.”

  I topped up the ice in my glass and popped another in my mouth for good measure before returning to the plush recliner. Wilhelm sat back and closed his eyes until I retook my seat.

  “She’d just gotten home when you showed up with the police in tow,” he continued. “When it looked like the police were going to come in, she decided to lead them away.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me who you were when we met the first time? The other day, I mean.”

  Wilhelm placed his glass on the coffee table and put his feet up next to it. “I couldn’t—not with the kids there. There wasn’t really an appropriate time otherwise. I was hoping you’d start to remember me on your own over time, the more we hung out. You haven’t, though, have you?”

  I shook my head and took off my hat. “Just dreams and visions, mostly.”

  “Nice hat,” Wilhelm noted. “Looks military. How’d you come by it?”

  “I took it from a guard at the Bodhi Institute when I escaped,” I said.

  “And the winter jacket?”

  I looked down. “This? I stole it from a chamber in the desert.” Seeing no point in keeping it to myself any longer, I told him about the Great Basin Desert cavern, revealing what I’d held back when we’d first met. “The Bodhi Group scientists wore them in the chamber. It was cold in there, for them anyway.” I jiggled the jacket’s zipper, pulled it down, and reached inside, grabbing the other vial Scott had given me.

  I held it up for Wilhelm to see. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Where did you get that?” He jumped from his seat and came closer, keeping his eyes on the iridescent substance within.

  “From Scott,” I said, staring at the swirl of colours and light within. “He liberated it for me; he snuck into the restricted area after I escaped.”

  “You know what that is, right?”

  “Tissue samples stolen from me. Scott took this one from the Institute.” I held it to my chest. “It needs to be kept below zero or it disappears. At least, that’s what Scott said.”

  “He’s right,” Wilhelm said. “Why haven’t you swallowed it yet?”

  “I drank one already, but it messed me up. I figured I’d wait before drinking this one.”

  “Did it help?” Wilhelm asked. “Do you remember anything new?”

  “Not really. I just saw fragments of some pretty freaky stuff. It was a lot like earlier tonight, now that I think about it.”

  “Maybe you should drink this one too. It might help you get back more memories or your powers.”

  “Scott said the same thing, but what else could there be? I’ve got powers,” I said, looking at him. “You saw me.”

  “Sure,” Wilhelm said. “It’s what you didn’t do that interested me more. You’re a caterpillar, Shivurr—waiting to turn back into a butterfly. You’ve either forgotten some things or maybe can’t do them anymore. Maybe the Bodhi Group did it deliberately to weaken you, make it easier to keep you confined, or maybe it was an accident. We’re not really sure.”

  “Okay, why not?” I pulled the stopper from the vial with a faint popping sound. “Here goes.” I tossed my head back, upending the vial, and pouring its contents into my gaping mouth. I tapped the bottom of the vial and gave it a shake, coaxing the remainder out. By the count of five, I felt dizzy and slumped forward in my seat. Wilhelm lunged, putting a hand on my chest to catch me as I passed out.

  Sometime later, the fog of sleep receded. I heard Wilhelm’s voice calling to me.

  “Oh, good,” Wilhelm said. “You freaked me out there, man.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “A few minutes, I think. Not more than five.” He extended a hand. “Let me help you up. Do you want another soda?”

  I nodded wearily, retaking my seat in the plush chair. I held my head, rubbing away residual bleariness. Wilhelm held out a fresh glass, filled to the brim with ice and dark soda, just the way I like it. I thanked him and gulped it down, ice and all.

  “Do you feel any different?”

  “Not really. It was different this time,” I said. I felt better, no longer dizzy—my energy restored by the soda and ice.

  Aside from that, I don’t feel all that different.

  Then lights started clicking on in rooms in my head that my brain hadn’t known existed. Suddenly, I knew things that I hadn’t known before, fully and completely. If I hadn’t already been sitting down, I’d have fallen.

  I closed my eyes and grabbed the chair’s armrest with my free hand as Wilhelm stooped to take the empty glass. I sank back in my chair and tried to slow my breathing like Emmett had taught me.

  That’s it, Shivurr. Breathe in slowly, deeply from the diaphragm, hold a moment, and let it out.

  Wilhelm was right. I was capable of more than I knew.

  Flash.

  I saw myself walking, impossibly, on wisps of frost through thin air.

  Flash.

  I was lying prone in some laboratory, at the Institute. Masked faces leaned over me, holding nasty-looking utensils near my head, ignoring my pleas to be released.

  Flash.

  I was on a windswept glacier that stretched into the distance as far as the eye could see, heading for a wide crevice where the ice split in two, creating the entrance to a cave.

  Flash.

  I was on a s
andy beach bordering a beautiful blue sea, with waves crashing on the shoreline to my right, as I channelled the pure energy of the Underfrost, shaping it into a sphere, enclosing my body in a protective shield.

  Flash.

  I was racing a foot above the ground atop a frozen disc of ice and snow down a thin trail through a rainforest as a deluge of rainfall pounded down in the dark of night, punctuated by occasional lightning strikes.

  The flashes stopped as quickly as they started. The recovered memories slipped into place like the corner pieces of an intricate puzzle. They were a start at understanding my past, but not enough by themselves to guess at the larger picture. I put my face in my hands and rubbed and slapped my cheeks, blinking back tears.

  Like a kid at Christmas, I wanted to run outside and take my new abilities for a spin.

  A shield of frost energy? Holy shit! I think I can find a few uses for that.

  In a way, it seemed a bit too easy, acquiring these gifts so effortlessly. One swallow and I had new abilities in their entirety. No training, no sacrifice, no painstaking study and commitment.

  But, no, that’s not true, I thought. These abilities are mine by right, by birth, and by toil—stolen property, taken back from the thieves that took them.

  At some point, I had earned them through experimentation and trial and error, and dedicated effort. I might not remember the experiences now, but I’d worked for the results all the same.

  I grinned. They’d broken me like a vase, and I’d just glued a few pieces back together.

  Chapter 20

  Signs of Struggle

  “You’ve remembered something, haven’t you?” Wilhelm asked, squinting at me.

  I nodded slowly. “I think I’m a bit of a badass,” I said smiling and leaning forward in my chair. I gave him a brief rundown of what I now knew I could do.

  “That’s great,” Wilhelm said. “I’ve seen you do that stuff before. Anything else?”

  “Anything else?” I asked. “Uh-uh. Wait, is there more?”

  “Yeah, there’s more. I’m not sure I knew everything you were capable of, but do you remember how to Frost Walk?”

  I thought a moment, concentrating, sifting through my newfound wealth of knowledge, then shook my head. “I remember walking through the air on a carpet of frost. Is that Frost Walking?”

  “I can see why you’d think so,” Wilhelm said with a crooked smile. “The Frost Walking I’m talking about is something different. If you don’t remember it, I’m not sure I can tell you how, but maybe knowing it’s possible will be enough to help you figure out how to do it again.”

  “If I could do this before, why don’t I remember it now, though?” I wondered, looking at the empty vial as if it held the answer.

  “Didn’t Scott say he saw more vials? What you drank must have been only a part of what they took from you. The rest of your memories must still be there. Maybe we can get them back with Scott’s help.”

  “Are you kidding? He can’t go back,” I said. “They must suspect he helped me. Two agents showed up at his place. They were attacked by those fire elementals, maybe killed, right in his driveway. That’s a bit of a red flag, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe that’s related to what Caleb heard over the phone,” Wilhelm said, stroking his chin. “We’ll see what Olivia finds, then locate Scott and figure this out.”

  “What’s Frost Walking, then? Describe it to me.”

  “I can only describe it as an observer, but it allowed you to pass through solid objects, like a ghost. You called it Frost Walking. You explained it as crossing partly over to the Underfrost, so that you were in both that world and this one simultaneously. It scared you, though. You said you were afraid of losing yourself to the Underfrost’s pull and vanishing into it forever.”

  I swallowed. “I don’t like the sound of that. I don’t remember that, though. I’ve got…” I paused as I heard the trap door opening at the top of the stairs.

  Wilhelm looked at the door leading to them. “That’s Olivia and Caleb,” he said. He stood and walked to the foot of the steps as his statuesque wife and the slight-framed teen emerged into the room. Wilhelm and Olivia embraced, kissing briefly. I gave Caleb a slap on the shoulder and shook my head at him.

  He avoided my eyes. “Sorry, Shivurr,” he said. “I guess I fucked up.”

  I cocked an eye at him. “What’s with you and the police?”

  “Give the kid a break,” said Olivia with a smile. She held up a baggy full of green plant matter. “I’m going to keep this safe for now. Next time, try to be a bit more subtle when you see them coming.”

  “No promises, dude,” replied Caleb. “Cops scare the shit out of me.”

  “Quit calling me dude,” Olivia said, shaking her head. “Dude.”

  He looked around. “Nice digs. Can’t believe you had all this extra space. Where’s the bathroom? I’ve got to piss like a racehorse.” The teen ran for the door to which Wilhelm pointed, leaving the three of us behind.

  “Charming,” she said, grinning. “Little shit.”

  “Does he know your real names?” I asked.

  Olivia shook her head. “No, there was no time. I’m not sure we should tell him.”

  “How’d you explain Wilhelm and Bear surviving the fire?” I asked in a faint voice, holding my right hand to the side of my mouth.

  “I told him that they hid down here, and that Bear is at my parents’,” she said under her breath. “He bought it. Why wouldn’t he, right?”

  “What about the others? Were they there?” Wilhelm said nothing. I had the impression he already knew the answer, somehow.

  “No, but there were signs of a struggle,” Olivia said. She put her motorcycle helmet down on the coffee table. “Sit, please. Wilhelm, my sweet, would you be my hero and fix me a drink?”

  “Coming right up,” Wilhelm said. He made his way to the bar and got busy, not bothering to ask what she’d like.

  Olivia held up a hand. “Easy, Shivurr, honey. I can see you’re about to have kittens. I know you must be worried sick. I am too, but let’s wait for Caleb. He’ll want to hear this too.”

  “Doesn’t he already know?”

  She shook her head. “Uh-uh. I told him to stay outside while I went in.” Wilhelm handed her a glass filled with bubbly water and a lime hooked over the rim. He collapsed onto the sofa next to her. “Oh, that’s tart. I love it.” She took another sip and waved, looking over my shoulder. “Would you like something to drink, kid?”

  Caleb took a seat in a nearby chair. “No, thanks, du…uh, Olivia.”

  “Help yourself, if you change your mind,” she said, pointing at the bar. “Just stay out of the alcohol. I’m not contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”

  “So, tell us what you saw,” I said. “Was anyone there?”

  Olivia shook her head. “No, no one, but the van was still parked in the driveway. Someone kicked in the front door, and the walls were smashed up a bit, too. There’s a huge dent in the drywall, like someone fell into it, hard. There was definitely a struggle of some kind.”

  “What do we do?” Caleb said, squeezing his head with the palms of his hands. He stood and paced around the room. “We’ve got to do something.”

  Wilhelm held up a hand. “Easy, buddy. Take a breath.”

  “But what if they hurt them?”

  “I’ll turn myself in,” I said softly. “If they let them all go, I’ll give myself up.”

  “Forget that,” Wilhelm said, frowning. “We didn’t spend the last five years getting you out to simply hand you back over to those people.”

  “Wil’s right,” Olivia said, giving me a stern look. “There’s no way that’s happening.”

  “It’s my choice, guys,” I said quietly.

  “Just cool your jets, man, before you go falling on your sword,” Wilhelm said. “We’ve got other options. We’ll launch a rescue operation.”

  I shook my head. “There’s no way a full-scale assault would
work. They’ve got weapons, attack helicopters, soldiers. I think they’ve even got a few flamethrowers on hand, just for me. Even if I fought my way inside, they’d still be able to hold them hostage. They might be hurt or even killed.”

  “Who said anything about that?” Wilhelm said. “I’m thinking about something more covert. You can sneak in.”

  “I’m not exactly a ninja, Boreas.”

  “No, but if you can remember or relearn Frost Walking, you’ll be better than a ninja. We can drive you close, then you sneak in and get them out. Olivia and Caleb can wait in the getaway van, and I’ll come with you to act as lookout and provide support.”

  “Who’s Boreas?” Caleb said.

  “It’s my BBS handle,” Wilhelm said, giving me a look.

  “I told you guys that on the drive from Tonopah, Caleb.” I jumped in my chair as if electrified. “Oh, man, Scott. We’ve got to find him—warn him. He’s looking for you, Olivia. He still thinks Wilhelm and Bear are…he doesn’t know you’re all right.”

  “Shit, you’re right,” Wilhelm said. “We’ve got no way to contact him, though.”

  “We left a note at the arcade,” Caleb said.

  “What did it say?” Olivia asked.

  “That something happened to the gang at his place and we went to look.”

  Wilhelm looked at his watch. “When was that?”

  “Not sure—an hour, hour and a half?”

  Wilhelm looked thoughtful for a moment. “He should be back at the arcade soon, if he isn’t there already.” He hopped to his feet. “I’ll try calling there. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Olivia, why don’t you run over to Scott’s and see if he’s there? If not, wait there in case he shows up. We’ll be there soon.”

  “Should I come with you, Olivia?” Caleb asked, starting to rise from his chair.

  “That’s all right,” she said. “I’ll move faster on my own. Stay here, where it’s safe.” Without another word, she ascended the stairs and disappeared.

  “I’ll go make that call,” Wilhelm said. “Shivurr, give that rescue some thought. We can drive out to the Bodhi Institute after Scott gets back.” He exited through a door behind the sofa, leaving Caleb and me alone. The teen got up and walked around, eventually turning on the TV, which played only static. Presumably whatever line or antenna had once fed it had been damaged in the fire, if it had ever worked.