Queen of Ice (Through the Fire Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  As there should be, in Essryl’s opinion.

  Chapter 14

  The airship beneath Ruethwyn’s feet jerked and bumped as it hit a patch of turbulence, and she grabbed onto one of the railings with one hand, her other holding down her hat. Far below her was an immense sea of rolling blue water scattered with islands, but that wasn’t what she was watching. In the distance, she could see the shoreline stretching from horizon to horizon, and near an immense river stood a city that gleamed in ivory and gold as its towers ascended far into the sky, while airships soared among them. Across the river was a shimmering, dazzling desert, the sands glittering like the rainbow itself. Ruethwyn smiled at the sight as the ship steadied beneath her. She was looking forward to—

  “Everyone out!” Master Mara’s voice was loud, and Ruethwyn’s eye snapped open as she was pulled from her dream.

  The carriage had come to a stop, and it took Ruethwyn a moment to shake off her vivid dream and place where she was, though it only took a few moments. While she’d been dreaming, she hadn’t been in a deep slumber, and the fog left her thoughts quickly. Around her, Korima, Sella, and Yalline stirred as well, while Madeline was already awake and ready as she scowled out the window.

  “Here? There’s nothing here!” Madeline muttered crossly, but the noblewoman didn’t say anything more, simply sniffing as she opened the door of the carriage and stepped down.

  “Hmm? Who put a hornet in her bonnet?” Korima asked, yawning and stretching as she blinked. “Where are we?”

  “I’m not sure. I must’ve dozed off a while ago,” Ruethwyn admitted, glancing up and frowning as she added, “At least an hour ago, from the height of the sun.”

  “Fair,” Sella agreed, looking sheepish as she added, “I’m not sure when I drifted off, but it was quite a while ago, too.”

  The carriages had stopped in a clearing alongside a road, one which was significantly nicer than any of the roads Ruethwyn had seen around Mellesyn. Not that she was surprised, since she’d read enough to know that more powerful countries tended to prefer gravel or even stone roads on major trade routes. This one was gravel, and the forest around them was dense.

  Ruethwyn rolled her shoulders in an attempt to convince the muscles in her back to unkink, then sighed and stood carefully as she spoke. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  The others nodded, and Ruethwyn carefully stepped down from the carriage. For a moment, it looked like Korima was going to try to dart out in front of her, but fortunately the kitsune resisted the urge, since Ruethwyn was fairly certain that would just lead to her being bodily knocked out of the carriage this time around.

  Another carriage was just ahead of theirs, and as Ruethwyn glanced over, the last of the others got out, as Delvin blinked owlishly, looking like he’d been napping as well. Dana was pulling her pack out of the chests bolted to the back of the carriage, and Master Mara was standing nearby, wearing a dark brown shirt, leather jacket, black trousers, a backpack of his own and, to her surprise, a broad-brimmed hat. He was currently leaning on a staff shod in copper on each end, looking quite at ease and unlike his usual self.

  At Ruethwyn’s stare, Master Mara grinned at her. “What, you thought I was coming out bare-headed? That’s a recipe for pain, Ruethwyn, and while I can heal a sunburn, I believe that prevention is a better solution.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t that, Master Mara… I’ve just never seen you wearing a hat before, and how different you look surprised me,” Ruethwyn replied, taking a moment to look around before going to pull out her own backpack.

  Her pack was different than that of most the others, with a cross-body strap that made it more difficult to put on or pull off, but she didn’t have much choice with her right arm missing, Ruethwyn had learned. She’d tried on a normal backpack, but the right strap had threatened to slip off within minutes. The merchant had initially recommended one with a clasp to hold the two straps together in front of her, but that had put a bit too much pressure on Ruethwyn’s chest, so she’d settled for getting a leatherworker to make a backpack specifically for her. It would be useful when she went to the Frostglades, too, so Ruethwyn was happy she’d found the need to get it sooner than later. It wouldn’t have been good to realize the problem when she was about to enter the Frostglades, after all.

  As she pulled out her pack and checked to ensure everything was in it, Madeline spoke. “Why did we stop here, Master Mara? I don’t see any testing ground nearby.”

  “That’s because the Academy quite deliberately ensured that the Hall of Trials isn’t on a road, Madeline. We’ve got a good three-hour hike to get there, so get out your things. If you can’t carry what you’ve brought that far, you’re going to have to leave it behind or abandon it,” Master Mara explained, nodding his head toward what looked like an overgrown trail. “I’d prefer to take a carriage the entire way, but the headmaster came up with this years ago as a way to ensure people weren’t bringing so much that they could barely stagger forward a half-dozen steps.”

  “Oh. Three hours? Isn’t that a little much?” Barthel asked reluctantly, looking at the trail unhappily.

  “I could give you a map and let you loose without any guidance if you’d prefer. It’d certainly do the job of testing to see how well you can follow instructions,” Master Mara replied with a grin. “It would also mean that you have the wonderful chance to confront some of the more interesting inhabitants of the forest.”

  “What sort of inhabitants?” Tadrick asked, his pack already out, and the young man going through it. He also had his armor on, a suit of simple leather and a set of vambraces and greaves, in addition to his sword and a short bow. “I’d rather know about them beforehand if I can manage it.”

  “The most common are the occasional wolves or other wildlife, but there are also a few others in the forest. Be careful around large pools of water, because there’s at least one hydra that lives in the area, and there are a couple of rare forest drakes. They mark their territory with claw marks about six feet above the ground, so if you see something like that, you’d probably better leave the area,” Master Mara explained briskly as most of the others started pulling their things out. “Slightly friendlier are the dryads… but if one takes a fancy to you, you’re not going to be leaving until someone breaks the spells she’d ensnare you with. That’s assuming you don’t run into a satyr who decides that you’re butting into his territory.”

  As the teacher explained, Ruethwyn noticed that Madeline wasn’t moving quickly. She was, instead, looking through what had to be two or three bags, rearranging things. Ruethwyn guessed that she’d brought more things than she should have, considering how she was re-organizing. It also looked like Dana and Delvin were unpacking a few things to leave in the carriages, which didn’t surprise her too much.

  “I didn’t know there were forest drakes this close to the capital. Or hydras, for that matter,” Yalline said, looking worried. “Isn’t it dangerous?”

  “Somewhat, but one thing you’ll learn is that nature abhors any environment which doesn’t have an apex predator. If there isn’t something in the area to keep things under control, the herbivores might start to reach numbers where they start killing the forest, or the diseased might live too long and spread the disease to others in their herd,” Master Mara explained. “There are foresters whose job it is to keep the deadly wildlife from growing into too large of numbers, and they do a wonderful job of it. They also ensure that they don’t come too close to civilized areas, which is a trickier job.”

  “Whether predator or prey, all creatures were shaped by Nature’s Court, and each has its purpose,” Sella said, and several others stopped to look at her, including Ruethwyn. She hadn’t expected Sella to be the one to say something like that. Sella paused in adjusting her clothing and looked at them as she asked, “What?”

  “That was just an odd thing to say, I think,” Korima said, grinning. “I didn’t know you were that religious.”

  “I grew up in a
town bordering the wilds; of course we learned about the balance of nature,” Sella replied with a sniff. “The only thing the priesthood weren’t as sure about were dragons. They’re predators, yet they’re also as smart as elves, if not smarter.”

  “Very, very true,” Ruethwyn agreed, a shudder running up her spine at the memory of the arrogant derision in Resvarygrath’s eyes.

  “Enough talking, we need to get moving. The drivers need to go, and we need to reach the halls before dark,” Master Mara said firmly. “Delvin, Madeline, finish unloading whatever you’re taking with, and let’s go. You had a full week to prepare already.”

  “Yes, Master Mara,” Delvin replied reluctantly, finishing with his backpack and putting it on, then pulling out a hat of his own and settling it atop his head.

  Madeline took several more moments, then put on her backpack, scowling as she said, “I suppose this will have to do. I didn’t think we’d have to hike to the entrance.”

  “Get used to it. Life never goes according to your plans,” Master Mara replied wryly, then paused and corrected himself. “Well, not never. Sometimes it does, but you should always be ready for when the Shifter decides that your life has been too predictable of late.”

  Korima laughed at that, and a chorus of chuckles ran through the group. To Ruethwyn’s surprise, Madeline actually smiled herself, nodding as she said, “True enough. I’ve heard about enough issues in court that bear that out.”

  “Glad to hear you understand. Now, does anyone need anything else? You all have at least a flask of water?” Master Mara asked, raising an eyebrow at them. “I made sure there were spares in the carriages, just to be safe, but once they leave, that’s it until the trials are done.”

  Ruethwyn nodded her head, and a few of the others murmured their own replies. With no one needing flasks, Master Mara nodded to the drivers and spoke loudly. “Thank you for the ride, both of you! I’ll send a message when it’s time for us to head back so you can meet us.”

  “Of course, Magister. Good luck with the trials,” one of the drivers said, giving them a wave, then he flicked the reins and starting the horses moving. They weren’t going toward the capital, though, which surprised Ruethwyn.

  “Master Mara, where are they going?” Yalline asked. “Aren’t they going back to the city?”

  “No, they’re going to a town a little over an hour that way to wait,” Master Mara explained. “Once the trials are done, I’m going to send them a message as we leave the halls, which will give them ample time to get ready and meet us.”

  “Ah,” Yalline replied, looking like she’d relaxed a little.

  “Alright, follow me. If you need a break, let me know… but I’m not going to put up with too many delays,” Master Mara warned. “Also, if you see me stop, do the same. I’m going to be keeping an eye out for danger, but while I’ve made this trip more times than I care to think about, that doesn’t mean the forest hasn’t changed.”

  Ruethwyn nodded, and without any further objections, they started on their way.

  “I may have misjudged him,” Essryl murmured, standing on a branch of one of the trees as she watched the students following the teacher down the trail. “I expected him to coddle them… well, he is a bit. I would’ve made them hike from the school.”

  Regardless of her opinions where that was concerned, she did approve of the teacher’s approach to dealing with students who’d chosen to bring too much with them. The forest was also just dangerous enough to make things interesting, though it was tamer than she personally preferred. In many ways, the man reminded Essryl of some of the gentler instructors back in her clan.

  Not that he was as skilled as most of those teachers, though. An Illisyr instructor had to be powerful enough to protect their students from the dangers of the Thorned Wood, not some mild forest only a handful of hours from an elven capital. One of the instructors likely would have noticed her standing in the tree, and she would’ve had to hide more carefully.

  As the students started down the trail, Essryl began to slip from tree to tree, idly wondering if any of the elves below, or the kitsune, had any idea she was there.

  Probably not, since there hadn’t been any screams of panic.

  The forest seemed slightly quieter than Ruethwyn expected, but that might just be because she was with so many other people. She also hadn’t spent as much time in the outdoors as some of the other youths of Mellesyn, so she couldn’t be certain that this wasn’t normal for their area.

  Regardless, the forest around her was beautiful. The trees were large, with broad branches that would be easy to climb for most people, Ruethwyn imagined, and their branches were covered with the brilliant green of new leaves. Bushes and flower plants had begun to bloom, giving the forest more color than it normally had. They’d been following the path among the trees, though the occasional large boulder had forced them to circle around areas. Only a single fallen tree had made them stop, aside from a couple of breaks, and Master Mara had used a few spells to move the log aside.

  It had been a couple of hours, and most of them were breathing hard. Ruethwyn wasn’t in the best shape herself, which worried her a bit. If she was having this much trouble with a forest in the midst of spring, what would the Frostglades be like?

  “I think this is a good place to take a break.” Master Mara spoke loudly enough they could hear him, and the teacher was smiling slightly. “We’re making fairly good time, so I think we can make a last push for the halls afterward. Why don’t you all take a break?”

  They’d reached a small clearing with a stream trickling through it, a tiny one that must be fed by a spring, it was so small. There were a dozen rocks scattered about, and a tiny part of Ruethwyn suspected that it was used as a break point every year. It wasn’t fair how easy Master Mara made the hike look… but then, he’d expected this, unlike them. Even if she’d told the others of the possibility, this wasn’t something she’d expected.

  “Oh, thank the gods!” Dana said, the woman drenched with sweat as she plopped onto a rock. “I’ve been hiking before, but never with this much weight.”

  “It makes a difference,” Tadrick said, pulling out his flask and taking a slow drink, but not sitting down.

  Most of the others had chosen to sit, and Ruethwyn stepped into the clearing, debating on whether or not to sit down herself. Her hand was just going toward her flask when she paused, seeing a patch of moss on top of one of the rocks protruding from the stream. It wasn’t in the direct path of the water, but the bottom of the moss was a golden-yellow color, while the top was rust red. The sight of it reminded her of something her mother had told her about, and Ruethwyn’s hand fell away from her flask in her distraction.

  “Master Mara, are we near a node?” Ruethwyn asked calmly, taking a step toward the rock.

  “Ah, yes. The halls are built on one. Why do you ask?” Master Mara replied curiously.

  “That would explain this… I’m guessing that the node is aligned with life or nature magic, correct?” Ruethwyn said, crouching down with her boots just outside the water, looking at the moss more closely. It didn’t look like it had any of the warning signs of other types of moss at a closer inspection, which was reassuring.

  “Again, that’s correct. How did you know, Ruethwyn? And what are you examining?” the teacher almost demanded.

  “This, Master Mara, is bloodcrown moss, a mutation of the regular blood moss which only occurs near a life or nature node,” Ruethwyn replied, nodding at the patch. “It doesn’t form commonly, mind you, and you have to be careful harvesting it. I don’t suppose anyone has a silver knife or dagger? It harms its properties if the moss is gathered with iron or steel.”

  “Bloodcrown moss? I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that… but I’m also not versed in herbology. I’m surprised you know what it is,” Master Mara said, his voice speculative.

  “My mother was a forester and minor druid,” Ruethwyn said shortly, hesitating before she explained. “Bloodcrown mo
ss is valuable because it can be used in a bandage to almost instantly cause a wound to clot, and it helps replenish lost blood. It’s also extremely useful when brewing healing potions, as it can make them more potent. It isn’t ridiculously valuable, but it would be a shame to leave it behind.”

  “I have a silver dagger,” Madeline said, somewhat to Ruethwyn’s surprise. “I use it as a focus for some spells, but I do keep it sharpened.”

  “May I borrow it? All I need is to cut it free of the rock,” Ruethwyn explained. “I already have a vial that I could put it into.”

  “You aren’t going to damage the blade, are you?” Madeline asked, her voice slightly suspicious. “It’s an expensive dagger.”

  “I promise, that’s the furthest thing from my mind,” Ruethwyn said, a little exasperated. She’d never done anything to Madeline before, so the woman’s suspicion was a touch grating.

  “Very well,” Madeline said, pulling out a dagger in its sheath, and Ruethwyn’s eyebrows rose as she saw the rubies set into its pommel and the elaborate gold gilding on the elegant handle and sheath. It wasn’t very practical, but it was certainly beautiful.

  “Thank you,” Ruethwyn said, drawing the dagger. She examined the blade, and it looked sharp enough, so she slowly, carefully separated the majority of the moss from the rock. She didn’t pull it off since she didn’t have a free hand to hold it, but after a moment, she nodded and offered the dagger back to Madeline. “There we are. Thank you, Madeline.”

  “You’re welcome,” the noblewoman replied, looking at the blade for a moment, then taking it and washing her dagger off in the stream. Once she’d dried it, Madeline sheathed the blade and stowed it again.

  In the meantime, Ruethwyn pulled out a small jar and held it between her knees as she picked up the moss and stuffed it into the jar. It only took a few moments, then she corked the jar and nodded. “There we are. I dearly hope we don’t need it… I intend to split it between us once we’re at the halls. Best that everyone have some on-hand in case of emergencies.”