Ashes of a Black Frost

by Chris Evans

  Visyna smiled. “He knows that already, but I’ll remind him.”

  “Off you go then,” the future king said, giving her a quick salute.

  Visyna returned it and turned to Dandy. “Okay, how do we do this?”

  Elation and terror fought for dominance as she realized she would soon rejoin Konowa. She’d hoped a miracle would happen, and it had, but now she wished she’d put a little more thought into the details.

  Dandy’s claw snatched her up and his wings extended. He crouched low, then pushed straight up, his other claw scooping up Chayii as he did so. He pumped his wings a few times and Visyna buried her head in his feathers as they cleared the mast and vaulted into the sky.

  She didn’t scream, but not because she didn’t want to.

  Penny for your thoughts.”

  Konowa smiled and motioned to a spot beside him where he was staring out through the oak planks at the passing forest lining the river. The smoke from Rallie’s cigar arrived a second before she did. He pointed at the trees.

  “Wolf Oaks, but these are small ones, still young, maybe a few hundred years at most. The deeper we go, the older they get,” he said. Pride had crept into his voice, which surprised him. He hadn’t been back to the Hyntaland in years, mostly because there was so little here he wanted to remember. Now, however, his homecoming felt long overdue. He shivered. It was growing colder the further north they traveled. The ship continued at a far faster rate than should have been possible, but it navigated smoothly down the center of the river as if on a rail. He took a quick glance at his father. Jurwan remained seated near the main mast position, deep in a trance. Whatever his father was doing was working.

  Dawn colored the sky a deep purple. He took that as a good omen.

  “Glad to see it’s not red,” Rallie said.

  “Will she get here in time?”

  Rallie puffed on her cigar before answering. “It’s in other hands, or feathers, at this point. Have you thought about what you’re going to do when you confront Her?”

  Konowa had tried very hard not to. “I’ll do what needs to be done. This has to end, Rallie, it has to. She was a scourge before, but with the return of the Stars she’s become a monster. If She isn’t stopped now I see no hope for anyone, or anything.”

  Rallie said nothing, continuing to smoke her cigar and watch the passing trees. Finally, she turned and looked at him. “Do what needs to be done, just don’t assume you know what that is yet.”

  “With all due respect, you’re starting to sound a lot like my father with all the cryptic advice. Is there some school that older, wise advisors attend where they learn how to say something without actually saying it?”

  Rallie laughed. “Now that’s a school I’d like to attend. I think, however, you’ve got the shoe on the wrong foot. Wouldn’t it be better to ask why young people are always so eager to know everything now? There’s a joy in patience that quick gratification doesn’t offer.”

  “In a few hours it’ll all be moot,” Konowa said. “If there are any last revelations you’d like to share, now’s the time. Like maybe who you are, and the Stars?”

  Rallie smiled and turned back to watching the trees. “Excellent questions. Very pertinent, too. I can see why you’d want to know.”

  Konowa waited. “Well?”

  “There are many ancient myths about the creation of the heavens and stars. Some think they are the eyes of gods peering down on us. Others think they are huge diamonds floating in the ether. There’s even a legend that at least some of the stars, like those that fell, were in fact bundles of natural energy long ago gathered up and flung into the heavens for safekeeping. And that one day, when that natural energy was needed, they would return.”

  Konowa had the eerie sensation of standing on the edge of a thundering waterfall. One misstep and he’d go over and he’d never be seen again. Still, he decided to step a little closer to the abyss.

  “Interesting. How do you suppose all that energy was put in the sky in the first place? Sounds like some powerful magic would be required to do something like that, if that’s what happened . . .”

  “No doubt,” Rallie said. The end of her cigar was glowing like a white-hot brand.

  “But if that is what happened, it happened—as you say—a very long time ago.” Konowa could feel the heat coming off the end of her cigar.

  Rallie pulled the cigar out of her mouth and studied the glowing tip. It lit up her face, throwing her many wrinkles into stark contrast. “Tell me, Colonel, what would you find more disturbing? The knowledge that I have some information that might be of use to you and I don’t impart it, believing that to do so might create more problems than it solves, or, that I actually don’t have any more information to give. That I’m just a little old lady a tad wise beyond her years, with a keen mind, a quick quill, and a mind that’s not always focused on the here and now?”

  “Both?” Konowa answered, only half in jest. “But if I have to choose, and it sounds like I do, I’d rather believe in the former. In fact, I do. You probably have so many secrets you don’t even know them all yourself . . . if that makes sense.”

  Rallie stuck the cigar back in her mouth. “You, my dear elf, are smarter than you look.”

  “Thanks?” Konowa said.

  “Time, I think, to get my quill and paper,” Rallie said, stepping away from the railing.

  Konowa looked into the distance. A gray smudge discolored the horizon to the north. “The mountains.”

  “I’m curious, Colonel,” Rallie said, starting to turn away then stopping. “The aid of the Wolf Oaks in getting us here this fast has been spectacular. Do you know if your father has given any thought to how we stop?”

  Konowa watched her walk away, a trail of blue smoke in her wake. He looked out at the passing trees. They were whipping by. Faster.

  The Black Spike was picking up speed.

  Konowa tore away from the railing and ran over to his father. He didn’t bother waiting and simply grabbed Jurwan by the shoulder and shook him. “Father! This isn’t a carriage. We don’t have brakes.”

  Jurwan opened his eyes and blinked. “This is a concept that, unfortunately, the Wolf Oaks are not familiar with. They only know that the Shadow Monarch represents danger, and they seek all aid in fighting Her.”

  Konowa ran to the bow and looked forward. The land sloped upward into a short range of hills before the mountains themselves. He knew the river wound its way through them, but he doubted the draft would be deep enough for a ship this size. He’d always expected they would disembark at the base of the mountain and climb from there.

  Captain Ervod appeared at his side. “Colonel, I don’t have control of my own ship! If we hit a rock now we’ll be destroyed.”

  “Don’t you have things you do when you want to slow down? Throw your anchors.”

  Captain Ervod stepped back a pace. “At this speed? We’d probably rip the line right off.”

  “If you have a better idea I’m all ears,” Konowa said.

  Captain Ervod seemed to consider his options. “Fine. Tell your men to brace themselves. This is not going to be gentle.”

  “All right, laddies,” Yimt said, standing a few paces away and obviously within earshot, “start thinking soft thoughts. Find a sack of something and put it in front of you. Don’t be standing out in the open where you can go flying. Get low, grab on to something, and stay there.”

  Konowa waved his acknowledgment at Yimt and sprinted back toward his father. “Anything?”

  Jurwan looked at him and pursed his lips. “Trying to commune with a forest of agitated Wolf Oaks is not . . . easy. Your mother was much better at this than I.”

  “Well, she’s not here anymore, is she!” Konowa shouted, immediately regretting it. He knelt down in front of his father and placed his hand on his arm. “Father, tell them . . . tell them to think in terms of late fall as their sap starts to thicken and slow.”

  Jurwan looked at him with obvious surprise on h
is face. “The Wolf Oaks were mistaken in not choosing you, my son. You understand better than they know.”

  Konowa stood up. “Just tell them. Hurry.” He turned and sprinted back to the bow. The hill range was easily visible now in the growing light. As were the first signs of chop in the water. Rapids. And that meant rocks.

  “Anchors away!”

  Konowa wedged himself between bales of gun cotton and closed his eyes. He heard the anchors splash into the water and a moment later the port anchor hit bottom, yawing the ship toward the left bank. A moment after that, the starboard anchor dug in, yanking the Black Spike back toward the right bank.

  Something snapped and went rolling across the deck to crash into something else. Konowa didn’t bother turning around to look. He lifted his head and opened his eyes to see up ahead. They were still going too fast, but at least they were keeping dead center.

  “Captain! Get everyone topside now!” Konowa shouted, hoping he’d been heard.

  The Black Spike hit its first rock. The entire ship juddered. There was a horrible screeching noise from far below as the ship passed by the rock on the port side. It felt like a nail being scraped down his spine. When it was passed the ship picked up speed again, but not quite as much as before. Perhaps the anchors and his father were having an effect.

  “We’re taking on water!”

  Or that.

  Konowa wasn’t too worried about drowning in a river with land in sight on either side, but he hoped they wouldn’t have to get wet if it could be helped. The ship took several more hits, jostling one way then the other as it continued moving upstream. Its speed had definitely slowed, but nowhere near anything Konowa considered safe. He saw a large hill pass by on their starboard and had a moment of vertigo as the ship climbed past it.

  “After this, I walk everywhere,” he muttered.

  He also realized they’d passed through the Deep Forest of the Hyntaland and were now moving into Her realm. The temperature seemed to drop as soon as he thought it, or perhaps he just finally noticed. Though the sun was now well up in the sky, it was a gray, muddy day. Thick clouds boiled above suggesting rain or snow. Konowa felt the first drop on his neck and cursed. Naturally, it would be sleet.

  “Not nearly as fast as The Flying Elf, but much more exhilarating,” Major Alstonfar said, crawling up to lay beside Konowa at the bow.

  “I hadn’t noticed,” Konowa lied, wishing he had Captain Ervod here. Now there was a man who knew this wasn’t supposed to be fun. “Are the men ready?”

  “And raring to go,” Pimmer said, then held up a finger in question. “Is that appropriate military parlance? Would you prefer more formal reports?”

  “Major, raring to go is music to my ears. And what about you? Not your first dance, but you’ve never officially led before.”

  It took a moment for Pimmer to get the pun. “Ah, very droll, sir. Well, yes, I must admit to a certain trepidation, but—”

  The Black Spike leaped into the air as it bounced off a series of small rocks and slammed into a massive one. Timbers from below the waterline cartwheeled past the ship.

  “—I look forward to having the opportunity to prove myself in battle and want to thank you again for the belief you’ve shown in me by giving me this chance.”

  Konowa looked at the man. “You do know we’re sinking, right?”

  “I imagine we have been for some time. Makes things that much more exciting, really. Will we sink before we get there? Will we get a chance to fire the Black Spike’s guns or will we all have to swim for it? Miss Synjyn will no doubt find ways to make it sound even more dramatic.”

  Great swaths of white water ahead told Konowa they were about to get their answer. Her mountain loomed above them now. Konowa risked a look back and shuddered. They had to be halfway up it already. He’d felt a certain degree of safety on the ship as they traversed Her realm, but looking back it appeared as if they were hanging off a cliff. He was ready to jump now when the ship slowed and the bow drove between two large rocks and came to a surprisingly gentle stop.

  “That wasn’t so bad at all,” Pimmer said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

  Konowa wanted to agree, but he was busy trying to throw up. The sound of rushing water battering the bow didn’t help. The icy spray was coating everything. They’d be a solid block of ice inside an hour. They’d have to get off the ship now.

  “Arkhorn will be disappointed we didn’t get a chance to try out his handiwork,” Konowa said, standing up.

  The first black arrow missed him by a few inches. The second by less than an inch. He was facedown on the deck before the third arrow had a chance.

  They’re in the trees!”

  Black arrows zipped through the rigging of the Black Spike and lodged with loud thunks into the decking. Others twanged as they bounced off the extra planking. The yammering howl of rakkes broke out all around them. Other, stranger cries added to the clamor.

  “RSM, you have the guns!” Konowa shouted. He crawled forward and poked his head up and around a barrel of what he suspected were pickles. Sarka har dotted the rocks. There was little purchase for them here on the mountainside, but great snakes of roots connected one to another, helping to anchor them in place. Rakkes streamed toward the ship from both sides of the river, coming to the riverbanks and throwing rocks in their frustration. Further back, Konowa spotted the dark, flitting figures of Her dark, twisted elves. “There but for my parents,” he said, making a mental note to thank his father when all this was over.

  He was starting to wonder what happened to Yimt when he heard the dwarf’s voice rise above the din. “This is for Ally! Fire!”

  The Black Spike didn’t disintegrate, not entirely. The combined fire of over sixty cannons shook what was left of the ship to its core. Massive oak ribs snapped like twigs. Whole sections of deck collapsed and the aft mast split all the way to the top before toppling over.

  The effect on the riverbanks for two hundred yards deep, however, was total obliteration. A gale of death swept over the rocks, scouring everything on it like a million scythes. Elves, rakkes, and sarka har simply vanished in a pulverized mist of bone, flesh, and blood. Konowa tried to stand, but for a moment his legs wouldn’t cooperate. The ringing in his ears was so loud it merged into one long wail. When he finally regained some balance he stood, coughing in the thick cloud of smoke now choking the Black Spike. When the smoke finally dissipated Konowa simply stared. Even the rocks bore the scars of the Black Spike’s cannonade. Everything was cracked and gouged.

  “I would have liked a few more cannon, but overall I’d say that worked,” Yimt said, walking up to the bow. “You think Ally saw that?”

  Konowa looked down at the dwarf. “Saw it, felt it, and most definitely heard it.”

  Yimt beamed, his metal teeth gleaming. “Aye, that’s what I think, too.”

  Corporal Feylan came running to the bow. “Colonel! We’re starting to drift.”

  It took Konowa a moment to understand what that meant. And then it hit home. “Get everyone off now. We got our free ride, but this is the end of the line. The Black Spike is going back down the mountain.”

  Gangplanks were hurriedly thrown over the starboard side, which was now less than two yards from the riverbank. Some men jumped, but most waited their turn and traversed the planking to land on the shore. Konowa watched the procession, aware the ship was drifting backward faster and faster. The end of the gangplank was scraping against the rocks.

  “I’m sorry about your ship,” Konowa said, addressing Captain Ervod.

  “She served us well. I’ll—”

  The Black Spike lurched and began listing heavily to starboard, cutting off the captain’s eulogy. The man stumbled and fell down the gangplank to land at the river’s edge where waiting sailors fished him out. Konowa ran onto the gangplank and was soon tumbling himself the last yard to land in a heap on the rocks. He looked back and saw with horror that his father was still on the ship. The older elf was standi
ng in front of the shimmering image of his ryk faur.

  “Father! Get off the ship!”

  Jurwan reached out a hand and patted the bark, then turned and slowly walked across the deck and down the gangplank as if his life wasn’t in mortal danger. A shadow flitted above Konowa and he looked up to see Tyul leap gracefully from the tree to land casually on the rocks as light as a, well, leaf. The image of the Wolf Oak flickered and then was gone.

  A moment later, the Black Spike turned onto its side, its remaining masts splintering on the rocks as it was carried away by the river. Cannons rolled across the deck and splashed into the water, and then the ship shuddered and broke apart.

  “A sad end to a brave girl,” Rallie said, scribbling in her papers.

  Konowa could only nod in agreement. He picked himself up and brushed off the knees of his trousers. A soldier handed him his shako, which he jammed onto his head. Looking around, the sailors were all grouped together looking forlorn and lost. They were, however, armed. RSM Arkhorn had apparently seen to everything.

  “Captain,” Konowa said, “this wasn’t part of the plan, although I suppose it was always the likelihood. I don’t feel right about leaving you here, but if you come with us . . .”

  Captain Ervod shook his head. “We’d only slow you down and be in your way. And I have wounded. We’ll get ourselves sorted and set up a defense here as best we can. Depending on what happens up there, you’ll have a place to fall back to.”

  Konowa smiled. If they needed a place to fall back to, they wouldn’t need it because they’d be dead. “Be well,” Konowa said, saluting.

  Captain Ervod returned it. “May a fair wind favor you.”

  The flapping of wings brought everyone’s heads up. Konowa broke out into a huge grin.

  “They just did.”

  A huge falcon the size of a horse landed on the rocks near the group. It laid its cargo on the ground before hopping awkwardly over to Rallie who cooed and petted it. Konowa ran to Visyna and held her, ignoring the frost fire. She awoke yelling and he reluctantly let go only to be bowled over by Jir. Konowa could only offer him a couple of playful swipes before he stood up and motioned for Jir to back off.