Melting the Ice Witch

by Mell Eight

  Being kidnapped and taken to the ice wastes was definitely the best thing that had ever happened to Kam.

  *~*~*

  Kam was just finishing in the kennel the next morning when Tomm came up to him. Tomm was carrying a hooded falcon and even from a few yards away Kam could tell something wasn't quite right.

  He had spent the morning listening to the dogs. Their happiness to see him, their satisfaction when food was delivered, and their various desires all crowded into Kam's head. Kam had never thought about the fact that he could hear what animals wanted before. It was just another facet of his life and was something he had always done. But with Lor's story about animal-speakers in his mind, Kam was beginning to realize that it wasn't normal to be able to communicate with animals the way he could.

  Maybe Lor was right and Kam really had a special type of power?

  "Mae told me to find you," Tomm said when he caught up to Kam. "Talon here has been off his feed for a few days; we've been trying everything we can think of to get him to eat, but nothing is working. I can't hunt with him like this and I'm worried he'll die. Mae said you would be able to tell me what's wrong with him?"

  Kam nodded. He was pretty sure what was wrong with Talon already, but he reached out to gently touch the bird's stomach first to double check.

  "Talon's been chewing on the paint on his perch, hasn't he?" Kam asked even though he already knew the answer. "It's given him a bit of a stomach ache. A few days of rest and a perch where he can't bite the paint off and he'll be just fine."

  Talon gave a soft cry as Kam ruffled his fingers through the stiff chest feathers. Tomm nodded thoughtfully as he studied his bird.

  "He has been clawing at his perch lately," Tomm said. "Thanks, I'll get that fixed."

  Kam watched as Tomm and Talon walked off with a frown on his face. It was definitely clear that the things Kam could feel from animals were deeply out of the ordinary. He mulled over the idea throughout the day as he went about his various chores and waited for Lor and the rest of the hunters to return. It surprised him to see just how many of the dogs stopped by to say hello wherever he was in the camp. First Runt flopped down on his feet and then other dogs came by for a petting. When the hunters returned, Kam was one of the people who helped unhitch the dogs and he found that his sleds were done well before the ones anyone else was helping with simply because the dogs were much more cooperative with Kam than with anyone else.

  When he climbed under the furs with Lor that night, Kam was almost totally convinced. He had some sort of connection or power with animals. It was a comforting thought to know that he wasn't just extra baggage for the clan any longer. Kam really could help with everything animal related. He went to sleep curled in Lor's arms with a small smile on his face at the thought.

  Morning dawned and Kam woke as Lor began disentangling their furs so he could get dressed for the day. Kam hurried into his warm clothing and stepped into the blindingly blue day, braced for the icy wind that buffeted him along. He walked to the kennels to start feeding the dogs, their hunger beginning to press on his mind.

  As usual, Hern already had the door open when Kam arrived. Kam took his time with the feeding, making sure that each dog got their share of food and an equal amount of time getting petted. Once he finished helping Hern clean the building properly, Kam headed over to the fire for breakfast.

  "It's a good day today," Mae said as a greeting to Kam when he arrived in front of the communal pot of food. She handed him a bowl and ladled some of the porridge inside as she spoke. "We'll get a lot of tanning done today. Lots of furs to sell in the market this fall!"

  "That sounds good, Mae," Kam replied as he searched for a spoon.

  "I'll need you to help stretch the skins, so don't travel far," Mae added, pointing a clean spoon in his direction to emphasize her point.

  Kam nodded and took the spoon. "I'll be right over there," he said with a shrug towards the rock beside the fire where Lor was sitting to eat his own breakfast.

  Mae nodded, but turned her attention to Hern, who had also come for breakfast.

  Lor moved over to give Kam room to sit and then occasionally brushed his arm against Kam as they both sat in comfortable silence. Runt and her littermates wandered over with their mother to sit by the fire, too. Lor had been finished eating for a while by the time Kam finally set aside his bowl, but Lor waited patiently.

  "I'll be on the other side of camp," he explained. "They found …"

  But Kam never learned what had been found or by whom, because Lor's eyes shot wide and he jumped to his feet.

  "Weapons!" Lor shouted as he pushed Kam behind him. Bows and spears usually reserved for hunting suddenly appeared and the clan's members who knew how to use them were quick to arm themselves.

  Lor was staring at an empty patch of snow, trampled flat and slightly brown by dozens of boots but otherwise totally unremarkable. In the back of his mind, Kam thought he felt the twinge of an animal of some sort coming closer, but the focused worry on Lor's face made Kam push the twinge away in favor of the more immediate fear.

  Kam watched as those holding weapons circled the empty space. There was something coming into focus in the middle of their circle. Kam couldn't tell what it was because the image was so hazy. Slowly it began to resolve itself and Kam could see that there were two somethings arriving by some sort of magical means.

  Suddenly the image snapped into focus. Kam could see two people holding tight to each other in the middle of the cleared space. One had hair that was a strange mixture of gold and red colors. A bright red ruby hung around his neck. The other had light brown hair and his eyes were blue. A topaz hung around the second man's neck, clearly visible when he looked up in alarm.

  "See, Jerney, I told you it would work!" the strangely colored one chirped happily.

  "Define 'work', Tori," the brown haired one, Jerney, snapped.

  The first young man, Tori, finally looked up and his golden colored eyes widened comically. "Oh. Whoops."

  Beside Kam, Lor started snorting with laughter. "Next time just announce that you're coming first," he called, waving down the fighters as he stepped forward. Mae quickly joined Lor as he walked up to the two strangers.

  "I'm sorry!" Tori sniffled. To Kam's surprise, it almost seemed like Tori was about to cry. Kam could feel a sort of upset contrition from the child-like Tori. Jerney pulled Tori into his arms and patted Tori gently on the back.

  "It's all right. Just a bit of a scare. Welcome to the Tribe of the White Dragon," Lor replied in a placating tone. "You are a witch and a dragon, but I don't believe I ever caught your names."

  In a sudden emotional turn around, Tori bounced forwards. "I'm a dragon. My name is An'tatori. Call me Tori. This is Jerney and he's my witch," Tori added as he pulled Jerney forward by the arm. "What's your name? And who's the white dragon?"

  "My name is Lor. This is Mae," Lor replied, pointing to Mae standing beside him as he spoke. "And the white dragon was our leader and caretaker centuries ago."

  "Oh," Tori grumbled with a pout. "I wanted to meet him. I've never met a white dragon before. Mama-Gail is the only red dragon anymore, but even Toel never mentioned a white dragon."

  The constant stream of information lacking almost totally in context had more than just Kam wishing for Tori to elaborate instead of continuing to babble. Jerney, clearly used to the dragon's behavior, reached up and placed a gentle hand over Tori's mouth. The babble cut off suddenly, but Tori didn't look the least bit abashed. Instead, Kam thought Tori felt intensely curious about everything around him.

  "We are here to ask for your help," Jerney explained.

  "Well," Mae cut in, "this calls for some tea." She glanced around the circle of watchers critically before continuing. "Cara make the tea. Kam, guide our guests to the communal tent."

  "This way," Kam said as he stepped forward. Everyone else quickly dispersed, but Kam had no doubt that the rumor mill would be running rampant until the full story of why the two stran
gers had suddenly appeared came clear.

  Kam led Jerney and Tori away from the main fire into the area where the largest tents were set up. The communal tent was in the very center of the camp where it could be shared and used by anyone for anything.

  "Are you some sort of guard?" Jerney asked politely as they settled onto cushions on the floor to one side of the tent, well away from anything else stored there. On the other side of the tent some of the women were setting up frames to stretch skins, but this little sitting area was kept clear for anyone to use.

  Kam couldn't stop a quick laugh from escaping. "I'm from the human city so I'm probably the most used to dragons out of all of us," he began explaining before he was forced to stop. Tori had left the security of Jerney's arms and was slowly creeping closer to Kam. Those bright, golden eyes were fixed on Kam's face.

  Tori felt curious and so very young to Kam. He wasn't an animal, not entirely. There was more human in him than in the white dragon frozen in the mountains. Kam wondered if that was because Tori was in human form or if something else was odd about him.

  "What are you?" Tori asked, tilting his head slightly to get a better angle to stare.

  Kam giggled awkwardly. "I think I'm an animal-speaker, which means I can understand animals. You're nothing like the white dragon, though."

  "An animal-speaker?" Jerney asked, surprise clear in his tone. "I thought those were just a bedtime story."

  "You've met the white dragon?" Tori asked, curious and almost vibrating in place in excitement. "Can I meet him?"

  "Lor thought it was just a bedtime story too, before he met me," Kam answered Jerney. "The white dragon is frozen in ice in the mountain range, so I didn't meet him really," he added to Tori.

  Tori spun around and bounced back over to Jerney. "Hey, Jerney. Can we go see the white dragon before we go home?"

  "That's probably not a good idea," Lor said as he pushed through the tent flap and walked over to join them. "It's a difficult journey over a lot of ice."

  Mae pushed through a moment after Lor, holding the tea. There was a pause in conversation as everyone took a cup and settled onto the cushions.

  Lor spoke up first. "Mae, Kam. Jerney and Tori are the two I met before the snowstorm. Jerney had come to rescue his sister and Tori came to rescue Jerney. We had a bit of a disagreement, but the matter was resolved. Why," he asked as he turned to where Jerney and Tori were curled up on the same cushion, "have you come here, then?"

  "King Felix and Prince Bast have given Tori and me a task to complete," Jerney explained. "They don't appreciate the fact that all the witches in the city have haphazard training and that there is no force to regulate their actions. They want me to set up a school where witches can train and can learn rules on proper use of their powers. We don't want another witch like Harold to be able to take advantage of the crown without repercussions or a proper policing force to stop him before he became violent."

  "So I went to talk to Toel," Tori cut in. "He's my hatch-father and he said he'd organize some dragons to fly around and look for a good place to start building. They're going to make me a big hoard room!"

  "They found a perfect place just north of the royal forest," Jerney continued. "It has a very large hill they can hollow out for Tori's hoard room, a large flat area nearby to build the actual school on, and a good access route to the city. The only issue is that An'dadean and Baine found a small house and barn already on the site with an older man in residence. He directed us to speak with you. I was already hoping to ask if you would come teach at the school, but now I also want to know if we can take your hill? We'll make sure there is an area kept there for you and for the man watching your horses, but we don't want to start building without your permission."

  "Every fall, before winter confines us to our camp, we go south to trade our furs for the goods necessary for our survival," Mae explained. "That hut is our stopover point between the human city and the ice wastes. We cannot survive without it."

  "But on the same token," Lor cut in, "we could benefit from a closer human settlement to trade with. I cannot leave my clan, because without a witch they would be defenseless on the wastes. Mae and I will have to discuss this ourselves before we can give you any decision."

  "I understand. We don't need a decision today, but we would like to have the foundations built before winter," Jerney explained. "I can mention to the king that perhaps a more permanent trade route could be set up and I would be very willing to send students to you here for training. We can work out all the details as we go along."

  They finished the tea and Kam was left in charge of entertaining the two guests while Lor and Mae called a meeting of the elders in the clan. Kam decided to show them around the camp. He led them back to the main fire.

  "Do you need a coat?" Kam asked Jerney as they reached the flames and Jerney quickly held out his hands. Jerney was dressed warmly, but without thick furs he could easily get frostbite. Tori headed off to the other side of the fire as they spoke. He started giggling happily a few moments later, so Kam didn't worry.

  "I'm using a bit of magic to keep myself warm," Jerney admitted. "And I know you've never hugged a dragon before, but when their internal flame is burning they tend to run a little hot."

  "You're using a dragon as your coat?" Kam said with a snort of laughter, remembering the way Tori had clung to Jerney so tightly. There had been something more than warmth in that embrace though, something that showed a deeper connection that, while not sexual, had all the makings of a future relationship blooming.

  "Hey, Jerney!" Tori called as he trotted back around the fire. In his arms was an unhappily squirming Runt and one of Runt's brothers. "Can I keep one?"

  Before Kam could say anything, Jerney stepped forward and took Runt out of Tori's hands. "Not this one. She's already bonded to Kam. If you want the other one you'll have to ask Lor or Mae first. For now, put him down."

  Runt got all four paws underneath her with as much dignity as a puppy with her eyes barely opened could do and toddled quickly to Kam's side, her nose working furiously to locate Kam. She collapsed at Kam's feet with a grunt and a glare in Tori's direction.

  "All right," Tori sighed. He gently put the other puppy down, who quickly headed back in the direction of his mother, and reattached himself to Jerney's side. "So, where is this white dragon again?" Tori asked.

  The feeling of stubborn curiosity flared again. Kam couldn't stop his grimace and wondered just how Tori's parents managed to keep him in line. Probably with judicious use of Jerney's patience, Kam assumed as Jerney gently cuffed Tori on the side of his head.

  "That's not why we're here," Jerney admonished.

  Tori pouted, his lower lip jutting invitingly in Jerney's direction. Kam watched as Jerney's face softened in the face of Tori's onslaught. Before Jerney could break down entirely, Kam spoke up.

  "It's about a two hour sled ride in that direction," Kam explained as he pointed towards the snowcapped mountains in the distance. Kam had asked Mae how far the mountain range was from the camp and apparently when you weren't trying to frantically outrun a blizzard it was a lengthy trek. Their return trip back at an easier pace had taken two hours. "You would need a sled, some dogs, and someone to show you the way."

  "See?" Jerney said gently to Tori, smoothing his hand down Tori's head as the pouting continued. "It's much too difficult."

  "It's actually not a bad idea," Lor's voice came from behind Kam. Lor's arm came to rest around Kam's shoulders as he drew Kam in to his chest. "Tomorrow we've called for a clan meeting, which would be very boring for you both to sit out for. I can provision a sled and send you on a day trip to see Old White. It would be easy enough for you to have lunch in the caves and be back before nightfall."

  "We could?" Tori asked, bouncing excitedly in place. "Can we, Jerney?"

  Jerney laughed. "If Lor says it's okay, then it might be fun," Jerney agreed.

  "Excellent," Lor said with a smile. "Kam, if you go with them I know they
won't get lost. I'll send Hern to guide the sled. Is that okay?"

  Kam nodded, strangely pleased with the idea that Lor was willing to let him go alone. Considering all the admonishments Kam had received from Lor about safety in the snow and Lor's worry about Kam's health, it was flattering to know that Lor still trusted Kam to take care of himself and their important guests.

  "It'll be fun," Kam said with his own smile at Lor.

  "Umm," Tori said shyly. Kam turned away from Lor and almost jumped. Tori was standing about three inches away and was gazing hopefully up at Lor. "Can I have a puppy?" he asked carefully.

  Jerney groaned.

  *~*~*

  During dinner, Tori spent the time fluttering around and introducing himself to the clan. Breakfast the next morning led to more of the same as Tori fought to meet every single person around the fire at least once.

  Kam could tell the clan was absolutely charmed by the child-like dragon. Jerney just watched and smiled, which made Kam wonder just why such a peculiar duo had been sent to ask the clans for help. Certainly there must be other qualified people with connections to the human king and any dragon a little older than Tori could have spoken just as diplomatically about the issue as Jerney. Yet, every time Tori came gamboling by, talking a mile a minute and looking so excited about the snow and the tents and everything else in the camp, Kam couldn't help smiling and laughing along with Tori.

  It wasn't an act either. Kam could feel Tori's genuine excitement and happiness reverberating in his wake. Kam couldn't help wondering if the clan might vote on behalf of Tori just to keep Tori from losing his overwhelming cheer. And that thought led to all the answer Kam needed about why Tori and Jerney had been the ones sent. An adult dragon or a trained envoy would have set the clan on edge, but a baby and his keeper did the exact opposite. There was someone very shrewd in either the human court or the dragon mountain dictating behind the scenes.