Aspect Of Winter

by Tom Early

  “Should we go to the forest?” Tyler panted as he kept sprinting.

  “Anywhere with cover seems like a good idea right now,” I gasped. “Just so long as it isn’t too far away. I’m dying here.”

  “I’m taking you on morning jogs with me if we survive this, you know.”

  “That’s supposed to be an incentive?”

  “Shut up and keep running!”

  We made it to the tree line, and I was nearly bent over double, gasping for air. I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw the hydra completely above ground. It looks like a snake, except with five heads. It was also slithering towards us alarmingly fast. I tapped Tyler on the shoulder sharply, and we kept running, weaving our way through the trees as fast as we could. I held one hand out in front of me as I went, and any smaller plants in my way were quickly encased in frost, shattering as Tyler and I ran straight through them.

  Eventually we reached a section of the forest where the undergrowth was too thick for me to quickly clear away. We collapsed on the ground in a blanket of damp ferns, panting.

  “This is what we have to go through?” Tyler asked. “For a whole week?”

  I just sort of wheezed in reply. It was going to take longer than that for me to be able to speak so easily. I just tried to listen for the sounds of destruction if the hydra ended up coming after us. Thankfully, there was nothing besides the occasional bird chirping. We lay there for around ten minutes before I was ready to speak again. It also took me that long to realize what was missing. I turned my head towards Tyler.

  “Ty, I think we forgot something…”

  He looked at me uncomprehendingly for a second, and then groaned as it clicked. “We left our supplies for the hydra, didn’t we.”

  “Yep.”

  “Well, it’s only for a day, so maybe we won’t get hungry?” Tyler said hopefully, as his stomach gurgled.

  I looked at him, and then down as my own stomach complained. “I’m thinking that Aiden planned that out. Any ideas as to how we’re going to get food? My expertise is limited to ‘berries look edible,’ and I’m pretty sure that’s a bad idea.”

  “Well, we can either go back to try and get the supplies, if the hydra didn’t already eat them…”

  “Pass,” I said vehemently. “I have absolutely no interest in trying to fight that thing.”

  “Or we can find something to eat here. Like a rabbit or something. I can make a fire, if it comes to it, and you can probably catch it.”

  “I’ll take door number two, then.”

  “Great. Let’s go find some poor hapless creature to slaughter and then devour,” Tyler said cheerily, standing up and stretching.

  I looked at him witheringly. “If my appetite weren’t magically induced, you would have just killed it.”

  “I aim to please,” Tyler said, smiling cheekily. I looked at him in slight awe.

  “You’re… actually enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  Tyler grinned again. “Are you kidding me? This is adventure, like right out of the stories! How could I not be enjoying this? Once the bad part’s over, what’s not to love?”

  “Well, everything’s trying to kill us,” I pointed out reasonably. “That’s usually handy in dissuading enjoyment.”

  “Downer,” Tyler said fondly, and leaned his forehead into my shoulder.

  “I don’t suppose the food’s just going to come to us, is it?” I said a moment later.

  “Probably not,” Tyler said. “Do you know any magic that could make this easier?”

  “Actually,” I said, feeling proud of myself, “I think I do. Do you remember Connection? The spell that links minds?”

  “Yeah, sure. You were complaining about Sam using it to wake you up somehow.”

  “Exactly. She made a summoning circle variation for the spell, and then used a drawing of me to contact me from a fairly long distance without line of sight. I bugged her into teaching me how to make the circle, and I think I can use it to sense other things than just people. Or at least, it worked when I tried it with Lexie back home.”

  Tyler’s face brightened. “Oh, you’re thinking of using it like radar or something. Wait,” he frowned, “why Lexie?”

  I looked down, embarrassed. “I just wanted to see if I could figure out what she was thinking. I thought it’d be cool. I just got a sense of where she was, though, from her perspective.”

  Tyler looked at me fondly. “You would try to connect with your dog, Fay. You would.”

  “Shut up,” I replied, blushing slightly. “Anyway, Let’s see if it works. Mind staying as lookout while I set this up?”

  “Sure,” Tyler started walking in a slow circle around the area I was sitting at.

  I pushed the ferns out my way until I had some undisturbed dirt to work with, and bore down to focus. I wasn’t an artist like Sam, so hand-drawing the circle accurately enough for it to work was out of the question. What I could do, however, was picture the circle in my mind and have my magic form it for me. A few seconds later, moisture seeped out of the earth and began to solidify until I had a perfectly formed ice circle resting on the dirt.

  For the next part, I pictured a rabbit, a squirrel, and a deer (just for good measure) in my mind, and ice replicas of each slowly coalesced inside the circle. Once they were finished, I just pushed a bit of my magic into the circle, and it pulsed.

  I gasped as my head flooded with images of the forest from dizzying perspectives, most really low to the ground. Concentrating as hard as I could, I narrowed the input of information to whatever source was closest to us at the moment. As it turned out, there was a rabbit cautiously watching us under the cover of the ferns barely twenty feet away. It was really disconcerting to see what I looked like from a different point of view, but I maintained the Connection as I slowly reached out with one hand, water from the dew on the ferns and from beneath the ground freezing and slowly gathering around the rabbit. I clenched my fist, and an icy cage instantaneously formed around it. I lifted the cage into the air, and it floated towards us. Tyler grabbed it out of the air and grinned wildly. The boy did like his food. I was of the same opinion.

  He set the cage down by my side, and grabbed a few pieces of relatively dry wood from around the area, piling them up. I busied myself making another spatha for Tyler, just in case. After that, I curled up and watched as Tyler got a small fire going.

  I turned away when Tyler killed the rabbit. I could hear him whispering “sorry, bunny,” and then a crack as he picked up a rock and used it. Neither of us was really sure how to skin a rabbit, so I don’t doubt that we wasted a lot, but there was still enough to go around.

  “Unghhh,” I moaned around a steaming mouthful of greasy rabbit, “I’ve never tasted something so gross and yet so delicious.”

  Tyler was too busy licking his fingers to respond. I echoed the sentiment a minute later. We sort of just clutched at our bellies for a bit after that, but at least the crazy hunger pangs had stopped. I took another look around at the forest. It was just starting to get dark, but I could still see the trees. This deep in, there was a mixture of pine trees and some smaller oaks, I think. Where gaps of sky showed, like where we were sitting, fern beds rose up. Otherwise, it was mostly just saplings and pine needles. I didn’t see any movement, but then, human eyes weren’t exactly suited for that. Which reminded me, I could try out Darksight. I’d memorized the incantation in my downtime while Sam was training Tyler.

  I recited the incantation slowly and softly, and all of a sudden my eyesight improved, and took on a slightly bluish tint. The shadows just… melted away, and I could see a hell of a lot further. I also felt a slight nudge at the back of my mind. Frowning, I touched it, and all of a sudden the familiar bond sprang to life again. Tyler made a surprised noise, and I looked over to see that his normally green eyes were also shining an icy blue. He looked at me questioningly, and when I nodded he started looking around. Thankfully, neither of us saw anything moving about.

  “So,
do we risk sleeping?” I mused.

  “I’m going with a no on that one,” Tyler said. “As much as I’d like to, I’m pretty sure that this isn’t called the Trial of Survival for nothing.”

  “Well,” I said, “In that case, let’s try to find somewhere a little more defensible.” I stood up slowly, and started heading deeper into the forest, Tyler holding my hand as he walked by my side. We both made sure to look in every direction. We didn’t particularly want any more surprises. We made our way through trees that grew progressively older, stepping slowly around trunks far wider than we were and dappled in moss. Twice, we had to step across small streams trickling between the trees, and eventually we came to the base of a massive felled oak, at the edge of a small clearing. It was ringed by other ancient oaks on all sides, and a sliver of moonlight illuminated the ferns filling the clearing. I looked speculatively at the faux-shelter the bent roots of the massive fallen oak created.

  “Think this’ll do?” I asked. “It’ll pretty solidly protect our backs if we lean against it, but we also won’t be able to see behind us.”

  “I think it’s the best bet we’ve got,” Tyler said, looking at the thick roots. “We can’t just keep spinning around in circles looking every way, anyway. We’d get exhausted way too fast. Let’s just stay here.”

  “Sounds good to me. Let’s see what I can do to fortify it, then.” I raised my arms, and froze a thick layer of ice over and around the roots of the tree, and then doubled down on it, layering the ice thicker and thicker. A minute later, there was a solid foot of incredibly thick ice coating the roots and the sides of the shelter. We sat down together inside the makeshift ice cave, and waited out the night, freaking out at every little noise. Tyler’s hand’s didn’t leave mine for a moment, and our sides were pressed together for comfort as much as warmth.

  Come morning, with both of us still fidgeting and glancing every which way, the forest seemed to suddenly dissolve, leaving us back in the endless white plane of Limbo.

  “Excellent job, you two,” Aiden said suddenly from behind us, making both of us jump. “You managed to avoid a fight, get food, and stay safe through the night. I’d say that passing Survival should be a breeze.”

  “Will it be that easy?” I asked doubtfully. “Once we got past the hydra, we weren’t really in any danger.”

  “No, it’ll be harder,” Aiden admitted, shrugging his shoulders slightly, “but that was all I could administer in the time I had to teach you. You had a fight, a need for food, and a need for shelter. You succeeded on all of the basics. I would have tested you on water, too, but your power makes that pointless. Anyway, I don’t have the means to simulate a full week, so you’ll just have to hope that you can handle what you just experienced for a much longer duration. My only criticism of your performance was that both of you,” he paused for emphasis, “will definitely need to sleep. Staying up all night is well and good if there’s only one night to make it through, but you’ll have a week. So find a way to feel safe enough to rest, alright?”

  “Hey,” I said, looking around, “where’s Sam? Did she already pass?”

  “Ah,” Aiden said softly, “actually, I’m afraid she failed.”

  “That’s impossible,” I stated flatly. “She’s way better at adapting to situations than either of us are.”

  “I have no doubt that you’re correct, Feayr, but when you pick a fight with everything that you see, you’re going to lose eventually,” Aiden said, keeping his eyes lowered. “And yes, I am aware of the irony of me saying that.”

  “So Sam… what? Lost a fight?” I asked disbelievingly. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “She beat the first seven creatures that came after her as she walked through the woods. The hydra, the tainted dryads, even the strangler vines. When she kept making noise, however, she drew the attention of the wendigo, and that,” Aiden replied, “was simply a fight she could not win, drained as she was. Your friend needs to learn that discretion is sometimes the better part of valor, or else she’ll never pass the Trial of Survival.”

  “Where is she?” I inquired, Tyler’s hand on my shoulder for support.

  “She’s just outside Limbo. You might want to speak with her. I’ll be preparing the next phase and contacting that friend of mine. I’ll come back tomorrow for the Competition practice.”

  “I’ll see you then,” I replied distractedly, already moving towards the entrance.

  I was going to have to deal with Sam on my own for this one. She wouldn’t show weakness with anyone else around. I stepped through the portal, and outside Limo. Sam was standing rigidly, arms folded across her chest, at the edge of my backyard. I gave a pleading look to Tyler, and he hugged me briefly before going back to his car and driving off. He knew he couldn’t stay for this one. Behind me, the portal closed, taking Aiden with it. I walked slowly up to Sam’s side. Her jaw was trembling from the effort of not making noise.

  “Hey,” I said softly, “You know it’s okay to lose sometimes, right? It’s not the end of the world.”

  She looked at me helplessly, the tears hinted at earlier now spilling over. “Fay, I, I almost died back there. I lost a fight for the first time in my life, and it was...”

  “Shh, Sam, it’s all right,” I murmured comfortingly, hugging her as best I could. “I know how terrifying it is to feel helpless. I promise, the feeling will pass.”

  “Fay, you don’t understand! I’ve never felt so close to my mom in my life before,” Sam forced out. “I didn’t know what she did, I couldn’t ever be in her footsteps before I could do magic, and now I’ve disappointed her memory.”

  I stared at her incredulously. “Sam, how could you possibly think that? You survived Aiden, you survived Samhain, and it sounds like you put up a hell of a fight before losing in a fake battle. And you did all that with only your wits and a few words from a page! Your mom will never, ever be disappointed in you. And you know that.”

  Sam hugged me back fiercely. “I still should never have been so stupid,” she said in a wobbly voice.

  “You’re right about that,” I said agreeably, looking her square in the eyes. “And you’re wiser now that you know that. Sam, do you know what makes you the most dangerous person I’m ever going to meet?”

  “My good looks and killer right hook?” Sam said, sniffling.

  “No. Your ability to do absolutely fucking anything if you put your mind to it.” I pulled back a bit and smiled at her. “Sam, you can’t expect to win every battle, because for most of them, you’ve never faced anything like your opponent. They’ll think in ways completely alien to you, and act in ways that you can’t even begin to prepare for, let alone predict. But this, I promise you.”

  I took a moment to think about exactly what I had to say.

  “You will never, ever lose to the same thing in the same way more than once. The next time you see a wendigo, you’re going to kill it before it knows what hit it. The next time you’re forced to sneak around in monster-infested woods, nothing will know you’re there until it’s far too late for them to do anything about it. As long as you come out alive, Sam, and you will, you always will as long as I have a say in it, then nothing will be able to stand in your way a second time. You’re taking this hard because your first effort is already so ridiculously good that most things can’t withstand it. When that doesn’t work, you get shaken up, and then you improve. You push yourself until the new you is miles ahead of the old you, and you know what? That’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard.” I held her close again. “And I mean every word of it.”

  Sam just hugged me tighter, saying nothing. I’d done all I could, anyway. I was more used to losing than she was. Now it was up to her to make this into a good thing.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” I said quietly. “You’ll be ready to kick ass again in the morning.”

  Sam pulled back, smiled shakily at me, and walked back to her car slowly. I watched her climb in, and waved as she left.


  I went inside. My parents were waiting for me, so I gave them a brief version of what happened, and then went upstairs. It wasn’t that late thanks to the Timeskip, but it still felt like I hadn’t slept in ages. I had a feeling that Tyler probably felt the same way. I just lay in bed until my head had stopped whirling.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  When I woke up, I wasn’t in my bed. Or in my house, for that matter, and I was wearing a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt that I definitely didn’t own or put on myself. I had no idea where I was at all. I flailed into a standing position my, swearing when I banged my hand against the wall right behind me. I turned my head side to side frantically. I was in some sort of cell, but with no visible doorway. Just… carved stone walls on all four sides, with the ceiling just barely out of my reach if I stretched. The air was cold, stale, and dry. I was literally inside a stone box.

  I started hyperventilating, the walls already feeling like they were pressing in on me. I put a hand out against the wall to steady myself, but it didn’t help. The cold stone just made me feel more panicked.

  I tried to summon ice or snow, anything to make it feel like I had some measure of control over the situation. I couldn’t get a single drop of water from the dry air. Whoever had placed me here knew exactly what I was capable of, and that scared me even more.

  I tried to cast Minor Orb, Connection, anything. Nothing worked.

  I curled up into a ball on the floor and squeezed my eyes shut. It felt like the stone cage was shrinking, and it was going to squish me like a bug. I let out a whimper, my fingernails digging into my arms so much I felt them draw blood.

  I don’t know how much time I spent like that. It felt like a very, very long time. My breaths kept getting shallower and shallower, and my heart was pounding so fast that it felt like I was dying. The only sound was of my breath coming out harshly, faster and faster.

  All of a sudden, I felt a painful flare in my eyes as everything faded to white. When I opened them again, Aiden had his hand on my shoulder, looking alarmed, and I was inside a Limbo pocket.