The eyes belonged to Bretton himself, frozen in place, his entire body caked in a layer of ice.
Jak sank to her knees. She had hoped...but she had been foolish. They had all known that Bretton’s team was already dead. This just confirmed it. She had saved Bretton in the past only to send him out to die among similar conditions. The urge to scream in frustration and sorrow came to her in a sudden rush. She didn’t hold back. The pained yell escaped her throat in a harsh rasp, and tears poured down her cheeks and dropped onto the snow, only to freeze in place.
“I’m sorry, Jak,” said Viona in a hushed tone when her cry had died down.
“How did this happen?” Jak found herself saying.
“I don’t know,” Yewin moved in closer for inspection. “Whatever froze them to death must have done so rapidly. Perhaps an isolated, and highly unusual storm that missed us near the caves.”
Jak had been speaking more rhetorically, but Yewin was right to consider how the others had frozen so rapidly. Almost all of them were still standing. How was that even possible?
She rose to her feet and faced Yewin. “So you’re saying that whatever caused this could also happen at our camp? That would kill everyone outside.”
Yewin gave a slow, uncomfortable nod. “Yes, indeed it would.” He glanced at Viona, who didn’t meet his eyes. Jak knew what was making them all uncomfortable. Yewin knew as well as anyone that the Fae were disproportionately protected inside the cave.
“Then we have to get back to the others as fast as we can,” said Jak. “We have to warn them. Perhaps we can convince Vander to let everyone in if there ever is a natural phenomenon like this. If we stand shoulder to shoulder we could probably fit everyone at once, at least for the duration of a storm.”
Viona nodded but didn’t look convinced, and neither did Yewin. Jak wasn’t sure if it was the idea of convincing Vander of anything, or of fitting all seven thousand people in a cave large enough for only one thousand. They could try to build more shelters, but could they do it in time? But Jak supposed it didn’t matter. It was all a long shot, but if Yewin was correct, and what happened to these scouts happened back at their camp, then they were in some serious danger. It would have to be enough to convince Vander to take action.
6
Jak spared another look for Bretton. There was definitely something eerie about the way in which he seemed frozen in time. It reminded her of when she’d used the Pillar of Eternity to suspend time around her. His body appeared frozen in mid-step, one arm reaching forward and one behind like he had been in the middle of walking when he had frozen. There wasn’t even a look of pain on his face, no hint as to what may have happened to them. What kind of storm were they dealing with if it had the power to do this? Or was there some other power at work? Perhaps she had been wrong to think this planet was lifeless.
She turned next to the Flamedancer. “Can you thaw them out?”
The man hesitated, “I can, but it wouldn’t do much good. We don’t have the resources to carry them all back, and the ground is too hard to bury them.”
He was right, and Jak knew it. But she hated having to leave the scouts like this. She would just have to come back later when they were better prepared to deal with the dead. But that time was not now.
“Okay,” she said finally. “Then we should head back. If we hurry we can get there by tomorrow evening.”
The others did not argue, and they followed Jak as she led the way back to their camp. Since they weren’t scanning for caves or searching for survivors this time, they made much better progress retracing their steps.
They heard the people of their camp before they saw it. A great many were shouting. Jak paused to try and listen but couldn’t make out anything specific. Something was wrong.
Jak was tired, hungry, sleepy, and her legs felt like jelly, but she forgot all of that and ran. Had something happened while she was gone? Had they been attacked by some unknown assailant, or worse, had hostilities broken out between their main body and those inside the caves? Vander would not react well if provoked, and the mere thought of him going toe to toe with Skellig caused Jak’s pace to increase.
No one was fighting when Jak finally came into view of the camp. But they were crowding around the mountain, as if eager to get closer. Something was happening at the entrance. Whatever it was caused the commotion around it.
Jak reached the edge and pushed her way past the thick crowd. Some realized who she was and gave way, but in the end she had to push and shove, with many apologies to those she caused to stumble, to make her way to the front.
“Skellig!” she cried as she finally caught sight of what was happening. Skellig stood at the head of their group with flames in both hands, as she faced down a snarling Vander. The Shadow Elf wasn’t moving though he was clearly trying, and Jak immediately knew why. Two Telekinetics stood on either side of Skellig, their brand hands glowing as they held Vander and a handful of other elves in place.
“Jak!” it was Vander who spoke first. “We’re being attacked.” His fellow Shadow Elves, and even a few Fae from other races, including the gnomes and Sky Fae, glared daggers at Skellig.
Skellig did not take her eyes off the Shadow Elf. “We’re merely restraining him. He would have attacked us otherwise.”
“What is going on?” Jak finally managed to say.
“These pigs want to keep our rations for themselves,” snarled Vander.
“You’re lowering their rations?” Jak stared at Skellig, demanding an answer.
Skellig spared a glance at Jak. “We only wish to ensure that all of our assets are enjoyed equally. If the Fae won’t agree to an equal rotation, we can’t agree to an equal distribution of resources.”
“So you started fighting?” she said, then understanding dawned and she looked at Skellig under a new light. “You were planning this.”
Skellig’s face went taught. It was enough of a confirmation.
Jak’s face drained. “You didn’t send me away because you thought I was a good leader. You sent me away because you didn’t want me around when you tried something like this.”
“Treachery,” said Vander. Jak shot him a harsh look. The last thing she wanted was for him to twist her words to his own purposes.
Skellig did not answer her question, but instead asked, “I assume you didn’t find any more caves on your expedition.”
“No, we didn’t find any caves. But…” she trailed off. She was about to mention the dead scouts, but that wouldn’t be the best thing to reveal right now. Skellig and Vander were at each other’s throats, and one or the other of them were sure to use the news as fuel for their argument. And right now she didn’t want either of them to have that chance.
“But what?” Skellig narrowed her eyes, immediately taking note of Jak’s hesitation.
“Nothing,” said Jak. “The point is, we didn’t find anything. But that just means we should work together to keep looking. We found these caves without too much trouble. We can find more. Or even make more.”
But neither Vander nor Skellig were listening. The latter still had her eyes narrowed at Jak. “What’s going on, Jak? You’re back far earlier than I expected. Why would you return so soon? If you didn’t find new accommodations then that must mean you found the scouts. And judging by the fact that they did not return with you…”
Jak let out a breath. Leave it to Skellig to figure it out so perfectly. She was their tactical leader for a reason.
Jak looked from her to Vander to the other Fae that gathered on Vander’s side. “I can tell you. But will you promise not to attack each other and agree to work out a peaceful solution to all this? We can’t afford to fight each other.”
Vander and Skellig met each other’s eyes, as if asking the same question. Then finally Skellig extinguished the flames in her palms. “I suppose we can try it your way, Jak.”
Vander glanced at Jak. “I will respect your wishes for your mother’s sake, but only for today. If we cannot come to an agreement,
I must take the major’s actions as a hostile attempt.”
“More hostile than you barring access to the caves?” Skellig shot back, but Jak held out a hand that made them both go silent.
“Please,” Jak said. “We have to work together. We have such potential, and I know it looks bad at the moment, but we’ve come too far to fail now.” The words were hers, though to her ears, they sounded like they were meant for herself as much as they were meant for Skellig and Vander. Where had those words come from? Moments ago, upon seeing the frozen corpses of her friends, she had felt quite the opposite of hope. What had changed?
Skellig gave an order and the Telekinetics let Vander go. He straightened and everyone, including Jak, tensed. Shadow Elves were dangerous after all. If he turned invisible…
But Vander remained composed, and he looked to Jak expectantly, though his posture suggested he wasn’t happy with the situation. Yet for now he deferred to Jak. The other Fae also relaxed, following the example of their leader.
“Okay,” Jak began slowly. “We did find the scouts. They were frozen to death.”
Skellig closed her eyes as Jak confirmed the worst. Mutters ran through the crowd, but Vander remained unchanged in his expression. Did he not care?
Jak continued. “We don’t think they died under normal circumstances. They were still standing when they were frozen, as if they were in the process of traveling when it happened. We think something, like a freak storm or other threat caused them to die in extremely fast and harsh conditions, otherwise they would have fallen before they died.”
Viona spoke up from behind Jak. “I can confirm that they do not appear to have died from the cold alone. We should guard against the same thing happening here.”
Vander looked at Yewin and nodded slightly to himself. Well at least he took the advice of a Fae more seriously.
“Yet you don’t know what it was?” Skellig asked.
Jak shook her head. “No. Our best guess is some kind of storm that we’ve never encountered before, one that is small enough but deadly enough to cause what happened.”
Skellig’s face grew as cold and hard as the dead scouts. “This is merely more evidence that we must continue to fit as many as we can within the caverns.”
“We are already fitting as many as possible,” said Vander. “More in fact. The Sky Fae, gnomes, and dwarves are small. We fit more bodies with them inside.”
Skellig sighed and put one hand to her temple. She had probably argued this point a million times by now, and Jak could see her frustration. Vander was right in a way. They managed to fit more bodies his way. But it also meant the Fae got priority, and the humans weren’t allowed to rotate through as often. If a freak storm like the one that killed Bretton were to pass through, it would be mostly humans that suffered.
Jak swallowed, trying to rack her brain for solutions. “Right now, I think maybe we’re spending too much effort trying to deal with the resources we have, and not enough time searching for more. Perhaps if we sent more scouts, we’d not only have more room in the caves for those who remain, but we’d have a greater chance at finding someplace else to dwell.”
“We’ve already lost our scouts. We can’t risk any more while we still don’t understand what killed them.” said Skellig.
“Well, we’re all going to die if we stay here.” Jak said. It was a harsh truth, but truth nonetheless. They didn’t have supplies, and though the cave mushrooms were promising, they’d have to fill the entire cave with them to have even the smallest chance of making enough for all. And then there’d be no shelter and they wouldn’t survive long without that.
Skellig sighed once again. “You’re right, Jak. I suppose we can spare a few. We would cover much more ground, however, if the Fae agreed to help.” She shot a glance at Vander, whose jaw tightened.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to send a few more scouts,” he said, slowly. “Though they will need full rations and a place in the caves when they return. If they’re going to be doing the majority of the work they need a place to recover.”
“Fine,” said Skellig. Jak stared at the major in surprise that she had agreed so readily. “As long as we can continue to fill the caves with as many humans as will fit.”
Vander gave a begrudging nod, and stalked back into the caves. Jak narrowed her eyes at the Shadow Elf. They had made progress today, but she still didn’t like much of what she saw in Vander. For one, he hadn’t left the caves since they arrived. He wasn’t small like the gnomes or Sky Fae. He was human sized and therefore should have rotated out to make way for others to have a night in the caves. Did he really care about ensuring the Fae were well taken care of, or was he more concerned with his own comfort?
Skellig likewise returned to the main camp, barking orders for all the onlookers to disperse and return to their duties. And like Vander, she did not look happy. But at least Jak had managed to talk them out of fighting. That was something. But what would happen when they inevitably stopped listening to her. Without her brands she was just one among many. Another face in the crowd. And Skellig had just sent her away so she wouldn’t be there when she tried to undermine Vander. Could she even trust Skellig now?
And speaking of faces in the crowd, she scanned to try and find Seph. There was nothing she needed more right in that moment than to huddle up on his chest and feel his arms wrap around her.
Blessedly, as the crowd began to disperse, Jak quickly found Seph who had stayed behind. She almost ran into him, flinging her arms around his waist and clutching at his torso.
Seph chuckled at her eagerness, but held her tenderly for a moment before speaking. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Did you hear what happened?” she asked.
“Yes, I heard. And I’m sorry. I know you were friends with Bretton.”
Well, not exactly friends. But they had shared a connection, since it was Jak who saved Bretton as a child, through the use of the Pillars of Eternity sending her back in time. Jak nodded. “I wish I knew what was going to happen to us.”
“Things don’t look very good, do they?” Seph confirmed, though he didn’t sound worried. How did he do that? Even now, with tempers escalating, and people dying, he still managed to maintain his faith.
“I just wish I didn’t have to get pulled into every conflict,” Jak said. “If only they could work it out for themselves and I could just rest for a while.”
“Are they pulling you in?” he asked, his hand running passively through her hair. “Would your life be restful if you stood by and let them fight?”
Well that was one way to think about it. She supposed she didn’t have to become a part of anything now that she didn’t have her powers. In a way, with the loss of her brands also went a measure of responsibility. Or at least that’s what she had thought. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for the peaceful life because she wouldn’t find peace in the midst of conflict. The only way to have peace was to create it, and foster the same in others.
“I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “I guess it would have been harder on me not to step in.”
“So what are some more ways for you to ‘step in’?” he asked next.
She broke their embrace just enough to look up into his eyes. “Why?”
“Because I know you, and I know that you will be happiest when you’re doing something. Preferably something to help,” he winked at her.
Jak smiled. “You have me all figured out, don’t you?”
His smile widened. Relics, but he was cute. “Only now that we’re on the same level. Before we came here, I couldn’t have begun to understand the enormity of your vastness and…” he cut off as Jak punched him in the shoulder. Now he was teasing her. Great. That was something Naem might have said, and she admitted she kind of liked it. Teasing had been one of Naem’s more redeemable qualities. Most of the time.
The thought of Naem brought her emotions back down. Where was he now? Did he have any idea what was happening?
“So let
’s hear it,” Seph continued. “How else can you help people?”
She rested her head back on his chest to think, trying to push out her fears for Naem. “Well I suppose I could take some of the edge off of Skellig’s work by leading the scouts. I don’t think I would need my powers for that.”
“Not a bad idea. And what else?”
“Are you getting at something?”
“No, just brainstorming.”
Jak released her grip on him and took his hand in hers, beginning to walk back towards their camp. But on a sudden hunch, she changed direction to head back toward the caves.
“Thought of something?” asked Seph at her sudden shift.
“I want to see the caves again,” she said. “It might help me think.”
7
On her way to the caves, Jak frowned to see Shadow Elves materialize in front of the entrance. They were guarding the way in. But upon seeing her they parted to let her and Seph in. Probably on Vander’s orders. She was apparently the only human he held a soft spot for. And she would hope so. She had saved Vander’s life after all. But what would have happened had she been anyone else?
A wave of warm bliss washed over them as they entered. Jak had forgotten just how wonderful it felt to not be cold all the time. No wonder Vander didn’t want to leave.
The inside was filled with people, most of them Fae, but with a few humans near the front, packed next to each other like too many sheep in a small pen. The Fae had far more room than they should be taking. Jak wound her way through a small path that led through them. There were two large openings in the back, like two seperate passageways, though they ended abruptly if one followed either one for very long.
Jak noticed Vander talking to several of the Sky Fae and fellow elves along one passageway, so she went the other way. Vander wasn’t exactly in her good graces right now.
Seph followed her without speaking, their hands still connected with Jak leading the way. She scanned everyone who was on the ground. Maybe she needed a talk with Amelia. Those conversations always helped her see more clearly for some reason. The water-filled wagons were at the back, so she started in that direction first.
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