Tower of Thorns Tower of Fangs Volume 4 chapter 2

 

Volume IV  The White King

ARC I  THE LAND OF ETERNAL WINTER

Chapter 2  The Snow That Watches

Snow fell without wind. That was the first thing Gret noticed. The Tall blond warrior looked skyward. The flakes drifted downward in perfect silence. No gusts. No storms. No movement. Only endless white descending from a gray sky. The sight unsettled him. Snow was supposed to dance. To twist and swirl. To fight the world as it fell. This snow simply descended. Quietly. Patiently. As though it had all the time in the world. The group traveled north through a valley of frozen pines. Ancient trees towered above them. Their branches hung heavy beneath layers of silver frost. Every surface glittered beneath pale daylight. The beauty of it felt unnatural. Too perfect. Too still. Toivo guided his marble horse beside Gret. Their mounts left no footprints. Moon's magic erased them moments after they appeared. 

The blond young warrior glanced around uneasily. His blue eyes scanning the surrounding. Snow everywhere.

"I don't like this place."

The older heavily muscular and bearded warrior Gret nodded.

"Good."

That surprised him.

Toivo frowned.

"Good?"

"A man should trust his instincts."

The giant Northman rested his greataxe upon one shoulder.

"If a place feels wrong, there's usually a reason."

Toivo looked toward the endless forest. The silence bothered him. No birds. No animals. No sounds except the occasional crunch of snow beneath their horses. Even the air felt empty. As though the entire world held its breath. Above them floated Moon's palanquin. The palanquin glided through the air, pulled by small winged fairies made of pure light, their delicate hands guiding shimmering strands of magical silk The celestial god sat quietly behind silver curtains. Child form. Long black hair draped across white cushions. Jet-black eyes lowered toward a book resting in his lap. He appeared calm. But Toivo had begun noticing things. Small things. Tiny details. Moon turned pages more slowly. Looked toward the horizon more often. Spent longer staring into nothing. The White King's territory affected him. That much was obvious. Kev noticed too. The black cat sat upon the roof of the palanquin. Red eyes scanning the trees. Tail flicking irritably. Then suddenly the cat froze. Every hair upon his body stood up. Kev's ears flattened. A low growl escaped him.

Toivo immediately noticed.

"What is it?"

Kev didn't answer. The cat continued staring toward the forest. Moon slowly lifted his eyes. For several moments nobody spoke. Then something moved. A shape. White. Small. Standing between distant trees. Toivo blinked. The figure vanished. Gone instantly.

The young warrior sat upright.

"You saw that?"

Gret nodded. Slowly.

"I did."

The giant warrior's expression darkened.

"What was it?"

Neither answered. Because none of them knew. The group continued onward. Hours passed. The snow deepened. The sky grew darker. Then Toivo saw another one.This time much closer. Standing behind a frozen tree. A child. At least it looked like a child. Entirely white. Hair. Skin. Eyes. Everything. The figure stared directly at him. Unmoving. Expressionless. Toivo reached for Frostfang. The instant his fingers touched the axe the child vanished. Dissolved into snow. Nothing remained. His stomach tightened. That was not an illusion.He knew it.Gret knew it too. Because the giant Northman had seen it. Neither mentioned it. Not yet. As evening approached, more figures appeared. One became three. Three became five. Five became dozens. White silhouettes watching from distant hills. Standing between trees.Peering from frozen rivers. Motionless. Silent. Always observing. Never approaching.

Toivo finally had enough.

"What are they?"

Moon closed his book.

The small winged fairies made of light surrounding the palanquin dimmed slightly. The celestial god looked toward the nearest figure. A pale woman standing atop a snow-covered ridge. White hair drifting gently behind her. Silver eyes fixed upon them. Then she too dissolved into snow. Moon remained silent for a long moment. Finally he spoke.

"Snow spirits."

The answer surprised everyone.

Even Gret.

The giant warrior frowned.

"I thought they were myths."

"They are."

Moon's gaze remained distant.

"So are most things here."

Toivo looked back toward the ridge. Nothing remained. Only snow.

"What do they want?"

Moon's expression softened slightly.

"They're curious."

That answer somehow felt worse.

"Curious about what?"

Moon looked directly at him. For a moment his black eyes shimmered silver.

"Me."

Silence followed. The snow continued falling. Softly. Endlessly. Then something strange happened. One of the tiny moon fairies drifted away from the palanquin. The creature flew toward a nearby tree. Toward another white figure. A small girl. The snow spirit tilted her head curiously. The fairy hovered before her. Glowing softly. The spirit reached out. Touched the fairy's wing. For an instant she smiled. A tiny smile. Beautiful. Sad. Ancient. Then she vanished. The fairy returned immediately.

Toivo stared.

"What was that?"

Moon watched the spot where the spirit had disappeared.

"They remember."

"What?"

Moon looked toward the endless northern horizon.

Toward the lands waiting beyond. Toward the kingdom of eternal frost.

"The world before winter."

The answer lingered heavily in the air. Nobody asked further. Because for the first time since entering Everfrostn Moon sounded lonely. Night eventually fell. The group made camp beneath towering pines. A fire burned. Gret sharpened his axe. Toivo prepared food. Kev remained in cat form beside the flames. Yet all three noticed the same thing. The snow spirits had returned. Dozens of them. Standing beyond the firelight. Watching. Never moving closer. Never speaking. Only observing. Like ghosts. Or memories. Moon sat quietly near the flames. His long black hair reflected silver firelight. Tiny moon fairies drifted around him. One eventually landed upon his shoulder. The celestial god reached up gently. The fairy settled against his fingers. For a moment Moon looked toward the spirits. Toward the pale figures hidden among the trees. Toward the watchers in the snow. And for the briefest instant they bowed. Every single one.

Hundreds of silent spirits lowering their heads. Not from fear. Not from obedience. From recognition. Then the snowfall thickened. The spirits vanished. And only darkness remained. Far away, somewhere beyond the frozen forests of Everfrost something ancient stirred within a palace of ice.And the snow remembered its king.