Chapter 71 – Icy Secret.

The wind was still raging when Ueana woke the following morning, the familiars still clustered close around them. Coorie had just moved herself off Ueana, and slipped out from the pile of blankets, her face rosier than normal, even given the cold temperature. Fleur was of course still snuggled close, and the fox cub proceeded to poke its head out of the blankets and give her face a lick as it looked it her with with its big cute eyes.

“I’ll feed you shortly,” she said quietly to it, the cub seeming to understand her.

“Sleep well?” she then asked of Coorie as she attempted to extract herself from Fleur and sit up a bit more. Sleeping in for longer would indeed be nice, but not with an audience and they really should resume their exploration of the mountain range sooner rather than later. While winds were a pain, it was better than snow and/or rain, and they’d already suffered through it for one day.

“It was warm enough,” Coorie replied, briefly looking at her and going even redder before she walked over to her familiar.

“You seemed quite content, talkative even,” Ueana said. “I’m not one to judge,” she then added as gently as she could.

Coorie turned and gave her a cold hard stare. “Don’t tell anyone about what happened last night.” Her expression then softened, and she looked down at the ground and sighed. “I should have refused to come along on this little jaunt. The whole delegation thing has been stressful enough as it is.”

Ueana gave her a curious look. “Are you ashamed? You could always pin it on external influences...”

“We make our own choices, irrespective, and I agreed. I just didn’t realise what effect being so close to you would actually have. Such relationships are tolerated, nay almost expected amongst Riders, given the way in which our magic works, even though only a small portion of us actually swing that way. Not to mention that many parts of our society still frown upon such pairings, especially amongst the noble families. You two are lucky.” Coorie sighed. “Our magic is both a blessing and a curse. Most relationships with riders are short lived, or purely plutonic or business in nature. We lose a part of what we are when our magic awakens, no longer able to get pregnant and have a child, unless of course you’re a lattice or an exception.”

Coorie walked back over to Ueana and sat down on the blankets. “For many riders it isn’t a concern at all, especially for the promiscuous ones, but for some it can spell the end of a family line. And if you’re from a noble family it causes additional complications. The expectations that they have of you don’t just disappear when you awaken, and the parents are always willing to believe that you’ll be an exception to the norm, given your ‘special bloodline’, or they just want to use you for connections and status. Which of course if a foolish notion in itself, given that you are a member of the clan first and foremost.”

Coorie looked at Ueana, her expression somewhat sad. “But what if that’s not who you are, who you’ve never been? Trying hard your entire life to do as your asked, even though it grated against what was actually you, convincing yourself that it was just a side effect of a childhood trauma and that you’d grow out of it. That you just weren’t interested in anyone, and that you could make it work as needed. Awakening was a godsend, except the expectations never went away, and reality came crashing back in.”

“Then the deep dragons came along. It wasn’t just their beauty, their entire existence does stuff to you, if you are that way inclined, while those who aren’t just end up jealous. The effect is powerful, and I doubt they even realise it. A side effect of them being touched by the Ancients perhaps?” Coorie shrugged. “But it’s there nether the less, and you share a small portion of that. You bear their mark.”

Coorie leaned in quickly, stealing a passionate kiss. Ueana blinked, very much surprised.

“No, I don’t apologise. You owe me there.” Coorie gently touched her fingers to her lips. “I can’t deny it any more, nor do I want to. But that is going to cause all sorts of issues upon our return. My dreams last night were of them, but of more than just my memories. I saw them naked, lying on one of the palace beds, surrounded by thick magic. You saw them again, didn’t you.”

Fleur started to stir, making rather cute grumbling noises as she detangled herself and attempted to sit up, rubbing her eyes.

“Yes...” Ueana said after a pause. There was no point is trying to deny it any longer. They were in this together now, and all things considered, they deserved to know.

Ueana proceeded to tell both Coorie and Fleur the full details of what had happened that evening, leaving nothing out. Fleur was already somewhat receptive, given that she hadn’t outright dismissed Callisto’s new ability last time it had been mentioned. She had also been involved in much of it of course, and she couldn’t see a reason not to now. Ueana still knew little about Coorie, but after what had just happened she did feel that she could trust her. That and she was beginning to understand her a little more. Fleur filled in the events after Ueana had fallen asleep, Ueana picking up again with her waking up and Callisto’s voice. Coorie’s eyes opened wide at that, even more so than when she’d told them what the Ancient had said, but she didn’t dismiss Ueana’s claim at all.

‘I think her familiar has picked up on it somewhat, and has given that impression back to her.’

Ueana smiled at that. Perhaps, in time, Callisto wouldn’t be the only familiar able to talk, though how it could happen for the others she had no clue. The circumstances surrounding her were somewhat unique, but that didn’t mean that the Ancient that had done it wouldn’t touch others as well.

“Kyril is known to be rather perceptive, even given her nature,” Coorie commented once Ueana had finished, “so I’m not surprised there.” She then looked up at Callisto. “I’m even more jealous than before.”

“Now you know, what will you do?” She was really hoping that Coorie wouldn’t decide to report everything that she’d learnt back to Lady Knight Asher, but that was not something she was going to try and enforce. She didn’t know explicitly where Coorie’s allegiances lay, but she was hoping that her assumption was correct. Not that Coorie had to answer truthfully, or at all really, but rather it would be a show of trust.

“Nothing.” Coorie looked at Ueana, her expression serious again. “As much as the senator would probably argue otherwise, what happened to you has nothing to do with the purpose of the delegation. But,” Coorie reached out and gave the fox cub a pat, “I doubt that the appearance of this little one is a coincidence either.”

“It certainly is strongly seeming that way,” Ueana confirmed. “That of course gives rise to its own questions. But we will find it’s home.”

Coorie stood and nodded. “We shall certainly try. For now, working on this, we are a team. I would quite like it, if after this is all over, if we could continue to be so.”

Fleur tilted her head to the side questioningly. “I have no problems with that, but isn’t that up to the lady knights to decide?”

“Somehow, I think in this case,” Ueana said as she rose, “it may well be our own decision.” Call it her intuition, but somehow she just knew that it would be that way. “I’d be happy for us to be a team as well.”

“Thanks.” Coorie blushed a little.

“If you’re willing, who exactly are your parents?”

Coorie looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m the eldest daughter of the Mecure family,” she then answered.

“As in Senator Mecure’s daughter? The one from the Alabaster Guild?”

“Yes.”

Ueana could help but smile amused. “That’ll be part of the reason Senator Carrot insisted on coming along. Couldn’t let one of his rivals get a leg up on him.”

Coorie nodded. “That, and he seems to have some interest in me. He’s a disgusting pervert.”

Which was probably also part of the reason that Asher had sent Coorie along with them. She wasn’t stupid.

With all of the talking they ended up leaving a bit later than they had intended, not that they were on a schedule in the first place. If anything, Coorie seemed a bit more confident in herself than she had previously, and definitely a bit more open. Granted she hadn’t had much of a reason to interact with them in the past, but even during the delegation trip up till now she had mostly kept to herself.

On the other side of the coin, every so often when Coorie was looking in Ueana’s direction she’d blush. Hopefully that didn’t last too long. She’d already told Fleur about the kiss, as she’d wanted to avoid any possible misunderstandings in the future. Fleur had glared at Coorie for a minute or so, before declaring that it didn’t really bother her, as Ueana was hers already, and that Coorie would have to prove herself if she wanted any hope of sharing, even if she was pretty. But she would still happily have her as a teammate. Ueana had sighed and shook her head.

‘Relationships are complicated it seems.’ Callisto was on point there. That they definitely were.

Once they had left it was back to struggling against the winds again. While they were still as strong as the previous day, they had been observing the lay of the mountains and learning, and they were able to maintain a better pace but working in with the landscape. Not that the Basat Line appeared to be willing to give up its secrets easily, the nature of the valleys unchanged. Both large and small, they were still frigid and desolate, hardy plant life infrequent and scattered, and no sign of any other life. They were alone in their exploration.

“Without any clear direction, or any direction really, we’re starting to run out of time,” Coorie stated as she stood beside her familiar in one of said valleys, half the day already gone.

“True,” Ueana agreed sadly. They’d been given a week, and if they were to make it back to Elmer’s Nest in time they’d have to start the return trip the following morning.

“Everything looks the same. Snow, more snow, and a smattering of ice.” Fleur had opted to stay on Lily’s back.

Ueana fished some of her rations out of one of the saddlebacks, feeding some of the dried meat to the cub who had poked its head out of the saddlebag that it was riding in. She hadn’t checked, but she suspected that it was full of fox hair now.

“We still have half a day ahead of us. Enough time to have a break through.” Even if she wished otherwise, the limit was a hard one. While they could arrive late with an appropriate excuse, their food would only last them for the week’s duration, and in this climate it was a necessity.

“Time’s a wasting then. Let’s find that breakthrough,” Fleur declared.

Ueana made to mount Callisto when a soft yap from the fox cub made her pause, instead she dropped down instead it.

“What’s up little one?” she asked, Coorie coming up beside her.

The fox cub looked at her with it’s cute eyes, gave another quiet yap, and then stared hard between them up the side of valley towards a gap between two mountains on the valleys southern side. They had been planning to go through the pass at the head of the valley and continue deeper still into the range, but where the pup was looking was almost perpendicular to that. The winds across it looked even more brutal than what they had been travelling through, and it also appeared that it was snowing up there as well, which for the day they had thus far managed to avoid.

“You want us to go that way?” Ueana asked.

The pup gave two quick yaps, and continued to stare in that direction.

Ueana looked at the others. “It’s the first hint that we’ve managed to get? Shall we?” Coorie and Fleur both nodded in response.

The fox cub buried itself back in the saddleback as Ueana clambered back onto Callisto, the familiars then launching themselves into the air and towards the southern edge of the valley. Ueana closed her eyes, offering a silent prayer to the Ancients in the hope that this wasn’t a false lead.

The wind was even stronger than she’d guessed, Callisto being roughly thrown to the side as they reached the pass, her familiar managing to adjust and recover only inches away from the icy walls. Flying as low as they could manage, Ueana took the lead as they slowly made their way between the mountains, the snow the thickest it had ever been, visibility only a couple of dragons ahead of her. It almost seemed as if here the range was trying even harder to keep them out, and that was good sign. Time crawled past slowly, Ueana having to constantly push snow away from in front of her least she get buried in it on Callisto’s back, the pass going on for a lot longer than she though it should have.

Then suddenly they broke through the wind and snow, the air still and quiet as they found themselves flying into a large valley. Above she could see both the wind still raging and snow falling, but here in the valley there was neither.

“What the...” Fleur pulled up alongside Ueana as they looked out around them, her expression mirroring Ueana’s own feelings, both fear and awe in her eyes. Ueana was having a hard time believing what she was seeing, and it was giving her the chills.

Stretching right across the valley and up its sides was the remains of a city. But not a city of the Empire or Avaraline, but rather one that mirrored the time before The Shattering. At least that was her guess. She’d seen a few ruins, enough to give her a rough idea of what she’d be looking for, and they certainly looked like those, but much more complete. Less ruined. The complication however was that everything was encased in ice, a thick sheet running right across the buildings on the valley floor, those on the walls in smaller localized pockets.

‘There’s an air of something here,’ Callisto commented. ‘Something that isn’t right.’

Looking over it, Ueana couldn’t agree more. The entire place felt off. She was certain that this wasn’t where the fox cub was from, it just didn’t feel right, but on the other hand they still needed to check. It’s not everyday that you came across a place like this.

‘We’ll land anyway, and have a look. Stay on alert though. If something is alive in these godforsaken mountains, it would be here.’ Well, it wouldn’t surprise her at least.

Callisto landed on the ice on the side of valley near where they entered, the others settling down behind him. Through the ice below them she could see a merging of paved streets, houses lined up on either side and strange looking vehicles lined up regularly along both sides and in an irregular pattern in two rows in the middle of it, at all sorts of weird angles. Small trees stood at regular intervals between the road and the houses, each of which seemed to have plenty of space between them, with a variety of things that she had no clue about in that space. The ice was both surprisingly clear while at the same time masking some features and making them blurry.

“A perfectly preserved city?” Coorie question as she knelt down, peering through the ice. It was surreal.

“Looks that way,” Fleur agreed.

“If it’s all just encased in ice, then there isn’t much to see here, and we certainly aren’t going to try and dig through it,” Ueana said as she wandered around the familiars. It was also even colder than it had gotten over the night. Made sense though with the sheer volume of ice present.

“What about over there?” Coorie asked, pointing towards the buildings on the side of the valley. Looking at where she was pointing, Ueana could just manage to make out a break in the ice, a passage going between two of the buildings.

“An open invitation it seems. Let’s go have a look.”

The trio made their way across the ice, their pace slowing down to a careful walk once they discovered that some sections of it were deceptively slippery. The slope proved even less friendly, forcing Ueana and Coorie to resort to carving small footholds with their weapons in order to climb up to it. Fleur’s greatsword wasn’t really suited to the task, and while it had a comparable side, Coorie’s seemed to be able to do well enough with her war-axe. As if to query why they hadn’t just flown straight over, which Callisto in fact did, Ueana shrugging it off, the familiars flew over, landing at the bottom of the slope as they reached the top of it.

The crack was large enough for the girls to fit through comfortably, open at the top till it reached the wall of the valley, though looking into it, it appeared to go into the wall itself. Scurrying back down to Callisto, she grabbed the mana lamp again, and then made her way back up.

“Any idea what these buildings might have been for?” Fleur asked. They were multiple stories high, sharp edges with numerous windows at every level and signs on them that none of them could read. The crack started at the fourth level.

“Guild offices?” Ueana ventured. They certainly had that feel.

Pushing some of her magic into the lamp, Ueana made her way into the crack, treading carefully as the others followed closely behind. The buildings loomed up on either side, coating the alleyway in shadow as the icy surface started to become rough and slope down, curving around one of the buildings once they had passed it and then straight into another one that seemed to be embedded into the rock of the wall itself behind it. A thick and oppressive darkness filled the room, the light of the lamp reflecting off the icy walls as much as it permeated into them. She could feel some residual magic laying here, but not from a leyline. It was something else, something that was completely unfamiliar to her.

While the tunnel seemed to keep on going deeper, Ueana walked slowly, peering through the ice, trying to make out as much as she could. The lamp light was barely sufficing, most things appearing as shadows, though she was certain that she could make out some chairs and tables, as well as numerous objects that were just shapes to her.

And a pair of glowing reddish purple eyes.

Ueana jumped back in fright, giving out a small squeal and almost dropping the mana lamp, Fleur catching her as her heart beat fast in her chest, reassuring hands on her shoulders.

“What happened?” Coorie asked, alert as she looked around the tunnel.

“There’s something in the ice. Something alive?” Those eyes weren’t pleasant in any way, but they hadn’t been the eyes of the dead.

“Where?” Coorie summoned her weapon.

“How are you going to fight with that in here?” Fleur queried as Ueana recomposed herself. There was nothing to fear here. Whatever was present, was encased in the ice, and probably had been for a very long time. Nothing could survive like that. Yet, those eyes were not natural, and not of those long gone.

Ueana pointed at the direction she had been observing as she walked forward again, lifting up the lamp and focusing the light of the lamp there. Standing beside one of the tables, encased in the ice, was a humanoid figure. Poised as if it was about to lurch in their direction, arms and hands outstretched as if to grab unsuspecting prey. It’s clothes and shape marked it as a male, the style completely unfamiliar to her. It’s face was weathered and wrinkled, aged beyond recognition, a pair of reddish purple eyes glaring at them, reflecting the glow of the lamp. Eyes drowning in hate and vengeance, and a thirst for blood. Ueana quickly brought the lamp down and away from the figure, their glowing eyes still visible.

“That’s beyond creepy,” Fleur said with a shudder. “What even is it?”

“It looks like it was a person once...” Ueana said carefully, keeping half an eye on it as she slowly moved down the tunnel. That particular assumption carried with it unwanted repercussions.

“There’s another here,” Coorie called out from just ahead of her. Ueana illuminated the area that she was indicating, another figure indeed visible. A younger and smaller one by the looks of it, but still with the same eyes. Unnerving and unsettling. Sweeping the light along the passage she spotted another one, then another, and then dozens more, their eyes like evil gems sparkling in the ice.

“I think we’re done here,” Ueana declared, turning and starting to make her way back out. “What we’re looking for isn’t here.”

“Why did we not see any earlier?” Fleur asked, scurrying behind her as Coorie brought up the rear. “Surely this isn’t the only place that they are?”

“Perhaps they just like the dark, or perhaps we just didn’t know what we were looking at?” offered Coorie.

It didn’t take them long to walk back out of the tunnel and crack in the ice, sliding carefully down the icy slope to their familiars, Ueana not caring to walk back down the footholds that they had made. She quickly closed the distance to her familiar, giving him a hug before she checked on the fox cub, who looked at her with concerned eyes as it popped its head out of the saddlebag.

“They are indeed everywhere,” Coorie stated as she climbed aboard her familiar.

Looking through the ice underneath her, Ueana could see them too, now that they knew what they were looking for. Many of them blended in with the features of the town, or were just blurred by the nature of the ice, none of their eyes looking up at them, but they were there.

“If any place is cursed, it has to be here,” Fleur stated as she mounted Lily, her familiar giving a soft hiss and stretching her wings.

On that Ueana totally agreed.

“This wasn’t the place that you had in mind, was it?” Ueana asked of the fox cub. It looked up at her, blinking, the concern still present, before it gave a single soft yap, and disappeared back into the warmth of her saddleback.

‘If we continue to follow the direction that the cub gave us, it’ll take us through that pass above the highest point of the valley.’

Ueana looked to where Callisto was indicating, the wind and snow leaking into the valley at that point. If anything, the weather there looked worse than what they had travelled through to get here, but that in itself was still a good sign, and right now she’d take anything over staying here.

“Back into the fury of winter then?” Coorie asked, following her line of sight.

“Looks like it,” Ueana stated, the ice under Callisto cracking as he launched himself into the air.

Another good reason to leave the valley as soon as possible.

mogust

Perhaps some secrets are indeed meant to stay that way. But once found, are they a secret any longer?

And yeah, relationships can indeed be complicated. Where exactly will that go for them...

Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome.

I know I said last time that the arc would be 10 chapters long, but it is looking like 11 now, with the tenth complete but more to write. It's clocking in at 41k words now, and given that I originally thought it would sit at 15-20k max, it really has grown, but so has my like of the characters. Ueana is definitely a main (side) character now, her story important to the overall plot. The effect that running into the deep dragons has had on her ^^

The next chapter (72 - Fox Redux) will be out in the next few days.