As they separated, Asha felt trepidation and fear. She climbed atop the mammoth easily enough, but its slow, steady pace was difficult for her to bear. She soon understood why it walked in such a deliberate manner, though. As she left the Neutral Lands and ventured into Wynter she found the ice was thick in many places and the snow was heavy, obscuring the paths and hiding ice from view. She shivered deeply as she cuddled deeper into the furs Shard had given her. She had never seen snow or ice, only heard about it in books, but she felt its raw power here and was in awe of it, even as she struggled to preserve her body heat.
She used fire magic to cleave through huge ice blocks that had troubled Shard’s party on the way down, but the way forward was still slow and dangerous. Asha thought she might never feel warm again, but she clung to the memory of Shard to keep her warm. She wondered how Shard was doing in Pyria, with volcanoes all around and searing heat in the air. It was madness to have swapped, but they were desperate. If they couldn’t make this work, then their people would die. Everything that they had spent their lives doing would have been for nothing, and the magic, the power that flowed through their veins would dwindle and die, for who would care about magical training when the world was reduced to a few stragglers?
The mammoth slipped, pulling Asha from her reverie. She was thrown from her saddle and started to fall. She grabbed onto the creature’s hair and looked down off the sheer side off a cliff. The mammoth regained its balance and Asha climbed, her heart pounding. Death had been so close. She imagined Shard returning to the Neutral Lands in a year, waiting for Asha who would never come, her people dead because Asha had never made it to Wynter City.
She gripped the reins tightly, “I will make it,” she told herself, “I will.”
* * *
Shard was sweltering as the salamander took her into Pyria. The beast was fast, and Shard had to cling to the reins just to stay on. Finally she steadied herself enough to look up at the scenery, and she saw a great volcano on the horizon, lava spewing from its top. She looked around and saw another one, and another. She had never even seen a volcano, but she knew this level of activity had to be abnormal, just as Wynter’s never-ending snowstorm was unusual.
She drank through the skin of water Asha had given her far faster than she should have, she realized, as she thirsted for water and had none. She created ice blocks and melted them, but the magic drained her and she felt exhausted. Still, it was better than thirst, which would surely mean death out in the barren, rocky wastes of Pyria. She wondered how Asha had survived on so little water. Had she trained herself to need so little? How would she fare in the icy tundra of Wynter, where she wasn’t prepared for the trials ahead? These questions ate at Shard and she wondered if she had made a mistake, had sent the woman she loved to die. Perhaps they should have gone back to Wynter together – but she knew Pyria wouldn’t wait another year, and that Asha would never abandon her people. No, this had been the only option, and they had both agreed to it. She could only hope that they would both survive to see each other again.
* * *
It was a week before Asha saw the great city rising up before her, and she did so with relief. The cold had eaten into her bones, and every time she had fallen asleep she had been afraid she would not wake again. She had summoned fires with her magic, but they would not stay lit in the cold snow. Only the caves she had found along the way had saved her from death. There she found a semblance of warmth and ate some of her dried rations, hoping that she would make it through the next day. It had been hard to leave the caves and go out into the cold again, but she knew she would starve if she didn’t hurry, so she pressed on.
Making her way into the city, her heart sank as she saw all the buildings were abandoned and in a state of disrepair. Snow had built up on them and the crumbling city wall until it was almost impossible to imagine how they might have been before the snow had buried them.
Feeling hopeless, she was about to set up a camp to decide what to do when she saw a freshly dug trail. She directed the mammoth to it and dismounted. It led to an opening that had looked like it had once been a fountain in the city but now had steps leading down. She tied the mammoth to a pole and headed down into the shadows.
The gloom was impenetrable at first after a week of bright snow, but her eyes eventually adjusted as she made her way into the tunnels. They looked like they might once have been city dungeons, but now the doors to the cells were open and families were living in them, wrapped in blankets and looking pale and thin. She wondered if she should stop and make a fire but then decided she should speak to whoever was in charge in Shard’s absence. She carried on through the tunnels until she heard an argument going on in a room ahead. Moving up to the door she listened in.
“There’s no way we can go on!” one man said, “We’re starving! Even if we don’t freeze to death down here, there’s nothing to hunt! The animals have died and we have no way of growing anything.”
“Shard will know what to do,” another man said, “She’ll return soon, and we’ll talk to her. Maybe she’ll have some idea of what to do.”
“I don’t even know why she went to that stupid treaty signing,” a woman said, “No invading army could get through that wall of ice and snow. She may have been killed trying to get there, and for what?”
Asha opened the door and stepped in. She had heard enough, “Shard went to get help,” she said, throwing her hood back, “I’m Asha, High Mage of Pyria, and I’m here to save your people.”
* * *
When Shard saw the city of Pyria for the first time, she was awed at its size. Then she looked closer, and saw the devastation. Parts of the city were burned, and lava had dried to rock, leaving a scar across the city. Ash was thick in the air, and it made Shard cough and her eyes water. She could see the looming volcano above the city, threatening death upon its inhabitants.
Going down into the city Shard saw chaos. Looters were taking from burned buildings, while others ran around crying “The end is nigh!”. Homeless families shuffled around looking for a place to sleep, and Shard saw many burn victims, faces, arms and bodies twisted beyond recognition by the lava. Those were the lucky ones, she presumed, the ones who hadn’t been completely swallowed by the lava stream.
On the hillside, she saw a huge building which she supposed probably contained what remained of Pyria’s government, and she decided to start there. She climbed the steps to the building, and saw refugees everywhere, some even sleeping on the steps.
Inside the building things were just as chaotic. She saw a man giving orders, and waited before he was done before she stopped him.
“Asha,” he asked, “Asha, oh, thank the gods you’ve returned!”
Shard threw back Asha’s hood to reveal her white hair and blue eyes. The man’s expression froze, “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Shard, High Mage of Wynter,” she said, “I came to help in place of Asha, who has gone to help my people. I bring with me the power of ice. Perhaps I can stop these volcanoes.”
The man’s expression softened, melted into one of relief, “So that’s why Asha insisted on going to the treaty meeting,” he said, “I’m Blaze, her advisor. Why didn’t she tell me about this?”
“She didn’t know if I would agree, I suppose,” Shard said, “So, what can I do to help?”
“The volcano is getting ready to erupt again,” Blaze said, “This could be the big one. This city can’t take much more, Shard. If we can’t stop this eruption, everybody in the city will either die or be forced out into the Wastes, where they will die from lack of water.”
“There is another option,” Shard said, “If we can’t save the city, we can cross the Wastes to the Neutral Lands and live there. Many will not want to go and many who go will die, but it is another choice should I fail.”
“The Neutral Lands?” Blaze sighed, “I have heard they are a balance between the two worlds of ice and fire… but that they are shrinking. That once, the whole world used to
be like that, before the wars…”
“So they say,” Shard said, “The Neutral Lands are big enough to sustain a city. From there we could work on stabilizing the extreme climates of this world and undoing the damage… if it is even possible.”
“We need to stop the volcano,” Blaze said, “I don’t want to leave my home, and neither do my people. Please help us.”
“I will do my best,” Shard said. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and Shard had to grab onto the wall to keep from falling. Her eyes opened wide as the whole world seemed to move. Blaze fell, but Shard couldn’t reach him.
It seemed like forever, but when the quake subsided Shard helped Blaze to his feet.
“Was that an earthquake?” Shard asked.
“Yeah,” Blaze said, “The plates of the earth meet here and when too much pressure builds up, it shakes the earth as the energy is released. It may have affected the volcano as well… we have to hurry!”
They raced outside and looked up just as the volcano exploded. Ash and lava spewed into the air.
“It’s happening!” Blaze said, “We’re too late!”
“No!” Shard said, “I promised Asha I would help her people. Blaze, evacuate the city residents while I hold it off!”
“That’s too much for one mage!” Blaze said, “There’s no way…”
“I can buy you time,” Shard said, “Now go, save the people! If you see Asha again, tell her… that I love her.”
Blaze’s eyes widened but he said nothing, only hurried away. Shard saw him talking to a group of refugees and then they hurried and talked to others… the evacuation was beginning. Now she had to buy some time.
The city led right to the base of the mountain and she stood at the bottom, seeing the lava rolling down towards the city. She concentrated and cast ice towards it, freezing the tide, turning it into solid rock as it cooled rapidly. However, the tide was stronger, hotter than ice could stop and she was only slowing it as more lava spewed from the volcano. She created an ice barrier at the base of the mountain to protect the city, but it took all her power to hold it. Still, she could buy them enough time to get people out. Many hurried past her, some stood and watched in awe.
“Go! Save yourselves!” she cried, and they would hurry away. Soon, the city started to fall silent. People were no longer milling around her. The streets were finally emptying out, and she was relieved, as the barrier was cracking and she could hold it no longer. Still, she had to buy as much time as possible… and so she held the barrier with the last of her strength.
“Asha,” she whispered, “I love you so much…”
The barrier heaved and broke, lava pouring into the streets. Shard ran, but she was exhausted. New energy rushed through her as desperation filled her veins and she carried on, the streets behind her melting as the lava poured into them like water filling up a crack in the road. With a last burst she made it to the steps that led up out of the city and rushed up them as the city melted into the earth.
A long line of refugees led away from the city, but Shard knew it was not all of them. She looked sadly behind her, knowing so many had been left behind. A few thousand stragglers were all that was left of Pyria’s society and culture.
Blaze came running back to her, “Shard, you made it…” He sounded exhausted, but Shard knew he was happy to see her.
Shard didn’t speak, just looked down at the ground, to the burnt robes that blew around her feet.
“You gave us another option instead of waiting to die,” Blaze said, “You helped many people escape by holding the lava back. “I know Asha will be grateful.”
Shard looked as though she wanted to speak, but then turned away and joined the long line of refugees, leaving Blaze standing in the dust.
* * *
Asha wished it had been as simple as she had made it out to be, but saving the people of Wynter was a task beyond her abilities. She could keep them warm with her fire magic and she could melt the snow, but the creatures they hunted did not return, and starvation took many of the people of Wynter, while the storm showed no signs of abating.
“We have to leave this place,” Asha said at the meeting, “If we stay here with no food, we’ll die. Many will die on the journey, but if we can make it to the Neutral Lands, the rest of us will be safe. We can start again there, build a city. If we stay here, waiting for the storm to subside, we’re finished.”
“We won’t leave,” Shard’s advisor, Icicle, said. She was a hard woman, stubborn and determined, and Asha found her hard to deal with, but the other members of the Wynter Council, Snow, Frost and Sleet, were a lot more agreeable.
“The fire mage is right,” Snow said, “If we stay here, we’ll die. Aren’t you sick of being hungry?”
“I’m not hungry enough that I’ll give our kingdom over to the fire mages,” Icicle said, “Going to the Neutral Lands means giving up Wynter, our unique culture and everything we know to live in a hot, damp land. Are you willing to do that?”
“We have no choice,” Sleet said, “If we die, Wynter is doomed as well. We’ve waited for the snow season to pass but it has only worsened. This is our best chance to get out, now we have Asha here to help us on the journey. Shard sent Asha to help us, can’t you see that? This is what she wants us to do.”
“Shard’s not here,” Icicle said, “If Shard wanted us to leave, she should have come back here and told us herself. For all we know this could be a trap, designed to lead us into an ambush by fire mages in the Neutral Lands. Asha could have killed Shard and we’d be none the wiser!”
“I would never hurt Shard! I love her!” Asha blurted her feelings out in rage and blushed fiercely. She looked down at the floor as she felt all eyes on her, then determination rose up in her. Why should she feel ashamed? She loved Shard, and had come to save the people of Wynter at risk to her own life, so she could return to the one she loved.
“I am going,” she said quietly, “The Neutral Lands are my destination. Anybody who wishes to come with me is welcome, and I will guide them through Wynter’s snow with my fire magic. Anybody who wants to stay, can stay and die here. I’m hungry too, and I didn’t come here to die with you, I came here to save you.”
She went out into the tunnels and announced her intentions, and before long, everybody around her was packing for the journey. Everybody except Icicle, who stood in the doorway to the makeshift council chamber, looking grim. She still looked that way as Asha led the refugees out into the snow.
They were just upon the outskirts of the city when a hunter blew his horn and called out, “Wait!” The column halted and turned to see Icicle hurrying through the snow as fast as she could. She caught up with them and made her way to the front, aware of all eyes upon her.
“Keep going,” Icicle said, “I just figured I’d better come along to make sure you don’t harm my people, that’s all,” she said.
It was hard going, but Asha’s fire magic made the path easier. There were times when they had to move single-file across thin ice bridges, but few died from accidents. It was hunger and cold that picked off the refugees, and Asha was sad to see them falling in the snow, their final steps taken.
“This is a march to our doom!” Icicle said one night, as they rested in a large cave, “We’re all going to die!”
“No, we’re not,” Asha said. “We’ve lost some, but those people would have died back at Wynter City in time. This is our only chance, Icicle. We have to take it!”
“What then?” Icicle started to cry, “I can’t start again, I’m too old… and the love of my life is dead. I don’t want to live in warmth, hundreds of miles away from the land of my memories. Amongst the snow and the ruined houses… I used to remember how we used to be, me and her, when we were young… When Wynter was tolerable to live in and we had a magnificent city in the midst of all that snow and ice.”
“Her… Your love was…” Asha realized.
“Shard’s mother, Crystal,” Icicle confirmed, “I hated her going t
o the treaty signing every year. I was always scared she wouldn’t come back. She did though, every time. She even had a child, said she needed to keep Wynter strong. I was jealous, of course, but also happy. Shard is like a daughter to me. When her mother died, it was her who kept me strong. Now… Wynter is gone, and to abandon it…”
“Shard and I talked about going to the Neutral Lands,” Asha said, “I know that she agreed it would be a good idea if nothing else could be done… and it can’t. Do you think Crystal would want you to die alone in Wynter, holding onto a lost land?”
“I know,” Icicle said, “It’s not easy to change what I’ve known all my life, though.”
“It’s not easy for any of us,” Asha said, “I hate the cold. I thought I would die when I came to Wynter. I thought I had been a fool for choosing to swap places, that I had done it out of some desire to impress Shard. Perhaps I did, but I still wanted to follow through and do my best to save you all. Shard was in pain for her people and I for mine. It made sense to do this. I worry for her, though… Pyria is in danger from volcanoes and earthquakes. I hope she can stand the heat…”
“Have faith,” Icicle said, “We’ll get to the Neutral Lands soon. Then you can go to Pyria and help Shard, send her back to us.”
“Perhaps the storm will end eventually and you’ll be able to go home,” Asha said, “Don’t give up hope.”
“I won’t,” Icicle said, and she settled down to sleep.
* * *
The last few days were easier for Asha and her people as they reached the edge of the Neutral Lands and the temperatures rose. The people of Wynter seemed to feel it too, as the visibly relaxed. The first signs of wildlife appeared and the hunters swung into motion. Asha ate heartily with the others as they celebrated their first hunt in a long time, a huge bear that the hunters had killed and dragged back to the camp.