Finding Contentus

Chapter 103: DemonIsh

The Ice Queen froze everything in her path as she walked for one day straight without stopping to rest until she reached the East coast of Petora. It was rare to see the Indian ocean since the Petorians didn't build any settlements near the coast so that they could stay grouped together in the centre.

She stopped for a moment when she saw the waves brushing up to her legs. She didn't feel a thing, but she could see her legs getting wet by the warm water. The sand on the beach was white and the sea had a green-blue colour, just like Kaili's eyes.

The Ice Queen stood there, gazing up at the sky, smelling the salty air, like nothing mattered anymore, why was she even walking?

Minaleese was willing her on from within, somewhere, deep down, for what? For who? After a day of being released, the Ice Queen was starting to... not hate, since she couldn't hate or emote for that matter. She did however experience a sense of incredulous perplexity at Minaleese's dire battle.

The barren woman kept fighting for something. The Ice Queen didn't understand how a woman could possess such strong emotions for things that were destined to die in the end eventually, like withering flowers.

Do ice blocks shed tears when they melt? Do flowers mourn when other flowers die? Do leaves cry when their leaves fall off in Autumn? The Ice Queen wondered. She herself wasa force of elemental nature after all, no different than a blizzard.

Human emotions made no sense to the Ice Queen. She continued to stare into the sky, like she was cracking it open to peer into the blackness of space. That's what she understood. Eternal ice. There was magnificence in it.

Her amber eyes glossed over the golden sun. It was a hot day in Petora. She could see the heatwaves, shimmering like an open oven.

In fact, it was too hot, too uncomfortable, too bothersome. She was... melting. Sweating from the heat and glistening in it. She needed the water to keep her cold. She needed the water to keep Minaleese buried in the snow. She needed the water to kill her once and for all. She needed—

"Minaleese!" Ashlyn called out, wearing a red dress that was covered in ash. "Thank fook we reached you in time. What..."

Ashlyn's eyes went to Minaleese's white-blonde hair and dull stare. She shook her head quickly. No time. Renero mentioned this before. I've got to keep her warm.

Ashlyn crafted some fire. One hand was normal, the other was skeletal, having lost her arm and ear on the eve of Ishthrylla's day of birth.

Connor caught up with them. One of his legs was skeletal and he had a pirate esc eye patch over his missing eye. He crafted some fire too.

"Did he say that this was the meeting point?" Connor asked Ashlyn who shook her head.

"No, she was supposed to go back to the farm but... Conn, I don't feel her at all. I just feel... cold... and empty..." Ashlyn said in a defeated voice.

The Ice Queen said something in Icis. It sounded like freezing rain.

Connor froze for a moment and began shivering. "That— is terrifying as all hell if it was frozen instead of blazin'. We need to move her. Now!"

The both of them tried to touch Minaleese but the Ice Queen didn't move one bit. She found no need to. She was overcome by one desire. Freezing the sea and walking to the ends of the earth.

"Ash... this is bad. Minaleese! Oi! Can you hear us!" Connor tried to shake her, but he instantly stepped back, experiencing frostbite.

"Conn! Don't touch her! Let's just keep warming her up until the others come, they should be here soon," Ashlyn said, keeping her distance from Minaleese. The Ice Queen crunched some ice.