A Call to Fate

Chapter 8 - Ice

"What the hell was that?" Alf asked. His tone made it sound more like he was complaining, even though this was a success.
"I didn't bring war." Reg replied. Smug was an emotion he wore well. Gialli picked up the thread the fastest, with the answer now staring them in the face.
"Weapons..." he muttered "we kept taking in our weapons."
"Exactly" Reg drawled. "Can't be all-peaceful if you're carrying a sword, can you now?"

They looked over to the altar at the front of the room, where they could now see as well that the bowl with the carving of Baldur in it was now glowing, as if light had pooled in it of its own accord. They stared at it for a moment, letting it inspire them.
"Well I hope now that we've cracked the first one the rest will fall into place" said Teclis, striding to the adjacent door. He grabbed the handle. "I'm sure this one will take half the time" he declared, pulling it open.

Immediately, the temperature in the whole chamber plummeted, dropping tens of degrees in only a couple of seconds as an icy gale blasted out of the door. Teclis, who had been stood directly in front of it was almost blown off his feet. He threw both of his hands in front of his face to shield his eyes from the winds buffeting him.
"Bloody close it!" shouted Reg, barely audible.
"I'm trying!" Teclis shouted back. He pushed towards the door, each step an effort requiring his full body. The door had been blasted fully open, pinned against the wall at the full extent of the hinge. Straining, he grabbed the handle on what had been the inside of the door, and began to pull. As soon as he put his fingers to the cold metal though, he felt them freeze against it. However he was going to get his hands off, he'd be leaving skin behind. Pulling with his whole body, the door moved inch by painful inch. He could barely keep his eyes open, and his body had been chilled to the bone in a matter of seconds.

As he continued to strain, he felt the burden suddenly lighten, and the door swing closed more easily. Squinting, he could make out the hulking shape of Talani, pulling on the wooden part of the door and looking much less bothered.
"Take your hands off the handle." Talani instructed.
"I would if I could," Teclis replied in a near-panic, "but they're frozen on!"
"I know. But we can't shut the door with you on that side."

Teclis went to make another complaint, but thought better of it. Talani was right. If he didn't let go then there was no way of getting the door shut, and he would surely freeze. But taking his hands off would equally surely tear the skin from his palms and finger. Teclis didn't consider himself a coward, but there was a difference between facing possible danger and doing what you knew would cause agony.

"How can I?" Teclis whimpered. He was in tears for a number of reasons, but they were freezing on his face before they could roll down. "I can barely move my fingers at all."
"Like this" Talani replied. Teclis barely had time to register what was happening before it happened. Talani had wedged the door against his foot to stop it blowing open, and taken each of Teclis' forearms in his hands.
"No, wait!" Teclis shouted. Whether Talani heard him or not didn't matter. There was a yanking sensation as Talani pulled up. Hard. That quickly became a tearing sensation as the skin of Teclis' hands was ripped off, left behind on the cold metal. The ice-cold air did nothing to muffle the red-hot pain that bloomed across Teclis' hands. His eyes that had been squinting now shot open wide, and he screamed in pain. His hands were a red wreck each, the bare flesh open to the air which was already leaving crystals of ice on it.

With a heave, Talani shoved the door closed, and the roaring wind finally stopped. The tears that had been a frosty trickle were now able to freely flood down Teclis' face as he stared in numb shock at the bloody ruin of his palms.
"What the fuck have you done?". His voice was a whispered mix of pain and accusation directed at Talani.
"I freed you from that door" came the brusque reply. "Unless you would rather still have been stuck there."
"There would have been other ways. Ways that didn't leave my fucking skin on a door to Hel!"
"Maybe." Talani shrugged. "But you would have frozen solid before then, as would the others."
"Teclis" interrupted Tove, walking over "let me see your hands." Dutifully, he held them out to her. As the time went by, it was clear that this was nothing that would permanently damage him, but that didn't lessen the physical agony much.
"This might sting a bit" Tove said. At least with her there was a note of sympathy, unlike the 'tough love' of Talani.
"I'm sure it can't be any worse than this" Teclis replied. She gave him a slightly pitying look. She reached into a pouch she had, and sprinkled some powder over it, a mixture of dried plants of some kinds.