Stormchild: Emeline and the Forest Mage

9 Ysberg

"Cooling of body parts may result in various cold injuries—nonfreezing injuries, freezing injuries—and hypothermia which is the most serious. Nonfreezing cold injuries include chilblain, immersion foot and trenchfoot. Frostnip and frostbite are freezing injuries. Toes, fingers, ears and nose are at greatest risk because these areas do not have major muscles to produce heat."

~ Cold Weather and the Body, Medical Journal 232 of the 3rd Year of Lord Gunsel Stêr's Time, The Season of the Lords

Erdil

Emeline should've been used to travelling in the dark by now.

    She held herself, one arm crossed over her chest for a minute or so. It was cold, just like every other night. The shadows scared her and her mount was nervous, whinnying and stomping with wide eyes at every sound. Calm down Abigail. Emeline patted the horse, pretending that she didn't feel just as nervous. Everyone knew that horses were likely to absorb the moods of their rider – they were sensitive beasts. Her aunt Beth had told her that when she was teaching Emeline about how to soothe a spooked horse. A sweet calm voice, a pat on the shoulder, 'and most important, calm your own nervous heart.' she reminded herself, desperate to believe that there were no demons in the shadows.

    Ketiya led the way, her knowing the trail better. Avétk took the rear, looking haggard and dangerous as usual. Emeline smiled a half smile as she watched him over her shoulder for a few seconds. He was slouched, his furs piled onto his shoulders, gripping the reigns with one hand, and looking hither and thither with half lidded eyes.

    She decided at that moment that she liked him. Sure, he seemed heartless, but she believed there was more. That innocent boy who had walked into the woods on the day that his eyes had changed. She believed he was still in there somewhere. She could believe there was more to Avétk, even though she didn't really have a reason to do so.

    Abigail whinnied again, looking around fearfully. Emeline assured herself that she was safe between Avétk and Ketiya, but the nervous feeling just wouldn't go away. They travelled deeper into the night, with an expanse of stars above them and one of snow before them. There were few trees and they were becoming even fewer as they travelled on. The moonlight made the snow look magical. She was sure shadows were moving around them, flickering closer and further, but she told herself it was her illogical fear.

    Abigail's steady hoof beats hit the snowy trail with muffled thuds, rhythmically. Emeline watched Maxim's burnt-umber tail sway slightly as he trailed through the snow. Ketiya stopped Maxim, turning in her saddle to look at Avétk and Emeline with a frown. 'Something's up.' she said.

    Avétk spat off the side of the horse, not moving his eyes. 'Could be.'

    He isn't afraid of anything. Suddenly Emeline's horse reared wildly and she groped the empty air, toppling backward into the snow. The world was spinning, full of stomping hooves, loud noises, swirling snow, and screams. She rolled onto her knees, crouching and covering her head until Abigail had run off.

    The screams did not stop. She dared not look up, but she heard Ketiya's foreign clicky kind of screams along with clashes and clangs. There were other sounds too. Strange voices yelling in strange languages perturbed her as she lay in the wet snow, curled up. A sudden blast of something warm emanated from her body and snow puffed up around her in a cloud. It scared her so much that she opened her eyes and lifted her head to see.

    Everything looked white from where she sat. She looked around quickly, spotting limbs and metal and blurred figures. It finally dawned on her shocked brain – they were being attacked! She hoped that the attackers hadn't spotted her and it seemed they hadn't, as she stayed seated in the white cloud, undisturbed.