Ice Blink

48: Brother Mine

The masks were everywhere. No man or woman was wearing one, but they were tucked under arms, perched on top of heads, hanging from beams sticking out of the tents.

She knew those masks.

She saw them every night in her darkest dreams.

Everything hurt, and she struggled to get the words out. "These... These are the soldiers from the ice. This is Annoatok."

Iki's eyes widened.

They had come so far. They had journeyed north on foot, and when the Vanir had captured them Nuna had given up all hope of finding the Nualiks. But by some cruel twist of fate, here they were, the soldiers she and Toklo had sworn to destroy.

And those cages... Nuna couldn't make out the dark figures huddled inside, couldn't hear any familiar voices, but she knew deep in her marrow that they were the Nualiks.

Toklo should have been with her. Anger and pain blinded her, so strong she wanted to scream to the stars. The gods had taken him away a day too soon. A day.

Nuna struggled to her feet, but Iki forced her down again.

"Let go! They're my family."

"Keep your voice down," he hissed. "What are you going to do if I let you go?" His grip tightened on her hood. "Do you have a plan? Do you have a way of knocking all those guards out before one can sound an alarm?"

As he stared into Nuna's hollow eyes, realisation dawned on his face. She didn't want or need a plan. She was going to willingly join them.

"Nuna, they'll kill you," he said hoarsely.

"Then no matter what happens, I'll be with the ones I love." With a burst of energy, she tried to tear free. Weakened by shock, Iki's hands disappeared.

Then Lumi was there. He caught her ankles as she jumped to her feet. Nuna toppled into snow and he dragged her back down, below the top of the ridge.

"We won't let you throw your life away like this."

"It's my life, I can do as I wish with it."

"What about Toklo?" Iki snarled. "What would he think if he knew you'd given up after he died to save you? I thought you wanted to free your tribe."

All Nuna wanted was to see her mother's face again before the end.

Iki fell silent when movement erupted near the cages. Two guards towed a smaller cage away from the rest while a third walked in front. The moonlight caught one crumpled figure inside, and the blood that dripped steadily from the floor, creating a trail in the snow.

They stopped directly below the ridge. The trio forced themselves lower, peering over the top as best they could.

"There," the leader was saying. "Now you're away from the nice warm fires, away from your tribe, you're not so tough, are you?"

Her blood turned to ice at the familiar voice.

Memories wove through her mind.

Mortu is your ruler.

Will you submit quietly?

This was the captain of the legion who captured the Nualiks. The voice that would be seared into her head like a scar forever.

"We'll come back for you in the morning," the captain said. "If you're still alive. I hope, for your sake, the night isn't too harsh."

It was winter. The nights were always harsh.

Nuna waited until the soldiers had returned to the main camp, until the cage was left alone and ignored by everyone else, before she stumbled down the other side of the slope, skidding through snow.