Shadows and Peace Book 2: Cool as Ice

Prologue: Abominable

Yeti's feet crunched down in the snow, leaving a trail of small talon prints. His leather backpack bounced up and down on his back as he ran, and he slowed down to preserve the treasure inside it.

Yeti neared his family's icy tower house and greeted the guards standing outside the ice fence surrounding the property. "Hi Snowdrift!"

"Hi, Yeti! How was Preschool?" Snowdrift smiled and held up her talon. Yeti leaped up to high five it, giving an enthusiastic "great", then continued on his way to his yard.

When the ice gate opened, there was a wide, short staircase leading to an ice platform. The platform led to a beam bridge ten feet above the snow covered ground where the servants worked. Abominable, Yeti's dad, said it was so people knew those who walked on the bridge were higher class. Yeti didn't know that.

Yeti worked his way down the fifty foot long bridge, waving to all the servants tending the imported pine trees, exchanging friendly words along the way. Usually he dreaded going home to his family, but today he marched with purpose. He had a gift for his father.

First, he had to visit Pika. Pika was a kindergartener, a year older than Yeti, or she would be if she wasn't a servant. Pika had been kept home to be homeschooled, so she could learn while helping her family work.

Yeti jumped off the bridge and raced to the servants' quarters. He skidded to a stop when he reached Pika's igloo. He knocked on the door, then beamed when he saw Tern, Pika's older brother. Tern invited Yeti in, but Yeti declined.

"I just have to say hi to Pika. Then I have to give my father a gift! I made a paper snowflake!" Yeti was so excited, he didn't notice Pika creeping up behind him. Yeti finally noticed, and shrieked with surprise, and he and Pika started laughing.

"Look, Yeti! Mama got me the newest Scavenger book! It's the one where Steven and Lacy stop the bad kids from bullying them!" Pika held up a leather bound book with two scavengers on the cover.

Yeti's eyes widened in amazement. "I love those books! Their names are so silly, and the plot is so unbelievable."

Tern interrupted their nerd session. They waved a wing to get their attention. "Yeti, your dad will be looking for you. You should head inside."

Yeti and Pika shared a grin. "But, Tern, I'm SO TIRED, and my wings are SO WEAK. I'll NEVER make it up to the bridge!"

Tern groaned. "Every time," they muttered. Then they resigned to their fate. "OK, get on, get on." Yeti and Pika jumped onto Tern's light blue back, in between their wings. Their wings beat twice, then they lifted off of the round in a swirl of snow and wind. Pika's light teal arms wrapped around Yeti as she squealed with delight. Yeti twisted to look at her and stared deeply into her beautiful indigo eyes.

Pika looked like she wanted to say something, but Tern was already landing on the bridge, and Yeti forced himself off. "Bye, Tern! Thanks for the ride!"

Tern grumbled something about demanding little tikes, then grinned and flew off with Pika. Yeti turned towards his house and started journeying the last twenty steps, soon reaching his house.

Yeti pushed on the large fifteen foot tall metal doors, struggling a little, then slipped into his house through the tiny crack in the door before it could slam on his tail. It happened before, and it hurt. His parents told him not to be such a baby, but Pika's Mom, Takin, helped him.

Yeti pushed the sour memory out of his head, and gently removed the gift for his father. He started trotting up the metal tower, shivering slightly at the frost that had crept in through the windows. The frost had entirely encased the tower, making the metal light blue and icy, and the property was like a never ending storm: always dark, hidden from the sun, and snow was always swirling through the air. The sky was like a large gray cloud, spreading as far as the eye could see, blocking out any of the sun or blue sky above it. The ground had giant snow drifts covering everywhere.

Yeti stopped halfway up the tower,and went into his room. He skipped to the center of the room and tossed his bag on the bed. He slammed the window shutt, rattling the glass on its frames, and threw an enchanted fire globe in the fireplace. His room illuminated, showing the messy blankets and books strewn across the floor. Yeti was enveloped in warmth and welcomed a break from all the frost and snow of the IceWing kingdom. This room was a break from the expectations of his parents.

Yeti was tempted to curl up for a nap, as he was still young, and it had been a long day...but no, he had a mission. Yeti dashed out the door, determined to go to his father.

Yeti's tiny frame climbed the tall metal stairs going up to the first floor. Everything was silent, the only light from the flickering candles. Yeti passed by his sister's room, and saw her beheading a dummy of a small, blue, icewing.

Yeti looked at his blue scales mournfully, glad he was still in one piece, unlike the dummy. Boy, I'd hate to be the person that dummy's representing.

After a while, Yeti reached his father's office, on the top floor of their tower house. Yeti stopped to catch his breath. Then he bounced up and barged into the office.

Magical light orbs were casting a strange blue light over the office, as usual. Yeti was so accustomed to seeing the shadows cast by the light, that he hardly noticed the large, tall, sharp shadows.

Yeti bounded up to his father and tapped him on the shoulder. Abominable yelled in surprise, and Yeti felt his heart leap into his throat. Yeti shrank against the wall as his father slowly turned towards him, rage etched in his face. His wing was held up, blocking something from sight, and Yeti couldn't help but be curious.

"YOU MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A SON! GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!! HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF KNOCKING? OUT!" Abominable slapped Yeti with his tail, and Yeti felt a sharp sting across his face.

As he hurried out of the office, Yeti lifted a hand to his face, revealing blue blood smeared across his talon. Yeti's breath caught in his throat, and he collapsed against the wooden door of the office, shivering, trying to hold back his tears. His paper snowflake fluttered to the cold ground, forgotten.

"Yes, Shadow Prime, I apologize. That was my son." Yeti's ears pricked up. He hadn't realized his father had a visiter.

A small throaty voice squeaked, "Abominable, next time we will meet in my fortress. Not in a crummy tower like this with prying dragons, understand?"

Yeti heard his father's deep voice growl, "Don't talk to me like that. This tower is beautifully crafted."

"NO, IT'S AWFUL. END. OF. DISCUSSION!" The tiny voice howled back.

The usual blue light leaking from the crack in the door became sharp and jaggedy, and danced along the walls in a horrible crackly noise. Yeti peeked into the room, and held back his gasp as he saw his father shaking, blue lights dancing along his white scales. All the light orbs were pointed at him.

"You forget, Abominable, that YOU are a DRAGON, and I am a SCAVENGER. Superior in all ways, including fooling you. Don't you remember the first day we met, I gave you those 'lights'? They're electrocutors, DUH."

Abominable raised his body off the ground, smoke wisping around him. His face was turning towards the door, and Yeti leaped away just before he was seen.

As his tiny feet flew down the stairs, he remembered all too late about his snowflake. It doesn't matter. Dad doesn't love me anyway.

But...who was that scavenger? Why did he speak dragon? And what could he be planning?

YAY! First real chapter of this book!