Saviour of Neither

12 - Skates

The flames are quickly extinguished by a shower of water. I sit back down on my bed, breathing heavily and trying to think of how that just happened.

Ah yes, the familiar stinging sensation in the eyes. I need to work out a way to stop those lasers from escaping the glasses without taking away my own eyesight completely. Easier said than done, but still.

Perhaps I can charm them to absorb laser energy and allow them to be discharged through the earth.

I don't have either the time or energy for this, however, and soon drift off to sleep.

***

"Wake up Adi!"

Who on earth is Adi?

I open my eyes and look through my eyemask. Chester's shaking me awake.

"Wha'?" I mumble, trying to push him off me.

"The river's freezing soon! C'mon!"

"...Get out." I mutter. "I need to get dressed."

He obeys, and leaves my field of vision. Once I judge his presence to be far enough I stand up and get dressed, reaching for my shades.

They're cracked. Must be the lasers from yesterday. I remind myself to buy a pair of goggles once I return to Magairleag. They'd be sturdier, anyway.

I hastily repair them and dress myself in my usual attire, before dragging myself groggily to the door. Chester is practically bouncing; even Nora seems bright with anticipation.

"It's starting in thirty seconds, a few dwarves upstream have reported the event happening." she tells me, as we reach the balcony, where all the other races are eagerly anticipating the freeze.

I watch. Nothing happens; the river simply continues to flow a sullen cornflower blue, its colour almost irritating my patience.

Then I feel it; creeping incrementally from upstream, something beautiful and wondrous and otherworldly-

"Look!" Chester whispers excitedly, before being shushed by Oscar.

I see it too; the blue suddenly vanishing away into a soft, snowy silver, fractals crystallising across the surface, growing instantaneously and glossily and smoothly

it's beautiful.

I look up; the elderly man that had welcomed us to the town is placing his hand on his chest and removing a glowing, light-emitting orb from himself.

"Adrian, bless the river." Nora whispers to me. "Remove a little of your magic to grant to the river to thank it for the blessing it has bestowed upon us."

So I do; the orb parts from me with surprising ease, even enthusiasm, which I steer towards the boundary between ice and water and release the energy before it decides to blow up and ruin the entire ceremony (it also seemed to be unusually energetic). I watch everyone else's shining orbs dip in, likewise; a fractured rainbow shines out over the forming glacier.

"Stop - STOP!" the elderly female dwarf calls out frantically.

Those who still have yet to bless the river jerk back their orbs to reveal an ugly crack rushing upstream.

"The river's in contact with cursed energy." The male one declares. "Everyone step back-"

"We can handle this." An elf says.