A Game of Cards

Chapter XV: Onyx Ying

The Crow Maiden was the fastest ship owned by the Spadian military, yet even then, it still took little less than a day to reach Hearts, because we had to slow down to avoid the icebergs in the Heartisian waters. The climate of Hearts, located in the north, was cold and frosty. We knew we had arrived even without looking at the map when we noticed the change in the climate, the warm waters suddenly speckled with shards of ice, the ocean giving off a frigid blue glow. A chill licked my cheeks, turning them a rosy pink, and we all started to don our fur coats. I hated heavy fur clothing, the weight and layers making it very inconvenient for running and combat, but I found being unprotected from the northern cold even more unpleasant, so I kept the coat on. Hearts was the only place in the whole United Empires that had snow all year round, while the only other nation that had snowfall, Diamonds, only experienced such climates in the winter. Spades and Clovers never had much snow, Clovers being eternally tropical, and a spreading bleakness being the only indication of the Frost Season in Spades.

Cutting through the glacier waters on a battleship Crow Maiden made the Spadian First Legion look very formidable indeed.

Especially when we're all standing here shivering like wet cats and I have an idiot of a brother who keeps retching off the side of the boat, I thought miserably.

I turned to Dane, who had become a miserable shade of sickly green, his ungloved fingers showing a deathly pallor. Who knew that battle-scarred veteran such as himself would be so vulnerable to seasickness? He gave me a meager thumbs-up when he caught me staring, then continued his graceful puking.

The ship hit the banks, sending a tremble through the boat. The scene in front of us was pure white. Gnarled black trees were blanketed in glittering white fluff, the floor made purely of ice, shining gauzy under the sun. Snowflakes flurried in the sky, drifting onto our heads, lining the soldiers' silver armors and black cloaks with speckles of shiny white jewels. Dane and I wore no such armor, with only our cloaks fastened on our backs. Dane's was considerably grander than mine, one of a true prince's, with fur lining the collar and shimmering patterns bursting across the fabric. On his neck was the Zhanwu family crest, a sword and a spear crossed over a spade symbol, engraved in silver on an onyx surface.

General Zheng of the First Legion swore beside me, her face twisted in her perpetual scowl. "This place reeks of Heartisians, let's get it over with."

I nodded. "I appreciate your spirit, General, and I have faith in your capabilities. Though I must warn you, your goal isn't to win the fight, it's to create an effective diversion, so try to make the battle stretch out as long as possible."

"But we wouldn't mind if you break some stuff either!" Dane added, his face looking slightly less sick, "In fact, I encourage it!"

I shot him a glare, and the other general just nodded stiffly. I gave her one last look before heading towards the place where I speculated Cozbi would be kept. Behind me, I heard General Zheng call the army to attention, and then the coordinated sound of hundreds of footsteps thundering through the forest, sending a quaver through the ground.

"Spadian soldiers always so meticulous and disciplined, eh?" Dane smiled pridefully, nudging my arm.

I didn't listen to what he said, lost in deep thought. The snow on the ground became deeper, reaching our knees, until we had to trudge through the plains like walking through a swamp.

"I swear," I muttered, "If I found out that this whole thing was a prank orchestrated by Cozbi, I am going to run my dagger through her stomach."

Dane shrugged. "I mean, I'd clap for you. Hey, does His and Her Majesty know about this whole thing? It happened quite suddenly, so I dunno if news reached them yet."