Legend of Parocaav: The Quest for Redemption (First Draft)

Chapter XXXIX: The Lands of Winter

Light casts over the border between Wind and Ice. The edge of the sun shines above the horizon with a warming orange glow that fills the eastern sky. Smoke begins to flow from the stone chimney attached to the wooden cottage. Drayk steps out onto the porch, leaving the door open behind him. He stretches his muscles while enjoying the morning warmth. Roku soon joins his side with a big smile on her face. She seems to wake up every day with such hope and happiness. Drayk kind of envies Roku for this trait. To him, the reality of the world always makes him feel neutral.

"Good morning Roku," Drayk greets her with a forced smile.

"Morning Drayk! Do you mind if we wait till after breakfast before we head out?" Roku asks outright.

"Of course. It's not every day one meets the mother she never knew."

"Thank you Drayk."

Before Drayk could say anything, a faint whisper filled the air. The words are spoken so softly that they cannot be made out. The sound gets louder, but it is kind of hazy. It begins to focus and words can be heard clearly now.

"Drayk. Riinah. There's no time to explain. I needed to get a message to you. Be careful when you go to Froz," Sammi's voice echoes all around the Bringers.

Drayk and Roku sit in silence for a moment, waiting for more information. The voice has disappeared quicker than it had arrived. The openness of the wind valley is quiet once again.

"That was the voice I heard whisper your name a few days ago," Roku finally says.

"That was my sister. I know her voice anywhere," Drayk begins.

"I wonder what she means by that? Is there something at Froz we need to be concerned with?" Roku interjects inquisitively.

"I guess we'll find out. Best be on our toes while we're there," Drayk joked.

"Come on back in you two!" Synn's voice came from inside the cottage, "Breakfast is just about done!"

Drayk courteously allows Roku to walk in first. As soon as she passes, Drayk follows her inside. He closes the door behind him and makes his way to the dining area. The smell of warmed maple syrup fills the air, along with that of fresh pancakes. Drayk and Roku sit across from each other at the table. Synn sits at the head of the table after placing plates of food in front of them.

"It isn't much, but it's the least I can do before you two head back out on your quest," Synn smiles.

About an hour later ~

The last of the dishes has just been washed. Roku places the last dish on the rack with the rest. She heads back out into the front room. Drayk is strapping his sword to his back. Synn is standing in the middle of the room, facing the kitchen with a sheathed dagger in her hands. Roku walks over to her with a smile.

"I want you to have this dagger Roku," Synn tells her as she hands it to Roku, "This is the dagger given to me by your father. I want to keep this as a remembrance of your heritage."

"Thank you mother," Roku says with a big smile on her face.

She takes the dagger and binds it to her lower left leg. She uses the leg of her pants to conceal it. The site Drayk walking over her twin blades catches her eye. Roku smiles as she takes the blades from him and puts them over her shoulders.

"We must be going. Thank you for your hospitality Synn," Drayk says graciously.

"You are both always welcome here if you find yourselves passing through again one day," Synn speaks with sorrow in her voice, "Make sure to speak to the winds so I know how you are Roku."

"Will do!" Roku cheerfully agrees.

After saying their goodbyes, the Bringers start walking away towards the land of ice. Roku gives one final wave to her mother as she goes back into the cottage. Instantly, the air around them drops to freezing temperatures as they walk into the blizzard. It's times like this Drayk wishes they had a carriage. Horses wouldn't last long in weather like this though. Nothing could. The treacherous snow storm drove all life from its lands.

Roku calls up a wind of her own to shield them from the winter storm. It got a little warmer not being bombarded by the storm, but the frigid air still made them shiver. Knowing they cannot turn back now, they press onward through the unforgiving winter land.

Hours later ~

Time is easily forgotten here. The snow on the ground and in the air reflect any traces if light. Drayk and Roku have slowed to a crawl, trying to continue on. This was the last place they wanted to be to have to set up a camp.

"What time do you think it is?" Roku asks.

"Could be around midnight," Drayk replies.

"It feels later than that."

"We should stop for awhile."

That being said, Drayk places his hands into the snow. The tips of his fingers touch to frozen dirt beneath it. Snow melts from underneath them and a dome of dirt encases the Bringers. Using a strong blast of wind, Roku shoots a hole into the base. Drayk lengthens the hole outward using his Earth Magic. He then uses alchemy to change the structure into a metallic material. A metal igloo now stands in the middle of a land in an everlasting winter storm. The wind is mostly blowing at the backside of the metal structure.

Inside is still rather cool, but much warmer than it had been. Drayk lays down on the cool metal floor and heats it up a little using Fire Magic. Roku joins him on the floor, curling up in his arms. The metal radiates warmth and soon they both drift off to sleep.

Several hours later ~

The howling of the winds have not died down in the slightest. The metal has long cooled again, waking Drayk up. He warms up the metal again so he can go back to sleep. Roku turns in his arms and sits up. Her eyes wide open and her face lit up. She feels completely rested now. Drayk lets out a sigh and gets up too. They crawl out of the igloo back out into the blizzard. Roku casts winds around them once more to keep the weather off of them.

After a few days of endless walking ~

The ground starts to elevate as they make their way up a hill. It slowly gets steeper as the two continues to climb up it. The top is drawing near when Roku looses her footing. She slips in the snow and slides into Drayk's legs. He topples down on top of her and laughs.

"Not funny! That hurt!" Roku bursts out.

"It is a little funny," Drayk teases as he stands up.

He puts out his hand to help Roku to her feet. She takes his hand and he pulls her up. Roku brushes the snow off of her as best as she can, then starts walking back up the hill. Drayk bites his tongue and follows close behind. Once they reach the top, they both stop and look out ahead of them. Down the hill and a few miles away, the ruins of Froz stand tall above the snow. A feeling of an evil presence sends chills down the Bringers' spines. A familiar cackling laughter fills the air around them.

"Sammi was warning us about Karleigh!" Roku exclaims as quiet as she can.

"I think so too," Drayk whispers back.

"Should we avoid the ruins?"

"No. We have to put an end to the Mistress of Evil."