Rise of The Guardians 2: Just Like Fire

Chapter 16: Jack

I circled the penguin spotted snow flurry, looking for the cave; my secret hideaway.

Finally spotting the looming maw, a slightly darker patch of blue on the aeons of white, I descended until my feet touched the snow.

Distracted, I moved towards the entrance, keeping an eye on the ice crystals crushing under my feet instead of watching my path. The ground rose, and I looked briefly up at the cave, almost missing the faint light emanating from the space.

I jerked my head up to look again, hoping it to be a reflection of the sun. The pale white light was still shining. My feet stopped of their own accord, the snow making a loud crunching noise as it shifted under me.

I entered the cave slowly, the comfort I usually felt as the thick blue ice stretched over my head replaced with a strange dread that seemed to emanate from something in the cave itself.

The tunnel wound gently yet sinuously through the ice. The light shone brighter every hesitant step I took, as though it were a beacon, calling to me.

I rounded the final corner. The short passage speared straight, before hitting the side wall of a large cavern, curving around to the right. I took a few more steps to the mouth, my bones tingling a warning. As soon as I reached the opening, I realised there was a thick, clear pane of smooth ice sectioning off the back half of the cave.

"Aria?"

Her body was sprawled across the flat ice behind the barrier, and her hair flowed out behind her, the red streaks mostly hidden.

She had changed clothing, the long black leggings and purple dress offering no protection against the frigid temperatures in the room.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" a man's voice asked off to my right.

I whirled, levelling my staff at him. "Who are you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

"I think you already know the answer to that question Mr. Frost." He replied, giving me what was meant to be a grandfatherly smile, but actually came out much more sinister.

His appearance was unassuming; long, flowing white robes matched with a neat beard brushing his chin. Combined with the smile and the way he laced his fingers together in front of him, he looked almost like a druid. But the eyes were too hard; not soft like a druids should be. The brown depths were harder than stone or concrete. Harder than ice.

My grip on my staff tightened as I watched him, but he made no move except to grin even wider. I forced my muscles to relax my stance, mirroring his ease.

"Yeah, I know who you are." I paused, my thoughts turning to Aria. "What did you do to her?"

Kronos waved a hand dismissively. "Just knocked her out for ease of transportation. She should be waking up any second now." He looked at me sideways and his smirk continued to grow. "But you didn't answer my first question."

I looked at him innocently and grinned. "Remind me what that was?" I asked, even though I remembered.

He asked again, calmly.

I glanced over to where she was lying. "Yes, she is. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

(A/N) Sorry it's a little short, I've had exams :( I'll be updating really soon. Please comment or vote to tell me what you think.