Frost and Snow

Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

My wish for good weather was unfortunately unheard; instead of the clear skies I had hoped for we encountered dark gray clouds as far as we could see. Certainly we would meet a snowstorm on the way to our first stop. Nevertheless we still began our journey, for delaying it anymore would not be an option. Not in the King’s eyes and not in mine; we both had decided that Asalie should be freed as soon as possible so she would not be able to do more evil.

The village where she was last seen was three days traveling from here and although we had a cart and two horses available I hoped that she was still in the area. The odds were against us; a lone knight and a horse traveled faster.

“It is not uncommon that the Snow Witch’s minions would camp around the village they are attacking for a few days.” I told Valeria, who just nodded and pulled her hood a bit further over her head. The wind had picked up and I guessed it would not take long for the snow to come falling down; I did not mind the cold, but my companions would and it would slow us down.

“At times like these I wished I was a Mage of the Gray.” Valeria spoke and chuckled; Gray Mages specialized in weather magic.

“Can you make a shield to keep out the snow?” I had only a basic understanding of magic, but it should be possible to make a shield like that, right?

“No, that wouldn’t work,” Valeria smiled apologetically when she saw my disappointment. “Things like snow and the wind are neither physical nor mental enough to shield. Swords and illusions are easy to block out, but you have to be a Mage of the White of the First Level, with a lot of experience, if you want to make a shield against things like the weather.”

“I always thought that magic was a solution to everything.” Spending a few years under the curse of a Witch was apparently not enough to learn all there is to know about magic and I was genuinely surprised.

“Well, perhaps if you have First Level Mages of all the schools. But otherwise, no, magic is definitely not the answer to every question. It is useful in certain situations, certainly, but nothing more than that.” A gust of wind blew her hood from her face, making Valeria turn her gaze to the dark gray clouds above us.

“How long do you think we have before it comes falling down?” I asked, the question not necessarily directed to anyone.

“Perhaps an hour, two if we are lucky.” Valeria answered either way and frowned.

But we were not lucky and within the hour we were surrounded by the white coldness that is a snow storm. In the beginning it had fallen slow and gentle, though soon it became harder to see and the horses were struggling. Now I was leading them along the path slowly and carefully, not as bothered by the cold as Valeria, who was hiding between our supplies in the back of the cart.  

The skin of my wrists still felt sore from being chained and where the snow hit my face I could feel a slight stinging sensation, but it was not uncomfortable. For the first time I thought of this curse as convenient and I hoped that once it would wear off I would still be happy with the protection my armor and ebon-thread clothing would give me. I had done fine before my corruption, so after I should be able to handle it again.

“Are you alright back there?” I yelled over the howling of the storm, holding the reins of the horses tightly and not daring to look over my shoulder lest I miss something obstructing the road and run into it. Causing an accident was the last thing I wanted, especially in this weather.

“Cold, but I am still alive. Do not worry, I will be fine!” Valeria’s voice was barely hearable and I pitied her, a Mage like her probably never had to travel in bad weather like this.