Silver Lines (Sky Forever Volume 2)

Chapter 12: Colder and Colder

Monica allowed us to take some supplies from her house before we left, including food, water, and spare clothes. The next morning, we left the city through the South Gate, as none of the guards recognised us.

The journey wasn't as gruelling as it had been previously, since we were all rested and refreshed. However, the air was getting noticeably colder as we travelled further south. We stopped to put more layers on over our clothes.

"How far away are the Coldlands?" Amber asked.

"Quite far from here, I imagine." Storm said, looking back at The Juggernaut Complex.

I looked the other way and could see some misty hills far away in the distance.

"I think that's them." I said, pointing.

Once we'd all put scarves and coats on, apart from Lonely Soul (good thing about being a ghost number 14), we continued down the road. This was no longer the Guild Road, it was now a smaller path that, according to the signpost, was called The Glacial. To our right was The Dragon River running out of The Juggernaut Complex and flowing off into the distance towards the sea, to our left were some frosty hills, forests, and fields, and stretched out in front of us were the distant mountains and a long road to get there.

We walked on with resilience. A couple of hours walking and we came across a cart that was parked at the side of the road, on which there was a man sitting eating a sandwich. He noticed us as we approached.

"Morning, fellow travellers!" He called, with a familiar cheeriness.

"Morning." I replied.

I noticed a sign hanging from the back of the cart that read '10 Gold to travel on this cart.'

"Are you going far?" He asked, shoving some bread into his mouth.

I nodded, "We're bound for the Coldlands."

His eyes widened, "Really? That's quite a journey. Would you like a ride? S'only ten Gold."

"All the way to the Coldlands?" Amber asked.

"I can take you across to the Cracked Lake." He answered, "You can get a boat over to Mirrorfog. It's easier to enter the Coldlands from there."

We agreed to the ride, so Amber fumbled about in her bag for some gold pieces.

"Tell you what." The cart owner said, "Since I'm not taking you as far as you'd like, I'll lower the price to six Gold."

Amber handed him the money and we boarded the cart. The man noticed Lonely Soul.

"A ghost?" He said, "Haven't seen one of you in a while. Not since I stopped hunting you."

Lonely Soul stopped, "You hunt ghosts?"

"Used to. Not anymore."

Lonely Soul seemed okay with that and joined us on the back of the cart. The owner whipped his horses into gear and we were soon swiftly moving along the road.

"My name's Pete." He said, "They call me Dry Pete."

"Dry Pete?" I asked, starting to get some déjà vu, "Why?"

"God knows." He replied, chuckling.

"I feel like this has happened before..." Amber whispered to me.

I nodded and turned back to Dry Pete.

"Hey Pete." I said, "Do you know anyone by the name of Bob? People call him Sly Bob."

"Of course!" Pete called back, "Sly Bob's my brother. Haven't seen him in a while. Do you know him?"

We all exchanged worried glances.

"Should we tell him?" Amber whispered.

"No." I whispered back, "It's probably best if he gets the news through family."

We carried on past trees, villages, and fields. It was getting progressively colder and the ground was starting to get a thin layer of snow and ice across it. I pulled my scarf further up my face.

"Pete," I said, suddenly, "Have you heard of a man called Kay Cast? Or Jasper Axel?"

"Jasper Axel..." He said, thoughtfully, "The name rings a bell."

He pondered for a moment or two.

"Ah yes!" He cried, "I sold him a few potatoes about a week ago."

"A week ago?"

"Yes, I remember everyone that I sell to."

"Did he say anything to you?" I asked.

"We talked for a little bit, actually." Pete replied, "I think he was headed for the Coldlands like you are. Are you following him?"

"Kind of." I said, "Thank you. That was helpful."

This made me even more certain that my father was alive. We were getting ever closer.

We eventually made it to The Cracked Lake after hours of travelling. It had small mountains either side of it and it looked baltic. Pete jumped down from the cart and we all followed.

"I know a place where you can get a boat." He said, walking off towards some bushes.

We watched as he reached into the shrubbery and heaved out a small, wooden rowing boat with two oars.

"Here you are!" He called.

"Is this yours?" Amber asked.

He nodded eagerly. The vessel was covered in grime, but seemed robust enough to hold all of us. Pete dragged it over to the shore and set it on the water's edge.

"No charge." He said, "I've got a few more dotted around the place. You can keep this one."

We thanked him and he trundled away in his cart.

"I'm not sure about this..." I said.

"Why not?" Amber asked, "It seems like a nice little boat."

"Bit dirty." Lonely Soul pointed out, peering at it.

"Why do you care?" I said, "You're a ghost."

"Oh yeah." He replied, "That was good thing about being a ghost number 21"

I inspected the boat further and decided it was big enough for us all, so we boarded it. I grabbed the oars and started rowing us away from the shore and out into the freezing lake.

We swept along for a while, shivering as our breath formed small clouds in the air. Suddenly, we hit something that rocked the boat viciously.

"What was that?!" I exclaimed, looking back.

The whole group had been facing backwards so we all turned. In front of us was ice. Just ice. Endless and barren. The lake was frozen from this point onwards.

"Damn..." I cursed, "What do we do now?"

"Walk across it." Storm said, simply.

"You can't be serious." I replied.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Amber said.

I paused.

"Ladies first then." I said.

Lonely Soul was already out and trotted weightlessly across the sheet. Storm went next, precariously shifting her weight from the boat to the ice. Eventually, she was out.

"It seems thick enough." She told us.

Amber was next and successfully made it out. Then it was my turn. I held the side of the boat as it swayed slightly in the water and stepped over it. My first foot was down and it seemed solid enough to continue. I brought my other foot over with confidence.

Too much confidence.

All of a sudden, I felt myself falling. I crashed to the ground and heard a huge cracking noise.

"Jared!" Amber cried, scrambling to grab my arms.

The ice shattered underneath me as the full impact of my body hit it and I was plunged into the depths.