Rise Of The Guardians - The Life Of A Spirit

The Other Spirit: Part 2

Jack did the only thing he could think of; he shot for the door, rising as high as he could to avoid the other spirit, while bellowing, "NORTH! HELP!"

He made it all of about two metres before a grip colder than anything Jack had ever felt clamped down on his right ankle and yanked him down. He slammed into the ground, the ice shattering beneath him and he staggered to his feet, wincing at the pain in his ankle.

Jokul was standing in the same place, now turned to face him, and was watching him with what could only be described as a predator's smile.

"Ahh..." he sighed, closing his eyes and tipping his head back, "That's better."

Jack stared at him in horror, before looking down at his ankle which was now the same frostbitten blue as Jokul's extremities. And it hurt. It was so cold it burned and he had to resist the temptation to rub feeling back into it. He couldn't get distracted now.

Jokul sighed and lowered his head again, watching Jack with unblinking eyes.

"That was just a hint of the power you stole. Give it back."

He lunged forward with inhuman speed, forcing Jack to leap backwards once more into the air and blast him with ice. But as soon as it came into contact with him, it simply shattered into tiny shards that tinkled against the floor. Before he could react, Jokul leaped at him once again, this time slashing at his chest and Jack yelped, failing to dodge those claws that tore into his skin. He faltered in the air, and that was all Jokul needed, snagging the base of his staff and yanking him downwards, crashing in an unruly heap. His staff was wrenched from his grasp and he shouted in fear and anger, springing to his feet. Jokul examined it curiously and Jack hated the way it looked so dead in his hands. Just as it had with Pitch.

"This has no real power," Jokul sneered, tossing it away where it clattered to the floor. Jack started after it, before Jokul once again lunged for him with supernatural speed, this time his hand closing around his left wrist. Jack screamed as his skin burned under the icy grip, colder than he had been at his own death. And accompanying the pain was the terrifying sensation of his energy being drained.

Jokul laughed, his teeth inches away from Jack's throat, but before he could grasp him with his other hand, the door to the library slammed open and four heavily armed yetis charged in, roaring with fury.

Jokul released him and he dropped to the ground, gasping in pain and clutching his injured arm to his blood-soaked chest.

The yetis bellowed something, hefting their weapons threateningly and Jokul once again examined them with that predator's smile.

"'Leave'?" he repeated, "What makes you think you can order Winter around?"

He raised his arm and from the floor, the ice followed his command, large chunks detaching with shattering crunches and reforming into long, pointed icicles, their deadly tips aimed straight at the yetis.

"No!" Jack screamed as, with a casual flick of his wrist, Jokul fired the icicles at their targets. The yetis' roars of anger shifted to yelps of pain as they dropped to the ground, blood welling from blades of ice now impaling their abdomens. From the hallway, the sounds of more yetis approaching grew louder and Jokul gave a disappointed sigh before turning back to Jack.

"It seems our reunion is to be cut short," he said, sounding as if he was genuinely disappointed. Jack tore his gaze away from the injured yetis to glare at him, eyes glowing with fury.

"But don't fear," Jokul continued, crouching down before him, "You'll see me again. Or maybe you won't. I haven't decided yet."

And as the small legion of yetis stormed into the library, Jokul simply disappeared into a puff of snowflakes that caught the wind and shot through the broken window, out into the Arctic night.