The Angel of Frost

XI.

Jonah's boots left footprints on the black snow as he trudged on towards the city square. He left the camp, its tents in tatters. Some were smoking, though he couldn't see how the chilling creatures that attacked last night could have caused even a spark of heat.

The streets, like everything in sight, were entirely black; even the lampposts had gone dark. He took a few steps until he saw a speck of color ahead. When he got closer, he realized that the speck was not alone.

A brunette in a green dress was surrounded by a group of the monsters. As the creatures' massive teeth emerged from their jaws, Jonah noted that the canines looked disturbingly like icicles.

Icicles. That sounds appropriate, he thought.

His eyes surveyed the scene as he assessed his situation. A woman was surrounded by a pack of those creatures, but he only had a broken sword covered in frost to save her with. There was a very large chance that he would die even if he tried to save her.

Jonah ignored the odds. He charged, holding the broken sword in front of him. His angry cry caused them to turn around and scream the chilling scream that always sounded so much like a human's. The broken sword managed to lodge itself inside his target, but he knew that the wound was not deep. In one swift move, he pulled out the sword and rolled away, quickly shifting into a fighting stance. Now their attention was focused on him. In the corner of his eye, he saw the woman aiming a bow at one of the creatures.

He held the sword in front of him, momentarily forgetting about the broken blade. One of the Icicles lunged forward.

The creature stupidly managed to charge too quickly, and the sword was readily impaled into it's mouth. Spikes of ice sprouted from the wound, and the creature went limp at the end of his sword. Pulling it out, he stared at it. It now had a new blade.

At the same time, the sound of a bowstring being released echoed throughout the clearing. One of the creatures fell down with the butt of an arrow sticking out of its head. The arrow glowed green, and the Icicle was entombed in a cluster of tree roots.

Jonah slashed his sword in a horizontal arc, sending a wave of frost heading towards the remaining two Icicles. Their bodies were halved instantly. A fleeting scream escaped their jaws as they melted into soft snow.

The woman approached Jonah. A leafy wooden staff, with an emerald at one end, was now in her hand. The wilting leaves on the staff reflected her grave expression. "Thank you."

"You need not thank me. Besides, it was only by chance I happened to see you here," replied Jonah. He sheathed his sword, which was freezing his hand with its hilt.

Diana smiled. "You seem like a gentleman. Tell me, how do you stay polite even when the world around you is cold and dreary?"

Jonah stayed silent. The woman had a point. How could he stay sane in the midst of all of this?

He looked around at the empty street. It seemed even more desolate without the creatures. "What made you come out here, anyway?"

"Well, I'm a druidess," she said, raising a finger as if to lecture, "and part of a druidess's responsibility is helping people. I was afraid the black snow had destroyed a sense of community in this place. I'm a loner, and a hermit, but I still care about the nearby villages."

Jonah managed a sad smile. "Sadly, there's going to be no community here, at least not in the near future."

The woman frowned at his reply. "Oh, sure, people are still locked up in their homes right now, but I'm sure they'll come around." She waved a hand at the houses lining the street.

With a heavy heart, Jonah recounted the harrowing events that had taken place at the town hall. The woman's eyes widened as she listened to his description of the massacre that had happened.

When he was finished, her face had taken on a mix of anger and sorrow. "I...I never knew. I thought those creatures had only made it midway through the town, but for them to be able to reach the town hall..."

Jonah wiped away the tears from his cheeks, then held out his hand. "Jonah."

The woman shook it. "Diana."

He surveyed the streets once more. "Well, Diana, any suggestions on how we get out of here?"

She grinned. "Of course. I always have plans for times like this."

Diana cautiously turned and ran towards the woods. Jonah hesitated, then followed.

*

Levi urged himself on as the black ice spread across the surface of the river.

If the ice meant what he had suspected, it meant that Lissandra wasn't aiming for just power. It meant that she wanted dominance, and she was using the newly corrupted Glaucus to get it.

He glanced to his left, then to his right, but all he could see were thick walls of green. Hasuantar's palace was further north than the ruins of Namanta, and it was surrounded by a forest of seemingly endless kelp. Flowing from the mountain spring that was the river's source, clean water nourished the plants before it was slightly polluted by the inhabitants of Namanta. Levi hoped he wouldn't run into the city's ruins as he headed south in his search for Hasuma.

Then he realized something. Between him and Hasuma, he was probably the only one hoping to avoid the ruins. The nymph might have returned there to mourn.

Levi, despite being a demon, understood what Hasuma felt, but he knew that under the current circumstances it was impractical. What if Lissandra was still in the city?

A burst of power surged within him, and the force of his velocity divided the forest of kelp as he rocketed across the water. There was no thinking what Lissandra could do to Hasuma if she found her.