Snowfall on the Edge of the World

5 - SNOWFALL ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

I awoke again, this time aboveground.

I lay on the snow, exhaustion filling my bones like cold lead, and I forced myself to my feet. I grabbed handfuls of soft snow, dragging myself upwards, inexorably towards the end. I groaned and gasped, before finally finding myself up.

The wind was so very soft, the blizzard abated. I stared at the gentle crystals of ice arcing their way to the blanket of snow beneath me. I shook free snow that was left on my armour. Behind me, roiling in powerful, hateful tendrils was the storm I had escaped. The blizzard there tore up the lands, destroying all. Here was quiet, still.

Had I made it? Parlayed with a goddess, reached the Edge, still alive and mostly intact?

I felt a few tears reach my eyes, which froze to icicles as they clattered noisily onto my visor.

In front of me, there was nothing. A direction of empty snow and nothingness, but very far away I could see the barest hints of a golden light. Flickering away, a last beacon. A sign, I was sure of it.

I walked, gently and calmly towards the Edge.

I wasn't sure how long it took to get there, maybe an hour maybe two. I was losing my sense of time here; it didn't seem to matter. I had reached what I wanted, and I could feel my adventure drawing to a close.

When I drew close, the one light became ten, became a hundred, became a thousand.

All across the horizon, were Hypatian lamps. So many I could not even begin to count them, in their thousands, all in a straight line. In front of them, stood a wall of darkness.

Pure night, a wall of coldness from which this calm seemed to exude.

I looked down towards the lamps, which sat two abreast, one closer to the Edge and one further south. Stretching an endless line from east to west. Beneath me there was a single lamp with no partner, a reddish one. I could feel it, this was the Knight of Fire's.

I sat my lamp next to his, but something didn't seem right. Our lamps were a natural break in the continuity, did these other travelers bring two lamps? Silas' and I's looked strangely bare without a lamp further north.

I heard the crunching of snow, and I felt everything fall into place.

I looked up and saw myself.

The Other Knight's armour was darker than mine, but it could have been a trick of the light. His shield and his sword looked to be incredible imitations of mine. The Other Knight moved with grace I had not emulated since my younger days.

Gently, the Knight placed his lamp in front of mine.

"The goddess, this is what she meant?" I questioned to the Other Knight.

"I know not of what you speak." He replied icily. "Will you fight, old Knight, or will you allow me to kill you?"

He even spoke like I did when I was younger.

I barely heard him. "So, my master lost after all. His double made it all the way back but died. But he did not carry my master's sword. Upsetting, don't you think, younger me?

"I don't much ca- "The Other Knight spoke as I whipped up a cloud of snow by the end of my sword. The snow covered his visor, and I thrusted my sword with all my force into his chest, stabbing through the breastplate even despite the missing tip. The hilt of my weapon slammed against the steel plate, but the Other Knight did not die. To my surprise, the Other maintained footing.

"You dirty bastard!" It roared, pulling snow from the visor. I quickly pulled my weapon free to block a ham-fisted blow from his sword. He was strong, far stronger than I.

"Even my persistence, eh? Let us see who is more willing to die!"

Every blow the doppelganger threw out, I returned in kind, but this creature did not tire. It fought with my good hand and had a shield no less. My one, exhausted arm was barely a match for it, even with my desperation.

We battled and swung, each staring into each other's eyes, ready to dismiss the other as the weaker but unable to die.

I began to flag; we both swung our weapons desperate to finish off the other. I felt mine shatter, and the Other Knight's sword bit into my shoulder. The pieces of my weapon flew onto the tundra as my blood covered the virgin snow.

Blood bubbled from my mouth, as I stared into the Other's eyes.

"It seems you are about done, old Knight." The younger spoke.

I was barely able to talk, whispering as blood flowed from my mouth. The pain was incredible, my right arm and now my left shoulder.

"Come then, what are your last words, Knight of Nothing?" The Other spoke haughtily, bending slightly to put his ear to my mouth.

I saw a glimmer out of the corner of my eye, my foot had knocked over Silas' lamp, but something was glowing slightly underneath the snow, a faint red.

His helmet was so close to me, I whispered.

"Silas always told me the same thing when I was younger, 'You're overconfident'." My voice barely registered, as I grabbed his sword from my shoulder with my injured hand.

"What?" The Other Knight screeched.

I pulled the sword from my shoulder, fresh blood spurting from my wound and my hand and I felt myself growl animalistically.

The Other Knight pushed towards me; I felt his sword slice down my hand as he pushed while my other hand darted towards the glowing snow.

My fingers closed around my enemies' blade and found another. I pulled free Silas glowing sword from the snow and stabbed upwards into the Other Knight.

"Begone and be put to rest." I spoke as, howling, the Other Knight was engulfed in flames.

I sat on the cold snow, feeling death's embrace as I stared at Silas sword. The gem on the top glimmered tantalizingly.

"You've been with us all this time; we just didn't notice. Or couldn't. You win, Arathea, I'm here at the Edge, and so are you. What do you want of me?"

From within the gem, within the shard, a form swirled.

"I want you to stem the tide, stop this from spreading by any means necessary. Please, ser Knight. I ask this in desperation, and in humility." Arathea spoke.

I felt my wounds begin to close, the energy from the Shard filling my body. I lifted myself up, appraising the approaching darkness dispassionately.

"Well enough, I shall lay the first stone, and Gologotha stops here. This, I vow."

I looked once again to Silas last gift to me, as I rose once again, Ochus Nichte, the Knight of Fire as the gentle blowing of snow landed on the tundra.

THE END