Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 62

       The group continued having to rely on the magic that Zerai and Cedric possessed. A few days of infuriatingly slow travel commenced. The group was only able to travel for an hour a day, thankfully they were able to travel quickly. Three days passed, and the group had stopped their travelling for the day.

       All of the icebergs that surrounded them were massive, and they created a hazardous maze that floated upon the waves. In the last few days the cold had become even more biting than it was before. It was almost impossible for the group to sleep unless all of them huddled together with their cloaks around them. Thankfully, due to being an elf, Cedric only needed a few hours of sleep, and was able to keep the rest of the group warm using a flame above his hand.

       The sun was beginning to rise, sending orange and pink light glaring off of the cold, wet ice. Eris was the first to wake up, and they joined Cedric at the edge of the iceberg, staring out at what surrounded them.

       "It's hard to believe Point Frost could be colder than this." Eris whispered.

       "I know. You know, the Northern Woods feel like a sauna compared to this." Cedric replied.

       "I've never been there, what's it like?" Eris asked. Cedric took a deep breath, recalling a wave of memories.

       "It's gorgeous there. In autumn we would pick so many berries, and eat way too many of them. In winter we would find caves and stay there for most of the winter, telling stories and whatnot."

       "Stories about what?" Eris asked.

       "Proverbs, personal experiences, talking about whether or not we missed the cities." Cedric responded.

        "That sounds nice." Eris said.

       "What was it like in Oarshear, you grew up there, right?" Cedric asked.

       "It wasn't good." Eris replied tersely.

       "How so?" Cedric asked. Eris sighed and looked out at the horizon.

       "The person who raised me was a terrible person. They were a wizard who used magic and charms to keep themselves in power." Eris explained. Cedric put his hand on their shoulder.

       "He forced me to learn and study arcane magic, and he taught me how to kill." Eris continued.

       "They sound like the kind of person I was warned about in proverbs." Cedric commented.

       "You're probably not far off. His name was Aaron Servilus, he was an official there. He never let me go outside without his permission. He made me believe he was a good person, for a time. He always told me people deserved to die when he killed them, and that they were horrible people. Thing is, when he defined what a terrible person was, he fit the bill. He taught me a lot, and thought that I wouldn't get as powerful as he was. And now, he's dead, and I'm wanted in Oarshear." Eris explained.

       "I'm... so sorry about him." Cedric said.

       "I've never liked my magic, but I know that I need it sometimes." Eris said.

       "I'm sorry to hear that, Eris." Cedric said.

        "Anyways, we should wake the others up soon and get going." Eris said.

       "Yeah, we should." Cedric agreed. As the sun rose once again, the group awoke and continued their slow crawl northward. With Zerai's flight, the group made progress forward, and then, the miracle happened. Before them was a stretch of frozen, unbroken sea ice. It was a white plateau that stretched far over the horizon. Finally, the group could travel on foot, and make some actual progress towards Point Frost.