We come out on the other side and are stunned by the freezing cold of it. “It’s so cold!” The winds whip by us. “Jeez!” “I got it.” “Are you all right, Your Highness?” “I’m fine. Just trying to keep this wind from taking me like a sail. Other than that, I’m fine.” Mom grows us an igloo of snow and Dad’s heat keeps us warm inside as the wind howls outside. “This is the equatorial region, right?” “It should be. It’s what my visions showed me.” Oonagh wraps her large red wings around herself. “Goodnight, humans.” “Goodnight, Your Highness.” “We move out in the morning, ok?” “Good.” Mom seems so in her element on this planet, being as she has ice magic. I wrap my blanket around myself, and I take my hair out of its braid to sleep, the curls falling all over my back and shoulders and shining like the full moon, illuminating the dome with soft silver light.
Thursday: 06/27/2030: In the morning, we are woken up by a section of the igloo falling into us. A shout of surprise startles us. “Come out! In the name of the Queen of Iâ!” We step out of the igloo and see a woman wearing thick white furs and skins and carrying a club. Oonagh is instantly annoyed, and her bright red wings are raised into the air. “That’s extremely rude!” “Who are you?!” “I am Princess Oonagh, firstborn granddaughter of King Orin of Tewira. How dare you address us like this and so early in the morning?!” “Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I am merely working in defense of Her Majesty’s lands. My sincerest apologies.” “You wish us to come with you to your Queen?” “Yes, Your Royal Highness. You all must come to the castle. It’s the law with visitors, especially during the winter.” “Very well. Lead on.” We follow the woman over the icy landscape, along the shores of a nearly frozen sea, to a large castle that appears to be made of ice which is perched atop a high cliff overlooking the sea. As we approach the gates, I look up to see a woman with snow white hair, likely the Queen, staring back at us at a window. “Is that her?” “Yes, Highness. This is the direct equatorial region during the winter.” The Queen moves away from the window and goes downstairs. The woman who found us leads us into the ice castle and into the throne room where the Queen is now seated on a throne made entirely of clear blue ice. Next to her is a man like her, with white hair and thick furs. “On your knees.” We kneel before Her Majesty and the man as she bores into us with her piercing blue gaze. “Speak.” “We’re from Earth. My name is Ælura Fulmena, Your Majesty.” “Earth? So there are still Deathless Ones in the Galaxy. That realm was cursed by the Shadow Queen and the Immortals were gone, but now I see that I was taught wrong. Tell me how you four came to my domain.” “We were brought here by the Bridge of Light and the Golden Book. We are searching for my younger brother who was taken from our home by the Shadow Queen, Your Majesty, and he is also Immortal.” “And you are?” “I am Princess Oonagh, firstborn granddaughter of King Orin of Tewira, Your Majesty. It is an honor to be in your presence.” “You know of the Darkness that cursed this entire galaxy? Can you four prove to me that you have magic and that Earth, and these other worlds do indeed exist?” “Of course, Your Majesty.” I form static in my hands, Mom creates a thin slab of ice in hers, Dad subsequently melts it, and Oonagh creates small lights in her hands. “So, Earth and others like it still exist after thousands of years?” “Yes, and there is still life on it. Billions of humans and that many more living species, Your Majesty.” “Are there still people with magic?” “Yes. Roughly 8,000,000 out of nearly eight billion, Your Majesty.” “So, mortals are in the majority on Earth?” “Yes, Your Majesty.” “Since you four have given me your names, it is only fitting that I give you mine. I am Hîvānë-my’naa, Queen of Iâ. It is always cold here. This is my husband, Lord Yavos.” The Lord makes hand signs and greets us with a warm and friendly smile. “How many live on Iâ, Your Majesty?” “Roughly one billion here.” Queen Hîvānë-my’naa’s white hair is long and flowing and her eyes are like the blue of the ice the castle is made of. Her clothes consist of thick grayish-blue leather armor on her torso and legs, covered in a cloak made of thick furs and skins and her skin has a crust of frost in some places where it’s exposed. Her voice is soft yet clear. Thin layers of frost grow where her hands rest upon her throne of ice, meaning that she and her people still carry remnants of ancient ice magic in their genes. “If you must know where your brother is, Ælura, I would say he’s not on this planet and I have seen no strange boy around here.” “Do you know of the planets Ijen and Xalexxa, Your Majesty?” “While we know of planets other than Iâ, we have no means of star travel. We have stories of other lands and have hosted the likes of the Tewir and the Tolimani, but it’s been over a generation.” Queen Hîvānë-my’naa and Prince Yavos take us for a walk in their garden of ice and frost and seat us at a table made of pure ice. On the table are six plates with warm meat and steaming hot tea. “This is wonderful, Your Majesty.” “You’re very welcome. I must explain the actions of our warriors towards you. You see, servants of the Darkness as well as Roots of the Empty have been sighted by my people many times recently. I must do all I can to protect them, for the Darkness makes anyone it captures into slaves. I feel sorry for you four, knowing your son and brother must be a slave by now.” Hîvānë-my’naa sips her tea in a glass made of ice and Yavos chows down on the meat. “How does that glass not melt, Your Majesty?” “My touch keeps it cold and then it goes back. Every Iâni man, woman, and child possesses ancient ice magic in their blood. It allows them to survive in this world but using their powers too much saps their strength.” We talk with the Ice Queen and her husband about the curse that affects the entire galaxy. “How did it start, Ælura?” “Nobody knows how long ago it happened, Your Majesty. All the stories say is that a wicked queen was jealous of her sister’s empire and cursed it when she couldn’t conquer it.” She lays her finger on a small pool of water on the table where her plate was, and her touch freezes it in seconds. “One of your guards said that it’s winter on Iâ. But we’re near the equator, aren’t we, Your Majesty?” “Yes, our winter brings Iâ at the furthest point in her orbit. As such, even the equatorial regions are icebound. The unseen light reflecting off of the snow deepens our skin and the gold infused into it from our food keeps it warm. Now, Roots of the Empty have been appearing in people’s homes and near the shores of Lake Umar, thus I and many of our warriors have had to lock up any affected home or other places where they are.”
After finishing up in the bathroom, Kyle picks up Lindsay’s phone. He goes into her text app and finds Henry, Qate, 美雷, Josh, and Yona bombarding the group chat with questions about the sudden and inexplicable closure of Crawford’s General Store.
The conversation follows: Kyle as Me.
Now they can call her for help in case Nameless comes for them. They have never seen his unnaturally pale face, but they will know immediately that it’s him the moment they see him.
After moving hundreds more crystal eggs into the lake, the pair find 16 Tewir eggs buried in the glowing mound. “That makes 52, Your Majesty. Only one left to find.” “The Alvearium is vast. Surely the last egg is still in here.” “Then we keep looking.” TJ and the Queen continue moving glowing eggs, hoping to find the final Tewir egg hidden in the mound, after which they would try to find their way out and back home. Even after several hours, and hundreds more eggs moved into the water, they are unable to find the last egg. “It has to be here in this room. Maybe it ended up in the lake.” “Maybe, boy.” Dagmar dives into the water many times to see if the 53rd egg fell in there. She emerges after a dozen dives when TJ hears a familiar voice in his head. “Seek the 53rd atop Queen’s Hill. Seek your friend there.” “The Vädish woman? But how?” Dagmar sees him staring off into space. “What is it?” “It’s not here. It’s somewhere on the peak of this mountain.” “Who says that?” “The Vädish woman I told you about earlier. She seems to know things that no mortal would have a way to know. She knew about the 53 Tewir eggs and about the ritual used to turn young Shadow spirits to the dark side. That’s when I was sent to work here. It’s no coincidence, is it?” “Sure, but what if your Vädish friend isn’t a real person? What if she’s a guise of the Darkness, or an agent thereof? Can we really trust her, Cheetah?” “I never thought about that, Your Majesty. She said something about Queen’s Hill. Could she be talking about this mountain?” “I reckon Queen’s Hill is the name of the mountain we’re inside and I’m willing to bet that the tower containing her throne and the holding cell where your friend and the last egg are, is built atop this mountain.” “Then what are we still doing in this cave, Your Majesty?”
“Has anyone seen a golden nest on this planet, Your Majesty?” “One did say to me that they saw a golden object fall into the warm spring beneath the castle about a month ago, but the weather turned foul and forced them to return from the surface. I have not seen it myself.” “In which spring did they see it, Your Majesty?” “By the sound of it, it wasn’t very far away from here.” “Thank you, Your Majesty.” “I’ll come with you. There are other things there that I used to look at as a child. A sapphire and a giant ice crystal. I used to believe they belonged to Mother Iâ. Since you’ve come here, I’ve had reason to believe you were here for these things.” She paused. “There is a tunnel leading under the castle that opens into the spring itself.” “Thank you, Your Majesty.” “Very well. Let’s go. When we find that nest, it’s best to return to the castle as the night winds are very harsh, especially these days.” “Of course, Your Majesty.” She opens a gate leading down into the tunnel, and we follow her in the direction of the spring. Dad brings his Heat aura closer to himself to avoid melting the walls. The tunnel, like the rest of the castle, is made of ice and stone and after a few minutes of walking, we can hear water flowing. “Here we are.” The tunnel opens into a hot spring with very hot steam. “I got it.” Using the figures of Itsaso-Ura and the fourth divine daughter, I search the water for a golden glow, and I find it glowing gold in the blue-y ice. I telekinetically pull it up and out of the water and it glows gold in my hands. Oo spots a large blue sapphire and Mom spots a large ice crystal and those are also pulled from the spring. The Queen becomes suddenly spooked by something and she takes off back through the tunnel. “Come on!” Following our host, we make a break back up into the castle, following the sounds of Her Majesty’s footfalls. We emerge back in the castle just as the Iâni sun sets and lamps all over the castle and city are lit. Hîvānë-my’naa closes and locks the gate. “So, it’s true. Earth really does exist.” A young teenage girl with white hair and gray eyes and wearing similar garb to the Queen comes down the icy staircase. “This is my daughter Princess Orinda-nari, my heir.” “How do you do?” “We are well, Your Royal Highness.” She shakes my hand and causes frost to grow on it. “Oops.” “Orinda-nari!” We both start laughing. “This is always melting.” Orinda re-freezes a part of the wall that looked like it was melting. Oo and Orinda-nari go for a walk around the castle. The castle has six sides and at the top of the house is a chandelier made entirely of ice that is like a giant snowflake. “Hello, Father.” Orinda wraps her arms around her father, bringing out his friendly smile. “Let us go into the Great Hall for some entertainment, shall we?” Hîvānë-my’naa and Yavos lead us into a large hall where some costumed dancers are telling the story of the Shadow Queen’s Curse on the galaxy. “After being denied dominion over the Galaxy, she called upon ancient, nameless horrors to destroy her enemies and exact her revenge. The brave Cat-Queen of Warriors defeated her, but the damage was done, and the great empire of the immortals was no more.” The other Iâni in the room look at me, particularly my feline features, and start saying that I’m the Cat-Queen of Warriors, asking me how I defeated the Shadow Queen thousands of years ago. “It was not I who defeated her long ago, though I closely know her who defeated the Shadow Queen long ago. I have spoken to her myself.” The Iâni talk amongst themselves, and the night concludes with a blessing from Hîvānë-my’naa. “Good night, humans of Earth.” “Good night, Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness.” “Good night, friends.” The Queen and her mate and her daughter ascend a staircase made of ice and we walk into a giant sunroom where Mom creates a smooth dome of ice around us, and we lay down inside it with the Golden Nest in my sac with the jewels tucked safely in my amulet.
In the night, Orinda-nari sneaks downstairs and wanders the shiny corridors of the darkened ice castle. The winds howl outside the castle walls when a window swings open, waking us up and sending Orinda-nari running swiftly back to her bedroom, brushing past a Root of the Empty, and a screech wakes the entire castle. “What was that?” “Is that what I think it is?” Mom heads out of the dome to find a window on the second floor with its doors swinging about. She puts a thick layer of ice on it and latches the doors. Suddenly, the Princess runs to my mother, holding out her hand, a dark substance leeching into her flesh. “What’s all this?” “I’ve been stung, Mother!” “Come down into the basement!” I grab the sack and the Queen orders us into the bottom of the castle. A loud shouting comes from right outside the thick door. “What were you doing out of bed?!” “I had to go to the toilet!” “Orinda, it’s outside the door! Quiet!” “Mother!” “Be quiet!” She bangs on the door for half a minute but it seems like half an hour. Her claws make vicious scratches in the ice door, almost digging through it. “Give them to me! In the Name of the Mother of Shadows!” “I beseech Iâ to drive away this evil.” I send a few hundred volts of juice her way, making her scream like a vampire in the sun. The demon abruptly leaves the area, and the castle falls silent. “Come on out, Your Majesty.” “Come out now.” She takes us out of the basement and all the servants are in a tizzy. “Is everyone all right?” “We’re all right, Your Majesty.” Suddenly, a Shadow scoops up Orinda-nari and carries her off. “Mother!” “NO! Orinda!” The Queen lets out a blast of ice in a fit of rage, damaging the Root. “Let’s go after her!” “If you’re going after her, so am I!” “Hîvānë-my’naa! What about the kingdom?!” Yavos signs to his wife, afraid. “I’m going! She’s our daughter! I trust you’ll have things well in hand”, she signs back to him. “Very well, Hîvānë-my’naa. I love you.” “And I you.” Hîvānë-my’naa kisses her husband and goes into the large sunroom with us. I hold the Star and pray to the Ancestors to protect the Iâ System from the Shadows, followed by a white flash encompassing the planet, destroying the Root. “What was that, Ælura?” “That was the power of the Ancestors cleansing all Iâ of the Shadow menace and no more shall be taken, Your Majesty.” “How does one get off this planet?” “We have this friend, Your Majesty, and it guides us wherever we need to go. The Golden Book, you see.” “What is this Golden Book?” “It’s supposedly the most knowledgeable object in the Universe, Your Majesty.” “How do you summon it?” “Like this, Your Majesty.” A bright light appears in one of the ornate ice archways. Hîvānë-my’naa puts her hand in front of her eyes and stands before the light. The Book speaks. “I’m their friend.” “Where did that thing take my daughter?!” “She is on a dark planet. Come through the door and you’ll be able to find her, but two other stones must be found before the Darkness can be confronted, Your Majesty.” “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. It steers us in the right direction.” “Well, what are we waiting for?! Let’s find those stones and Orinda!” “Find Orinda we shall, Your Majesty.” We step through the light and leave the ice planet.
Orinda-nari wakes up, and first notices the glowing eggs and heat surrounding her and is frightened by the glaring lack of snow and ice and is so shocked by the heat that she lays back down on the eggs from feeling lightheaded. Her heat-absorbing cells are going crazy, causing thick frost to grow on her body as she sweats profusely. “Hello? Is anyone here? Help! I’m getting too hot!” Hearing her cries, TJ and Dagmar find her and the Queen picks her up in her arms and carries her to their “camp” by the water’s edge. “You’re all right, dear girl. You’re safe now. What’s your name, child?” “Orinda-nari of House Hwingma, heir to the throne of Iâ, daughter of Queen Hîvānë-my’naa.” “I have heard of the people of Iâ and their hardiness in the cold. I am Dagmar of House Hreiđmar, wife of the King of Ijen. I’ve been here for five years now. I just met Cheetah here a couple days ago. We’re planning our escape.” “If we can find a way out of this mountain, that would be a good start.” “I’ve spent a lot of time looking for secret passages out of the mountain. I even found one a couple years ago but it was a dead end. I guess I was worried about being caught.” “So, how do we get out of here then?”
Previous Episode: The Golden Nest and the Sea.
Next Episode: Thirsty Sands.
