First Snow of Winter
Part 6: First Snow of Winter
"She's gone now!" Chaltyk shouted back. He was already preparing
himself to follow the creepy pair when Ysvelt's voice interrupted them.
"Leave them. Whatever it is she won't tell us. We can always notify
the Laedryses through our dragons."
"But don't you want to know where she's going?" Lityan asked.
"I know where she's going." Ysvelt said with a voice that was as
cold as the frost covering the ground. He quite frightened his two friends
but Ysvelt was too depressed to notice them growing concerned about him.
He knew where Pidazzi was going to turn up again, he had suspected her for
a long time and soon he'd know for sure. But first he would do what he had
came here to do.
"Follow me." he said and vanished in the Elsewhere.
Ype carefully looked at Zreshyn
again. After their last conversation the younger man had been less company
than a wooden statue. At least those you could talk to without
feeling silly. Things had livened up again when that big dark cloud had
obscured the night. Shouts had sounded around the village and Ype had
considered an attack for a moment. But who would have time to attack now
with Winter coming?
Zreshyn turned to his companion and wondered if maybe he should be a bit nicer to the fellow But wouldn't he then just be as bad as his so-called friends? No, he wouldn't, because he wouldn't backstab anyone. Zreshyn knew he could be called a lot of things. Some were more favourable than others, the one he disliked the most was that he had a short fuse (tough that was certainly true), but on the other hand, his most favourable side
was his loyalty. His first priority lay with his mother an younger sisters.
And it had also been with his friends before they had stopped
talking to him. The only time he had seen anyone from his old gang was
when the hunting parties rode out and not one of them had waved or spoken
to him. Deep inside he knew that this too could have something to do with
his looks and temperament. He had never been open or extravert, he had
often spent his days thinking or just looking, shut off from everything
around him. Some of his friends couldn't deal with that now, not when they
didn't even have the hunt to discuss.
But that didn't mean they could just abandon him like he served his
purpose and was now better off thought to be dead. Zreshyn took his spear
up a bit closer and turned around a bit. Grim he thought about the coming
winter. It would be here soon, he could feel it like all IceLanders could.
In their bones they knew, but it was tradition to wait for the first snow.
"I pray the first snow comes soon." Zreshyn said, not really
noticing he had spoken out loud and that Ype had heard him.
"We all do." Ype answered.
"They should just stop with the traditions and pick a date. Maybe it
would be better if we just... I don't know, go early and hunt the
surrounding woods."
This was about the longest time Ype had heard Zeshryn speak. For a moment
he was too stunned to speak at his colleague's sudden talkativeness, but
Ype knew he had to answer or he would lose the small contact they now
shared. The thing was, he agreed with the younger man, but he just
couldn't openly say something against the traditions. They had kept them
alive for so long, it seemed almost sacrilege to change them; like they'd
be challenging something or someone.
"I don't know. It might work, but the traditions do too most of the
time. First snow will come, it always does." Ype finally said.
"Inevitable." Zreshyn said.
Carefully Ype and Zreshyn looked up to the sky which definitely looked
like it had a score to settle. Earlier, when they had seen the shadow of
the dragon the sky had been mildly cloudy, but now no stars could be seen.
The sky was pitch black and Ype felt the sudden fear that maybe there
would be no more sun. That Winter would drop on them with all the
suddenness of Death. He shivered.
"Snow." Zreshyn suddenly said.
"What?" Ype asked.
"It's snowing." Zreshyn said, squinting his eyes, "Very
high in the sky, but it's unmistakably snowing. Who do we alert in these
situations?" he asked.
"Everyone." Ype said, "The Oval Center first."
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