Frozen Prospects

  Frozen Prospects

  by Dean Murray

  Copyright 2011 by Dean Murray

  Chapter 1

  Va'del looked up at the tiny violet time sphere that provided the only light to the room and then hunched further down on his sleeping mat. The thin pad of woven gurra wool provided only minimal cushion between him and the cold stone floor of the sleeping chamber.

  The chamber was barely three paces to a side, empty but for his one change of clothes and the dim time sphere that almost chased the shadows back to the far wall. There was barely room to stretch out let alone hide.

  Even in the rambling caves where the People made their home, a private chamber was usually a sign of status. In his case it was just evidence nobody was willing to spend any more time in his company than absolutely required. He listened to the slow drip of water somewhere out in the darkness and wished there was a way to disappear. As much as he might desire otherwise, it was inevitable that Pa'chi would eventually show up and try to drag him to weapons practice.

  She claims she doesn't want me to get into trouble, but how do I really know? Maybe she actually wants to see me humiliated. Just like everyone else.

  The lanky teenager felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, which was very nearly a betrayal of the closest thing he had to a friend in the village. Even that guilt couldn't keep his thoughts from the imminent beating.

  Muffled footsteps echoed through the cold warren of tunnels gradually becoming distinctive enough to recognize. Va'del's heart sank a little further as he realized it wasn't Pa'chi who’d come to collect him.

  Va'del scrambled to his feet just before Jas'per stepped into the dim violet light. "Come on orphan. Everyone already suspects you're a coward. You wouldn't want to miss weapons practice again and give them proof would you?"

  "I practice just as hard as you do, Jas'per."

  "And yet you lose every time."

  Jas'per pushed Va'del along ahead of him. Any time Va'del slowed too much for Jas'per's taste the older boy shoved him again. Several times it was all Va'del could do to catch himself, shredding his hands on the uneven walls. All too soon Va'del stumbled into the best lit section of the entire village.

  Jas'per smiled at the flock of girls watching the boys warming up. They giggled and smiled back. Va'del tried to look for Pa'chi without being obvious, but Jas'per rolled his eyes.

  "Your little girlfriend won't be here, darkie. She can handle being around you in the dark, but not even she likes to be reminded how much of a freak you are."

  Ignoring the giggles and averted eyes, Va'del crossed over to the storage racks on the wall where the practice equipment was kept. He winced a little as he shed his outermost layer of clothing. Once he actually started weapons practice he'd warm up in quick order, but until then he'd have to deal with more giggles at the way his teeth chattered in the cold.

  As Va'del struggled into one of the padded jackets and simple helmets that would shield him from some of the fury of Jas'per's attacks, he tried to shy away from the bubble of resentment over the legacy his lowland mother had left him.

  Before Va'del managed to work himself up too much more, Jas'per's father, the village Headman who also served as their weapons instructor, finally arrived. A subtle grimace of distaste flickered across his face and then he began pairing the students off. As usual Jas'per and Va'del were matched against each other despite the fact that Va'del lost six touches out of seven.

  Hefting his blunt practice sword with its elongated hilt designed to be usable when the user was wearing heavy mittens, Va'del waited for the command to attack, and then stabbed at Jas'per. The older boy knocked his blade aside and Va'del had to duck away from a riposte aimed at his head.

  Feeling his stomach sink at the force of the blow, Va'del tried to convince himself that he'd be ok. A gasp of anticipation raced around the cavern from the watching girls.

  Jas'per wasn't quite as tall as Va'del despite being older, but like most of the People, he was more powerfully built. As always, he used that advantage ruthlessly. Each attack landed with a shock that made Va'del's palms tingle despite his efforts to parry so that the force of each swing was simply redirected instead of countered.

  Completely on the defensive now, Va'del stepped back enough that a particularly furious attack went whistling past him, and then without conscious thought stepped forward and kicked Jas'per in the stomach before the older boy could recover.

  Jas'per would have pressed the advantage ensuring that everyone was able to see his dominance. Va'del knew that would just result in him being hurt more seriously when they next squared off. He started to back away and then gasped in pain as the weighted end of the Headman's training cord snaked out and found the back of his unprotected legs.

  "This is weapons training you pagan monster. If you can't attack your opponent with your blade, don't bother attacking at all. Do it again."

  There may have been a collective gasp as Jas'per regained control of his breathing and moved forward, but if so Va’del was too scared to notice. Jas'per's fury was a cold thing that always made him more dangerous rather than less. The last time he’d been made to look foolish he'd put Va'del in the healer's care for a week.

  Jas'per once again took the offensive, using his superior skill and strength to control the tempo of the fight. His blows had been marginally controlled before, more than a little sloppy actually. Now instead of going wide, they came at Va'del in short, brutal arcs that pressed his ability to defend to its absolute edge.

  Even Va'del's slightly longer reach couldn't keep him out of range indefinitely, and finally a blow got through, a blow that wasn't pulled at the last second as it should have been. A dull crunch accompanied the sharp pain shooting up Va'del's left arm. He found himself falling to the ground as his weapon dropped from hands no longer strong enough to hold it.

  ##

  Va'del woke to welcome darkness in a bed that was softer than his normal mat. The dull yellow light from the glow sphere was partially covered in deference to his preference for darkness.

  A ginger attempt to move his arm sent shooting pain down it despite the fact it’d been bound to his side. Va'del tried to pull himself into a sitting position, and nearly fell out of bed as a sudden burst of vertigo and nausea wrenched a moan from him.

  "There now youngster, don't be trying to move. Foolish thing for people to do, just shows they're still ill."

  Sara, the enclave's healer, bustled in with an energy that belied her wispy gray hair, and uncovered the room's small glow sphere as she looked her patient over. "The arm will hurt for a while, but it should heal just fine. I'm more concerned about the knock you took on the head. The nausea and dizziness will probably last for a couple of days. I've already told your teachers and the kitchens that you'll be staying with me until you're better."

  When Va'del didn't say anything the healer sighed in irritation. "Boy, I know exactly what happened, so there’s no use remaining silent. That insufferable Jas'per can claim it was an accident all he wants, but you've been in here more than any other three boys from 'training accidents'."

  She'll start badgering me about going to the Capital again unless I can distract her.

  "I suppose I'm just clumsier than the other boys."

  Sara gave Va'del a hard look, but for once didn't argue. "You have a visitor, I'll send her in."

  A useless protest died on Va'del's lips as Pa'chi shyly slipped around the divider that screened the sickbed from the rest of the room.

  "It was so terrible, you were just lying there unconscious while Jas'per preened as if he'd brought down a snow leopard. Are you ok?"

  From behind the divider Sara's voice drifted over. "It was Pa'chi who came and got me. Those motherless ruffians would ha
ve just left you there until weapons class was over."

  Va'del wanted to stay mad at Pa'chi, at the whole world really, but he knew that wasn't fair.

  "Thanks, Pa'chi. Nobody else would have gone and gotten Healer Sara. I hope your dad won't be angry with you."

  The smile that lit up Pa'chi's face transformed it from something plain and unremarkable to a thing of beauty, and Va'del found himself smiling in response.

  "I'm sorry I've been so difficult lately."

  "It's ok. I know you've been worried about the crafting decision for a while now."

  Va'del's mind tried to twist away from thinking about the nearing deadline for the young men of the village to find a master who would teach them a trade.

  "It's not as though worrying will change anything. After being passed up two years in a row I wasn't likely to be chosen this year. Now that I'm injured I probably won't even be allowed to stay and shovel gurra manure down in the mushroom farms."

  Pa'chi shook her head, no doubt responding to this darkening mood. Her smile was an obvious effort to cheer him up. "You were too busy to notice, but some of the adults had arrived by the end of your fight. They didn't seem too impressed by Jas'per's beating on you. I think some of the masters may take that into account when they consider who to take on as an apprentice."

  Va'del found himself once more fighting to not snap at his friend. "I guess I'll just have to hope someone takes pity on me. I obviously can't make it on my own merits."

  "It's not like that. People are good. You just have to give them a chance to do the right thing.

  "Maybe. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Va'del wasn't sure how his smile could convince anyone it was genuine, but Pa'chi smiled back as if she believed him.

  Chapter 2

  Jas'per found Va'del within a few hours of his being cleared by Sara to begin walking short distances through some of the dark, unused corridors near her suite of rooms. "Oh, look. The orphan finally stopped hiding behind the old lady."

  Va'del fingered the knife he'd concealed in the sling binding his left arm to his side. His victim's silence seemed to unsettle Jas'per for a second, but looking back at the two friends who'd come to see him torment Va'del, the bully quickly recovered his balance. "Maybe if you'd bothered to leave the healer's, you would've had a chance at getting a decent apprenticeship. Now I'll bet they don't even let you stay and carry waste rock up to the surface. You'll be just like a human gurra."

  Va'del felt his anger spike at being compared to one of the gentle but stupid creatures that the people used to carry burdens both inside their caves, and also on the infrequent occasions when they traveled the mountain slopes to visit one of the other villages. Jas'per seemed to bask in the younger boy's fury, secure in the knowledge that Va'del would never dare attack him.

  "At least whatever position I get will be earned on my own merits."

  If Va'del's barb struck home there was no sign of it in Jas'per's eyes. "No, whatever position you get will be because someone felt sorry for you."

  Long after Jas'per and his friends had left, Va'del sat alone fingering his knife in the cold darkness near the abandoned mining expansion. Not even his freakishly dark skin managed to hide the veins running mockingly close to the surface.

  ##

  Va'del tried to convince Sara to let him go back to his own sleeping mat, but the healer wasn't moved by his reasoning that the sooner he was visibly up and about the more likely he'd be to get an appointment as an apprentice.

  "The masters aren't as foolish as you think. They know what happened and why you are here."

  Whether that means I wouldn't get a position regardless, or whether I'll get one despite my status as an invalid she won't say.

  Va'del was unhappily working his way through the readings that Pa'chi had brought him a couple of days before, when his friend came running into the healer's room.

  "Actual, real Guadel just arrived. They're demanding to speak with Headman Ma'del. Everyone says there’s going to be a testing."

  Va'del felt his head spin, "Why would Guadel be coming now? There hasn't been a visit since before we were born."

  Sara looked at Va'del and shook her head. "Guadel come to the village more than most of you realize. As for the testing, it's not the terror of blood and demons you all seem to believe it is."

  Pa'chi's expression was every bit as skeptical as Va'del imagined his must be. For a second Va'del thought Sara was going to yell at them, but she took a deep breath and shook her head again. "Think back to the ‘traveling healer’ that gives you a checkup at least once a year youngster. Do you really think that’s something I can't do myself? Va'del at least has the excuse of never being tested before, but you girls should have figured something out by now. You likely would have if the adults hadn't all bought into Ma'del's edict."

  Pa'chi shrugged and turned back to Va'del. "Almost everyone is there already. They’re saying the Headman will deny them guest right. People are scared of the Guadel, but they're almost as worried that the Goddess will smite us if we turn them away."

  Sara stood suddenly, and pulled Va'del onto his feet. "We'd better go now. If Ma'del denies them guest right the Goddess won't have to smite anyone, the Guadel will do it for her. At least they'll likely stop after killing that pompous oaf."

  Sara was one of only three or four people in the entire village that would stand up to the Headman. It was unnerving to see her hurry out of the room, obviously afraid of what was coming. Sara had once thrown a large man into a wall with nothing more than the power of her mind. If she was scared of the Guadel then maybe there was more to the old stories than anyone really believed now.

  Pa'chi looked back into the dark corridors and then turned towards Va'del with a trembling lip. "What if she's wrong? For every story where the Guadel save a child from a pack of snow wolves, there are two more about them carrying people off to the Capital to serve as sacrifices."

  Va'del faked a reassuring smile. "All of the stories can't be true. It isn't as if they are really twice the size of a normal man and have multiple wives after all."

  Pa'chi ventured a tremulous smile in return and then nodded and started after Healer Sara.

  The pair joined the stream of people presumably headed towards the Guadel, and shortly found themselves in one of the larger central caverns typically used as a marketplace. Va'del was just tall enough to make out the healer at the edge of the cleared space. If the Guadel snapped and started killing people, standing just behind Sara was probably the safest place to be. Pa'chi followed along behind Va'del as he pushed his way through the crowd.

  The first thing Va'del noticed when they made it to Sara was just how large the male Guadel was. There were three of them, but the man was so imposing it was hard to notice the two women until some of the shock had worn off.

  The man slowly surveyed the assembled villagers, and Va'del was struck by the sense of controlled menace that rolled off him in waves. He moves like a snow leopard. Like he's the predator and we're nothing more than the next meal.

  The multiple light sources placed throughout the large cavern played off the Guadel's face in a way Va'del hadn't ever seen before, leaving strange, disturbing shadows that made him look wholly inhuman.

  One of the women placed a hand on the man's arm as if to restrain him, but he shook it off without looking and called out. "Where is the village Headman? We come to claim hospitality right."

  Jas'per's father arrived, accompanied by Jas'per and four of the other top weapons students. As the Headman pushed his way to the front of the crowd, Va'del noticed that all six men were armed.

  "You will of course be granted provisions and a place to stay according to the code. I will have to ask, though, that you follow more recent precedent and keep to your rooms. I'm afraid your presence here disturbs my people."

  The Guadel dropped his heavy over-coat to the hard, gray floor of the cavern, revealing a frame that seemed nearly as wide as he was tall. He was more heavily
muscled than even the village blacksmith. "That’s unacceptable. The same laws that grant us hospitality right also demand we move around the village freely. We must ensure there isn't anything that needs reported back to the Council."

  Jas'per and the other guards had their hands on the hilts of their weapons, and were nervously spreading out, but the Guadel seemed unconcerned.

  More than one of the packed crowd reached towards Ma'del as if they wanted to stop the Headman from forcing the issue with the Guadel, but nobody stirred from their spots. Instead nearly every person gathered in the market square was looking at the Guadel as though they expected them to shed their human skins and begin devouring the villagers.

  The male Guadel on the other hand seemed impervious to the raging fear around him. One of the two women at his back crumpled to the ground, apparently overcome by the stress of the situation. The younger woman carefully lowered her fellow to the ground, but her manner was distracted. The sense of tension ratcheted up as Ma'del started to gesture his men forward.

  The Guadel shook his head, preempting the motion as he drew his weapon. "Your lack of answer can only be taken as a refusal of our ancient right."

  The guards all dropped to a ready stance as they drew their own swords, but if anything, the Guadel was moving with more grace than before. Suddenly no one present had any doubt but that he could kill them all in the blink of an eye.

  A moment later, Sara's diminutive form was standing in the middle of it all, glaring at the Headman. "This is foolishness. Of course the village will extend the full hospitality demanded by tradition and law."

  The Headman seemed to be calculating the odds that the villagers would join the fight against the Guadel. He frowned at what he saw, and then finally nodded. "Of course. I merely wanted to save our people from any undue alarm."

  Gesturing for Sara to see to it, the Headman turned to walk away, only to pull up short as the Guadel's cold voice rang out. "I think it would be best if your men were careful not to bear arms, other than the two guardsmen needed to cover the entrance. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings."