Chapter 206: Ice Bound

Rhiannan POV

I nearly inhaled my cider.

“Can we please not traumatize applicants before they arrive?” Veena asked.

“No promises.”

I pointed my fork at Mo, Mela, and Riven. “You three.”

They froze. “Tomorrow morning, grab builders and mages.”

Mo saluted with bread. “Captain.”

“I want temporary apartments near the forest. Comfortable ones. Kitchens. Bathrooms. Gardens.”

“Hot tubs?” Mela asked.

I considered. “Obviously.”

“Soundproof walls,” I added.

Everyone paused. I shrugged. “Have you met this kingdom?”

“Fair,” Reyna said.

“Can I decorate?” Mela asked.

“No,” everyone shouted.

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Eventually, I looked around the table. At all of them. Our weird, dangerous, completely unhinged family. Outside these walls, hundreds of thousands of new soldiers were settling into barracks. Forty-five thousand elite candidates were preparing for the final Trial. Ten thousand emissaries were carrying our message across the world. Thousands of Noble Trial applications were waiting.

Homes were being built. Fields planted. Children sheltered. People were choosing us. Choosing this.

My chest filled with something too large to name.

“Guys.”

The table slowly quieted. I swallowed. “This is real.”

Elisha's hand found mine. “We're actually doing it.”

I looked around. “We're building a whole fucking world.”

Mo raised his breadstick. “A weird one.”

“The weirdest.”

“A horny one,” Mela added.

“Unfortunately.”

“A heavily armed one,” Sable said.

“Definitely.”

I laughed. “A world full of weirdos, warriors, and cinnamon rolls with rage issues.”

Elisha kissed my temple. “Sounds like home.”

Yeah. It did. Later, the feast slowly dissolved. People disappeared toward their rooms. Some alone. Some in pairs. Some in groups large enough that I chose not to ask logistical questions. Eventually Liam helped me stand. Azarion appeared at my side. Elisha took my hand. My babies shifted inside me. I looked once more at the hall. Empty plates. Floating candles. Abandoned goblets. The remnants of celebration.

Tomorrow we would prepare for Trial Three. After that came the Noble Trials. Then government appointments. Army organization. Housing. War.

Veltherion. Lorelei, wherever the fuck she'd vanished to. A thousand problems waiting for morning. But tonight? My people were fed. My family was safe. My kingdom was alive. I rested one hand over my belly.

“Tomorrow's going to be chaos.”

Liam grinned. “Good.” He kissed my forehead. “We were born for it.”

I smiled. Maybe we fucking were.

~

Commander Maelra POV

The wind screamed like something alive and pissed off.

It tore sideways across the frozen wasteland north of Rhiannan’s borders, sharp enough to cut exposed skin and mean enough to make even enchanted winter gear feel like a polite suggestion. I hated it. Mostly because it reminded me of home. “Eyes sharp!” I shouted over the storm. “This blizzard ain't natural!”

Fifty heads turned slightly, just enough to acknowledge me without breaking formation. Good.

At least they were learning. We'd been traveling north for seven hours, rotating heat charms every forty minutes and checking extremities every twenty because frostbite didn't give a shit how heroic you felt.

Sasha's winter armor division had outfitted us well.

Layered enchanted coats. Runed gloves. Self-heating boots. Wind shields woven into the collars. The whole fancy royal package. Still, cold found cracks. Cold always did.

I trudged at the front with my axes strapped across my back and one hand resting near the hilt of my short blade. Snow hammered my face. Behind me, Jaq stumbled over a buried ridge and swore. I glanced over my shoulder. “You alive?”

The lean elf mage lifted one hand. “Debatable.”

“Good enough.”

He caught up, cloak snapping violently behind him. “Our signal strength is dropping.”

I grimaced. “Expected?”

“No.”

I slowed. Jaq lifted the crystal strapped to his wrist. Its violet glow flickered. “Something's interfering with the comm line.”

“Storm?”

“Maybe.”

I gave him a look. He sighed. “No. Probably not.”

Of course not. Wouldn't be a rescue mission if the fucking weather wasn't haunted. I raised my fist. The column stopped. “Signal flares ready.”

Several scouts pulled enchanted flares from their packs. “If we lose Sasha, you do not wait for permission,” Jaq called. “Light one immediately.”

I pointed at him. “What he said.”

Then I faced north again. Somewhere ahead lay Frosthaven Cradle. Or what was left of it. Old maps described it as a fae-dwarven settlement built into a ring of glacial cliffs. Mining tunnels below. Crystal gardens above. Hot springs. Trade routes. Nearly two thousand residents once. Then the northern freeze expanded. Caravans stopped coming. Frost wraith activity surged. A landslide sealed the primary road.

Everyone assumed Frosthaven had died. Years ago.

Then Sasha's strange little floating eyes had picked up life signs. Tiny ones. Irregular. Heat where there shouldn't be heat. Movement under collapsed structures. Could be survivors. Could be old magic glitching. Could be something wearing survivors like fucking gloves.

Hence me. Lucky Maelra. Commander of fifty outreach idiots carrying blankets, food, healing supplies, weapons, emergency wards, and enough optimism to get us all killed. I loved my job. Mostly. We moved again. The terrain got worse. Ice rose in jagged black-blue teeth around us, forming narrow passes where visibility dropped to almost nothing. My instincts started scratching. Something was wrong. Not dangerous yet. Just wrong. Too quiet beneath the wind. No animal tracks. No snow hares. No frost foxes. Nothing.

I touched two fingers to the communication crystal at my throat. “Sasha.”

Static.

“Sasha, respond.”

More static. Jaq looked at me. “That's new.”

“No shit.”

A shape moved behind the ice. I froze. Then another.

I drew one axe. The entire line reacted instantly. Blades came free. Magic flared. A growl rolled through the storm. I scanned the wall of icicles. “That's not in the bestiary.”

Jaq's eyes glowed faintly as he cast. “No heat signature.”

“Wraith?”

“Too solid.”

“Wonderful.”

The growl came again. Closer. I lowered my stance.

“Hold.” Nobody moved. The blizzard suddenly twisted.

Not naturally. Snow spiraled inward. The wind bent around us. Then the entire white wall peeled apart. Like curtains being pulled open. I tightened my grip on my axe. Shapes appeared. Not monsters. People. For one second, I didn't understand what I was looking at.

Then my stomach dropped. Children. Elderly. Thin bodies wrapped in mismatched scraps of fur. A handful of fighters standing in front with handmade spears. One woman held a broken sword. Another had blood dried across half her face. Every single one of them looked half-dead. But alive. Alive. I slowly lowered my axe. “Stand down.”

The fighters behind me did the same. The strangers didn't. I stepped forward alone. Jaq caught my arm.

“Commander.”

“I know.”

He let go. I walked until there were maybe twenty feet between us. Up close, it was worse. Frostbite. Malnutrition. Old injuries. One boy couldn't have been older than eight and was holding a knife bigger than his forearm. A little girl peered from behind a man's leg. Their eyes tracked every movement.

Not fear exactly. What I saw instead was suspicion.

Hope trying desperately not to exist. That hurt worse. I sheathed my axe. Then raised both hands.

“We were sent by Goddess Rhiannan.”

Nothing. The wind screamed between us. I swallowed.

“We came to bring you home.”

The older male at the front went still. A baby strapped to his back beneath layers of hide. His handmade spear slipped from his fingers. “You…”

His knees hit the snow. I took one step forward.

“You're real.” His voice broke.

Fuck. Tears slid down his face and froze almost instantly against his skin. “You're actually real.”

Something inside my chest cracked. I'd expected relief. Maybe shouting. Maybe suspicion. I hadn't expected that. Like we'd become a myth before we'd ever arrived. I crouched in front of him. “Aye.”

Behind him, movement spread through the ruins. More people emerged. Dozens. Then more. From beneath collapsed roofs. From tunnels cut into ice. From holes I hadn't even noticed. My pulse sped up. “Jaq.”

“I see them.”

“How many?”

His magic swept outward. He went pale. “One hundred seventeen.”

Gods. A hundred seventeen fucking people. Living here. Waiting. Surviving. While the rest of the world decided they'd already died. I stood. “Outreach team!”

Everyone snapped into motion. “Medical assessment first! Children and elders priority!”

Packs hit the snow. Blankets came out. Heating stones activated. Two healers moved straight toward the horned man.

“Jaq, establish perimeter.”

“On it.”

“Scouts, I want eyes on every approach. Whatever made that growl is still out there.”

Three fighters broke away.

“Food team, slow portions. No heavy meals.”

One of the younger outreach volunteers started opening ration bars. I slapped his hand. “Not those.”

He blinked. “Why?”

“They've been starving.”

His face changed. “Right.”

“Warm liquids first. Fruit strips. Soft grain packs.”

He nodded and ran. Good lad. The whole field transformed. Minutes earlier we'd been a combat column. Now we were a fucking rescue camp. Blankets wrapped around shaking shoulders. Warm tea poured into metal cups. Children stared at the steam like it was treasure. One little boy took a fruit strip from an outreach worker and immediately tried to break it in half. “For my sister.”

The worker's face crumpled. She gave him three more.

“No need to share those, sweetheart.”

He stared at her. Then started crying. Quietly. Like he was embarrassed. I looked away. Commander. Do the job. I moved through the survivors. “Anyone unable to walk?

“Seven,” one healer reported.

“Pregnant?”

“Two.”

“Critical?”

“Three severe frostbite. One infection. One possible internal injury.”

“Stabilize for transport.”

The horned man found me again. He'd been wrapped in a thick purple blanket. The baby on his back had been taken by a healer and was now drinking something warm.

“What happened here?” I asked.

His gaze went toward the buried settlement. “Everything.”

“Start with the worst.”

His mouth tightened. “The wraiths came first.”

Of course. “They hunted at night. Took livestock. Then people.”

“How many?”

He looked at me. I already regretted asking. “We stopped counting.”

Fuck.

“The southern tunnel collapsed last winter. We lost access to the old road.” He pointed toward the ice cliffs. “We tried sending runners.”

“None made it.”

He shook his head. “We thought perhaps the world had forgotten Frosthaven.”

I stared at him. “No.”

He laughed once. Bitter. Not me personally. But the world? Yes. Someone had forgotten them. Someone had looked at a map and moved on. Old rulers. Old systems. Old fucking priorities. Not anymore. I touched the crystal at my throat. Still static. “Jaq.”

“Working on it.”

Then one of Sasha's small satellite orbs flickered overhead. Its light sputtered. Then stabilized. Violet brilliance washed across the snow. I almost kissed the damn thing. “Sasha?”

Her voice crackled. “Signal restored.”

“About fucking time.”

“Atmospheric interference combined with dormant glacial wards. Your complaint has been logged and emotionally disregarded.”

I grinned. “Confirmed survivors. One hundred seventeen.”

Pause. Longer than Sasha usually needed. Interesting.

“Confirmed.” The orb brightened. “Rescue classification elevated. Teleportation circle en route.”

I turned toward the survivors. “You hear that?”

Several looked confused. “Extraction.”

The word traveled. Extraction. Safety. Some started crying before I even finished. “Stand by.” The snow beneath us began glowing. A violet line carved itself into the ice. Then another. Runes spread outward in a massive circle. The horned man gripped my sleeve.

“Where are we going?”

“Rhiannan's kingdom.”

“What happens to us there?”

Refugees knew better than anyone that rescue sometimes came with chains attached. I crouched slightly so we were eye level. “You'll be medically treated first.” He listened carefully. “Then housed.” His grip loosened. “Fed.” His eyes closed briefly. “After that, if you're able, work placements. Farming. Mining. Crafting. Guard service. Whatever fits.”

“And if we can't work?”

“Then you heal until you can.”

His face broke again. “And if some never can?”

I thought of Rhiannan. Nobody left behind. “Then they still eat.” He stared at me. I smiled. “That's kind of her whole fucking thing.”