Frozen Wonder

[Tismri]

OOC: Mood music. lol www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCo78e53uUc

Serena stood on the high incline, gazing down at the icy world below. The sun was near the western horizon, but it was still an hour or so before sunset. There was still no sign of what might cause the glow that could be seen all the way from Freia--a distant, shimmering spot at this point. Large, jagged chunks of ice grew from the frosted ground, like giant flowers blooming. Stone archways crossed overhead and dipped down into the ground. The whole place generally appeared very white to her.

"Well, at least now we know the 'entirely made of ice' theory is inaccurate," she commented to Thane. She had just about dragged him here once she'd discovered the possibility that an ancient scholar's lost notes could be found here. She couldn't stop herself from being inexorably drawn to the hunt for lost writings, but knew better than to go alone. Although they both had to sneak away, as they both knew their parents would never approve of a visit to seemingly deadly frozen mountains.

She sat down beneath a large archway that made a wide but shallow tunnel, allowing for shelter, but with both ends clearly visible. She shivered as she rested from the hike. They had been going at it all day, leaving Freia well before dawn. The climate was much colder than she was used to, and despite her warm coat and gloves, she couldn't stop the chill that reached for her.

[Trinn]

Thane thrust the tip of his battle axe into the ground and rested his hands on the bottom of the shaft. He gazed around as icy wind ruffled his dark hair. Though he had lived just outside these mountains for fifteen years, he had never seen them this close. For a while, he was shockingly speechless. The trek had been relatively easy, until they had neared the mountains and the air had grown even colder, and the flat steady ground rose to inclines and iffy footing. "Well." he began, looking over to Serena. "I suppose you're right, though I think I have a bit of ice in my hair." He shook his head, flinging bits of snow out of his hair. A gentle snowfall had begun and was brushing the area with a soft white haze. He stomped over to Serena and sat down next to her. "You're not cold, are you?" He reached over and vigorously began to rub Serena's arms with his hands. The thought of making any move on her was strangely absent from his mind. He was thinking of the stone archeways and the tunnel that led downward. "I suppose now you're thinking about going down there." He asked, glancing at the tunnel. "By now I'm sure everyone has noticed our missing presence. My mother will have my hide for this, and your father... well I don't know about that. But I do know that my mother will unleash her scaly black fury upon us both if we don't return by our own like sad little puppies." Thane reflected on the dragon Torreck. Often when he and his siblings had gotten into trouble, his mother would round them up and use Torreck as the lasso. He didn't fear the dragon, not really, but the fury of his mother reflected in those silver eyes too, and that was scary.

[Tismri]

Serena stared at the huge ice formations surrounding them, and gazed down for a moment at the distant sight of Freia, looking like a glittering diamond from this height.

"I-I'll be f-fine," she replied to Thane's concern. She brushed her hands through her hair, feeling the ice that crusted it. It was a strange feeling, so stiff and immoveable where it normally hung loosely. She gazed down at the tunnel he had indicated.

"Father will be fine once he knows that I'm safe, at as long as I have someone with me, he's sure to be more at ease than if I went alone." She felt a little bad for putting Thane to all this trouble, but she knew she would never make it exploring this strange land all alone. She stood and stretched, getting her blood flowing again. "That tunnel might be our best bet. It'll be warmer than out here, and it provides shelter. Also, if the scholar came through here, he probably would have rested in--"

Her words trailed off when, all at once as the last rays of the sun dipped past the horizon, the icy world around her lit up. Great columns of warm yellow light sprang from the heart of each large ice formation, their gentle glow filling her with awe. She moved toward one of the icy constructs and laid her gloved hand against it. It felt queerly smooth, and there was not a flaw to be seen. She had thought it unusual for ice to form in such a way.

"It's not ice!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief. "It's crystal." When she placed her hand at the heart of the crystal, where the light came from deep within, she felt a slight warmth. Her curiosity was piqued by the appearance. "It really must be a magical phenomenon. I never thought to see one here in Ismalia. I wonder...perhaps this crystal is the same material from which Freia is made?" Her inquisitive and scholarly mind was racing with the possibilities.

[Trinn]

Startled by the sudden glow emanating from the frozen pillars, Thane hurried back to his feet. Each pillar seemed to shine and shimmer from within, bathing the area with a warm golden glow. Although the air was still frigid and sharp, it somehow seemed warmer with the glow. Carefully Thane approached the pillar that Serena was resting her hand on. He copied her and also let his hand rest against the glossy surface. Indeed it felt almost warm, and Thane felt a thrill of apprehension. "Well," he said, yanking his hand back from the crystal, "I know you Alagaesian's get along with magic quite well, but we Ismalian's do not. If this is indeed some sort of magic, it may be best to head back home and gather up some others to investigate." He began wringing his hands together, nervous and unsure. He didn't want to seem like a coward, but he also didn't want any magic backfiring on him and incidentally tearing his head off. "I have a keen interest in my own survival." he felt the need to tell Serena. "Please understand that I am no coward. I hope you would not think that." He glanced back towards the capital.

The city was darkening quickly with the setting of the sun. By now he was sure his mother had noticed his absence. In fact, he thought he could see the shadowy form of Torreck departing from one of the citadels. Thane swallowed hard. Face the fury of his mother or an unknown magical force?

"On the other hand." he said suddenly, and put on his most charming smile, "I always like an adventure." Grabbing his battle axe with one hand, he took Serena's arm in the other and practically dragged her towards the cave entrance. "I'll help you out Alagaesian, if there are any physical threats, and you keep an eye out for any magical tricks. We'll be just fine." He glanced one more time towards the draconic shape in the sky before practically shoving Serena into the tunnel.

[Tismri]

Serena continued to gaze into the heart of the crystal, barely listening to Thane's fears. She wondered, as she often did over natural magic, what the cause of the phenomenon was. Although literature on the subjects was plentiful, very little evidence was given to solve the mysteries they presented.

The light of the crystals was steady; it did not flicker as a flame would, and the cut of the clear stones caused the glow to refract in dazzling ways. Some of the bigger crystals seemed to shoot their light endlessly into the air, as if to send out beacons to the city below. Their beauty entranced her, so it was with a start that she found herself being pulled away into the cave. She gave a glance back at the bright formations outside.

"Okay, we can move on," she agreed. She felt full of vibrant energy again, thrilled to have discovered this fascinating sight. She was eager to find the ancient writings that were surely here; if the scholar had visited the mountains as he had implied, he would have come this way. "I can't wait to see what has been written about this! Hopefully the scholar had some theories about the cause of the glow. Perhaps it's ancient dragon magic, or something else entirely! The possibilities seem endless." As they walked further into the cave, it became darker. Serena pointed a finger at the ceiling and said, "Garzjla," making a small werelight pop into existence above her head that followed them as they walked along.

[Trinn]

Thane half-listened to Serena gush about the cave's possible treasures. He was still concerned with putting distance between him and his mother. "I hope you can find one of those things you are looking for." he said, and gave her a smile. "Although I personally would be ok with no more magic." Just as he said that, Serena created a ball of heatless light. Thane flinched again and ducked his head. He even almost slashed at the ball with his axe. When he realized it was Serena's doing and wouldn't affect him directly, he straightened and smoothed his shirt, though it needed no smoothing. "Ah, I suppose that helps light the way a bit better." Re-collecting his frayed nerves, Thane peered into the distance. The tunnel was somewhat narrow, the walls strangely smooth. It was clear that it was man made. A little further on it seemed as if there may be stairs that led up or down. "This place might be bigger than we think." he muttered to himself. He touched one of the tunnel walls and was surprised to notice it felt as smooth as the crystals outside.

[Tismri]

Serena gazed around the structure, a much longer tunnel than she had expected. She couldn't help a giggle at Thane's jumpy nature around magic. The mystery of how magic affected Ismalians was intriguing to her, and another thing she hoped to study while she was living in Freia. Her father had given her no indication of how long their tenure might be, though he had hinted that he might return to Alagaesia sooner than she would.

As she walked, Serena kept an eye out for anything that might indicate someone had passed by this way since its formation. Farther inside, the air was no longer as icy and snow no longer crunched under their shoes. The entire tunnel seemed out of place; a man-made structure in these mountains where people rarely dared to travel. The prospect of finding where it would lead was nearly as exciting to her as finding any documentation on it to begin with.

"People don't climb these mountains often, do they?" she asked Thane, partially out of curiosity and partly because she wanted to keep in interested in their adventure. She was afraid he might grow bored and leave her here; she might not be able to make it back down the mountain by herself. "I mean obviously, if no one knew about the crystals and rumored that they were made of pure ice. But this tunnel isn't natural. So that means either it's been here for hundreds--or even thousands--of years, or there are people living up here who don't let their presence be known to the outside. But there is no way they could have enough food up here to live without coming down occasionally."

[Trinn]

"To my knowledge, not many people to explore the mountains. Mostly we know that they are here, and that they are rather formidable at times. Who wants to deal with that? And, most importantly of all, we Ismalian's know that there may be strange magic at play around here. None of us want to mingle with strange magic when magic is already strange for us." Thane glanced at Serena, feeling slightly envious of her. How nice it would be to have magic at his control, to not fea it the way he did. He instantly thought of his cousin, Jason. Jason was the one who should be up here exploring these mountains, not him. It was clear his romantic gestures would be futile, not that he cared much anymore anyway. Now he was just worried about getting back out of this cave alive.

"You honestly think there could be people living here right now?" He asked, and a prickle crept up his spine at the thought. "What kind of people could those be even? Why would anyone want to live here so isolated?"

[Tismri]

Serena shrugged at Thane's questions, brushing her hand for a moment against the smooth wall.

"People have had many reasons to hide themselves throughout history," she told him. "It could start with just a small group who prefer to keep to themselves, and over the years they may become a nation all their own. Others--the dwarves and elves, for example--might cut themselves off from the outside world for survival reasons. Galbatorix would have desired nothing less than to have all peoples under his absolute rule." As she spoke of her most beloved subject of study, she absently took off her right glove and brushed her hand over the wall again, feeling small, regular grooves in the wall. There might have been something written there long ago, but time had weathered away whatever the message was. She stopped her exploration as her gaze landed on the mark on the back of her hand. The evil eye stared back at her, unblinking. It always gave her the creeps, but it affected her father worse; he was the one who insisted she always wear gloves when she was not alone, though he never explained to her exactly why. Eventually she sighed and sat on the ground for a rest.

"Honestly, though, this place may have been abandoned for years. I only hope we find something in here; I would hate for this whole adventure to have been for nothing."

[Trinn]

Wishing they could just keep moving forward, Thane reluctantly stopped when Serena did. He felt restless and fidgety. The young magician sat and he felt even more agitated. "Shouldn't we keep moving?" he said, trying to smile as he spoke. "This place is getting under my skin. You know, almost like something is watching me or waiting to stab a knife in my back." He glanced around and caressed the shaft of his battle axe with his left hand. His gaze fell back to Serena and then to the mark on her hand. His skin seemed to shiver at the sight of it. "Serena. What is that?" He asked of her tattoo, unable to look away. He was beginning to regret this adventure.

[Tismri]

Serena glanced up at Thane, noticing his nervous nature. She had thought when she met him that he might be the adventurous sort; he certainly didn't seem to be content sitting at home. But perhaps he was just unsettled by the displays of magic they had seen. It was rather disappointing to her, but she knew there were few who understood her desire to search for lost histories.

When Thane pointed it out, Serena looked back down at the mark on her hand. The eye seemed to glare at them from her skin, and she quickly covered it with her glove again. For the first time, she felt like she understood why her father insisted she keep it hidden.

"It's a birthmark of sorts," she told him, standing to her feet and continuing down the path. "I don't know anything about it, but my father seems to be almost afraid of it." She frowned as she considered. "There is more to it than it seems, I know it. He knows what it is, but he probably won't ever tell me."

As they walked farther down, the air grew increasingly warm, and a dim red glow could be seen up ahead. Serena paused for a moment, fascinated. "Magma," she stated. "This tunnel must lead farther down that we'd thought." Nearby, propped against the wall, she spotted a skeleton with an open book on its lap. Near the floor beside it sat an ancient glass inkpot, though whatever quill he had used had long since vanished. Curious and excited, Serena carefully took the book and flipped through it. The handwriting was neat and clear. At a random page, she read,

The storm outside continues unabated. The drifts at the cave entrance are almost as tall as I am, and I am afraid it will soon be almost completely blocked. Still, I cannot make it back to the city in this weather. I have no choice but to wait.

She frowned as she read, flipping back and forth until she sighed and closed it. "Poor soul," she said, imagining the situation that had trapped him here. Then a worried thought struck her. "Thane, we should probably head home. It didn't seem like the weather was foul when we arrived, but either way, we don't want to end up like him."

[Trinn]

The red glow ahead pulled at Thane's curiosity. Though the magic around the place unnerved him, he was still wondering what they might discover. The skeleton that came into view did not disturb him. Bones were just bones. However, it was the manner in which the skeleton had come to be in such a sorry state that troubled him. Sticking close to Serena's heels, he stood over her as she bent to examine the poor soul. He kept his eyes trained in both directions, ready for anything that might come their way. Once he glanced over Serena's shoulder to read the page she was on. Apparently the man had been trapped down here.

"Are you sure you want to head home now?" he asked, "after all, this poor guy looked to be by himself. The weather was fine when we came in, and it should hold for the night. If it doesn't, we have dragons to dig us out." He said this all more confidently than he was feeling. He rather hoped that Serena would insist they go home, if only to preserve his own manliness in the matter.

[Tismri]

Serena brushed the book with her hand, staring back down into the tunnel where the red glow lay. Although she was curious about what lay at the other end, she knew she wasn't ready to head into the hot, stuffy chamber. She was tired from the hike up here, and a spell to protect them from the heat would take a lot of energy from her; not to mention it might not even work on Thane.

"I found what I was looking for, at least for now," she told him. "I can come back later with better equipment and spells to search the rest of this place; now that I know where it is, I should be able to find it easily." She glanced over at him; she was careful not to say we, knowing that would be rather presumptuous. She had no desire to force him into something he didn't want to do; it was obvious to her that he was not having a good time. She turned back toward the entrance and began walking, holding her treasure close to herself.

[Trinn]

"When we return to the citadel, I will make sure you are able to acquire all that you need for such an adventure." Thane promised, the relief in his chest almost painful. He could walk into a battlefield, ax in hand, and feel as confident as Serena did in this maze of magic. She was Alagaesian, and perhaps did not understand completely his Ismalian fears. "And I mean to introduce you to my cousin, Jason. He has a keen interest in magic. I think the two of you might get along quite well." Thane eyed Serena, feeling suddenly wistful. She was a beauty, but he feared their interests were few and far between. "Jason may even accompany you back to this place. You see, he seeks a cure for the Ismalian's harsh reactions to magic." He eyed the young mage carefully, wondering what she would think of such a bold goal. Personally, he thought his cousin was a bit crazy for thinking there even was a cure, but if anyone could find one it would be him. The kid was kind of a genius, at least when it came to Ismalian history in regards to magic.

The glow behind them began to fad, and a chill was creeping back in. They had not gone very far into the cavern after all, Thane thought and was relieved. It surely wouldn't be long now before they were back in the fresh air.

[Tismri]

Serena smiled as Thane mentioned his cousin; he sounded like someone she would get along well with. Perhaps he would be able to help her learn more about the history of Ismalia; find all the right books to read and help her distinguish fact from fantasy.

"Well, I doubt he would find much in the way of a cure here," she admitted to Thane. "Wild magic is unpredictable, and wresting any answers out of them is likely an impossible task." As they walked, the faint yellow glow of the crystals outside the caves began to appear, and she released her light from overhead. She stopped for a moment and swayed on her feet, dizzy now from the effort of maintaining the light after the long hike upward. She shook her head to try to clear it.

"Yes, definitely need to be better prepared next time. Food, light, wards...probably other things I can't think of right now. I hope the trip down won't take too long."