Chapter 41: Deep and Troubled Waters

As the group descended the frozen hillside onto the Shattered Ice Floe, Dee pulled her hood down and breathed in deeply. It had been many years since she had been up this far north. The brisk cold, the howl of the wind, the sound of the frigid waters lapping against the ice: all of it renewed her vigor and lifted her spirits. The others didn’t seem to be faring as well, however. They had all bundled up tight, especially Tuborg, whose foliage had paled without the sun and heat. He trudged along with one hand holding up one end of the makeshift stretcher they carried Nienna’s crystalized form on and the other clutching a fur-lined cloak around his shivering body.

“I hate to be that person, but are we there yet?” Tuborg asked.

Dee nodded toward the water. “Not too far now. You’ll be able to thaw out your delicate petals next to a fire soon enough.”

Tuborg chuckled, but stopped abruptly as his cold, stiff hand started to slip from the metal frame. He readjusted quickly, shifting the stretcher in the process. The woven blanket slipped off of Nienna’s body and fell onto the snow. With a growl, Clarkus reached down to pick it up.

“Don’t shake the commander,” he warned as he tried to spread the blanket back over his commander.

“Sorry,” Tuborg replied. He grabbed the edge of the blanket and helped him spread out the material. “Some of us don’t have a layer of fur to keep us warm, nor the strength to carry a human for lengths on end as if they were nothing.”

“Not my problem,” the charr replied. “Besides, I don’t understand why we don’t let the dolyak pull her.”

“He’s still a little shaken up from that wild ride on the airship,” Alena said as she trudged along next to Clarkus with Maddox’s lead in hand. The beast shook his head and uttered a grunt. “We don’t want him having a dizzy spell and dumping Nienna in a snowbank.”

“Let us help,” Rhyra offered. She reached a frozen hand out and gripped the metal frame next to Tuborg’s hand. Her joints cracked as she closed her fingers around it: a sound that felt unnatural to Tuborg’s ears. She grunted a little as he relinquished control and she took the weight. “I’m fine,” she said as she flashed him a weak smile. “Really, it’s okay. Let me carry her for a while so you can rest.”

“Please, let us help.” Viktor offered a hand to take over for Clarkus. The charr flashed an uncertain glance across the way at Tuborg who nodded.

“Why don’t you take a break and let them carry their daughter for a while,” the sylvari suggested.

With a huff, Clarkus eventually relinquished his duty to Viktor and wandered over to Dee. “Any sign of the others?” he asked. He raised his snout in the air and sniffed. “They’ve been gone a while.”

The norn shook her head. “No. They aren’t back yet.”

Clarkus snorted sharply. “As long as they bring back Quint. We don’t know these people. Who’s to say they won’t take him out and bury him in the snow?”

“He’ll be fine. Besides, he wanted to stretch his legs anyway. I don’t think he enjoyed being cooped up on that airship.”

While they waited for the scouting party to return, Dee decided it would be a good idea to check in with each of the others to see how they were faring. Most of the group had huddled together for warmth, aside from the frozen who formed a protective circle around Nienna’s unconscious form. Off to the side, Salara sat by herself, struggling to pull off her cloak. Curls of steam rose off her exposed foliage. Curious what was going on with her, she strode through the snow and crouched down next to the sylvari.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

Salara finished pulling off her cloak and threw it at the ground with a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. It’s cold out. I’m supposed to be cold right?”

The question caught Dee off guard. “I would guess so.”

“Why am I not cold then?” Salara looked over at Dee, her crystalline eyes pleading for answers. She opened her hands, revealing a tiny flame dancing on her celadon bark palms. “I’m so warm, and it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t hurt though. It never burns me.” She clasped her hands together, smothering the flame, but as she showed her palms again, the little flame reappeared and danced contently.

“Nienna told us about the crash. She told us how she found you.” Dee reached for Salara’s hand, but the sylvari pulled it back, extinguishing the flame in her palm as she clutched it to her chest.

“No. I’d rather you not touch me, just in case. I-I’ll be fine.”

Dee felt herself recoil at the unusual response. She gave the moment a chance to dissolve before placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’ve always had the gift of fire. Maybe the stress of what happened on the ship, I don’t know, fueled them? Sorry, no pun intended.”

Salara pulled her knees to her chest, curling herself into as much of a ball as she could. “Maybe.”

“I think that little fire of yours saved your bark. Whatever’s going on with you, I’m sure you’ll be okay.” She tried to offer Salara a reassuring smile, but the sylvari just sat there staring at her hands.

“They’re back,” Clarkus announced as he gestured toward the icy shore.

Dee gave Salara’s shoulder a final squeeze before getting to her feet. She looked down at the sylvari as she went back to staring at the dancing flame in her hand and made a mental note to keep an eye on her. They already had Nienna’s ailment to worry about, still had to get Seren back, and had to figure out what to do with that horrible weapon. Now she had to worry about the possibility of Salara immolating herself or others. Her mind started to spin. She wondered how Nienna managed to balance all her stresses.

“You find anything?” Dee asked, addressing the returning scout party.

“Not a lot, and that may be something to worry about,” Alma replied. “The sanctuary seems pretty quiet for one that’s supposed to be filled with kodan.”

“There was a large marching path leading east. It was dotted with blood too. I think a few of ‘em got scratched along the way,” Ian said.

The young, blonde woman with them grimaced and crossed her arms over her chest. It was quite apparent to Dee that she was new to the harsh reality of battle. The kodan she traveled with put a paw on her shoulder for comfort, but the young woman remained still, her body stiff and her eyes unfocused. It was possible she could be a very real liability if they were to enter battle with their enemy.

Dee shifted her attention to the tall figure standing in the back of the group, shrouded in a hooded fur-lined cloak. “What do you think?”

Quint turned and looked at the kodan sanctuary in the distance from under his hood. “Somethings off. I don’t like it, but we need a place to lay low while the Raven tries to lead them away.” Michi hissed in agreement as she waddled around his ankles.

Dee sighed. “All right. Well, we need a place to rest and hide for a while. We’ll have to take a chance with the sanctuary.”

***

Resting in the northern end of the Sea of Lamentation was Deep and Troubled Waters: a massive kodan sanctuary constructed of a myriad of ships and ice. Dee didn’t know much of the kodan and their settlements, only that they were giant bi-pedal bears who lived on the ice in the far north. As Alma had mentioned, the sanctuary appeared to be oddly quiet. Upon her continued inspection, Dee saw some of the sails had been burnt, and there were odd plumes of smoke rising all throughout. Various flags of red linen flapped wild and free in the wind. Their existence felt like a warning to her, telling her that danger was near.

If it weren’t for the three kodan heading their way, Dee would have assumed the place was deserted just as Alma and Quint pointed out. As they neared, Dee waved for her people to stop, unsure of what to expect in their meeting. Two of the kodan were clad in heavy armor with imposing hammers in hand. They flanked a third kodan, a female, clad in leathers and red linen. Her white fur was covered in black markings which shared similarities to many tattoos her fellow norn bore.

“I am Deep Song, Voice of Deep and Troubled Waters. You must stop where you are. We will not allow their kind in our sanctuary.” The kodan pointed a dark claw at the frozen individuals in their group.

Dee wasn’t completely surprised by their reaction. Concerned the conversation could turn south quickly, she shifted her shoulders, feeling the reassuring weight of her blade. “Why, may I ask?”

Deep Song bared her teeth. “My people have suffered enough at the hands of these frozen creatures and their keepers. They came and took and offered nothing in return except death. They are like the dredge who constantly strip the mountains, taking what they will. There is no balance in that sort of existence. There is no honor.”

“Sounds like the Byrnes’ and their goons came through already,” Clarkus said quietly so the kodan couldn’t hear.

“Looks that way,” Tuborg replied in kind.

“I can assure you these people are not dangerous,” Dee replied. She started to continue, but stopped when she felt an icy hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Viktor standing behind her with a reassuring smile.

“Please, let me speak for us.” He took a few steps forward and addressed the kodan. “We are not like the ones you’ve seen. We have escaped our captors and seek to right their wrongs. We want justice for what they have done to us and to others. We share the same desire to stop them from doing more harm. Please, will you grant us sanctuary? In return, we will offer our help.”

Dee raised a dark eyebrow. “Our help?”

Viktor looked over his shoulder at her. The action was slow and stiff, and the grinding sound of ice on ice grated against Dee’s senses. “The captain said it herself; the mercenaries are close. The Byrnes may also be close. They could pick up our trail and follow us here, putting these kodan at risk again. The enemies’ numbers keep growing, and ours are small. If we are forced to fight, then an alliance would be mutually beneficial.”

“Your help,” Deep Song mused. The kodan eyed the frozen speaker and his companions suspiciously and then looked over at Mending Heart. “And what of you, brother? Do you vouch for these creatures?”

Mending Heart turned and looked at the frozen pair carrying their daughter on the stretcher and their companions following closely behind. His dark eyes rest on each one as he considered the question, giving a thoughtful moment to each individual. “Our meeting was fortunate, as if Koda himself had a paw in it. They saved our lives as others like them attacked us in our camp. They have protected us as we traveled and asked nothing in return.”

Deep Song’s white ears twitched. She then raised a paw and beckoned for the two guards to approach. They were each clad in heavy armor and carried a large blade sheathed on their hip.

“They will escort you into our sanctuary, and you may rest here tonight. Anything beyond that will be decided tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Dee replied, relieved. She waved the others on, and the group followed Deep Song and her guards into Deep and Troubled Waters.