Ice heart, p.2
Ice Heart, page 2
I can feel my whole body trembling. What is it afraid of? Something in that direction…
‘Siara, I was wondering–’
Is Rye talking? I can’t hear; I can’t focus. Something isn’t right. What is this feeling?
The creature was large, its smell rancid, scrambling over its numerous legs to get away. Away from the very direction we are heading now. But I won’t stop. I can’t stop. I need to keep walking. Keep up the charade. I don’t know anything. I’m just like everyone else. The anxious fog in my mind clears but a bubbling of excitement brews just under the surface. What’s going on?
‘Siara?’
‘What?’ I say, maybe a little too curtly. Rye flinches.
‘If you wanted to see, like, a mov–’
His voice drains out once again as a bellowing voice thunders through the street. Both of us turn to look. Good, at least this time it’s not inside my head.
‘The blue moon has risen! Horrid night, the cold one is here.’ Mr Valentine stumbles out from inside his van. Passers-by look at each other uncomfortably, keeping their distance from the hunched old man.
A cold chill rushes down the street, lighting my senses on fire. I stare down in wonder as goosebumps consume my arms.
‘You know, he’s actually really nice when he’s not yelling about our doom,’ I say frankly, looking back to Rye.
The stunned boy arches an eyebrow in response. ‘Should we, uh, get someone?’ he murmurs. I shrug. I have too many of my own problems to be worrying about others.
‘Usually his niece is around. I’m sure she’ll turn up soon.’
The rambling man locks eyes with my own, caught in a fierce glare.
‘You see them too, don’t you, child? You know what I’m talking about. You can feel it.’ His wrinkled finger points to the sky. ‘Look.’
My eyes follow and I see it. In the sky, out above the ocean, in amongst the black clouds, like a second sun – a round blue ripple. I squeeze my eyes shut, opening them once more in disbelief. He’s right. Doesn’t anyone else see this? I look around, my heart sinking deeper into my stomach. They don’t. Of course they don’t. And neither should I.
‘You see it, don’t you?’ The old man steps closer, my own feet stepping back. I can’t answer; instead, my mouth hangs ajar.
‘Uncle!’ Footsteps dance down from the hill behind me. ‘Why are you out here in the pouring rain? You’ll get sick. Let’s get you back inside.’ Mr Valentine’s niece places a hand on his shoulder, leading him away. Rain? She shoots an apologetic grimace back over her shoulder. ‘Sorry about that.’
I can barely hear her voice; it’s muted. I wave her apology away politely. ‘Oh no, it’s fine.’
Mr Valentine looks back at me, mouthing a word over and over. What is it? What is he saying?
Run.
Rye grabs hold of my arm, causing my whole body to jump. ‘Siara – hey! We need to get out of this rain.’
‘Rain?’ And as if the rain itself heard me, its thundering sound reaches my ears, snapping me back into reality. How did I not notice before? It’s pouring. It has been pouring this whole time. I’m drenched.
It’s cold and hard as it thunders down over the empty camp park, people have already fled indoors, huddled together in the corners of the toilet block. Rye’s hand hits my arm, gaining my attention and gesturing to the large tree. We scurry under its protection.
Turning back to him, I start to open my mouth to speak but shut it and avert my gaze. Objectively speaking, Rye has always been an attractive individual, at least that’s what I’ve been told by my friends, but at this moment in particular, with his drenched t-shirt sticking to his sculpted chest and his blonde hair damp and messy, I’m reluctantly feeling inclined to agree. Rye gives me a quizzical look.
‘It’s so loud!’ I yell, covering my awkwardness. He nods in agreement before his cheery expression suddenly loses its shine.
‘Argh, the chairs.’ He groans. ‘Sorry, I’ll be back.’
I can barely nod before he sprints off down the road, lost in the haze of rain. I breathe in a deep cold breath, pouring the now cold water out from the pail onto the grass. Guess I’ll do the dishes later.
After running back to the van, I jump up the steps and pull the metal door closed behind me with a thud. Letting out a sigh of relief, I throw myself on the padded seating.
It’s wet. Groaning, I pull myself up and look at the ceiling. The small roof vent is slightly open, something Mum does to give some airflow to the van. My gaze diverts to the other windows, each open, and each trickling a small river of water down to the lino floor. Springing to my feet, I close the vent and subsequent windows, finding myself struggling with the last. It jams. I push the winding knob harder and it breaks. Snatching my hoodie with audible frustration, I once again brave the elements. The wind howls as it hits my face, slamming the door loudly behind me. Something in me churns. I try the handle. It’s locked. Of course it is.
An unpleasant sound makes its way through the rain.
A pack of sniggering boys sit grouped together under the cover of a nearby barbeque shelter. Wonderful, I have an audience. Gifting them a cold glare, I trudge around the back of the van to the window. With a small nudge of my shoulder, it eventually retracts back, closing manually.
The electricity catches me off guard, pulsing through every vein in my body and for a moment I believe I’ve smacked my head. My heart is pounding like I’ve just run a marathon, my senses more alive than ever. But there is only silence. The rain has stopped.
A deep chill creeps across the hills, my breath fogging out in clouds. I turn to the now-silent group of boys, but they sit strangely, awkward and unmoving. The tree tops bend in an unnatural fashion, like a wind has pushed them one way and they have failed to sway back.
Time has stopped.
Beautiful and intricate icy designs replace the streams of raindrops on the window. I gaze at them in a mix of fascination and horror.
‘It’s different than I remember.’ A young man’s voice cuts through the silence.
‘It’s been quite a while, Master,’ a young boy’s voice replies.
‘Is she close?’ the man says. His words take a while to fully process. Who are they looking for? I take a peek under the van.
‘According to Heret-Kau, she should be just over here,’ the boy says before running up to our van’s door. I stifle a gasp as water funnels up from the ground, turning to ice before my eyes. It moulds to make a key. I hear the creak of the door opening. I duck as footsteps thud into the van. Whatever they want, it can’t be good if they’re breaking and entering.
‘Well?’ the man says, a cold edge to his tone.
‘She’s not here.’
‘I can see that, Xander.’
A lump forms in the base of my throat. I have to go. Now.
I scramble away from the van, diving behind the group of boys just as the figures emerge.
‘I don’t understand, Master, the girl should be here. Heret-Kau said–’
‘Heret-Kau says a lot of things. That she-demon also gives too much time to spirits and the things they say.’ He pauses, the sound of his footsteps stopping abruptly. I can feel his stare scanning the series of frozen figures in front of me. ‘It’s time to leave.’
They both leave as quickly and as silently as they came but where a sense of relief should sit, an unfulfilled anxiety resides instead. The electricity that once darted through my body is now an unpleasant and dull ache. Rationally, this is where I run inside, grab my phone and tell Mum that this is the worst hallucination yet, that I really have inherited the family curse and I inherited it hard; this is where I run to Rye for comfort in the form of a good laugh and feigned normalcy.
But I don’t.
Go, the voice says. Quick.
My bare feet slide across the wet grass and out onto the road, the blue distortion still visible in the dark sky. Is this a hallucination? I have to know. This instinct is stronger than anything I have felt in my life. No matter how dangerous and how irrational, my body won’t stop. It is no longer my own. Familiar frozen faces pass me by as I follow the ominous pair from a distance. Up the hill, around the corner and onto the small coastal trail that leads down to the shore. I stop for a moment. My hands grasp the log rails that trail along the sandy stairs down to the bottom of the precipice, my first moments of doubt creeping in.
A blue light shines through the cracks in the trees, willing my feet to keep moving. I move down the stairs, careful to not make too much noise, coming to a ledge about halfway down the path where the beach is in full view. Ducking between the rails, I move closer, the two figures now in sight. The tall one is drawing something in the sand and as he does, blue light shines from the stencil. The shorter one, on the other hand, whom I assume is the young boy, stands back watching. Once finished, the sand erupts in a furious blaze of blue flames before simmering muted back down. They place themselves in the circle. What are they doing? Is it some sort of weird cultist ritual?
Closer. Move closer.
My fingers grip the edge of the dirt, leaning forward. Just a little bit closer.
A pair of firm hands shove me from behind. The ledge gives way as I fall.
Branches cut and whip my body. I tumble, my sight just a blurry vision of trees, dirt and sky. With the sudden sensation of soft sand, my body comes to a gradual rolling halt.
Groaning, I lift my head. And there they are.
The two figures, wide-eyed and staring.
I can’t tell if it’s the wind screaming or myself. My mind is blank. These people aren’t people at all. Their eyes are different. Piercing. They don’t look like the creatures I normally see. They are something more, something worse. My mind flashes back to the memory of the fleeing creature. This is what it was running from. This is what my fears are afraid of. And I followed them here.
No. I was pushed. I can still remember the sensation on my back. I look back up to the ledge but there’s no one there. Just darkness.
Adrenaline spikes and my instincts finally kick in. It’s too late. I go to stand but the imbalanced ground throws me back down. An unnatural feeling of pulling and falling rocks against me. The bizarre lines of the circle have started to rise. Alarm flashes over their faces. The younger one yells out, reaching towards me, his words lost in the whirlwind spinning around us.
And then we fall.
3
I groan. Murmured conversation fills the room.
‘Master, she’s waking up.’
Something rustles just in front of me. My eyelids flutter open. It’s the small boy. He is leaned in close, his red eyes piercing straight into my own. I throw myself backwards, scrambling on my hands and legs. Behind him, the young man stands tall, his good posture only enhanced by the condescending glare that drills down into me from under his locks of icy white. I can’t tell which is worse, his immediate disgust or the intense fascination and excitement that is gleaming in the eyes of his small green companion.
‘You – you’re…’ I look around the room frantically – wooden walls, panelled floor, large windows. ‘Where have you taken me?’
It appears normal enough; it appears human enough. Nevertheless, I need out. My legs quiver as I pull myself up. The boy’s stare remains fixated on mine until a shadow shifts behind me. A chill runs down my spine.
‘We haven’t taken you anywhere.’ It’s the other one. I turn, facing his cold glare. ‘It’s you – the stowaway – that has dropped in uninvited.’
Now that he’s closer, I can see why the spirits ran. His skin is pale and his nails are a dull deathly blue. Unlike the child whose red eyes were bright and clear, these eyes are dark and sinister, aged like blood or wine.
‘What now, human?’ he remarks snidely, leaning in. ‘I do hope you have a plan.’ I don’t answer. Instead, I falter, taking a few steps back. The creature sneers, tearing his scathing glare away and looking towards the boy. ‘It appears the shock has rendered her simple.’
The boy tilts his head. Has he been watching me this entire time? ‘Master, maybe she can help us, just like Heret-Kau said.’ Heret-Kau, what is a Heret-Kau? Within the time it takes for me to look back, the boy is standing beside me. My body almost jumps out of its skin. He was so fast. Too fast.
‘Do you know anyone by the name of Charlotte?’ he chirps.
‘What?’ I breathe out. I shake my head slowly. ‘No.’
‘Oh.’ The boy’s body seems to deflate. ‘Are you sur–’
‘Xander. That’s enough.’
Xander, that must be the boy’s name. For a moment, there is an unspoken exchange between the creatures. Xander’s stare now lingers on his companion, where a cold, hardened expression is returned. And then silence.
My body freezes. Xander’s companion steps forward, shattering my paralysis.
‘W-well, actually it depends!’ I stutter, trying to steady the quake in my voice. ‘I know many Charlottes. How am I supposed to know which one you mean?’
I’ve backed myself up against the wall but the creature has halted in place. Okay, that’s good – I think. I look behind him. Xander is looking away, disheartened. As I look back at his companion, I understand why. A flash of dark triumph has lit up behind his gaze. I don’t dare look away from him. The creature moves forward until he is standing in front of me. The gentle waves in his hair hang as he tilts his angular but striking features to one side.
‘You’re lying,’ he whispers, a smirk playing on the edge of his lips. Xander grimaces in the background, turning away in anticipation.
A loud creak echoes through the room. My arms fly up in defence and I shut my eyes.
Nothing.
I peek through my arms at my attacker. He wears a similarly perplexed expression. His narrowed eyes widen as we both investigate our mutual confusion. He turns back to Xander. The boy shrugs.
The sound creaks loudly once again but this time there’s a sudden feeling of weightlessness. My screams fill the open air as I fall down into the dark void. Looking up, I can still see the two stunned expressions of the creatures as they peer over the edge of the crevice.
‘Heret-Kau,’ someone mutters, ‘every time.’ Darkness devours their faces.
After minutes of falling, the ground appears slowly below me. I brace for impact, scrunching my face tight and holding my breath.
I wait.
When there is no clash of my bones against the hard ground, I open my eyes. Gently, I float down to the floor. My shoes touch the white tiles, a heavy wave of gravity washing over me. I slump to the floor, touching the cold ground around me. Dumbfounded, a hysterical laugh escapes. What is happening? The peering faces no longer look down from above but I’m too concerned to be relieved.
I shudder. A whistling breeze flows from the darkness. It grows louder, singing and chirping. I stand in anticipation, staring out into the darkness. The singing intensifies, a horrible rumbling teamed alongside. It’s coming fast, so fast I barely have time to put my arms up. The hot air blasts past me, my hair whipping about violently. The darkness disperses, a loon flying past so close I feel the wind of its wings on my face. A scratchy substance catches my throat as I breathe. I cough, holding my sleeve over my mouth. My eyes sting and the heat is almost unbearable. The void is gone, revealing a dark forest. Tall trees encompass the surrounding area, so dense that, accompanied with the smoke, I can barely see a few metres ahead.
A snap of a branch allows me to witness a flutter of blue and gold fabric darting between the trees. I step off the white tiles and stomp my way through the undergrowth.
‘Hello! Is there someone there?’
Squinting, I see her. A girl appears in the distance, her clothes tattered and torn, mostly covered in mud and patches of dark red. She searches amongst the trees anxiously, pacing back and forth, muttering to herself erratically. Her dark auburn hair flows behind her in the hot wind. It’s hard to see her face clearly, but it’s human.
‘Hey – excuse me!’ I yell, but it’s lost in the dull roar. She lifts her head as if she might hear me. The wind howls through the trees, their tops rustling with the clashing of leaves. The smell of smoke thickens in the air.
‘Over here!’ I say, running towards her. She looks around again, bringing her hands to her head. Her voice is muffled and disjointed by the sound of crackling and snapping.
‘Will?’ she finally calls out. ‘Is that you?’
I frown. I’m not Will, whoever that is, but I’m sure finding someone out here is better than no one. The sky is starting to darken, the sun blocked out by the thick black clouds. I need to get out of here. A singed fox scurries past me, caution lost to the panic in its eyes. I swallow hard. The fire must be closer than I thought.
‘Where are you?’ the girl yells, adventuring through the dense trees. My feet mimic hers, leaping where she leaps, climbing where she climbs. I call after her but the wind carries my voice behind me. I dodge trees, logs and branches, my bare feet crunching through the dead leaves on the forest ground. I follow her out to a rocky ledge. Heat hits me like a wave. It’s as dark as night, her pale skin barely visible through the ashy cloud. She reaches out blindly into the black, calling to people that aren’t there.
‘Wait!’ I yell, with as much air as I can spare. ‘Stop! We need to get out of here.’ I bring my sleeve to my mouth in another attempt to filter the smoke. The girl disappears into the dark haze. It is no use; the heat is too intense.
A searing gust of wind crashes through the forest, causing the smoke to move in just the right way. I scream at the sight. The girl walks hesitantly through the darkness, teetering on the edge of the rocky cliff. Hearing my scream, she falters, looking around, panicked.
