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December 21st, 2020, 12:00 AM.
McMahon Woods, Chicago Outskirts.
McMahon Woods, Chicago Outskirts.
The woods were quiet, even as snow drifted down over the trees and deer paths. Animals lay silent in their burrows, save for the occasional winter fox or hunting owl that prowled through the foliage seeking their prey. The Winter Solstice was cold and the feeling of Winter's chill pervaded a small glade within the trees, far from the prying eyes of modern society. The silence was complete, and the feeling of isolation lay heavily on the ground. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a sound, barely more than a whisper in the dark.
"V etu samuyu dlinnuyu noch' goda, vysotu Sily Zimy, vyydi i otvet' na moi vyzovy--"
The cold wind carried a faint white dust down through the snow covered trees as a voice echoed through the woods. Quiet yet powerful, the words seemed to carry a deep bass reverb to them, and the sounds of the surrounding wildlife gained a muted quality.
"--Vyydi, boginya zimnego kholoda, kotoraya stoit kak Khranitel' etogo mira--"
The wind began to rise, powder becoming a flurry as a cloaked and hooded figure stood at the edge of a bonfire, arms raised and outstretched. The cold wind bit into his skin and bone, even as the blazing oak logs burned hotter and brighter. A goat, young and pure white, lay bound at his feet. A circle of woven holly and mistletoe surrounded the fire and the figure, whose voice grew louder and more booming with each word uttered.
"--prezirat' ne moy prizyv, sdelannyy v smirenii i otchayanii--"
The wind shook the trees and the animals of the forest approached the edge of the firelight. Their eyes shone brightly in the gloom, reflecting the now towering inferno of flame from the bonfire. They stood eerily still and held their gazes upon the chanter who raised gloved hands towards the sky even as the wind blew back his hood, revealing a young man with silvery hair and piercing dark eyes that were fixed on the space above the log which blazed brightly without being consumed by the flames. His cloak flapped wildly in the sudden blizzard, as did the long coat he wore beneath it. The chain of his pocket watch rattled as it shook, and the snow began to find its way into the protective warmth of his coat. Sparks of blue, green, and purple began to flash from the flames, like an aurora that erupted from the ground into the sky. The wind reached its height, roaring through the trees and sending snow spiraling into strange fractals in the air around the circle. Tobias' breath turned to frost before him, even as he shouted the final phrases of his chant over the din of the wind and flame.
"--Poyavlyayutsya! O Koroleva fey! Poyavlyayutsya! O Koroleva Zimy! Poyavlyayutsya! O Koroleva Dikoy Okhoty!"
The wind stopped as abruptly as it had started, and the log's light was extinguished to mere embers. The moon illuminated the glade with a pale silver glow, which cast strange shadows through the trees. Lights were visible within these shadows, the eyes of the animals that had gathered. Their luminescent gaze remained fixed upon Tobias even as the light of the fire faded to nothing. The faint flutter of wings as small faeries made themselves known, each one glowing in a faint color of the rainbow. The sound of rocks moving as small gnomes and dwarves emerged from these weird shadows cast into the clearing and seemed to stretch around the circle of evergreen boughs without entering. Their eyes all fixed upon this intruder even as a voice, cold as a frozen river spoke.
"
""Hope and desperation, O Queen." Tobias responds, careful to keep his eyes directed at her feet. The Queen of Winter stood before him, arrayed in all her terrible majesty. Her face was as a statue of finest marble, white as polished porcelain. Her hair, long and flowing and dark with blues and purples and greens of glacial ice. She wore a long white gown, regal and elegant, and bore a crown of ice upon her brow. Her face was beautiful and graceful, with high cheeks and plush lips that were stained a rich violet. She stood, imposing and statuesque, across the smoldering log from Tobias and his circle.
Hearing his reply, the Winter Queen's gleaming golden eyes like those of a hawk watching its prey, focused on his. Tobias froze, paralyzed with a sudden terror, unable to tear his eyes from hers. With a sudden force of will and a shout of authority, the evergreen boughs seemed to breath a sudden surge of hot air into the glade. Then Winter's chill returned with such vengeful force that Tobias could feel the ice forming on his lashes even as he tore his eyes from those of the powerful Fae.
"
""I cannot depart yet, o Queen, without first hearing an answer to my question." Tobias could feel the eyes of the gathered creatures around him harden as their stares turned to glares for his impertinence.
"
""I do not dare offend the Queen of Winter on this, the night of Her greatest power. I offer this sacrifice of an unblemished goat, fresh in the vigor of its youth and white as the driven snow, in exchange for the knowledge that I seek." Tobias drew a ceremonial dagger from his coat, taking a knee and holding the sheathed blade out towards the Queen.
"
"Tobias rose and held the gaze of the Queen of the Winter Fae, surrounded by Her power in the longest night of the year. He kept his voice steady and his stare unbroken, no risk of a Soulgaze with a being that lacked a soul.
"How may I purge the Despoiler from my heart that he may finally be destroyed? Can I be free of this burden, and return to my home?" Tobias asked, even as he felt a boiling hot rage that was not his own bubbling up into his throat. His eyes gained a faint red glow before he squeezed them shut, forcing down the feeling.
"
"Tobias opened his eyes, shining a violent scarlet as rage of his own joined the black rage that leaked from the darkest corner of his soul. "That's it?! All this preparation and risk for nothing? The mighty Queen of the Winter Fae is powerless before--" he demanded, his shout catching in his throat as the sound of shattering glass filled the woods. Searing agony wracked his body as his vision was made dark. He could feel talons of ice piercing his throat as his feet were lifted from the snow covered sod. The Queen, her raiment and hair suddenly as black as coal while eyes blazed a wrathful amber like the coals that burned in the bonfire's pit. She had crossed the distance between the two in a single instant, and the evergreen boughs had turned to ice and shattered. Tobias writhed in her frigid grip even as he felt the fluids of his eyes freezing. His skin burned as frost crept from her hand across his throat and the breath caught in his lungs as the chill infused his being.
"
"Tobias' blood ran cold even as steam rose from the ice at his throat. He extended his arm back towards the wood and gathered what little willpower he could muster through the growing agony. His cane whipped through the air to his hand, and he swung its metal head at the wrathful Faerie that held him in its grasp. The Queen released him with a hiss as the metal made contact with her arm, recoiling as though burned.
"Otkhod!" He shouted, turning on his heel and vanishing with a pop and a slight rush of air. The Queen Recovered quickly, her hair and dress returning to their former color. She sneered down at the goat that had been left behind, along with the athame that Tobias had abandoned in his haste. The animal bleated once as the cold claimed it.
Tobias staggered through the halls of his home, blindly bumping into furniture and knocking over piles of books and mystic artifacts as he rushed from the doorway towards the stairs.
"Opeka!" His voice trembled with cold and terror in equal measure as he willed his defenses to rise. The candelabras and chandeliers suddenly flared to life, the flames a vibrant green even as the entryways to the house shuddered and hummed. Arcane sigils flashed to life in the lintel posts of the doors and chains of runes blazed to life on the glass of the windows. Tobias reached his arms out, dropping his cane and staggered up the stairs, clinging to the handrail for support. He fell to his knees when he reached his room and collapsed entirely a few moments later, body shaking with cold.
"Not here, not like this." His thoughts raced as he struggled to control his breathing and gather what little remained of his power.
"Zazhigat." He whispered, forcing the last of his strength into the dry wood of the hearth in front of the bed. There was a faint spark, then darkness. His magic failed him, and he drifted off into the black.
"You are our last hope, my son. You must be strong and endure this burden for the sake of our world."
Tobias heard his father's voice, heard so many years before, echoing through his mind. He found himself standing in a cold, empty cathedral with stained glass running along its vaulted walls. The ceiling vanished into the darkness above, and standing before him in the place of an altar was a colossal crystal that rose up into the shadowy depths. The crystal was chained to every surface in the structure by shining silver chains that shone brightly in the red light that emanated from the crystal. Inside the crystal was a swirling black smoke, and from that smoke, burning red eyes glared out at him. He could feel the rage and the wrath of the Conqueror, and watched with horror as the crystal began to crack. Immediately chains shot forth from the walls, grabbing hold of the splintering crystal and pulling them back together. The eyes flashed angrily, even as the feeling of pressure increased.
"It cannot end here." Tobias' mind surged and light bathed the dark cathedral.
Tobias gasped and sat bolt upright, his eyes screamed with agony, and water leaked from them as he blinked.
"Z-Zazhigat." He stammered, teeth chattering from the deep cold he felt in his very marrow. Another, brighter spark brought the logs bursting into flame, whose blessed heat began to thaw the tired mage. His shivers felt more like convulsions as he stripped out of his soaked clothing. Morning sunlight was drifting in through the gap in the window's blinds, and the sound of birdsong could be heard. Tobias lay on the hardwood floors of his room for several hours more as feeling slowly returned to his limbs. His eyes began to thaw and his vision eventually cleared. He slept beside the fire, kept burning through the night by shaking hands and numb fingers until the following morning. He would spend several days more recovering from his ordeal before he felt healthy enough to dress again. He had a show that evening, and he had to look his best.
The show must go on.
