Chapter 106: Ice Wall
The heavy wooden wheels of our enchanted carriage crunched into a deep snowbank and finally ground to a complete stop.
A massive block of blue ice splintered off the upper peaks of the wall and shattered onto the frozen earth below. The sharp crack echoed through the freezing air and rattled the glass panes of our windows. The biting winter wind howled against the side of our cabin. We all huddled closer together on the padded leather benches. The warm and fuzzy haze from my special herbal remedy evaporated completely. We were entirely sober and rapidly freezing.
Weiss pulled the thick woolen scarf up over her nose until only her golden eyes peeked out from the fluffy fabric. She grumbled miserably under the heavy layers and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I hate this," Weiss said with a muffled groan. "Turn the carriage around and take me back to the Grim Palace."
"We cannot go back," Nea whispered while rubbing her arms to generate some heat. "We are already here. And the Empire is definitely hiding something terrible in this wasteland."
I leaned forward and wiped a thin layer of frost off the glass window. I peered out into the endless white landscape. Just a few miles ahead of us sat the Imperial Border Encampment. It was a massive and terrifying display of military power. Hundreds of dark tents dotted the frozen plains right at the base of the Ice Wall. Huge iron braziers burned with roaring flames that sent thick black smoke puffing up into the stormy sky. Even from this distance I could hear the rhythmic clank of heavy metal boots marching in unison. Thousands of soldiers patrolled the perimeter with tall spears and heavy crossbows.
"That is a very big army," Keith whimpered as he leaned over my shoulder. "They have three full battalions stationed just at the southern gate. We cannot just walk up and knock on the front door."
"We definitely cannot knock," I agreed. "We are technically highly wanted fugitives. If they spot the Witch Queen we will be dealing with a full artillery strike."
Livia sat up completely straight and brushed a single blonde hair out of her eyes. Her robotic voice cut through the nervous tension perfectly.
"The answers are missing from the military camp," Livia announced.
"Where are the answers then," I asked her.
Livia reached into her purple robes and pulled out a small handful of crystal bones. They looked exactly like the ribs of a tiny glass bird. She threw them onto the wooden table between us with a sharp clatter. The bones spun around and clicked together to form a strange jagged shape.
"The spirits spoke to me last night," Livia explained blankly. "They whispered about the hidden paths. They said the real rot lies away from the fire. Shadows move the forbidden cargo where the soldiers refuse to look."
"Forbidden cargo," Nea repeated while leaning over the crystal bones. "Do you mean smugglers?"
"Yes," Livia nodded once. "The black market of the frozen wastes. They are moving things across the border in secret. And the Empire is directly benefiting from it."
"Smugglers are much easier to handle than a standing army," I said.
I rubbed my chin and thought about the terrain ahead. We just needed to find a weak point in the patrol lines where corrupt guards looked the other way.
A sudden rustle of heavy parchment broke the silence. A heavy leather book flew straight out of my deep spatial pocket with a loud flap of its pages. It hovered right in the middle of the carriage. The cover was dark red leather and a glowing golden mouth appeared right on the binding.
"Ah," the Grimoire moaned loudly. "The freezing cold! The absolute desperation of mortal flesh!"
Keith screamed and fell backward onto the floorboards with a heavy thud.
"What in the holy light is that," Keith yelled from the floor.
"Shut up," Weiss groaned without even looking at the floating book. "I am too cold to deal with this idiot today."
"Master Phantom," the Grimoire purred with a wildly perverted grin. "The beautiful knight is shivering! This is a dire medical emergency! You must immediately remove your shirts and press your bare chests together! It is the only way to share body heat! I demand you embrace her tightly and rub your hands all over her freezing skin for the sake of survival!"
Nea blushed a furious shade of bright red and grabbed the hilt of her sword.
"I will cut it into tiny pieces," Nea threatened.
"Do not bother," I sighed heavily.
I reached out and slapped the flying book right out of the air. The Grimoire crashed onto the table and scattered Livia’s crystal bones everywhere.
"Harder," the Grimoire panted from the wooden surface. "Oh please strike my bindings harder Master Phantom."
"You are a disgusting magical artifact," I told the book. "And you have terrible timing. We are trying to plan a covert infiltration."
"Infiltration," the Grimoire gasped in pure ecstasy. "Sneaking into tight and unexplored spaces! Slipping past the defenses! Oh the sheer naughty thrill of entering uninvited!"
I grabbed a thick piece of leftover cheese from the charcuterie board and slammed it down directly on top of the glowing mouth. The Grimoire let out a muffled squeak before finally shutting up entirely.
"Ignore him," I told the group. "He is an ancient text of forbidden spells I found in the royal library. He is very useful in combat. But he has zero boundaries and a completely rotten personality."
"He asked you to take your shirt off," Keith stammered from the floor.
"He asks me to do a lot of things," I replied calmly. "Now let us focus on the real problem at hand."
I pulled a large parchment map from my coat and unrolled it over the table with a crisp crinkle. The map showed the geography of the Ice Wall in great detail. The Imperial camp covered the main southern pass completely. But a jagged ridge of ice mountains sat far to the east.
"Look here," I pointed to a narrow canyon on the eastern edge. "The military presence thins out near the Jagged Tooth Ridge. The terrain is too unstable for heavy camps. If there is a smuggling ring moving illegal goods across the border they have to be using these narrow caves."
"It is a perfect blind spot," Nea agreed while leaning closer to the map. "The corrupt guards probably take a bribe and just refuse to patrol the ridge."
"Exactly," I nodded. "So we leave the carriage here. We mask our magical signatures. And we hike to the eastern ridge on foot."
"On foot," Weiss shrieked as she sat up violently. "In the snow! You want me to walk through the frozen dirt!"
"Yes," I told her. "You are going to walk."
"I am the Queen of Witches," Weiss declared proudly. "I do not walk in the snow. I will just teleport us to the caves."
"Absolutely not," I vetoed the idea instantly. "A spatial jump of that magnitude would alert every single Imperial mage in the camp. We would have three battalions dropping on our heads in seconds. We are walking."
Weiss glared at me with golden eyes burning in lazy fury. I tossed a heavy fur cloak onto her lap and ignored her complaints.
We all began to gear up in silence. I packed my spatial pockets with emergency supplies and healing potions. Nea checked the sharp edge of her blade with a metallic shink. Keith slowly crawled up from the floor and adjusted his heavy armor plates. Livia just sat perfectly still and waited for us to finish. The wind outside howled louder than ever. We were about to step into the worst blizzard of our lives.
I pushed the heavy carriage door open and the freezing air slapped my face. I stepped out into the deep white snow and my boots crunched heavily into the frozen earth. The others filed out behind me. We pulled our hoods low and began the long trek toward the eastern mountains.
The snowstorm grew violent and blinded our vision after only twenty minutes of walking. The roaring wind drowned out all sound. The temperature dropped low enough to freeze the breath right in our lungs. I pushed forward through a massive snowdrift and suddenly felt the ground beneath my boots tremble. A loud rumble tore through the snowy landscape.
The white powder in front of us erupted into the air. A massive beast of pure jagged ice burst out of the ground and roared into the storm. Its massive claws swiped through the air and sent a shockwave of frozen wind straight at us. I drew my sword from my hip in a flash of silver steel. Nea leaped forward and brought her heavy blade down on the monster in a sweeping arc. The beast caught her strike with a thick icy forearm. Sparks flew into the dark blizzard as the steel ground against the magical frost. Keith rushed in from the side and slammed his armored shoulder into the creature. The beast shoved him away with terrifying force and sent him crashing backward into the deep snow. I channeled a surge of heat into my palms and launched myself directly at the towering monster.