Page 106 of The Dragonrider and the Void
“We are observed,” Umbra noted, unsurprised.
“Winter always observes,” Helianthus replied. “They witness all endings.”
The path led them deeper into Winter’s territory. Mountains of perfect crystal ice rose in the distance, their peaks piercing clouds that released gentle, continuous snowfall. Everything here felt ancient yet preserved, as if time had frozen at the moment of greatest beauty.
Finally, the path opened onto a vast frozen lake. In its center stood a palace carved entirely from ice, its spires and towers refracting light in prisms that cast rainbows across the snow. Bridges of transparent ice connected the shore to this central structure, their surfaces etched with runes that glowed with pale blue light.
“Winter’s Heart,” Nix whispered. “The seat of the Frozen Court.”
As they approached the nearest bridge, figures emerged from the palace to meet them. Unlike the vibrant fae of Summer, the shadowy figures of Night, or the ever-changing forms of Spring, these beings appeared sculpted from living ice. Their bodies were translucent, revealing inner structures that resembled intricate snowflake patterns. They moved with deliberate grace, each step measured and purposeful.
“Halt,” commanded the foremost figure, a tall male whose crown of ice spikes resembled a perfect glacier in miniature. “Identify yourselves and state your purpose.”
Lark stepped forward, now familiar with the protocol. “I am Lark of Sataran, bonded to both dragon and fae. These are my escorts from the Summer and Night Courts. I seek an audience with the Winter sovereign regarding a matter that threatens both our realms.”
The ice fae studied her with eyes like frozen stars. “You carry essences from the other courts,” he observed, his voice resonating like crystal struck by metal. “Solarium, Umbrium, and Verdium. You seek Glacium to complete the Vaerdium alloy.”
“Yes,” Lark confirmed, somewhat surprised by his directness.
“We know why you come, dragonrider,” he continued. “Winter sees all conclusions, all inevitable ends. We have observed your journey from the moment you entered ourrealm.” He gestured toward the palace. “The Lord of Frost will determine whether your cause merits our contribution.”
They were led across the ice bridge, its surface perfectly secure despite its transparency. As they walked, Lark could see the frozen lake beneath them, and within it, preserved perfectly in the ice, the forms of countless creatures and objects from ages past.
“Winter preserves what must not be forgotten,” Nix explained quietly, noticing Lark’s gaze. “Their domain is both an ending and an archive.”
The interior of the ice palace was even more impressive than its exterior. Halls stretched endlessly, their walls carved with the history of both realms in exquisite frozen relief. Chambers opened onto courtyards where fountains of liquid silver had been frozen mid-spray, creating sculptures of unimaginable beauty.
Throughout it all, the fae of the Winter Court watched their passage with calculating eyes. Unlike the other courts, where curiosity or suspicion had been the predominant reactions, these observers seemed to look through Lark rather than at her, as if seeing not just who she was but who she would become.
Finally, they reached the Winter Court’s throne room, a vast circular chamber whose domed ceiling mirrored the night sky of Sataran rather than the fae realm. At its center, upon a throne carved from a single massive diamond, sat the Lord of Frost.
He was ancient beyond reckoning, his ice-formed body layered with the patterns of countless winters. Unlike the other fae sovereigns, who had maintained appearances of timeless youth, he embraced the weight of age, wearing it like a badge of honor. His crown was a circlet of perfect icicles that never melted, and his eyes held the deep blue of glaciers formed at the beginning of time.
“Approach, traveler between worlds,” he commanded, his voice like the crack of ice sheets breaking after centuries of stillness. “Let us look upon what might be our final visitor from Sataran.”
Lark stepped forward, bowing deeply before the Winter sovereign. The others remained at the chamber’s entrance, held back by some invisible barrier.
“Rise,” the Lord of Frost said. “Winter has no patience for empty gestures. Time grows short in your realm, as the Flashover approaches and the Void Drinker prepares its final move.”
“Then you know why I’ve come,” Lark said, straightening.
“We know all endings,” he confirmed. “Including those that might be averted through sufficient sacrifice.” His ancient eyes fixed on her with uncomfortable intensity. “The question is not what you seek, but what you are willing to surrender to obtain it.”
Lark met his gaze steadily. “I’ve already pledged to create permanent gateways between our realms, to acknowledge the sacrifices made during the original binding, to attempt restoration of those corrupted by the Void Drinker.”
“Promises to the other courts,” the Lord of Frost dismissed with a wave of his crystalline hand. “Winter requires more. We deal in certainties, in the preservation of what must endure and the acceptance of what must end.”
He rose from his throne and descended the steps with measured grace that belied his apparent age. As he approached Lark, the temperature dropped. Frost formed on her eyelashes and hair.
“Show me the essences you’ve gathered,” he commanded.
Lark carefully withdrew the three ingots, Solarium, Umbrium, and Verdium, holding them out in her open palms. The Lord of Frost studied them, then nodded.
“Three parts of a whole,” he observed. “Like your own nature. You are part human, part dragon-bonded, part fae-touched. Yet, you’re incomplete without the fourth element.” He returned to his throne, where he lifted a small object from a pedestal beside it.
“Glacium,” he announced, revealing a metal ingot that appeared to be formed from perfect, transparent ice, though solid and un-melting. “The essence of winter’s wisdom and preservation. The final component needed for true Vaerdium.”
The ingot gleamed with internal light, seeming to absorb and reflect the energies of the other three essences simultaneously.
