Jack woke up, his hands tied behind his back with shackles, slowly gaining consciousness. Fire surrounded him; he was kneeling in the middle of burning logs creating a circle around him.
What is this...
The circle he was in was devoid of any cold. Jack attempted to command it, but it was of no use. The surrounding heat melted it before he could. Cloaked people were constantly placing new wood, replacing the old one.
His arms tightened, his teeth grinding against each other.
"Come at me, Batards!"
"Don't hide behind the fire!"
"Where are my friends?!"
Jack's shout was of no avail; no one answered.
Until, in between the fire and smoke, a man approached. It was the man Jack had seen right before they had put him to sleep.
His shirt was off, revealing a gaunt body, toned with two tattoos of coiling snakes around his arms reaching onto his back. His black hair and black eyes looked at him sharply. Sweat rolled down his strong body.
Each step approaching was stronger than the other.
Jack's eyes looked at him with rage.
"Who are you?!"
"What did you do to my friends?!"
The man's voice resounded rough and strong.
"Three young people: one holding a heavy sword that took two whole carriages to lift, the other a girl, and the third a boy who holds a staff and a dagger."
"None of them seem from around here, besides you."
Jack grunted in an attempt to let go of the shackles holding him back.
"Let me GO!"
His eyes lightly shone in blue.
"Cough cough!"
The man was now right in front of Jack.
"I've made this just for you, boy."
"I've seen that path of ice — were you the one who made it?"
Jack stared at him sharply.
"So what if I did?"
The bearded man raised his hands, hitting him on the face and raising his voice.
"Were you?!"
Jack's very being ached. He felt weak as if his surroundings were tearing him apart. He spoke slightly, grunting.
"Yes!"
"It's mine."
The man crouched, meeting him in the eyes.
"Are you aware of what is happening in the other villages?"
"Those attacks?"
Jack stared at him strongly.
"Yes…"
"I came here… to warn you."
The man spit right next to Jack.
"God, are all of you lineage holders like this?"
He stood up once again, his voice growing rougher.
"Do you have some sort of hero complex?"
"Because if, in your right mind, you think that someone who has the same type of powers as the man who is destroying these villages will bring any calm, you are wrong."
"Cough cough."
The man also didn't seem to handle the cold well. His body was slightly shivering; his sweat was falling more rapidly.
Jack spoke hurriedly.
"I am a friend of Nicholas."
"He is the one who told me to warn you about it."
The man's eyes widened.
"Nicholas?"
"How should I believe you?"
Jack stared upwards, meeting his eyes.
"Look at my dagger and staff; they both… have his symbols."
"The snowflake."
The man looked at someone lying outside the fire, signaling for him to get the weapons.
A second later, both the staff and the dagger were thrown from above the fire.
The man analyzed them carefully.
The dagger's symbol could be easily seen.
Jack stared as the man analyzed the staff. Jack spoke, catching his breath.
"It's on the bottom."
The gaunt man took a look and then looked at Jack once again.
"The fact you have them doesn't mean they're yours."
"For all I know, you could've stolen them."
Jack stared at him strongly. His gaze was now sharp and determined. A smirk found its way to his mouth.
"Well… let's just say one of them is quite—"
Jack's eyes shone in blue once again, this time succeeding in breaking the shackles. A spark of ice made the staff come to his hands. Jack quickly raised it, commanding the cold inside the staff to turn off the flames. Smoke spread through, covering himself with it.
"Tailored for me."
Jack still stood still as four soldiers quickly reacted to his movements and surrounded him with their swords.
A voice resounded in the mist, still strong and commanding.
"Wait!"
The smoke dissipated, revealing the man raising his hands for his followers to hold off.
"It's alright, I believe him."
One of the cloaked people spoke.
"But Commander Braum, he might—"
The bearded man interrupted him.
"Don't be a fool."
"If he wanted to, he would've already killed you."
His mouth curled upwards, and he turned around to grab his clothes that were lying a couple of meters away.
"Still, it doesn't mean I trust him…"
He placed his shirt on and then looked in their direction.
"Show him the way towards interrogation."
"Make sure his friends wait there too."
He left, slowly walking calmly.
Jack sighed; his mind echoed.
It seems like they're alright.
Jack caught his breath.
That took quite a toll.
He took a slight step forward toward the man. The blades of the men threatened him once again.
Jack raised his hands.
"Okay, okay!"
"I will follow nicely."
"Just give me my clothes back. This is rather uncomfortable."
***
Jack had all of his clothes back. His weapons, though, he was forced to return. He gave in, in an attempt to seem as harmless as possible. Two of the cloaked men guided him toward the forest, where only trees lied.
"Where are my friends?"
Jack was then pushed in front of a big dark tree. One of the men approached the tree, pressing it with his hands. Right where the man pressed, a small knob appeared. He twisted it and pulled back a big piece of bark. It was a door. Camouflaged into the tree, it revealed stairs that rolled down inside of it. Jack was then pushed toward it. Before entering, Jack looked at all the trees surrounding them. The stars still shining in the night. Some people were coming in and out of them.
This part of the forest… is the village?
One of the men then spoke.
"Wait inside."
"Commander Braum will come in a bit."
Jack nodded, entering the dark tree. The oak door locked right behind him.
Jack rolled down the stairs, revealing a room with a round wooden table made out of the base of a tree. The walls all made of wood, the floor seemed to be made of clay. In there, Maya and Aos sat next to each other, their faces filled with worry. Jack took another step that echoed in the room. Aos and Maya looked up, their eyes filled with excitement.
Jack took the last steps finally coming down. Before he could say anything, Maya quickly went in for a hug. Her head reaching just below his nose. Her calm voice reached his ears.
"I was worried…"
She hugged tighter.
"They thought that you were the one attacking the villages."
Jack flustered, his cheeks turning red once again.
He gave her a hug as well.
"I know…"
Aos placed his hands in his mouth.
"Uhm uhm,"
Smiling right behind Maya.
They both turned red and took a step back.
Aos spoke.
"It seems we got to the village."
Jack nodded.
"Yes."
"It's quite a peculiar one, really."
"And may I say, quite prepared."
"Even more than our own, I would say."
Aos took a good glance at Jack.
"What did they do to you?!"
Jack waved his hands in front of him.
"Nothing much…"
"My energy is quite low, I would say, but apart from that I'm good."
Then all three sat around the table.
Aos looked at Maya and glanced at Jack. His voice resounded.
"By the way, we are going to keep calling her Arya here."
Maya looked down embarrassingly.
"Actually, that's why I couldn't help…"
"These people are a lot more hostile to the people coming from outside."
"Sorry… Jack."
"That I couldn't do anything…"
Jack sighed, placing his hands together on the table.
"It's okay, I understand your situation."
Although Jack said that, Maya still felt ashamed of not being able to do anything when they held both her and Ao's captive.
Nevertheless, Aos also agreed that was for the best.
Aos nodded, reassuring what Jack said.
"It's better for the three of us too, don't worry."
Aos looked at Jack.
"So, what did you see?"
Jack gave a thoughtful face.
"Well… their commander's name is Braum."
"He has about a dozen people under his command that I could see."
Aos gave a thinking look.
"The weapons they had also looked quite good."
Maya nodded.
"They seem to be receiving goods from Monsoon."
"I could tell they are very similar to the soldiers that come from there."
"They are commonly seen in Spring since we often make deals with their monarch."
Jack nodded.
"I see…"
"Some of the soldiers might be from there too; they seemed to be quite experienced for ordinary folk here in Winter."
"Especially him, the command—"
Just then, footsteps could be heard, firm and strong.
The commander was approaching… Braum.