A Cold Heart. 50

On a frozen throne of ice and snow Kearn sat in deep contemplation. His thoughts were on Muerte and the task she set before him. Destroying all the people and the lands of Bravosa. A grim smile spread across his face as he thought about it. He hated all these warm folk and wanted to populate these lands with his frozen subjects. Muerte's order was the perfect excuse for him to begin his conquest of the lands. The joke was on her he thought. Once he had frozen all this land, the cold would give him all the power he needed the hold them. Not even the goddess of death would be able to remove him once he had taken control. From his throne he sat and radiated the cold and grew the storm more and more fierce. He saw many people dragging carts and livestock east trying to find somewhere warm away from the cold. He didn't know where they were heading, but he knew they wouldn't make it. He stretched out his hand and sent a blast of frigid cold their way. The winds howled as they frozen in place in the sudden cold. Kearn laughed and sent more of his ice and snow out over the snow covered lands.
" This will make a perfect place to start freezing the world! HA! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! "

Riding on the back of Blaze, Alee sat tight and held on. He wasn't use to riding Dragons. He usually flew his way across the skies on his daily journey alone. It was nice for once to have company.
[But isn't this more comfortable? ]Blaze asked.
" I have to admit it is." Alee smiled.
[ Just don't heat up on me Sun god. I'm a fire dragon, but I know you can generate more heat then I can.]
" Don't worry my friend." Alee laughed. " I'm saving my strength for later."
[ What exactly do you know of this Kearn? ] Icicle asked flying beside them.
" Kearn is not of my family." Alee explained. " He's of a more northern line of gods from a wintry land. He's very powerful and cold hearted. The kind that demanded live sacrifices of his people. You know how it goes. Mortals out grow their need for us gods and only the most powerful can survive without them."
[ What about your family?] Blaze asked.
" My families been in Fortis since before man stepped on this world." He told them. " We don't need worship. We interact with mortals in order to help them evolve. That's my fathers law, the most important one."
" But what of Muerte? " Icicle asked. " She's so evil."
" Yes." He frowned. " My brother Vitale, you call him Aramis spent eons trying to teach her compassion. But she cares for nothing but power. That's why he took her in to banishment in the underworld. He loved her so much, he went with her. Alas she escaped. Now we have to deal with her evil intentions."
There was silence after that. neither Icicle nor Blaze knew what to say. Blaze understood what Aramis had tried to do. He would do anything to save his family. That included all the dragons, his wife and children and the people of New Keanna. He knew all the rest of the dragons felt the same. A warm feeling went through him as he thought about them all. It was love for his clan. Up ahead of them, they saw the great gray clouds over Bravosa. Icicle could feel the storm already.
[ That's where we are heading.] He told them. [ I can feel the power of the cold from here. ]
" So can I." Alee said. " I can strengthen the sun, but I don't know if it can break through that cloud. It's been building so long. It will take time."
[ Do what you can. ] Icicle told him.
[Blaze, Icicle? Can you hear me?]
Startled by the call they answered there brother. It was Blink calling. [ We hear you brother. What's wrong? ]
[ I'm in Bravosa, I came in shadow. It's almost overwhelming. They're freezing to death here. ]
[ We know. We're almost there. ]
[ You have to hurry.] Blink called.

High up in the tower in the crystal room, Jona and Chuy watch as the dragons flew in. They looked at each other in wonder.
" Could this be the cause of the storm?" Jona asked his master.
" There have been dragons that powerful, yes." Chuy scratched his chin.     " But that's not the dragons way. We have had no quarrel with any dragons. Why would they do this to us?"
" I don't know." Jona said as he started for the door. " But I'll make them pay."
" Stop!" Chuy grabbed his arm. " You don't have the power to face a dragon that powerful. Even I don't."
" But together we may be able to do it." Jona looked at his master pleading.
" But not both of them." Chuy said. " Besides, we don't even know that they're responsible. They could be here to help. That's what dragons do. There guardians not power mad killers."
" What about that shadow dragon that tore up the lands overseas?" Jona paced back and forth. " He killed so many."
" And who stopped him?" Chuy said as he moved to a chair and sat down. " Dragons stopped him. Maybe these same dragons that are coming here. A Mage gets all the information he can before acting. You know this. For now we contact these dragons and see why they're here. We don't act, we don't attack the unknown."
" Yes master." Jona settled before Chuy's chair.
" Use the crystal to call them here." He told his apprentice. " And stop worrying. It will effect your decisions. I will be in my study."
Jona bowed as his master stood and left the room. He knew his master was right. He was still young and to emotional at times. What he needed was Clea beside him. She always seemed to calm him down when he was troubled. But he had a job to do now. He stepped up to the globe and passed his hands over it. The room darkened and the globe filled with flashes of multi colored light and became brighter and a vision of the dragons appeared. He saw a man riding on the back of one. Just as he was ready to call out to them, Clea walked in. He waved her to his side and called out to them.
" Greeting. I am Jona. Why have you come to Bravosa?"
[ We are here to help you.] Blaze sent. [ Can we land and meet you to talk?]
Jona looked at Clea. She nodded her approval. It seems Chuy was right.
" The crystal will show you the way here." Jona told them. " We'll be awaiting your arrival."

As Kearn watched his storm, he saw something in the sky. Something with huge wings. He knew just what it was. The Dragons. Muerte had warned him about them. She had said they were enemies that were trying to bring her down and to stop them at any cost.
" You won't ruin my plans."
He thrust out his hand and sent a icicle after icicle at them. As they whistled to there target the dragons went into there descent toward the tower. Something caught Blazes hearing and he turned to see a flash coming at them.
[ Look out!! ]
He folded his wings into a dive towards the ground. He moved so fast Alee rolled off his back and began to fall. As he fell he saw the ice missiles heading for him. Alee waved at them and sent a blast of heat out and melted the first two into steam. Blaze blew his flame out and caught two more heading at him. Icicle hovered for a moment and let them strike him in his chest. Blaze screamed his name in fear that he may have gotten hurt and flew to catch him.
[ Don't worry brother.] He said as Blaze reached him. [ As fire can't hurt you, no ice can harm me. I just absorb it. ]
" Did either of you see where the attack came from? " Alee asked.
[ I didn't see them until they were just about to hit. ] Blaze hovered next to them.
" There's the tower. Lets get down there."
All together the three swooped down to land. Outside of the tower, Jona and Clea waited for them draped in heavy furs. Soon as the landed, the two dragons shifted to human form and walked in with Alee radiating heat beside them. Blink slipped out of shadow to greet them.
"What took so long?"
" Heavy winds" Alee smiled at him.
" I'm Jona, apprentice mage to my master Chuy." He reached out his hand and shook all there hands. " This is my wife Clea. "
Alee bowed to her and kissed her hand. " We are charmed lady Clea." He smile his red hair waving in the heat coming off him.Clea blushed as the three dragon's introduced themselves.
" If you know what's happening in our skies, were glad your here,"
" We do." Alee told him. " Perhaps we should go inside before you two freeze out here."
Jona held out his hand and ushered them to the tower.
" My friends." Clea said. " Your not dressed for this cold weather. How can this be?"
"Blink, Blaze and I are Dragons lady." Icicle told her. " Most weather doesn't bother us."
" And you Sir Alee?" Jona asked.
[ Don't tell them about your godhood. Most people don't react well to meeting gods.]
Alee heard in his head. It was Aramis talking to him and the Dragons. [Just tell them your a mage.]
" As you can see from the heat rising from me. " He said. " Cold isn't a bother either. Its a complex spell. Very complex."
They arrived at the tower. None of the three saw a door and looked at Jona in wonder as to how to get in. He laughed and put his hand on the wall. it passed right through. The three looked at him and smiled.
" Another complex spell." Alee said. " You and your master are very talented. Shall we meet him?"
" We will in just a few minutes, then you can explain whats going on."
One after the other they all walked threw the wall and found themselves standing in the first floor entrance of the tower. Chuy stood there in his white robes holding his staff waiting for them.
" Greeting my friends." He said spreading out his hands. " What brings you to our lands in these troubled times."
" Just that sire." Blink said shaking his hand. " We come to tell you of the terrible thing invading your lands."
" This storm you mean?" Jona said.
" Yes. But it's not just a storm." Blaze told them. " It's much more."
" Come into the pallor and rest an you can tell us all about it."
Clea showed them the way in. As they walked in, a barren room suddenly became a furnished living room with couches, chairs, tables and comfortable furnishings. On a table sat a tea service set which Clea served once they all sat down.
" Please tell us why our lands are freezing." Chuy said. Alee put down the cup of tea he was drinking, looked into there eyes and asked a question.
Blink leaned over the table and looked them in the eyes.
" Have you ever heard of Muerte?"

Back on the snowy fields, Kearn paced around his throne. He had seem the dragons arrive and tried a first unsuccessful attack. Now if he wanted his plans to come about, he would have to be more aggressive. He knew there would be no way for him to hide from them. They were very powerful and tracing his power should not be hard at all. So he could either wait here for them or go on the attack himself. With his cold hands, Kearn fashioned out of snow and something special he added to each of them, a group of seven foot  tall snowmen with a variety of weapons at there sides. Swords, axes, spears, and shields. Next he molded some of the most savage creatures of the north. Snowdogs. Sabre toothed and the size of large horses, the Snowdogs look could freeze the blood in any one that gazed upon them.
Kearn looked on his creations. With a mighty breath he breathed life into them. As they woke they shook off the loose snow and took there first steps toward there master and bowed to him. Pleased with his work Kearn give his Snowmen their orders.
" Find my enemies treasure. Something they would die for and bring it to me. Once you have found it, call me and I will bring you to me. Now go!"
Roaring out and beating there chest, the snowmen mounted up on the dogs and rode off on there mission. Kearn walked back to his throne and sat down.
" I need something else to fight the dragons with." He said to himself. "But what? What will help me kill my enemies?"