Tear of Ice

Chapter 14

For a while, I couldn’t force anything out. I had a feeling, but I was also just hoping she didn’t remember me. If she didn’t this would be so much easier.

Her rifle lowered, her face still looking at me with some emotions swirling in her gold eyes.

“Celeste, is that really you?”

“It’s not Celeste anymore. That’s not my name.” I stepped in, closing the door behind me as I steeled my resolve.

“It’s Carmine.”

“Celeste-”

“Carmine.” I firmly corrected, as she shut her mouth with a clenched jaw. Her rifle was now fully at her side; apparently shooting her daughter is too much for her.

“What are you doing here? How did you get here?” Her voice wavered, her eyes glossy.

“I’m not here for you. Where is Wiesse’s tear?” I step closer, my fist clenching as she steps back.

“The tear? Why would you-”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” I grip the clasp of the cloak, trying to keep myself grounded in my rising anger.

“You’re men came trampling through my home and killed half of my family! Then took the tear, without a damn care!”

She looked me up and down, almost unable to believe me.

“My men-”

“Oh, you don’t remember the raid on the Neigless Forest, General Vassard?”

Her eyes widened but then calmed as she looked me up and down. "The Wolf Ringer- was you."

"I still am the Wolf Ringer." I hold out my hand, watching as her eyes flick to it instantly.

"Give me the tear, General."

For a moment, she stays quiet and steps back. I step forward in return.

"I can't do that. Kreidd needs the tear."

I clench my hand and let out a sigh.

"Cosave is too strong and too advanced not to have the edge of the magic of a Hex." She desperately tries to explain.

"And can you even f*****g use it?" I spat back at her.

"We can try."

I cross my arms, fist shaking as I felt the frost on them.

"You do realize that you need the Loraine of that Hex to use it right? It’s nothing more than a crystal in your hands!”

She tenses at that, her eyes frantically looking around but they widen once more. Blinking at me before she steps forward.

"Wait, then-"

She suddenly rushes up to me, her free hand on my shoulder as I tense from her touch. Her golden eyes fondly look at me as her lips curve into a ghost of a smile.

"Then you could stay here! Help us with the war! Help Kreidd defeat Cosave, and live with me! We could actually stop Cosave! We could actually protect Kreidd! We-" the emotion got to her, enough to make her clear her throat as she continues.

"We can be a family again."

I couldn't stop the shock on my face. I could barely form words.

"L-look Celeste. I know I sent you away. But I had to! Cosave murdered your father in cold blood! They would've gotten to you! I had to! But now it's different, we're different. You're the Loraine of Ice! We could do this! We could-"

"How f*****g dense are you?"

She freezes at my words, her rambling quells as her hand loosens on my shoulder.

"You have the gall to suggest being a family to me?" My icy hand pushes her hand off of my shoulder where it falls to her side. "Where was this when you sent me on a boat halfway across the continent?"

"Celeste, I told you-"

"Oh no, I heard you. But Celeste is not who I am! Celeste hasn't been my name for 10 years now!"

She steps back, and I step forward.

"You have the audacity to not only raid my home and steal the artifact that keeps it alive but to also kill the only family who actually loved me and then talk about being one?"

She steps back further as both her hands go to her rifle. "We had to Celeste-"

"Carmine."

"Carmine," she stuttered out a bit, "But we needed the artifact of a Hex and the only known location of one was the Neigless Forest. We had to do it. For the Creed-"

"Save it! You and your beloved Creed murdered my Grandma and Icarus! Murdered so many of my family! And now you expect me to bend over backward for you?”.

My voice booming as I could feel the cold rush of wind and frost around me, my hands clenched as I tried to focus on it through the blind rage I felt. I see the focus on her face and just as I raise my arm she uses the side of her rifle to block the icicle that flew out at her. Before she leaps to the side away from me.

"Cele-Carmine, please understand!"

"I'm sick and tired of having to understand! There's no understanding when you kill my f*****g family!"

I start sending volleys upon volleys of frost at her. All hitting the floors and walls and becoming a sheet of blue crystal.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I furiously threw ice at her. In her desperation she rushes to the wall and grabs the shield on it, using that as cover for my volleys as she kneeled and hid behind it. In a short time, it's covered in ice all around as I start running around to get at her from around it.

"Carmine! Please! I don't want to fight you!"

"Then give Wiesse back!"

I ran at her and then I felt a rush of pain over my front. I stumble back into her desk as I hit the floor in front of it. A rush of footsteps as I try to send another volley only for my arms to be forced upwards. The ice coating the ceiling as I felt the wind knocked out of me. She leans her body on the shield on top of me as I cough.

Her rifle pushes against my arms as they sit on the front of the desk. I struggled under the armored woman and shield but couldn't get out.

"Celeste, please. Don't make me do this anymore."

"Oh, what? Break your stupid creed?" A scoff leaves me and she presses her weight more onto me, straining my words.

"Celeste-" she warns.

"Abandonment and near-complete g******e of an entire forest is fine, but you can't even kill your own god damn daughter?"

"Celeste-!"

"It's Carmine!" A tear fell from Icarus's eye as suddenly ice and frost bellow out from my body. Sending her off of me with a loud thud and grunt of pain. The floor and side of the desk are painted in frost as I quickly scramble to stand, still feeling the icy winds around me as I look down to see a faint blue figure in front of me.

A wolf, head up high and large ears, and when they turned a familiar eye covered in a myriad of scars.

"Ica-"

I hear the c**k back of the rifle as I look up and the general as she pointed it at him.

He howls as the billowing frosty winds cover the room. I held onto the desk, as the general leaned back against the window before her body flung into the wall with another grunt. The clank of her armor and the loud shriek as it slid down the stone when she finally hits the floor.

As the winds die down and she groans, the door bursts open. I turn quickly to see Lia standing there as her eyes widen at the frosted figure before us. She rushes to him and she quickly nuzzles under what used to be his chin.

I touch my eye in shock, feeling around only to feel beside my eye the growth of a patch of fur. Pure and cold against my finger like how Wiesse's magic feels. I look down at him and Lia. As he nods to me and I let out a shaky sigh, more tears fall.

Another c**k of the gun was heard.

All three of us turn to her as she held the gun to me. Lia and Icarus instantly jump in front of me as I get ready for another volley.

Silently, we stood there, all of us tense and the room crystallized and cold.

"My desk- top left drawer."

I blink at her. She flicks the barrel of her rifle towards it. I look at the desk and step back. Walking around it and to the drawer. I open it, seeing a black box with a symbol of a shield on it. I picked it up.

"Open it."

I do so, carefully before seeing a bright blue shine. The tear. Wiesse's tear. I grab it and toss the box aside. My hands were already slowly freezing over, though no pain came to my body.

I looked back up at her, as she lowered her rifle. Before leaning back against the wall and panting.

"Take it and go. Go back home. To your real family."

Lia looked at me and I held the tear close to my chest. I nod, as I begin to head towards the door.

"Carmine-"

I turn back once more-

"You've done so well without me. I'm so glad." She slides down the wall and sighs, her red hair covering her face as a weak sob leaves her.

I slowly turn away and walk out silently, Lia and Icarus following me.

Soon we make it back to the foyer, seeing the room frosted over from Lia's battle. The injured knights scattered around us before they attempt to free themselves from the ice they were trapped in or to stand in general. Before a voice boomed out from a speaker above.

"All knights. Allow the Wolf Ringer to exit. She is not to be attacked at any cost. This is an order from General Vassard."

The knights all stare bewildered at us before Icarus walks over to the frozen-over knob and blows the crystal away into shattered dust.

As the door opened we were met with another barrel of a rifle.

Icarus and Lia instantly jump before me and I hold the tear close. It was the captain.

“Did you not hear your general’s orders?”

“I did, and like hell am I going to standby. How many of our men did you kill in there?”

Lia scoffs. “All of them are alive, a little cold though.”

The knight huffs and shoots. I dive down, the bullet missing as the other knights in the courtyard all took aim as well. Icarus and Lia quickly charged in, shooting volleys of frost and summoning winds. I lift myself from the ground and threw my hand out, but instead of a volley of icicles, a large wave of ice practically covers the courtyard. I see the blue glowing from my other hand as I open my palm.

The tear floated gently as blue wisps surrounded it. I raise my arm, just as grandma did before, the tear floating. I focus as much as I could channeling whatever I could into it, and swiftly the courtyard became a barrage of ice and frost.

"She has the artifact!" Knights cried out.

"Carmine!" Lia called out to me.

Before me, the knights panic. The original one attempts to shoot at me through the winds, but Icarus' howl focused the ice to make a barrier around me.

"Retreat!" Knights began to run away, most already in the base and allowing the rest in. The knight who began all this tries to take off before being thrown to the wall by a raging frost. He groans and slides down the wall. His head loosens as he becomes unconscious.

Slowly I reach up and grab the tear from the air and all the ice that manifested vanished into a cloud of crystal dust. I look down at it in my palm as Lia and Icarus walk back over to me. The courtyard is now surrounded by blue frost and crystals.

I kneel to Icarus, "So, you are eternally a part of Wiesse. And me now."

He nods, pointing his blue snout to the tear in my hand. I nod. "So only with the tear can I summon you?"

Another nod. Lia leans onto him. "Dad." He leans back onto her, nuzzling her head gently.

His translucent figure, cold and shifting as I shuffle forward. Reaching out gently, he leans himself towards me with Lia leaning against me. I lean forward as well, then my forehead touched him. It was barely solid, if I put more of my weight on him I would hit the cobblestone ground but I felt his cool breeze. The ghost of his fur tickling my face as I let out a shaky sigh.

"I'm so sorry."

His head shakes and presses more into me. And slowly we pulled away, Though while Lia stayed leaning under him he continued to just nuzzle. Slowly his figure began to fade. Lia slowly let out a soft whimper as he nuzzled her head once more. I held out the tear, as it floats a little and his blue body slowly dispersed and rejoined the tear. His eye ached, pulsating in my skull but I smile anyway, holding the tear close to my chest.

Lia and I meet eyes and we nod. Before we turn and walk out of the base.

Surprisingly the other knights didn't attack us. As a crowd had formed outside of the base and each knight blocked the people from getting any closer. They all gawked at us, whispering and calling out words of worship towards me.

"A Loraine?"

"Wiesse's Loraine! Oh Great Hexes!"

"Is it just like what happened in the Guecedand all those years ago?"

And then the people were all so loud and bombastic. Cheering and asking questions as their voices begin to blend. Lia growls at them all, attempting to force an opening in the path. Lia’s bark then echoed and the people stumbled. Shuffling back as Lia barked more and more and charged with me following closely behind her.

We exit the city walls and made our way back to the ferry. While we waited at the port, I looked up at the buildings of Illiar. And I feel a bump on my leg.

"Thinking about her?"

"A little." I mutter. "'We can be a family,’ huh?" I look down at the tear in my hand. Before a white paw covers it gently.

"We've always been a family, Carmine. Always will be."

I grin at her, taking my free hand and petting her. "The best sister I could ever ask for."

"You bet."

"Don't get cocky now."

Slowly, the port became more filled with people and while they stood far away from us, Lia and I continued to try to relax. The ferry opened back up and the workers on it welcomed the passengers on. I show my old ticket and they allowed us back onto the ferry with no problems.

"Should we have Icarus meet Rio?" I look at Lia. She snorts.

"I'm not sure. He did help us all the way here."

I shrug, stepping back into our private room. Taking off the cloak and holding it in my lap and letting the tear float in my hand as Lia closes the door. A shaky breath leaves me and I curl into myself a bit.

I feel the bed dip and feel a paw on my back.

"We did it." That was all I could muster. My voice is shaking and I feel Lia crumple against me again.

"We did. Now," she nuzzles softly, "We can finally go home."

I stare outside the window, thinking for a bit. Watching as the water ebbed and flowed outside against the wind and the setting sun.

"What's wrong?

"They still didn't fear us. Even after we raided their knights. The people-"

"They're fanatics, Carmine." Lia interrupts. "Nothing good comes from worship like that."

"You're right." I look down at the tear, floating above my fingers with wisps of blue.

Wiesse died for her family and every Wolf Ringer did as so afterward. Now we are so isolated from our world. Kreidd's fanaticism and the Guecedand's disdain have only made it hard for Loraines.

The myth of the Wolf Ringer made it hard for Loraines.

There must be a way, to alleviate that. This unhealthy back and forth, and the reason I ended up in the forest in the first place. A Loraine unwanted in one place and worship in others, this is what is causing the war, isn’t it? But, why?

"Lia." She hums in response.

"We need to see that village."