Frostbite (Bk 1 of the Elementals)

Prologue

Prologue

The man ran, gulping for air, the cold bitting at his face. Just a little way behind him he could hear the sounds of the wolves, closing in on him. The wolves had been following him for the past several days, relentlessly tracking him down. Each day they got a little closer. "Jack" a voice whispered in his ear, a singsong voice floating on the wind, barely audible. Jack, yes, that was his name. The man shook his himself, ridding his head of the erie voice. The snow mistress was paying with his mind, he couldn't let himself be distracted. If the Mistress got ahold of the flame, all would be lost. The cold bit into the man, stinging his eyes. He snapped alert again and silently cursed himself. He had slowed down, and now the wolves were almost upon him. He picked up his pace and began sprinting through the forest. The man began searching his surroundings, hoping to find somewhere to hide. The forest contained only lodge poles, thin trees only a foot in diameter at the thickest. The floor was dusted in a light layer of snow, despite it only being mid august; the snow mistress' work no doubt. The man decided it was futile to keep wasting his time looking for somewhere to hide, and put his efforts back into running. The baying of the wolves were getting closer. He glanced back for an instant, trying to gauge the distance to the wolves, but the howling had stopped. A thick silence fell over the forest, enveloping everything in the quiet. The man turned back, but failed to see the root before him. He sprawled on the ground, sliding on the slick pine needles. As he scrambled back up, brushing off the snow, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Something was wrong, oh so wrong. Then, a low growl emanated from a bush to his side. the man whirled around, looking for the source, when another growl grew from behind him. All of a sudden, there were deep rumbles emanating from all around him, calling and responding to each other. Out of the bushes stepped five, massive wolves, each of them a good four feet tall at the shoulder. They circled the man, growling and yipping, waiting, just waiting. But waiting for what? Out of the dusk air came that erie call again, "Jack" the melodic voice called. It wormed its way inside his head, consuming his thoughts. The man angrily shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate on the wolves, trying to find a way to escape. The snow started to swirl, a light breeze blowing through, getting stronger and stronger. The snow began to take shape, molding itself into the form of a young woman. The voice called once more, "Jack," barely a whisper this time, but it was too powerful for the man to resist, and he let himself go to the voice. The wolves snarled, and began to move towards the man, their yellow eyes glinting in the moonlight, but the man didn't notice. One of the wolves leaped, jaws agape, ready to clamp down on the man - Ariel gasped awake, the image of the wolve's fangs imprinted in her mind.