Dream of a Vast Blue Cavern

Chapter 4: Holding Grimshore: Stasia

 Stasia stood on Grimshore and looked out across Lake Lentok, watching the normally still waters ablaze with fire and Flames. She drew cold from the icy depths, drinking in T'Jas, filling her reserves. The smooth, slimy stone was littered with fish guts and bones. She was surrounded by Icers and Warriors. The pocket of fighters held a small section of the shore, and continued to hold it, though the city burned behind them and the lake blazed before them.  A few others, like Stasia, had made it to this haven; she had seen Icers replenish their T'Jas and join the ranks, and she had seen wounded pulled to safety under the surface.

 “Ranks, stand!” The strong command came down the line. Stasia thought it was Casser's voice, but she wasn't sure—the roaring fires on the lake and the falling, exploding buildings behind, and the clash of weapons as warriors fought to protect the shore from the Flames in the city, obscured all other sounds. Stasia stood her ground along with the rest. Surely Glace would make it through the battle in the city and find her here, but until he did she would wait, and help hold the shore.

 “Wave!” It was Casser up there, issuing commands. Stasia thrust her hands out, pouring T'Jas into the lake, pulling the water up. Up and down the ranks, other Icers were doing the same. A wall of water rose high above them, obscuring the Flames.

 “Release!” Casser's command was echoed around the shoreline. As one, the Icers let the wave roll back, pouring thousands of tons of freezing water onto the Flames.

 When the wave finally fell and the surface of the lake reappeared, the fires had darkened. Stasia felt a moment of relief, though she knew it was temporary. Her eyes welcomed the rest from the piercing light.

 Then Lake Lentok was ablaze again, suddenly, furiously. Dark, dead bodies of Flames, drowned as their fires were doused by the ice-cold water, rose and burned. Pockets of Fireblood re-ignited under water, exploding into steam. Once again, a wave of fire and Flames rolled forth from the gap in the walls of the cavern.

 These Flames carried fire arrows, and they shot a volley of them, not into the city to burn the houses as they had before, but straight at the force of Warriors protecting the shore. Before the arrows had landed, Casser's mind entered Stasia’s with force. On three count, send a barrier of cold air above the shoreline. Just as quickly, he was gone from her mind. Stasia prepared her T'Jas to cool the nearby air. As she made it dense and hard enough to repel the missiles, the Icers around her did the same. The missiles hit the barrier and fell to the lake, igniting it in more fiery explosions. At the same time, the Flames advanced across the lake, pushing the cold air back, shoving their heat forward in an invisible wrestling match.

 The heat became too much. Stasia felt the cold suddenly pushed back into her body, as the Flames marched forward, onto the shore. Stasia struggled to hold her ground, but the heat forced her back. All along the shore, the army was retreating back a few steps. The barrage of fireballs began again, and the houses behind them erupted into fire. Smoke rose toward the Palace. Two Flames opposite Stasia came forward eagerly, raising their hands, ready to incinerate her.

 Stasia drew upon the cold in her ice armor and hurled an icy blast of air at the Flames. It doused their fire and disabled their lava, turning it to solid rock that cracked and fell away from their skin in bloody chunks. The Flames reacted without hesitation, drawing on the heat from the flaming lake to blow away the fog that shrouded her. The heat from their blast only caused the ice to create more fog, and Stasia, still drawing on the cold of the pockets of water that remained of her armor, pushed forward her own icy front. It held their heat away from her body, between her and the Flames. Stasia pushed as hard as she could, knowing that one more blast of heat would evaporate her water and start the chirsh smoldering.