Frosted Dreams (NaNoWriMo2020)

'Umi kūmāwalu

Hika stares at the dancing flame into her palm, manipulating it into fluid figures that move separately from each other with ease. There is a sound from across from her and her eyes flick up as she closes her palm around the flame, feeling it sink back into her skin. The boy is watching her, grey eyes as sharp as shards of ice.

"You've told me that you are a young goddess from Hawaii, but who are you?"

Hika gives him a small smile. "My name is Hi'ilani and I am the daughter of Hi'iaka, the lightning goddess. I can control flame and stars."

The boy sits up straighter, a lock of midnight hair slipping into one of his eyes. He impatiently brushes it away. "Stars? Can you show me?"

Hika glances at her hair, dark as soil. "I can't. I'm out of starlight right now."

The boy blinks. "What do you mean?"

"I only have as much starlight as I can soak up and store. I used it all trying to keep myself warm."

"How would starlight keep you warm?"

Hika smiles. "I can form stars with it, and stars burn hot."

"How exactly do you store starlight?"

"My hair soaks it in at night, it turns my hair gold. I couldn't pull in any last night because of the clouds and the thick canopy, otherwise my stars would have been strong enough to last."

The boy sighs. "I apologize."

Hika's brow furrows in confusion. "Why would you need to apologize?"

"My snow didn't like you, it was trying to snuff out your flame."

"Your snow?"

"I can control all the snow around me. There are other snow deities, but Russia is my domain." He seems to want to say something else but swallows it back. "Despite the snow obeying me, it also has a mind of its own. It feels threatened by your fire."

Hika's brow furrows. "Why? I've never done anything threatening."

The boy snorts. "You charred my blanket."

"On accident! I was cold and half-asleep! Besides, that happened after your snow apparently tried to kill me!"

The boy smirks. "The snow finds your existence threatening, it doesn't like your fire even being here."

"I'm not going to leave Russia because snow doesn't like me."

The boy looks to be fighting back a laugh. "I wouldn't expect you to, but tell me. Why would a young fire goddess travel to Russia, one of the most dangerous places in the entire world for her?"

"I wasn't planning on going to Russia this soon, I wanted to visit the South American countries first. But-"

"What changed your mind?"

"When I was in the Continental US, I found something. I was advised to come here, to Russia for answers."

"What did you find?"

Hika frowns, chewing on her lip. "I'm not sure how to explain it, it would be easier to show you. But first, there is something you need to tell me."

"Oh? What is that?"

"You haven't told me a single thing about yourself other than the fact that you can control snow."

The boy laughs. "So I haven't. I am called Morozco here."

"Is that your name?"

He pauses, frowning. "No, it's not."

"What's wrong?"

He looks up at her. "I haven't been called anything other than Morozco for over a century. I'm young enough that with that period of disuse, I am beginning to forget my old name. I hadn't even realized it."

"What was your name?"

"Jack." She repeats it back to him and he shakes his head, sounding it out much slower so she can catch the pronunciations. "Jaak. Two a's and no c. I am Jaak Frost, Morozco in Russia."

"Why don't you use your name anymore?"

His eyes shutter. "I can't."

"Why can't you use your name anymore?"

Jaak shakes his head and looks to the strangely shaped door on the other side of the room. It's triangular with a rounded top, barely more than a shimmering outline in the pale blue wall. A staff of dark wood leans against the wall beside the door, a slight curve to the top of it that ends with the wood webbing over a crystalline orb in the pattern of a snowflake.

Jaak grabs the staff from the wall and touches the outline of the door with his fingertips at the same time he swings the staff into a previously invisible harness on his back. The door melts away, leaving a space open to the snowy forest outside. Hika swallows at the sight, feeling her hands warm with flame. Jaak smiles warmly at her.

"How about you show me what you found? I would guess you have to be outside to do it."

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'Umi kūmūwalu = eighteen, when counting

What do you think Jaak doesn't want to talk about? Why do you think he doesn't use his name? How will he react to what Hika will show him? What's going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out