Sisters Three (Completed)

11. Adair (1/2)

In the wilds of Adair's snow filled world, she sat alone in her throne room. The ice walls served to muffle all sounds so that a tomb-like silence added to the dim lighting. The walls were feet thick and the ceiling was high enough that shadows never left the arches. Her throne sat at one end and the ice-doors at the other, with a blank space of snow in between. To some it might have felt cold and empty, but to Adair it felt safe. She'd built it all from the pure and hard ice of her ancestry.

It had taken her a few days, those many years ago, to figure out how to control her powers over the frigid North, but once she realized she could grow ice and start a snow storm whenever she wished, she'd started on the castle to keep her and Silver from the elements. It was complete within a year and they'd been living in it ever since. It was high on the mountains, overlooking a large majority of her lands, and when the sun hit it just right it seemed almost as if on fire.

From one of the other rooms, a snow fox trotted in. She hadn't seen this one before, but it wasn't a surprise. She kept a small opening in one of the walls so that any animals that might need shelter could find a place to sleep. This fox must have wandered up from the basement, looking for something to eat. She stood, her fur cloak falling in ripples around her, and offered a pale hand for the fox to sniff.

It didn't bolt or even flinch, but merely smelled her and then sat down. She smiled and picked it up, tucking it in the crook of her arm. The soft body melted into her, lending her some warmth. She'd been feeling so cold lately, and no matter how many furs she piled on, she couldn't seem to stay warm. The fox nuzzled her skin, finding a position where it could relax while also having a vantage point in order to watch the room. She carried it back to her throne and began to gently scrub between its ears.

There was nothing tame about the fox, even though it leaned into her scratching. A wild and nervous energy radiated out of its thin limbs, matching the pulse of her own heart. She stared down at her little companion and wondered if it would stay. Many of the animals that came for shelter wandered off after a few days, but some chose to make her castle their home. She'd made a mass of rooms, mostly unused, and the animals used them as if they were guests in a grand house. She thought it was funny, but Silver didn't appreciate the cleaning duties that came with it.

Just then Silver strode into the throne room as if thinking about him could somehow summon him. Adair smiled and waved him over, inching to one side of her throne so that he could sit next to her. He eyed the fox warily and the fox returned his mistrust. Adair laid a hand over the fox's face to calm it and prevent yet another biting.

"So, what's the matter this time?" she asked.

Silver opened his mouth in surprise and then narrowed his eyes. "How do you know anything's the matter?"

Adair laughed. "Silver, if there's one thing I've learned in ours years together, it's that you never visit me unless you have some news to report."

Silver shifted in his seat and didn't meet her eyes. "I don't want to bother you unless it's important."

"We live alone in the middle of the wilderness. I'm not going to be bothered by your company."

The fox made a nip at Silver's hand before Adair could stop it. The teeth didn't come near Silver's skin, yet he surged to his feet and took a backward step away from the throne. He was always at an uneasy truce with her animals, and though he'd grown not to fear them he still was wary of their hidden wildness.

Adair tucked the fox's head safely out of the way and offered a reconciliatory hand to Silver. "Come back. I promise to keep a better eye on her."

Silver paused for a moment, but then shook his head. "We've grown too big to sit together on that throne, Adair," he said. "I'd rather stand on my own."

Adair sighed, a bit annoyed though she didn't want to admit it.

Silver continued. "There's been some movement on the southern slopes."

This brought all of Adair's nerves to bristling attention. She sat up bolt straight and set the fox on the ground to scamper off into the bowels of the castle. "What kind of movement?"

"Human," Silver said simply.

"Close to the border?"

Silver nodded.

Adair bit her lip. "How did they get past the wolves, and the bears? No one's been able to reach the mountains in years. Are there many?"

"Only a small scouting party it looks like," Silver said. "I can show you."