To Be Wanted

Quest for the Snow Pendant

      The following morning, there was a bitter cold chilling the High Grounds. I awake curled up with my wings wrapped around me like a blanket, our campfire had long since burnt out and Jetimel was nowhere to be found, which made me rather nervous. I sit up and yawn, stretching out my still very sore.
      I am still reeling from the previous day as I take in my surroundings now that my vision has finally returned to normal. I could feel some sort of energy in the air, it didn't quite feel right for five thousand year old ruins, however, it still was drawing me in.
      I carefully get up, still feeling a little weak, before I decide to explore this poor wrecked castle. The ground was littered with skeletons, weaponry and the armor of the Veltsen from so long ago.
      It felt like stepping through the pages of my history book, images of how I imagined the battle to have gone flash through my mind. The place had some ghosts for sure, whether metaphorically or literally, and it was starting to give me chills.
      Jetimel turns a corner with a frustrated look on his face and notices that I am now up and about. He didn't seem at all pleased, yet at the same time, I think he was glad to see that I was doing better.
      He walks on over, arms filled to the brim with old rusting weapons and bits of rock from the walls. He was covered in dust and seemed physically and potentially mentally worn out himself. He takes a quick second to drop the pile on the ground and brush himself off before approaching further.
      "My queen, I had not expected to see you up so soon." He says in such a soft tone, perhaps a little disappointed. "I'd have thought you would rested longer, your wings need to heal."
      "Well, it seems I have a target on my back, so best not waste too much time doing nothing." I give a faint laugh, trying to lighten the mood a little. "Hey, uh... What do you mean by queen?"
      "Such a long story, your majesty. I had hoped that bringing you here might shed some light on the situation. Alas, unfortunately I cannot find what I am looking for." He sighs, looking to the pile he had just created on the ground, then to an even larger one that he must have made in the middle of the night, it would explain why he has such a tired look about him.
      "Well, what are you looking for? I might be able to help."
      "A crystal which belonged to Queen Taima. However, I fear that it is long since gone."
      "Well then, no time to waste." I perk up. "Two people searching is better than one."
      "That is much appreciated, my queen." He smiles and bows before we start moving more piles of rubble.
      I noticed during all of this that there still remains one room in the castle that had not had all of its walls knocked down during the attack. The Throne Room.
      I venture in curiously, admiring the now rusted throne which Taima once sat upon. The framework had hints of blue swirling through the metal plating and there were a couple empty sockets in the sides of the armrests, likely which were to hold gems affixed to it, however, it must have been looted long before.
      I turn my attention from the throne to the back wall of the room, which had inscriptions carved into the stone. Somehow, I felt drawn to it, like a fish to bait or a moth to a flame.
      I reach out, and as soon as my fingers touch the wall, I feel the pulse of what felt like electricity surge through my body, throwing me back hard against the throne. I felt paralyzed, I couldn't move, however, I also didn't hurt so I guess you win some you lose some.
      I watch as the wall comes crumbling to the ground, then came the quick footsteps as a worried Jetimel comes running in to check on me.
      Jet helps me up and gets me moving again before his gaze turns to where the wall once was. As the dust clears, we see that on the other side of the seemingly enchanted facade was a pedestal, atop it was a holder containing a light blue crystal cut to look like a diamond.
      Jet's eyes widen and he races over to it, being very quick to examine it. After much fiddling, he couldn't seem to get it to do what he was hoping for. He gives an exasperated sigh as he sets it back on its holder and slumps onto the ground.
      "So much for that." He groans. I blink at him, he had lost his sort trained demeanor, now seeming more like a normal person and not a god. I felt kind of bad for him.
      I approach the crystal, which begins to glow as I step closer, and press my fingertips against one of the edges of the facets. The crystal begins to glow very bright before an image of a woman appears above it, it almost was acting like some sort of holographic projector in crystal form.
      It was at this point that Jet jumps to his feet and watches in amazement. The woman was Queen Taima, her dark skin contrasted against a mint green ball down. Her snow white wings were so pure, it was almost as if they glowed like the crystal. I see Jet start to tear up, likely from the memories that this was all starting to bring back.
      "I am Taima DeLeterra." She speaks. She sounds so nice, I imagine she was an amazing queen. "This message is being recorded in the event of my inevitable death.
      Iveska is being invaded by angels vastly more advanced than anything we have ever previously faced. If you are seeing this, then you have a powerful connection with the magic of Iveska, a connection that I myself share.
      If this is true, and these creatures have not simply learned of a way to activate this message themselves, that means that you are the next king or queen of Iveska. It is, for this reason, my duty to inform you of what must happen next.
      These creatures seek the Snow Pendant, which holds a crystal, much like the one you see before you, that was formed from ice created during the first Iveskan winter."
      Jet appeared to be having trouble maintaining his composure as he listings to Taima, hearing the thundering booms in the background as the castle gets ripped apart by the Veltsen.
      I try and comfort him, however when I do, he simply sniffles and stands up straight, as though his only thoughts were to protect me, as though he had no emotions. I could see however that this was not the case as tears were still dripping down his cheeks.
      "The Snow Pendant has the power to control the elements, and with it, the weather. There were whispers of this impending attack and so I have hidden the Snow Pendant in a cave atop Mount Eikilleanas, where the crystal was originally formed. The forge remains there to this day.
      Only I or I suppose now you as well, have the power to activate the forge and retrieve the pendant. If the prophets are correct, then you, my child are half Sevitan and half whatever these creatures are.
      Do not think this to be a bad thing, for you have powers that neither of our kinds could ever match, powers that you alone must unlock, and with the Snow Pendant to aid you, I am sure that you shall make a great ruler. One better than I."
      As the Veltsen get closer, Taima looks back, presumably to her protectors, and takes a deep breath, a tear running down her face as she accepts her fate.
      With a forced smile, she finishes off her recording as the Veltsen presumably begin breaking down the door to the Throne Room.
      You can hear the gods shouting in the background, and what I could only assume was the little voice of Jet as a kid.
      "Farewell, my child. And good luck."
      I stand in utter shock, unsure if I wanted to believe what I had just watched, however, given Jet's reaction to it, I think I sort of had to.
      He looked broken, even for a guy like him, who seemingly did not get emotional often, it hurt to know that he was so distraught. I slide on over and wrap my arms around him, trying my best to soothe his pain, that was when he breaks down.
      I could tell, even if he would never say so, that he must have seen Taima as a mother, losing her must have hurt more than anything, so I would imagine that seeing her once more, reliving her death, is what broke him again.
      "Are you alright?" I whisper to him, his head resting on my shoulder, feeling his tears run from his face onto me.
      "I couldn't save her." He whimpers through sniffles. "I almost... I almost couldn't save you."
      There it was again, the unprofessionalism that just shows that he isn't just a god, he is a normal person too. It hurt to hear he felt that was, however, it was true, had he not gotten there just in the nick of time, I would be dead, so I am exceedingly grateful for it.
      When he has calmed down enough, we begin to discuss our plans for finding this elusive Snow Pendant. Sure, today had been a whirlwind so far, as was yesterday, however one thing is for sure and that is that we need to find the Snow Pendant.
      We set off by going off one side of the High Grounds, as my wings were still injured, Jet picks me up and leaps over the side, falling to the streets below.
      Mount Eikilleanas was far into the Sevitan sector of the world, it was a symbol for them so they demanded to have control over the mountain.
      It was believed that there were many who attempted to reach the top, however, it is said that those who tried froze to death before they could even see the peak.
      Luckily for me, as Jet explained to me earlier in the day whilst we were planning, being the next Queen, I have some sort of immunity to the cold and cannot freeze to death as Queen Taima herself could not. And at least I have Jet to help me get through this, so that is always a bonus.
      Jet casts a charm over us which creates a sort of shield of heat around us to keep out the cold, I likely would be able to withstand the intense temperatures, however, I doubt that he would be able to. Jet takes a deep breath before leaping up the side of the mountain and through the clouds.
      Very quickly, we both began to get goosebumps on our arms and faces from the cold, I guess the shields were enough to keep us from dying, however we would still become very cold.
      When we reach a cave near the peak of the mountain, Jet sets me down before looking around, it was only at this time did I notice the fact that Jet actually has no shoes on, meaning his feet are probably freezing and or hurting from jumping from rocks. Suddenly, a rather peculiar thought crosses my mind.
      "Why is there snow? Even at the bottom there was some and it is fall." I enquire to the god. He looks back at me with a raised eyebrow after taking a peek inside the cave.
      "Before the first winter, this whole mountain was grasslands, trees, flowers, animals, all the sorts." He begins to explain, gazing out among the land. "When the first winter came along, and the Ice Forge was created to form the Snow Pendant, the mountain froze over and it has remained that way ever since.
      Not many seemed to complain though, it does give the Sevitan the opportunity to play winter-based sports whenever they'd like" I smile, remembering the times when I and some of the other foster kids would sneak over here after school and have snowball fights.
      Jet speaks again. "What people do not know is what effect the freeze had on the mountain. The plants and animal life died out, it became unsafe to trek further up the mountain, risking hypothermia.
      All that they know, and likely all that they care about, is that there shall forever be snow on Mount Eikilleanas.
      "You seem really fond of this place."
      "Yes. My first anniversary of formation, since becoming one of Queen Taima's guardians, was spent here. She truly was like a mother to me."
      "Anniversary of formation?"
      "Unlike Veltsen and Sevitan, gods are not born, we are formed by deeds or spells from the mortals of the planets we watch over."
      "Still, it is like a birthday since that is when you came into existence. What formed you anyway?"
      "Queen Taima told me she brought me from another dimension, one filled with beings much like the Veltsen and Sevitan, simply without wings.
      She said there lived a couple unable to conceive a child, and one day, an intruder broke into their home with a weapon and threatened the woman.
      The man stopped the intruder, however, in the process of saving his love from the intruder, he perished. Then one day, while visiting his grave, she heard crying.
      She went to see where it was coming from, and by the roots of a tree, shielded by a nearby bush, she found a baby. Me. Lying there in the grass." He smiles briefly, almost as though he were reminiscing. "She took care of me until I was around three, that was when I started showing signs of being different, of being a god.
      Then, she abandoned me. When I was four, Queen Taima found me and took me in, she promised to take care of me as long as I protected her here. During the invasion, I watched her die before they took me away."
      "I'm so sorry..."
      "No apologies necessary, my queen. The only person whom knew my story before yourself was Queen Taima, it is how I have wished things to be." He sighs, wiping away a tear.
      "Now, enough of the sad stories." He points to the cave, looking between me and the cave entrance. "In there is the Ice Forge. I want you to be wary, your majesty, for this entire cave is solid ice.
      I am going to increase the barrier of heat around you that could potentially melt the ice as the size of the barrier will increase from the one you already have."
      "Why is a bigger barrier necessary?"
      "Because, the space in that cave is ten times colder than it is out here. The closer you are to the Ice Forge, the colder that you will become.
      The temperature will be able to overpower the barrier, so the bigger the barrier and the more heat inside, the less cold that you will feel. Unfortunately, to do this, I must remove my own barrier so that I may power yours."
      "Well then, don't do it! You look like you are freezing, even out here! No sleeves, no real pants, not even shoes!"
      "My queen, you are my number one priority. My own health matters not when compared to yours."
      "You want to protect me right? You can't do that when you've frozen to death."
      He disappointedly sighs before waving his hand, creating a shimmering bubble sorts around me. My jaw drops, he just completely ignored me. I see him visibly shaking from the cold, and he has said it is only going to get worse from here.
      We head inside and I could already see steam starting to form around us, a small look of relief forming on his face, I think the steam being created from my heat barrier was warming him up a bit, at least it is not all bad.
      We enter into a room, in the middle of which sat the Ice Forge. The forge was made of solid bricks of ice and the fuel on top seemed to be larger packed snowballs in replacement for coal, in fact, they almost had a reverse look, being white instead of black.
      We step closer and true to what Jet explained, I could feel the air around me getting colder. If I am getting cold, then I can only imagine how Jet must be feeling.
      "It is clear that no one has been here in a while. " I comment, staring at the snowballs. There were a few patches in the snow that were brighter than the others, so I assumed that the darker spots were from when they were used. "These don't seem to have been lit in so long."
      I reach my hand out to try and tough one of them when Jetimel quickly grabs my hand, practically dragging me away from the forge. He seemed extremely panicked, checking over my hand thoroughly. I let him go on his tangent, eventually giving him the most puzzled look once he had visibly calmed down.
      "What was that for?" I question. He acted like it was the most obvious thing ever.
      "My queen, they are lit." He emphasizes.
      He grabs a sword which lies against a wall on top of a skeleton, covered in dirt. He holds the blade of the sword over the crystals.
      Almost instantly as he does, the blade turns to metal dust which, as it hits the bricks of the forge, seemed to melt and pour down the sides of the forge. I stare in awe, quite frankly I was unsure of what would would have happened if Jet had not stopped me from touching the snow.
      "The snow changes the biology of anything that comes within six inches of them, making it so that their solid temperature is the same as the snow, anything warmer causes it to melt.
      As the snow is the coldest thing in the room, the air around us warmed up the sword and caused it to turn to dust, when it hit the forge, which is warmer than the snow, it fully melted.
      The molds they use to create weapons, or things like the Snow Pendant, is made from Lavastone, a material which has no heat and cannot melt the ice, is made from stone found in the bottom of the lava pool in Eikilleanas's twin, Vettaelisa, which lies in the Veltsen sector of the world.
      The Lavastone reverses the effects of the snow, causing the metal, or whichever material you choose, to freeze from its melted state to a solid form."
      Our attention turns to a glimmering light coming from within the forge. Within one of the bricks in the center of the forge is the Snow Pendant. I smile at Jet who seemed equally as pleased as me.
      We take one of the forge tools, which resembles an ice pick, and begin smashing it against the bricks. When that fails and the tool disintegrates, Jet gets one of the most brilliant ideas I had ever seen. He picks up one of the Lavastone molds and, with all his strength, slams it against the forge.
      The ice crumbles to the ground in chunks and out comes the pendant. Jet was absolutely beaming, I don't think he anticipated that his idea would actually work. He picks up the pendant, walks around me and connects the chain around the back of my neck before pulling my hair out from inside the chain.
      I suddenly feel like all my energy had been drained away, the pendant begins to glow and as it does, the ground around us begins to shake like the planet is quaking and shards of ice begin to fall from the ceiling.
      Jetimel grabs me by the arm and dashes out of the cave. A loud crash emits from behind us and snow gushes out from inside. I start to feel really dizzy, the world spinning around me, before my legs give out and my vision goes back as I pass out, collapsing to the ground.