With every breath that Loldirr inhaled, it took exceptional effort and felt like her lungs were on fire. As she exhaled, she watched as the small cloud of moisture escaped her mouth, confirming that her actions were not for nothing.
She didn't feel it initially, but the temperature had drastically fallen since entering the cave. Loldirr's muscles started to shiver, bringing more discomfort than she was able to cope with. Exhausted from the encounter with the dragon had made the use of her powers almost impossible, therefore, keeping her body temperature up was proving to be a great challenge.
Ixnja, the self-proclaimed 'Winter Witch' used her powers with such ease. It was doubtful that she knew where Loldirr was, but she still managed to control the airflow and the temperature in such a way it seemed effortless. This sorceress of the elements could be far more powerful than Loldirr, but if there was one thing that Loldirr had learnt on her journey was that she had faced many substantially more powerful beings and survived every single one of them.
Looking around the cave, Loldirr wanted to find some way to regain her breath. She closed her eyes, taking a massive gulp of air, but to no avail. Taking on this threat would likely end her life.
Turning towards the entrance, Loldirr thought of making a run for it in the hope to regain her breathing and try this encounter once more, but the moment she did, the Fæordic would see her and immediately consider the act as one of cowardice. She must remain; she must survive.
At that very moment, as her eyes struggled to remain open, she thought of Erdudvyl, her guide and mentor. Recalling the sphere that Erdudvyl held in her hand as it glowed white signifying the sphere of life.
Why now? Why remember the pointless exercise that did not convince the elves to provide her with the support she needed.
Loldirr scolded herself for her mind being distracted from the here and now. She needed to find a solution urgently.
"I can hear your breathing," the harsh deepened voice of the Winter Witch echoed throughout the darkened cave, "it's laboured, struggling, desperately trying to cling to something that simply isn't there," she chuckled as Loldirr gasped once more.
The clap of leather on the hardened rocky surface cause Loldirr to jump, another clap, followed by another caused a wave of anxiety knowing that the predator was on the move, searching for her pitiful prey.
"Strange," Ixnja continued, "most who enter my domain, are struck by fear. They cling to the first thing they find and run like cowards, ashamed to show their true faces to those in the outside world."
Loldirr looked to the floor. Trinkets of all sizes could be seen littered towards the exit. Swords, axes, rings, signets, bracelets, it would be easy to pick something up off the floor and pass it on as some unique pendant stolen from the Winter Witch. Coughing and spluttering, Loldirr was filled with anger at the level of dishonesty some people would stoop to gain renown or power. This was not something she was prepared to do herself.
Crippled by the, now, neverending cough, Loldirr struggled to keep her breathing at all, while irritated by the fact that her coughing was easily giving away her position.
"Those who do remain in my presence tend to die a slow and painful death. A testament to the fools who think that they are greater than I!" growled Ixnja, her seething voice tormenting the struggling redhead.
Loldirr looked at a set of beads that had broken on the cold hard rocky surface. The beads, likely pearls, were perfectly spherical despite their bindings collapsing on impact. Once again it reminded her of the sphere that Erdudvyl had encouraged her to hold at the Tower of Mages.
Why was this relevant, what purpose did it serve as she was gradually losing consciousness?
She recalled touching it, how it shone a bright royal purple bringing out collective gasps among the elves. It was then that she recalled why it was of relevance.
The river where she had watched her best friend Willis executed, how it reacted to her anger. The sea, as the men on the Sea Horse, attempted to rape her, how it buffeted and fought back just as she did. The fire at Lionmane, how at her execution she had created a level of destruction equal to the pain that she was experiencing. The fog that helped her escape the Shadow, how it enveloped her and gave her adequate time to gain distance between her and the Death Wraith. The ground, as it shook with ferocity as her anger boiled over at Sigurd Halfhand. She didn't control just fire; she was the Elemental Sorceress, she controlled the six spheres, the third being that of air.
Closing her eyes, Loldirr focussed, using what energy she could muster she created a pocket of air to surround her, giving her enough to breathe comfortably. A massive sigh of relief escaped her lips before bringing another unwarranted cough, now the pendulum of the encounter was equal once more.
"Interesting, your breathing has returned," Ixnja reacted, "perhaps you now have the energy to run."
Loldirr skillfully manoeuvred between the icy statues, attempting to gain a clear line of sight to her enemy. Still, it appeared that her enemy was doing likewise, slithering like a snake, disappearing out of sight before Loldirr could react.
Placing her hand on the floor, the ground shook just enough to reverberate up the walls and causing a couple of loose stalactites to crash down the floor.
"Shit!" the harsh voice echoed through the cave as Ixnja dove desperately away from the sharp points of the debris.
Loldirr reacted quickly, grabbing an arrow and releasing it towards the white-haired, pale-faced woman who was desperately trying to regain her footing.
Instinctively, Ixnja raised her hand, causing the arrow to freeze and drop helplessly to the floor, as Loldirr fired another arrow, the same happened again, causing Loldirr to grunt in frustration.
"How dare you?" Ixnja rebuked as she pushed herself to her feet, her half tattooed face scrunched angrily as her cold blue eyes stared at her adversary, "I am a Sorceress of the Elements, your pitiful arrows will be useless against me."
Raising her hands, ice spewed from her fingertips. The vicious and devastating attack caused the floor, walls and ceiling all around her to freeze instantly. The white ice emanating from her fingertips left visibility practically zero as the Winter Witch's anger overcame any rational behaviour as her relentless attack continued. Eventually, as she stopped, her chest heaved repeatedly, but a grin appeared knowing that her prey was likely an ice statue in the middle of the cave.
Except Loldirr wasn't an ice statue, she knelt allowing the steam of extreme cold and extreme hot to dissipate around her. As she rose to her feet, her green emerald eyes locked onto the icy gaze of Ixnja. She was exhausted, and another attack of that magnitude would undoubtedly kill her, but as she puffed out her chest and stood upright, there was no way she would allow her enemy to see her vulnerability.
The confusion in Ixnja's eyes was plain to see, "You're one too? There's no way I will let your master take me alive."
Entirely unexpectedly, Ixnja raised a knife to her throat, carefully placing the blade across her larynx.
"Woah, wait!" Loldirr responded instinctively. "I serve no master!"
Ixnja's confused eyes stared back at the Heir of Isovine, bewildered by the events that were taking place. Her blade's edge still pushed against her throat, preparing to make a deep incision, yet her hesitation made Loldirr wish to evaluate the situation further.
"Who do you fear?" Loldirr asked.
Ixnja growled at the question. As Loldirr examined her facial tattoos, her stature, her demeanour, she realised that she was speaking with a Fæordic shieldmaiden. Asking her about fear would more likely insult her than produce any results.
Loldirr lowered her bow, knowing the gesture would be futile considering how both of their hands were exceptionally powerful. "I am Loldirr of house Aex-Igh, Loldirr Wraithslayer, the rightful heir of the Isovine Empire and the Elemental Sorceress."
The dagger lowered, the trickle of blood on Ixnja's pastel white skin looked like a single rose in a field of snow. "The Elemental Sorceress? The prophecy is coming to pass?"
Loldirr was unsure how to react to the words of prophecy, yet as the dagger lowered further, it appeared the hostility between them had temporarily frozen.
"What do you know of the Elemental Sorceress?" Loldirr asked.
"Death Wraiths were sent to me, many moons ago," Ixnja responded, appearing to ignore the question. She stepped back; her eyes jumped around the cave, sporadically, seemingly reacting to the unpleasant memories of the past. "He sends them; he asks you to choose. I chose wrong, the Wraith's came."
Confused by the erratic comments, Loldirr took a small step forward, carefully avoiding any frozen rocks. "What do you mean?"
"The Necromancer."
"You know of the Necromancer?" Loldirr asked.
"He knew of my power, wanted to recruit me, I refused, " as Ixnja spoke, she undressed her garments revealing her almost snowy white skin.
"Woah, uh, wait, you don't have to..." Loldirr uncomfortably responded until she could see why her fellow Sorceress was undressing in front of her.
A long scar, from breast to thigh plagued the poor woman's beautiful skin, and as she turned, a large portion of the skin on her shoulder blade was scarred and tarnished.
"It flayed me, the pain as my skin was torn from my body, the blade as it inserted deep, the feeling of it slicing, unbearable, horrendous. Never again." Ixnja explained.
Loldirr was horrified as the poor woman explained her torment. This Death Wraith must have been someone she was not familiar with, for there was no way she could have endured that anguish if the Shadow had done that to her.
"I'm... I'm sorry." Loldirr eventually responded.
As Ixnja redressed herself, her cold eyes turned towards Loldirr once more. "All are questioned, most turned. I refused, I survived, many did not. Have you been tested?"
Loldirr nodded, recalling her encounter with the Necromancer, how he offered his hand to her, only for Loldirr to refuse. The refusal brought the Shadow and a game of cat and mouse in the barren icy plains of the North. "I refused; I barely survived."
"Fæordic do not flee, we fight or we die. I fought, I almost died, I should have fled," she replied with sorrow in her eyes.
"How did you survive?"
Ixnja raised the dagger in her hand. Its curved; twisted blade seemed to melt into its gold leather handle. Its small round pommel had small emeralds and rubies embedded into it, each one reflecting coldly against the icy walls.
"Death's Bane. Forged by Cærkax, in his fires, the dagger was created. A blade capable of killing what can not be killed." Ixnja responded. She spun the blade around so Loldirr could hold the handle.
"This can kill a Death Wraith?" she asked as she let her hand caress the soft leather.
Ixnja nodded. "Take it!" she insisted.
As much as Loldirr wanted to, she felt a tinge of regret for doing so. If another Death Wraith were to come, Ixnja would have no protection. "I can't."
"Take it, kill the unkillable, fight for the living, kill the dead. This is your reward for facing the Winter Witch of Jorguldheim. You are victorious; you are strong; you are Fæordic!" As the blade was passed from the witch to the huntress, Ixnja smiled. "Cærkax was right about you."
"Cærkax?" Loldirr asked.
"The dragon, he chooses those who are worthy to face me; he sensed something special in you. His instincts are far greater than mine." Ixnja explained.
Placing the blade carefully in a strap by her side, Loldirr smiled one more time. "Then send Cærkax my thanks."
"Dragons communicate in ways we do not comprehend, he'll already know your gratitude, " Ixnja explained. She sat down, allowing herself to gain some much-needed energy before turning towards Loldirr once more. "The Necromancer will come for you again; he knows the prophecy; he knows your potential; he fears you. Endure, fight, survive, and when all seems at it's darkest, we will come."
Loldirr looked at her, confused, "What do you mean? You'll fight with me?"
"When the war for death versus life begins, Cærkax and I pledge ourselves to you, young Loldirr of house Aex-Igh. We will fight together side by side as Sorceresses while the ice dragon Cærkax will rule the skies in your name."