His Frozen Fingertips Page 4

  “Well?” Avery eventually demanded.

  “Pardon?” Kean looked up, confused.

  “Are you going to tell us?” Asa could feel his patience slipping as Kean tinkered idly with a small leather-bound notebook.

  “Tell you what?”

  “About how to act in court.” He could feel his cheeks flush with shame, though there was no reason to feel it.

  “It is not something that can simply be taught.” Kean’s face bore a predatory smile. “It comes naturally to most refined families. The arts of elegance, courtesy, eloquence, and assertive subservience are simply the products of good breeding.”

  Asa growled subconsciously under his breath at the slight to their heritage. Avery was grinning at his reaction. Asa scowled at both of them, wishing for a private compartment or something to kick. Preferably a cat. He hated cats.

  “If we’re not refined?” he spat. Forget a cat. He wanted to kick the upper-class man in front of him to Jundres and back. All of the way.

  “Well, it can be instructed.” Kean didn’t react to the stony stares that he was being given. “If you have a good enough teacher, that is.”

  “And would you be such a teacher?” Asa had to admire Avery’s control over his tone. He sounded sceptical, slow, bored.

  “Yes, I would.” Kean stretched his long limbs out intrusively in the small space. “If you are willing to learn.”

  “Fine,” Asa muttered darkly, in time with Avery’s dreary drone of the same.

  The carriage trundled over the snowy landscape, wheels skidding on the uneven terrain. Asa thanked fate that it was warmer inside than out. Time wore on painfully slow as they progressed up the road, their only indicator of the time of day being the gradual darkening of the cloudy sky. Asa glanced at Averett, who was sleeping quietly in the corner and paying no heed to Kean’s instructions. He sighed and steadied himself on the plush seating, eyelids growing heavier as the man rambled on and on. Eventually there came a pause in the relentless flow of information.

  “So, when I am shown into the Throne Room, I have to bow and express my intent?” Asa asked, breaking the silence. “Am I to face the queen, look not to her unless spoken to, and hold myself with an air of refined elegance? I guess I can do that.”

  “You should be able to,” Kean said snippily. “I have given you the basic instructions. I think that by now even a rock would be able to recite the rules and structure of court.”

  “Thank you.” Asa ignored the patronisation. “I needed to learn.”

  He grasped Avery’s shoulder. The sleeping blond shifted groggily, cracking open a wary eye to survey Asa.

  “What do you want?”

  “We’re here, Avery.” Asa grinned. “Are you ready?”

  “Sure.” Avery sat up, cracking his knuckles. Asa sympathised. His own shoulders and hips and all the rest of his joints were stiff to the point of being sore. He wasn’t even sure how they had continued to travel so quickly for so long. Surely the horses would have had to eat, to sleep. But they had ploughed forward through the collecting snow regardless, carriage sliding on the slippery ground. Asa drew back the curtains on his side of the carriage, wide brown eyes staring at the white blanket covering the ground between the tall fir trees.

  “Jundres is coming up presently.” Kean withdrew a pocket comb from the case and ran it through his somewhat greasy reddish hair. “You shall receive your task from none other than HRH Queen Ria of Eodem. Look sharp; the bell has not rung yet. We shall need to step into the palace.”

  Asa peeked out of the window as the carriage rolled into a shadow. A wall of rock a hundred feet high was on their right. It was covered in natural grasses and mosses, blending flawlessly in with the surrounding forest. The carriage came to a sudden stop, jarring them.

  “Is this it?” Avery asked, looking out of Asa’s window perplexedly.

  “Out!” Kean opened the door, stepping from the steps onto the icy ground. Asa ducked through the doorway, gasping in shock from the cold. Avery had exited with him, showing less distress in the snow. “We’ll enter through the simplest route. Do you see that crack in the cliff face? Follow close behind me as we go through. The security is tight around here.”

  Kean strode through a cleared path, snow sticking to the tops of his boots. Asa and Avery followed, both daunted by the cliff next to them. The tallest of the company was walking closer to it, heels crunching. His unfathomable gaze was fixed on the opening in the rocky cliff. Asa tugged Avery forward, stomach curling as he saw the height of the rift. Avery halted at the darkness beyond, hazel eyes crinkling as he looked back to Asa. They continued towards it.

  Kean reached the crevasse first. He turned to see them a few metres behind and, giving a closed smile, entered the darkness. Avery stopped. Asa continued forward, glancing back to his friend.

  “Avery?”

  “It’s dark.” Avery frowned.

  “Don’t worry,” Asa reassured him. “It’s got to be safe. Kean just went in. Hurry up, he doesn’t look like he’s especially patient.”

  “Asa.” Avery fiddled with his tunic.

  “What, Avery?” he replied patiently, taking a few steps backwards, towards the crack.

  “How much do you trust Kean?” Avery asked.

  “As much as I can,” Asa said simply. He took Avery’s hand, pulling him towards the cliff. “We can’t go back now, Avery. Come on.”

  “Okay.” His friend swallowed. He walked close to Asa as they reached the opening. Asa stepped inside first, eyes adjusting to the darkness. Avery followed, shaking the gathered snow off of his tunic with a shrug.

  “It’s a tunnel,” Asa stated unsurely. “Where do we go?”

  “I can’t see.” Avery sounded nervous. “Where is Kean? Why didn’t he wait?”

  “Okay,” Asa exhaled. “Right. We’ll go farther into whatever this is. He must have come through here; we’ll follow the tunnel.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” the blond laughed. “Sure, let’s walk away from the light into the scary abyss. That’s what real adventurers do.”

  “Let’s go.” Asa nodded. They both walked into the dark passage. The walls were sloping in on them, cold slimy substances coating the rough rock. They joined to make a ceiling a few inches above Avery’s head. The path narrowed as they went forward; soon there was only enough space for them to walk single file.

  “Kean. Kean, where are you?” Asa called in a hushed voice. A few seconds later he called out again.

  “I thought you said we could trust him,” Avery admonished.

  “Let’s keep moving. He’s probably waiting for us ahead,” Asa said.

  Asa kept protectively in front of Avery, trying to keep up a stream of asinine chatter to distract himself from the complete blackness.

  “Ouch.” Avery stumbled, footsteps coming to a stop.

  “What?” Asa turned in alarm, feeling forward in the dark. He found Avery’s warm body and shook him, sensing for injury. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s getting smaller,” Avery groaned. “I just whacked my head on the ceiling.”

  “You fool.” Asa shook his head. “Way to point out the obvious, Avery.”

  He moved back around, a single cautionary hand bracing himself on the wall. He whistled through his teeth, trying to avoid thinking of his claustrophobic surroundings. They continued forward, Avery being forced to duck lower behind Asa. Asa’s eyes were wide open, not that it made any difference. He tapped the wall, feeling the path twist to the left. It was only an inch above his head now, ebony hair grazing the rock with each step. Yet still the ceiling sloped. Asa bent his knees, keeping his breathing as even as possible.

  When the two teens were fully convinced of their own entombment in the rock, the path ahead of them opened up. Asa blinked. There was light ahead. His feet hurried forward over the textured rock underneath him. He stumbled ahead, running into the opening gratefully, dilated eyes dazzled by the dim torchlight.

  Something sharp pricked int
o his back. Asa froze, face paling as his eyes adjusted to the light. They were in a tall underground room lit by large torches, not the wax candles that Asa used at home. He glanced to his right. Avery met his eyes with a shocked stare. Simultaneously they looked behind them. Two large men were positioned behind them, swords at the ready.

  His brown eyes flickered over their odd garb as he and Avery turned around, hands in the air. Asa could see the complex armour was fashioned from some form of chained fabric. With great difficulty, he lifted his eyes from his captor’s chest to their masked face, seeing a pair of bright green ones staring into them.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand,” he stuttered, moving away from the sharp blade.

  “I think that you do,” they said in a low, smooth voice.

  “Sir, you’re mistaken,” he gasped, as they pressed the tip of the sword closer to his stomach. “We’re not from around here.”

  “I realised that. But that does not make your intent any less malevolent.”

  “We’re going to the queen,” Avery pleaded, as his captor pushed him back. Asa shot him a sharp look. If they were dealing with bandits then that was the worst thing Avery could have done.

  “Is that so?” Asa’s captor smirked. “What business have you in Jundres, country boy?”

  “A royal summons.” Asa shut his eyes, waiting for the biting feel of metal cutting into him.

  “Where is your guide then?” They brushed the sword over his stomach. Asa could sense the cold of the blade over his thick tunic and shivered.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Convenient.” Avery’s captor laughed, pushing his sword forward.

  “Don’t kill us,” he whispered, hazel meeting brown as he and Asa exchanged glances.

  “Don’t trespass then,” Asa’s captor replied. “We don’t like northerners entering our tunnels.”

  A chain-gloved hand gripped Asa’s shoulder. He tried to dart back, away from the formidable opponent. He locked eyes with Avery, both of them as silent as the rock walls. He couldn’t breathe. Was he going to die now? At the hand of a masked, sword-wielding lunatic? His captors drew their swords, bracing their feet on the stone floor. Asa closed his eyes, hearing his frantic pulse beating in his head.

  “Stop!” a voice rang out through the cavern. Asa’s eyes flickered open. He gave a nervous chuckle in spite of the dire circumstances. He was still alive. The captor pushed him to the ground, his head colliding with the stone.

  “Who’s that?” the one pinning Avery into the same position called out.

  “Clement Kean of the queen’s council.” A wave of relief washed over Asa. They had not been forsaken. “This explains the situation. Mr. Asa Hounslow is summoned to HRH Queen Ria’s presence. As you may see, we must hasten to the Throne Room.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Hounslow.” Asa’s captor helped him up with a cautious hand. “Border control, keeping Jundres safe. Didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Thanks, sir,” Asa muttered. He helped Avery up, dusting off his friend’s tunic.

  The tall, broad person who had been holding Avery guffawed. “What?”

  Asa’s captor was removing the straps of the mask. It was a rather heavy looking contraption, of some black metal with bulbous insect-like eye guards and breathing apparatus.

  Beneath the mask was a woman. Asa blushed, not meeting her green eyes. The woman smiled at him, shaking her dark hair out of its bun. She gestured to her friend, who removed the headpiece as well, revealing a beautiful androgynous face framed by dark Celtic tattoos.

  “You can tell that someone hasn’t been out of the countryside,” they laughed. Asa looked put out, frowning at his own actions. They clapped him hard on the shoulder, causing him to baulk at the force.

  “To the Throne Room,” Kean ordered. “And stay close behind me, please. It’s more than my job is worth to let you wander off again.”

  He steered Asa away from the border guards. Avery followed belatedly behind, waving goodbye to the chuckling guards. They walked to the back of the cavern, to where there was a plain door covered in wooden levers and buttons. Kean lifted a series of handles on the surface in a regimented order and then pressed the doorknob twice. The door opened, showing a well-lit corridor beyond, whitewashed and clean. Asa wondered whether or not he should take his shoes off. They carried on down the candle-lit corridor for several moments, footsteps muffled by reed mats placed on the floor. The floor felt odd to Asa’s feet, it seemed to be sloping downwards. As it twisted and they passed odd little tributaries of passages to their left and right, he saw that this was indeed the case. The floor was slanted at a rather alarming angle. They were going underground.

  Kean stopped at the end of the main corridor. There were no other exits, just a large pair of oak doors. He twisted the handles and pulled them open. The first thing that hit them was the smell. A putrid stench of rot and waste hit their nostrils, making Asa gag. Avery scrunched his nose, fixing the impassive Kean with a steely stare.

  “Welcome to the beautiful city of Jundres. I hope that you enjoy your stay.” Kean ushered them through the doorway.

  They were standing on a precipice, high above the outlines of thousands of rooftops. Asa could see the stone walls stretching out for miles in either direction, a high domed ceiling of rock above their heads. A thin winding path led down to the streets below, cut straight into the side of the sheer rock face. It was warm in the cavern, stuffy and humid. Kean inhaled with relief and visibly relaxed in the close air.

  “It’s a lovely city, sir.” Asa smiled, trying not to breathe in more of the sulfur-laden air than he had to. Kean chuckled darkly and led the way down the narrow path. As they descended, the dim light that had illuminated the city whilst they were at the top became brighter, flickering yellow gas lamps making the streets half as light as they would have been outside.

  “We have been trapped down here for too long.” Kean broke the silence. “The fear is what does it, I think. I am the first person in my family to have gone aboveground in many generations. Of course, one can only leave with the express permission of Queen Ria, but for the most part, people who live down here will never see sunlight.”

  He stepped onto the cobbled street below, tapping his foot whilst Avery and Asa walked down the final few metres of the path. Kean huffed at their slowness, turning and striding through a narrow road ahead of them, in between dark asymmetrical houses. There were many people around, though they dispersed as they saw the intruders make their way towards the centre of the city, whispering words of suspicion and interest. Doors slammed shut, tails of ragged coats disappeared around corners, and the three of them were alone in the street, their only company the blocky apartment buildings. Asa shuddered, it was as if they were being watched, observed, isolated.

  “But what do the people have to fear?” he asked. “Why do they live in such a place?”

  “Jundres was once a fine, terrestrial city,” Kean explained impassively. “Its architecture and culture was unparalleled in all of Eodem. That was before Erebus came. His wrath destroyed buildings, withered the crops, and sent the people into hiding. They’ve been hidden away down here for as long as anyone can remember.”

  The houses were covered in a thick layer of sooty grime. They were made from different materials compared to ordinary houses—no bricks had been used. Instead, thick lumps of stone had been pushed together, sealed with only the lightest of cements. These blocks were over six foot in height, giving the impression of strange fractured walls stretching as high as the rocky ceiling.

  There were no children playing in the streets, which for a large town was quite unheard of. Asa glanced from side to side. People were beginning to emerge from their houses behind them, tall, thin people, like Clement Kean himself. Their clothes were misshapen, tattered, and old. They hung off the peoples’ thin frames, the thick fabrics still holding some semblance of the original wearers’ shapes. Finally, the children came out, silent and wary, clinging to
their parents. Now they were not alone in the street, but still being observed. Some people moved with canes, limping respectfully out of their way as they walked through. The smell was gone to their noses now, but something stifling was still thick in the air. The feeling of abandonment, the rotting of the houses, the feeling of despair.

  Rubbish was piled up against the houses, decomposing and trickling into the gutter. The citizens of Jundres started to move now, making a clear attempt to go about their business without registering the incomers. There were no elderly people. Children began to move away from their parents, hobbling on thin emaciated legs, wide eyes taking in the situation. Their bare feet trembled on the cobblestones. Kean saw Asa’s glance towards them.

  “The lack of sunlight makes their legs weak,” he explained impassively, not looking at the pitiful sight.

  “Can we not help them?” Asa asked desperately. “Find them a good hospital?”

  “Ha!” Kean laughed. “There are no good hospitals around here. These are the gutters of society. The only people who can leave are those who work for the queen. I have told you already, very few people ever see the sunlight. They are too afraid. The queen is too afraid. The city is always on lockdown, as we wait for the day that Erebus is defeated.”

  “They’re so thin.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Hounslow.” Kean’s voice was clear now. “By this point there is nothing that anyone can do. They are too far gone to be helped by medicine.”

  “Oh.”

  Asa tried not to look at the shivering infants, a surging feeling of helpless guilt. They were so young. His childhood, which he had viewed as the worst possible affliction, had been lengths better than any of these children’s. Kean steered them away from the people, gripping Asa by the wrist. The message was clear. Don’t look at the citizens.

  The street was long, much longer than any on the surface. The cobbles were uncomfortable to walk on, bending Asa’s boots in strange angles and making him trip over his toes. Eventually, Kean bought them to a stop before another wall, this one reaching right to the roof. The doors were high and heavy. There were no windows. Asa blinked at the building in the flickering gaslight. Was it even a building? It seemed just to be a pair of doors set in the wall. Not more passages? There couldn’t be more corridors. It was a physical impossibility in the confined space.