When All is Lost… Part Five
It’s time for the next chapter of When All is Lost… I hope you enjoy!
Jack had slipped away almost as soon as he had made the decision to leave. He had waved his hand and dissolved the ice on the shed into snowflakes, which then disappeared in a puff of sparkle. He knew better than to leave any trace of his powers behind.
That was hours ago. Now, he was in the forest just outside of town. The sun had set almost an hour ago, and the forest was shrouded in darkness. It was spooky. Jack shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. There was a chill in the air, but that wasn’t why he shivered. Cold had never bothered him. The darkness was what sent a chill down his spine.
Darkness and all of the associated spookiness had always been one of his biggest fears. You never knew what was hiding in the shadows.
He turned in a circle, trying to get his bearings. His plan had not been very well thought through. The need to save his newfound friends from harm had overwhelmed his better judgement. Which was why he now found himself lost in the woods with no food, water, or light.
Well, maybe he had something that would help with the last thing. He reached under the collar of his shirt and pulled out a stone pendant on a thin piece of leather. The pendant had etchings on either side; one side bore a snowflake with symbols worked into the intricate pattern. The other side was decorated with an elaborate letter “E.”
The etchings on both sides glowed gently, but it was not nearly enough light to see by. So, Jack touched it gently, and a thin layer of frost spread all across the pendant. The magic of the pendant interacted with Jack’s magic, and soon the trees around him were lit with a calming blue glow.
The pendant now provided plenty of light for Jack to see by, so he let it slip from his fingers and dangle at the end of its cord. With a newfound confidence, Jack pushed his way through brambles and around bushes until he could feel his strength begin to fade. He stifled his yawns for as long as he could, determined to get as far from Arendelle as possible, but soon he could go on no longer.
He stumbled to a stop beneath a large tree on the edge of a clearing and collapsed to the ground. He felt as if he could fall asleep where he had fallen. But living on the run had taught him that sleeping out in the open on the ground was a foolish idea.
So he gathered the last of his strength, and stared up at the tree. He pictured in his mind what he wanted to make, and when he was ready, he waved his hands. Around and through the branches of the tree, a house of ice began to form.
It wasn’t fancy, not much more than four walls, a floor, and a roof, but it would have to do. He pulled his hand down through the air, creating an ice ladder from the trap door in the floor to the ground. He quickly climbed the ladder into his ice treehouse and pulled it up in after him.
The trunk of the tree and several of its large branches sprawled through the center of the structure. Jack swirled his hands around and a hammock stretched from one branch to the other. He climbed in, and removed the frost from his pendant. The light dimmed, although there was still a glow from the magical ice surrounding him.
“Goodnight,” Jack whispered to the air. He was asleep instantly.
*****
Elsa was puzzled when she got to Arendelle the next morning. Usually, when she reached the palace gates Anna and her family would be there waiting for her. Today, they were nowhere to be found.
Elsa looked around as she headed toward the castle doors. There were lots of people hurrying around everywhere, but contrary to what one would expect, it was almost completely silent. Elsa got the feeling that something terrible had happened.
She breezed up the steps to the large double doors to the castle. She peeked her head inside to look before stepping all the way in. “Hello?” She called. “Anna? Are you here?”
Just like outside, the palace was unusually quiet. With two children and countless staff to keep the place running, there was almost never complete silence. “Anna?” She called again.
This time there was an answer. “Elsa?” Anna appeared from around the corner, looking surprised to see her sister. She also looked like she hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
Anna’s hair was completely down, and it looked like she hadn’t had time to brush it thoroughly. She wore no makeup, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
“Anna!” Elsa exclaimed. “What on earth happened? Are you okay?”
“Oh, Elsa.” Anna flew forward and threw herself into her sister’s arms. “He’s gone and we can’t find him anywhere. I think something happened to him!”
Elsa held her sister tightly. She hadn’t seen Anna this emotional in years. “Who can’t you find?”
“Jack! The boy I told you about in my letter.” Anna pulled away from Elsa’s embrace and rubbed at her eyes. “He was just starting to get settled in here, and then yesterday afternoon he disappeared.” She started to pace, but Elsa stepped in front of her. So instead, Anna twisted her fingers together. “Kristoff has been out all night with General Mattias searching the kingdom for any sign of him. I’m expecting them back any minute. To be honest, in all of the commotion, I kind of forgot you were coming.”
“Hey, that’s okay,” Elsa said gently. She placed an arm around Anna’s shoulders. “Why don’t we go sit in the parlour and have a cup of tea while we wait for news.” She guided her sister into the parlour and got her settled into a chair before calling for tea to be brought in.
They had barely begun their first cups when they heard the door open. Anna sprang to her feet, setting her teacup down with a rattle. She hurried to the foyer, followed closely by Elsa. “Kiristoff?” Anna called.
“Just me, Your Highness.” It was General Mattias. He took Anna’s hand and bowed over it. When he saw Elsa, he bowed in her direction as well. “My Lady.”
Annoyance flashed in Anna’s eyes. She was always rather impatient, and today more than ever. “What news, General? Where’s Kristoff?”
“The king wanted me to inform you that he’s taking a small contingent of men and is heading into the woods.”
“So you found some trace of him?”
“Well, we heard reports from several townspeople who say they saw a young boy head in that direction around sunset yesterday. But…” he hesitated.
“But what, General?”
“All reports agree that the boy was followed by a small cloud of… snow.”
“Snow?” Anna and Elsa exclaimed in unison.
Elsa was stunned. Snow? In the middle of summer? That could only happen by magic, and if this boy had magic… Could it be him?
Anna obviously had the same train of thought. “I knew there was something about that boy,” she muttered under her breath. “Which way did you say this was?” she asked the general.
“West. But Your Majesty–”
It was too late. Anna dashed out the door and down the steps before anyone could stop her. Elsa rushed to the door calling her sister’s name, but Anna was too far away. By the time Elsa reached the bottom of the steps, Anna had disappeared into the crowds milling outside the gates.
Elsa groaned and ran a hand through her hair, unwittingly spreading snowflakes through it. She knew she would have to go after Anna, but she also knew that running off unprepared never did anyone any good. She turned and headed back into the palace.
General Mattias waited there for her. “My Lady, what can I do?”
Elsa squared her shoulders and drew herself up to her full height, drawing on her training as queen. “General, I’m going to need your sword.”
*****
Cliff hanger! It was a short part, but I hope it was good!
Thanks for checking in, and I hope you’ll come back again!
~Jadyn