After breakfast was long over and their private discussion on future plans was done, Jadis found herself outside of the grove once more. She was, of course, armed and armored; this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment trip after all. Jadis had planned on using the light of a new day to search for the one loose end that was still lost out in the snowy, demon infested forest. Alex.
“Gods, it’s cold out here,” Kerr cursed as she shivered violently.
“Fuck yeah it is,” Jay agreed.
“Cold as Vraekae’s left butt cheek,” Syd added.
“I’m not sure the magistrate’s posterior is below freezing temperature,” Aila responded dryly.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Dys murmured under her breath.
With how pleasantly warm and verdant in the inside of the Dryad’s grove was, it was easy to forget that it was winter outside. It must have snowed all night long as the ground was covered in nearly a foot of snow, blanketing the land in a sheet of sparkling white. The remains of the many dead demons were barely discernable lumps under all the snow, giving the forest at least the appearance of a pristine winter wonderland. There were dead horrors under the superficial coating, but at least for the moment the scenery was beautiful.
The dryads had opened their, well, "gate" was the wrong word. Front portal? Entryway? Tree wall? Whatever the case, the way had been opened and a much smaller ramp compared to the previous night had been grown out of vines and roots, extending down to the ground below. Jadis and her full company were out, fully geared and prepared for a fight. There were still hundreds, if not thousands of lesser demons wandering around the valley. With the matriarchs dead, they were less focused than before, but they would still be drawn to the Dryads and any other life that they could kill. Since Jadis wanted to go out and find Alex, she also saw the time as an opportunity to help clear out as many of the lingering demon horde as she could.
Willa and a few of her soldiers, those who were in better condition, had chosen to help with the demon culling, as had Noll. Jack was conspicuously absent, which meant he could have been anywhere and probably was spying on them in some way, and Sorcha had been left in the care of Olwyn and one of the other Dryads, Myfanwy. Apparently, they were going to see what could be done about her missing foot while doing the same for Gunnar and his missing arm.
“Why does it have to be so cold?” Bridget moaned as she stamped her boots through the snow. “I swear, I should move to Volto. I hear it’s never colder than a spring night up there. I mean, the sun is out! Shouldn’t it be a little warmer? Do your job you big bright bastard!”
“I would not blame the sun for this chill, my friend,” a smooth, almost musical voice interjected. “There are other forces at work here.”
Dys looked over her shoulder, eyes drawn to the handsome Dryad. He was tall, but compared to some of the people Jadis hung around with he seemed more average in height, his head coming about even with Kerr’s. His skin was a rich brown with a hint of red to it, like a dark stained cherry wood. His “hair” was made up of many small, dark green leaves that swept back from his face and down his back. Small, delicate white blossoms dotted his hair like pearls. Several larger “branches” grew from his head, curling forward like horns, one pair larger like a ram and one pair smaller like a goat. His eyes were a bright, greenish blue that seemed to catch the light and shine brightly. He was handsome, in a rough and rugged kind of way. Broad shoulders, thick arms and legs, and a wide, mirthful smile that promised a laugh wasn’t far away.
His name was Tegwyn. He had been introduced to Jadis and the others as Yorath’s third of five children, a true middle child. When Jadis had told Yorath and the other Dryads of her plan to go out into the forest again to clear it of some of the demons, Tegwyn had volunteered to go with them. He was, from what Jadis had overheard in brief conversation, one of the more martial members of the grove and could hold his own in a fight.
“What other forces?” Bridget asked, turning her head to look at the Dryad. “You aren’t talking about wind or clouds, are you, because it’s a clear day.”
There was a bit of a snap in Bridget’s tone, one that was probably prompted by envy. While the rest of them were bundled up as best they could be in their armor and winter cloaks, Tegwyn was bare-chested and wearing kilt and sandals. The cold didn’t seem to bother him in the least and for a shivering orc, it was a bit frustrating to see. Even Jadis was a little envious and found herself idly wishing she could replace one of her less useful skill slots with Through Frost and Flame, just so the biting cold of the winter day didn’t sting so much.
“No, not at all,” Tegwyn laughed, his mood cheery and bright. “Aside from the natural cold of the season, I’d say our friend there is to blame!”
“Friend? What frien—oh holy shit!”
As if in answer to Bridget’s question, a huge shadow passed over them from behind the grove. The opening their group had been let out of was on the southeastern side, facing away from the western mountain ridge walling in the valley. From that side a bone-deep wind abruptly blew, heralded by the shadow. Everyone ducked for cover as the snow around their feet was caught up in a gale, all vision briefly blotted out. A few moments later the winds settled, revealing the ice dragon poised before them in all of its glorious immensity.
“Please tell me we don’t have to fight this thing again,” Dys murmured quietly as everyone variously either backed away or ducked behind her bodies for cover. “I do not feel ready for dragon slaying this morning.”
“I don’t think that’s what’s happening here,” Aila whispered back from where she stood behind Dys, one arm halfway raised and ready to cast a spell.
“Hello there!” Tegwyn called out happily, one hand raised high in greeting. “I’m glad to see you are in better spirits!”
A tremendous hiss rumbled out of the dragon as it brought its head low to the ground so it was even with Tegwyn. The dragon’s red eyes swept over the assembled group, pausing briefly as they locked onto Jadis’ three selves. The dragon issued a low growl then, like a herd of boulders humping, before refocusing on the Dryad who had strode forward to stand only a few feet away from the dragon’s nose.
“You look rough, friend,” Tegwyn exclaimed, hands on hips as he leaned left and right, examining the huge beast. “You’re in need of some healing I’d say. Care to let us tend to you for a while?”
The dragon let out a deep noise that sounded less like a growl and more like a landslide’s approximation of a grunt before lowering its whole body down to the ground. Shifting, it lay on its side, almost like the world’s largest, most terrifying cat. Its long, sinewy tail wrapped up around its legs as it tucked in its wings, settling into a comfortable position.
“Fear not, my friends!” Tegwyn turned and called out to the rest of the group. “He will not hurt you! He has come to the Dryads in peace and will abide by our concord. So long as you do not intend harm to him, he will visit no harm upon you.”
“…Good to know,” Jay called back, not entirely trusting the way the dragon was eyeing her. “Doesn’t he have a freezing aura or something? That shit nearly killed me just being around it, I don’t think anyone else should get near.”
“He is suppressing that aura out of respect,” Tegwyn replied, his smile broad as he waved them forward. “Do not worry! He has visited us many times and never broken our trust.”
Well, Jadis wasn’t going to just stand there all morning looking for excuses to not approach the giant icy death machine. Squaring her shoulders, all three of Jadis strode forward to join Tegwyn where he stood before the dragon. After a second’s hesitation, she heard the others behind her move forward as well.
“So, uh, does he have a name?” Jay asked as she came up beside the Dryad.
“In the way that dragons speak, yes,” Tegwyn mused as he rubbed his chin. “But their ways are very different from the children of the gods. It’s hard to translate, but the closest we can come to it would be Vetregin. The Ruler of Winter, or Winter’s Power, if you will.”
“Normally I’d say that was a pretty egotistical name, but under the circumstances I think it’s fair,” Jay murmured as she eyed the beast.
The dragon was making no effort to hide its own examination of her. While its red, snake-like eyes passed over the others in the group, its gaze stayed mostly on her three selves. The reptilian stillness with which it observed her was unnerving and made Jadis’ muscles tense in anticipation of some attack. The fact that the dragon never seemed to blink didn’t help.
“Why is he staring at me like that?” Syd finally asked.
“Probably because you stabbed him in the face,” Noll growled as he circled around to the side of the dragon, checking out the beast’s flank and the wound where pieces of the dead demon still hung limply. “I’d stare at you too.”
“You remember that, huh big guy?” Syd directed the question to the dragon, not expecting a response.
The dragon growled, its deep rumble vibrating Jadis’ armor. To her horror, the dragon raised one huge paw, the one with a broken finger, and tapped one gigantic claw against the top of its snout where she could still see the broken scales of the hole she had made when she had driven her lance through the top of the dragon’s mouth.
“Oh shit,” all three of Jadis cursed as one.
“Look, I’m sorry about that,” Syd scrambled to apologize. “You were, you know, pretty much possessed at the time and going to blast everyone with your ice breath and, uh, it’s all I could think to do to stop it. So, yeah, no offense intended, okay? I really didn’t mean to start a beef with you or anything, okay?”
As Jadis rambled out an awkward muddle of apologies, Tegwyn abruptly laughed uproariously. His laughter was so loud it echoed in the trees. He even bent over and slapped his knee.
“Sorry, sorry,” he waved a hand at the three of Jadis who all looked at him with offense. “Friend, I did not mean to make light of you, but that was a treat. You have no idea what a rarity it is to see anyone who has fought a dragon and lived then seek its forgiveness after. Also, you know that he cannot truly understand your words, yes?”
“He seemed to understand just fine a second ago,” Dys frowned at the amused Dryad. “All of a sudden now he can’t?”
Tegwyn held up his hand and wobbled it from side to side in a so-so gesture.
“It is a mixed basket of fruit. Dragons are not beasts; they have great intelligence. They are perhaps the most intelligent of all the magic beasts of the world. But their minds are not like ours. They do not understand things the same way that we do. Villthyrial did not make them to be us but in draconic form, he made dragons to be their own.”
As he spoke, Tegwyn took a few steps forward and placed his hand on the side of the dragon’s jaws. He stroked the scales reverently, almost worshipfully.
“I personally think that Villthyrial sees dragons as his true avatars on Oros, not us Dryads. It is only for the sake of the Covenant that he chose us, a lesser form, to be his representatives. If our Father did not have respect for the other gods and the vows they have made together, surely Dragons would have ruled this world by his will.”
The Dryad seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment, his words lingering in the chill air. Then, shaking himself like a wet dog, he turned towards Jadis and the others and smiled brightly.
“But enough of philosophy! We are out here for reasons, are we not? Best that we start our two searches and waste no more of the sun’s precious light!”
“Right,” Jay said slowly, sending an uneasy look towards Aila and Eir. “Yes, we should. Is he—Vetregin—going to just hang out here while we go about our business or…?”
“If you want to start your search, go ahead,” the grinning Dryad said as he started walking back towards the grove. “But if you want to wait a moment for me, I will fetch my sister Carys so that she can help heal our mighty yet injured friend. Then, I will help you in your search. I know the valley well. Anything that hides among these trees, I can most certainly find.”
Jadis easily agreed to Tegwyn’s suggestion. Having a guide would definitely help in her search for Alex, though there was no reason for everyone to wait. As the Dryad fetched his sister, Jay and Dys and most of the others started to spread out around the grove and the surrounding trees, checking the area for any lingering demons. As everyone spread out, Syd found herself momentarily left alone with the huge ice dragon.
“So, uh, we good?” Syd asked as she gave the huge creature an awkward wave.
Vetregin snorted a blast of cold air into Syd’s face that blew her hair back and crusted it with frost.
“Okay, sure, fuck you too,” Syd dropped her hand in exasperation. “You know I did save your fucking life, right?”
Another blast of icy wind.
“Tch. Eat my ass—wait! Didn’t mean that! Did not mean that!”
Vetregin closed his mouth with an audible snap.
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