Chapter Two
The previous day, Jereena
She didn’t dislike the child; her youthful vigor entertained her.
You’ll be just like me in half a millennium.
Her thought felt bitter to her own ears; truth was, she knew the child would be nothing like her.
Because contrarily to Eira, Belle Archer wasn’t alone.
Belle begged her to help her understand her own existence, and Eira didn’t exactly have a busy schedule – given the fact that everyone she’d known was either dead or stuck in another dimension – so she stayed.
After two seasons, though, she couldn’t deny the prospect of leaving her bed grew more and more painful everyday.
She was bored and the boredom would soon make her sleep.
“You can’t leave!”
Belle could pout and beg and give those puppy dog eyes all she wanted; Eira wasn’t born yesterday. Or the century before. Or the millennium before that, to tell the truth.
She needed to go, now, before it was too late.
She knew she’d start hibernating eventually, and that could not happen in Jereena, or anywhere near mortal civilization.
While Eira couldn't actually think of one reason why, she was rather attached to her life – which meant that she wasn't letting a coward behead her in her sleep.
“I have to; and soon. Tomorrow, in fact.”
It wasn’t only her fear of sleeping in this vulnerable place, something called her back to her home; a strange feeling whispered that she was needed there.
“You’ll come back for the christening?” Belle tried, when everyway she’d begged her to change her mind had failed.
Eira glanced down to the stomach which had been flat when they’d met; there was a little bulge now.
The answer should have been “no,” or a noncommittal shrug, at least, but when she talked, it was to say “yes, I think I might.”
Strange. It didn’t even feel like a lie.
Despite the complaints, Eira left first thing the following morning: it would be a long journey, and she had no intention to start it in the dark.
While most of the distance could be covered travelling with the wind, she knew the road to her home wasn’t going to be an easy hike.
She disappeared from her room in the Jereenan palace, and followed the winds to the border of the Northanger Peaks.
The kind of wards she'd place on her domain meant that no one – her included – could enter it anyway but by foot.
Eira grumbled on her way up; why the shit had she come up with that stupid rule? Or was it “why the hell”?
She wondered at her use of modern idioms for a while, before shrugging; she wasn't staying awake long enough to justify learning the correct use of this century’s slang.
By lunchtime, she was a quarter of the way up, when she reached a village she didn't recall.
Eira frowned, displeased.
She was used to finding new things outside, but her chain of mountains had been the one unchanging constant – no mortal was silly enough to wish to reside here, in the perpetually frozen wasteland she called home.
There were so many pleasant territories that she could have claimed, but pleasant meant populous, and she valued her peace and quiet.
Going to sleep for centuries wasn't easy; in fact, it was point blank impossible, unless she entirely emptied her mind and numbed her powers. Otherwise, she just took a nap and woke up within months, years at best.
Meeting people was the last thing she needed now; if she found any of them interesting, she might wonder about them and curiosity had already awoken her once.
Eira gave the town a wide berth and carried on, following the path.
She’d reached a clearing where a white bear was licking a dirty puddle, trying to quench his thirst.
Eira frowned again, when an unexpectedly acute pang of guilt made it through her mental shields.
There wasn't any large source of fresh water down these parts, because everything was frozen. Everything was frozen by her wishes. How many creatures had died of thirst here? Their fault for staying, she told herself; but it had been their land, before she’d taken it, stealing what she wanted like every god before her.
“Hey you! Come with me.”
She wasn't sure which tongue she used, but the animal lifted his head and enthusiastically ran towards her.
He was the very opposite of a pet yet, as he was bidden, he slowed down to follow her steps.
There used to be some sort of a pool around there, she was certain of it.
When she found it, it was entirely solid, as expected. She put both hands on the thick ice, and sent a jolt of her energy right through it.
The transformation was quick; the white, unchanging block of ice melted and soon, there was water everywhere.
Eira was already paying the price for it: she started to feel.
The beauty of the silver and blue world around her struck her afresh, and she smiled faintly at the beast, making a mess as he gorged himself.
Other things she’d blocked out were less pleasant. Now that her carefully constructed walls around her heart had faded, Eira found that she was cold, and hungry, too.
She looked down at her shaking hand, and tried to warm them by rubbing them together, blowing steam on her fingers – all in vain. Anything coming from her lungs right now was colder than the air around her.
It was an absolute disaster; cold and hungry meant that she wasn't even a little bit comfortable – and being uncomfortable meant she wouldn’t be sleepy.
She managed to control herself, firmly reminding her body that she could live without food, and that the temperature would not harm her.
But you’re hungry. Come on, a piece of bread wouldn’t hurt, either.
But it would; anything in her stomach would prevent her fall into eversleep.
You’re stronger than that. Don’t you give up now.
It was strange to recognize a dose of fear; she couldn’t understand why going to sleep was quite so important right now.
Sure, she knew she had to, and soon, but her mind was desperate to get there right now, as soon as possible, as though it expected a disaster if she failed to.
Eira knew better than to ignore it: there was something game-changing brewing under the surface.
She was no coward, but waiting for an unknown threat wasn’t in her nature, either.
Getting up to her feet, she resolved to make haste and turned, only to hit an unexpected solid form.