Unbound

“My Lord!”

Kimaris and her Risi Warriors gave the Witches a wide berth as they approached Felix, refusing to even look at them. They appeared to be in good health. His Voracious Eye picked out a mere handful of wounds on the warriors while Kimaris was looking pristine in her dark fur cloak and stole.

“Kimaris. Battlelord Vidar.” Felix gave them all a smile. “Hope your mission hasn’t been too rough, here.”

The leader of his Frost Giant faction answered his smile with a dazzling one of her own. “Rough suits the Risi. We are a people of hardships—we do not look away from a difficult task. Even when our efforts are…stymied.”

“So I heard.” Felix nodded at the torn up ground and, beyond, the other Risi. “They’re giving you trouble?”

“They are, how do you say, stone-walling us,” Battlelord Vidar said.

“The Witches of Cold Rock have issued an ultimatum. We are not allowed to cross the Boreal Pass, and no alliance will be had,” Kimaris added.

“Is that so,” Felix murmured. He walked forward, snow crunching beneath his boots. The Cold Rock Risi watched him with sharp eyes and almost eager Spirits. The Witch from before, Naberius according to his Eye, stepped out to meet him.

“Who are you, Human?” she demanded.

“Felix Nevarre. Autarch of Nagast and Ahkestria. And you’re Naberius, Witch of Cold Rock, Heir of the Seidr.”

Naberius drew her shoulders back, making the lady giant seem all the taller. “What do you know of Cold Rock. Of the Seidr.” Her eyes twitched, just for a moment, toward Kimaris. “What has she revealed to you, Human?”

Lotta complicated emotions going on here. Diving into it all with his Affinity was the equivalent of grabbing a hot pan off the stove with his bare hands. Ill-advised, at best. “Nothing. Kimaris keeps your people’s secrets, and I don’t make a habit of prying. She is here under my orders. To reach an understanding between our peoples.”

Mana swirled behind the giant’s eyes, a blur of purple, white, and crimson. “You are not strong enough to command even a single Witch, Human. I do not know what trickery you used to kill those Brumalbats, but I can see your mortal Temper. It is lacking.”

Felix suppressed the urge to fiddle with the Amulet of Veiling around his neck. It was a Chanter artifact that kept his personal details from being spied on—even gave false details, such as now—and half the time he forgot he was wearing it. He was tempted to take it off, show the Witches exactly who they were dealing with, but that wasn’t necessary. Not yet. “Despite that, Kimaris and all of her remaining people are sworn to me. Perhaps there is a reason, beyond simple strength?”

Another Witch—Berith—jabbed a thick stave in his direction, a scowl twisting her wrinkled skin. “Strength is all, false king! Rule cannot be had without might, otherwise it will collapse beneath the weight of its meanest challenge.”

Naberius placed a restraining hand on the older Witch. “‘Our peoples.’ Those were your words. You would call monsters kin, Human?”

“I would.”

No words were exchanged among the Witches, but a ripple traveled between them all. Felix could see the Mana of it, some Skill clearly, as it spread from Naberius to the others. It matched the wave of surprise and outrage that puckered their Spirits. More interesting to him, however, was the dim purl of curiosity. Finally, their silent communion ended.

“You claimed to be here to ‘save our lives,’” Naberius said. “I would ask that you explain.”

That’s almost polite, he mused. “I’ve been informed that one of your Domains is breaking. I have experience with handling such things, and I would offer my services.”

Berith scoffed, as did several others. “Just as Kimaris said. A fool king for a fool girl.”

“How?” Naberius asked. “This Domain is powerful and ancient, and its breaking has been coming for a long while. There is no stopping it, not for an outside like yourself. At best you would stem the tide, as you have done here.”

A chunk of bloody snow skid across the ground and into the giants’ feet. Pit followed after, paws crunching the icy snow. “He did a pretty good job at that, and I wasn’t even helping.”

“Chimera,” another Witch hissed, one so old she looked like a scarecrow in all of her furs.

“Giant,” Pit repeated back at them. “See? I can do that too.”

Felix shot his friend a sharp look, but Pit pretended not to see it. “What my Companion is trying to say is that this is not the extent of our abilities. Together, we can close your Domain entirely.”

“We do not seek that. The Ironskin Domain is a training ground for our people and cannot be lost. Only the Witches possess the Skill and knowledge to preserve its boundaries.”

“Okay. That’s fair. Then tell me how it’s accomplished and, as an act of goodwill, my Companion and I will go and solve the problem.”

“Goodwill. From a mortal.” Naberius smiled, but the expression was all sharp edges. “Forgive us if we do not trust your word. Even if you swore an Oath, and even if I trusted it, still you would fail. Against the threats within the Ironskin Domain, you will perish.”

Felix shoved his irritation down, out of sight. They were being difficult, but what else could he expect? “Then what have you got to lose? Either I stop the Domain from breaking, or I die. For you, that’s a win either way.”

“He has a point,” Berith said. Her withered face was twisted with a dark glee. “With Kimaris and her traitors in tow, it would cull the last of Grimmar’s brood.”

Felix wasn’t a fan of that name, and neither was Naberius, apparently. “Still your tongue, Berith. They are kin,” she snapped.

The older Witch scowled, but stepped back as Naberius continued. “But you have me intrigued, Human. What do you expect to gain from this act of madness? Goodwill alone does not drive mortals or monsters.”

“I’ve never seen the benefit of acting like everyone else does. I’d rather help out a neighbor, if I can.”

Felix wasn’t sure if it was his argument or the 25% bonus he had for dealing with Giantfolk, but he could see the moment when Naberius decided to agree with him. There was no silent conversation, and no ripple of emotion either. It was like a lightbulb had been switched on somewhere inside her, and her emotions went suddenly still. Neutral, like the ice around them.

“Very well.” She snapped her fingers, and the warriors behind them shuffled quickly into a double-file line behind her. “We shall show you the Ironskin Domain, Human. Follow.”

They began to march and, after a long look at Kimaris and Pit, Felix did just that.

“The entire thing?” Kimaris’ lavender skin had paled as soon as he explained his plan. “I do not know if even your might can withstand the Ironskin Domain’s Core, my Lord.”

Felix waved away her worries. “I’ll be fine. I’ll have Pit with me, and besides, the Witches say we can just stabilize the Domain. I won’t have to face the Core.” Even if I would prefer that, he added silently. He was fairly annoyed to miss out on so much Essence, but the realities of inter-Territorial diplomacy couldn’t be entirely denied.

Will it be enough? Pit asked. He sounded tired again.

Yes. Felix quashed any doubt in his Mind and Spirit, refusing to let Pit see it. It’ll be enough.

They were walking along a thin ridge, where the mountains broke up into narrow canyons hundreds of feet deep. The Domain entrance was somewhere ahead, hidden by the switchback path. The blizzard still raged around them, filled with a furious magic that reduced visibility to almost nothing. Even Felix’s Perception was blunted as they traversed the treacherous ravines that split the Boreal Pass. The Witches had their newbie warriors using their Mantle of the Long Night to fuel the construction of ice bridges, but they were rickety things designed to fall apart within a few hours according to Kimaris.

A little surreptitious Rime Shaping fixed that, strengthening them until they were strong enough to hold Felix’s weight. A little getaway path is always nice, too.

He could have gotten there faster with Adamant Discord or even Cloudstep, even accounting for the time he would have had to spend searching for the Domain. He’d assessed every one of the Witches and Risi Warriors, and none would last long in a fight against him. But right now he had to make sure he played by their rules. He was there to stop the Domain break, secure some Essence, and hopefully gain some new allies. Felix forced himself to remember that each time one of the Witches threw him a nasty, contemptuous look. They either could not hide or simply did not care to hide their Spirits, and the sheer, poisonous disdain coming from the elderly Witches was enough to kill a thousand Brumalbats.

They fought some more of those, but far less than what Felix had eradicated. Stragglers, really, haunting the depths of the winter storm. Nothing else had escaped from the Domain. Yet.

“We have arrived,” Naberius announced.

Ahead, beyond a shelf of stone that acted as a windbreak, a deep fissure marred the mountain. Within that fissure was a shimmering portal.

“Wow,” Kress whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

“The metal attuned Domain didn’t look like this,” Geddin agreed. “It was like a hole in the ground with stairs.”

“Different Domains manifest in different ways. Has to do with the monsters that began its formation,” Felix said. He’d read that from one of the many books he’d snagged from Ahkestria. “I’m gonna go ahead and assume the monsters here love ice.”

The entrance looked like it was composed of solid light. Dazzling motes of ice swirled atop its surface, causing a layer of frost to crackle and pop.

“Ironskin Domain. Attuned to stone, metal, and ice,” Naberius intoned. Her voice had the cadence of a ritual, and it was clear she wasn’t just speaking to Felix, but to all of her warriors as well. “This is our birthright. Our crucible, given to us by the Frostfather when the Mother abandoned us. It is here that our warriors are forged. And it is here that we test the mettle of Felix Nevarre.”

Felix frowned. Test him?

“As all chieftains before him, he faces a challenge of great difficulty. He will face the threats of the Domain with naught but himself and his own abilities. We—the Witches of Cold Rock, Heirs of Seidr and the gifts of the Frostfather—we shall test him in the old ways. Felix Nevarre shall emerge worthy…or not at all.”

Pit’s ears laid back and a great rumble shook his chest and barding. “They want you to die.”

“Maybe.” Felix laid a hand onto his friend’s neck where his armor had a thin gap and scratched. “If I had a level for every time someone has wanted me dead, I’d be a god.”

Pit snorted. “You’d be a terrible god.”

“What? I’d be great.” Felix pressed his forehead against Pit’s own, not caring that the metal armor around wanted to freeze onto his bare skin. “There’s not enough giants in this pass to take me on.”

Pit let loose a trill that was neither acceptance nor relief, but it was the closest Felix would expect. He straightened. “Kimaris. What’re they talking about?”

“They will accompany you, my Lord. That much is clear. The other—” She hesitated, staring at the other Witches as all of them shuffled toward the Domain entrance. “To treat you as a warrior looking to claim his right as chieftain is…unprecedented.”

“What does that mean in practical terms?”

“I cannot speak on the details of a chieftain’s test, but it is a challenge that pits the Domain against the limits of your strength. There are layers within, nine in total, and the further one walks the closer one comes to the Domain Core itself and certain death. Yet the closer to the center one treads, the greater their position when they emerge.” Kimaris wetted her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Grimmar was the first to conquer six of the nine layers. It is part of why he was able to unite so many of us and lead the expedition south to—” Kimaris snapped her mouth shut, jaw muscles clenching. She did not look at him.

To Shelim, and his friends. Felix fought back a rough, unhealed anger. He had to remind himself that the giants weren’t entirely responsible for their own actions, that the Maw had manipulated them—but it took him a moment to calm down. A lot of people had died back then, including Grimmar and almost four hundred Risi.

“Felix Nevarre,” Naberius called out, loud enough to hear perfectly over the storm. “Do you wish to walk the path of rule?”

The Witches stood in a semi-circle around the Domain entrance, but three were beside it, watching him. Waiting for him.

Piece of cake, he told himself and started walking over. “Yeah, sure. So long as you promise my people will all remain safe until I get back.”

“It is as you say. No harm shall come to them, not from us. But,” Naberius held up a large hand about the size of Felix’s head. “You alone will enter. Your Chimera will remain.”

“What?”

“To walk the path of rule, you must walk without the support of anyone but yourself. The only thing you can truly rely upon. It is—”

This time, Felix held up a hand, stopping them mid-speech. “Screw that. He’s with me, and I’m with him. Always.”

Pit trilled, matching his aggression. “Yeah. What he said.”

“Then you cannot—” Berith started to say, but Felix wasn’t listening.

C’mon, Pit. They converged in a flash of light, dazzling the Witches around them. The Witches’ screams of alarm and warning were ignored. Felix dashed straight ahead into the Domain.

Ice shattered and silence descended.

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