At Time's End [PART 3]

As we walked from the docks to the main gate of the frozen city, the crowd of the unmoving began to thin. These must have been the last ones attempting to flee. Soon there was seldom a body besides our own, and we navigated through the city streets. It was made of ancient dark stones, with cobblestone walkways and simple brick houses. It almost reminded me of Windhelm, but far colder in both temperature and condition. Night began to fall, so we took shelter in a nearby building. We kicked the wooden door open, and searched for a spot to lay our heads for the night. I tell you, fifty men have never been quieter than that night, and the outside world replied back with silence. I could almost hear the snowflakes falling to the ground, and the howling gusts of wind that brought them from miles away. With such a silent night, we all slept like horkers on a floe.

The sun rose and so did the men. We stepped out from the building and headed north. Soon the sprawling streets of the forgotten city were behind us, and our feet were walking upon frozen snow. Though our armor and furs were thick and insulated, the cold still bit at our bodies. While we stepped through the icy snow, we saw quite magical sights. There were patches of trees looking over snowy vistas, waterfalls frozen in time, and great walls that surrounded once occupied towns and villages. At one point, we found a deer that stood silent and still, it’s fur flaked with snow and it’s eyes glistening in the sunlight. Icicles grew off of it’s large antlers.

The sky darkened once again as evening came by, and we realized a blizzard was approaching. While we had tents, they would not last a moment in blizzard winds. I declared that we should move quickly and hope we find shelter, but a young soldier shouted that he saw footprints heading east. Sure enough, the boy was right, and so we traveled eastward, following the mysterious tracks. They were obviously human, and obviously fresh, but to whom they belonged was a secret to the land. Our diversion to the east meant that the blizzard could catch up to us faster, and it was upon us within 10 minutes. The wind blew bitter cold shards of ice into the skin, and our steps became sluggish. The snow clouded our vision so much that I was looking almost directly downward to follow the footsteps. Then there came a sound, distant at first, but so immense that it could be heard through the howling wind.

“BO WAH ZU’U!” It boomed. The sound was so immense that some of those who were succumbing to the cold collapsed. Although I was disturbed, I was no longer weak, and I no longer took notice of the details of the world. The cold lost it’s bite and the wind, it’s bark. It seemed as though the party was drawn towards a singular point, as if we were one mind. “ZU’U FEN BO!” we all replied, without control over our mouths. I couldn’t say how long we marched like this, but the moons were high in the sky when we arrived to our destination, a large, ancient temple, not unlike those back home. My mind was freed once again, as were the minds of the men. We were all shaken up from the experience, and the men began to argue and plead to go back. I found my resolve once again and commanded that we will enter the temple. One of the men declared his disagreement, and said that he was going to “make sure the High King knew of this madness.” A few others shared his beliefs, and left the party. We were now fifteen men down. Nine had left, while the other six had died to the blizzard earlier. Those who remained loyal, followed my lead and searched for an entrance. Eventually we found a set of large metal doors, which took five men to open. When we walked inside, there was a man waiting for us.