Victoria McCombs - The Winter Charlatan

Copyright 2021 Victoria McCombs.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-7365164-2-3 (Digital)

ISBN: 978-1-7365164-0-9 (Paperback)

Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the authors imagination.

Front cover image by Victoria McCombs

First printing edition 2021

To my Oma,

Thank you for everything

Chapter One

AFTER FROST BITES YOUR fingertips, you have two hours until it circulates to your heart, freezing it forever; thats what the cave mages say. That, and that belliberries make the best pies.

I believed them when I was younger, until a treacherous snowstorm caught our family on the outskirts of the Wandering Mountains with little protection from the unrelenting snow that surrounded us through the bleak night. Though my fingers froze, my heart didnt, and I never believed the cave mages again.

Except about the belliberries. Those pies were divine.

Still, frozen heart or not, I pulled my parka closer around my neck and nuzzled into the thick fur as a harsh wind lashed across my nose.

It was the strongest winter wed had in ages, though they say that every year. Elenvrs hadnt seen the heat of summer in hundreds of years since the kingdom moved to the ice palace nestled between the calm Northern Mountains and the enchanting Wandering Mountains. While the snow lessened during half the year, the ice never melted and the flowers never bloomed. We lived too far north for heat to find us now, and the court that once overlooked autumn colors now saw nothing but white mountaintops and endless icicles, until those who remembered warmth were gone and replaced by those who knew no heat besides that of a cave mages magic.

The snow whipped up from banks along the rocks, swirling in the air and funneling through trees before settling back on the ground as the wind traveled to find a new playmate. Crystals draped from frosted trees, casting the glow of the morning sun into tiny fragments around me. White flakes rested on green pines that grew along the mountainside, and the occasional cluster of snow fell from the trees with a soft sound as wind interrupted their slumber.

For a moment, the beauty captivated me.

The Wandering Mountains might carry a fair amount of uncertainty, but they were far more beautiful than the predictable Northern Mountains. The frosted trees dripping with winter charm. The calm snow resting underfoot. The frozen lakes beautiful enough to be a painting. The peaceful air that was too far away from civilization to carry any noise other than whispering winds.

Focus.

Itd be easy to get lost in these mountains, but I had to stay alert. This was my one chance, and if it didnt work, I didnt have another plan. This was already a long shot.

My mind banished the doubt. I had to break the curse.

The White Bear only revealed itself to the pure of soul, and Id washed my soul in the spring of refinement three times this morning to be certain the tricky creature showed itself to me. My plan was foolproof.

With my bow and arrow, Id bring down the bear. An anxious finger rested on the relaxed string, rubbing nervously against the fletching while Elis gave my hand a sideways glance.

Stop your fidgeting. Youre making me nervous.

I peeked to my side. Elis looked anything but nervousthough I hardly knew what nervous looked like on her. Wolfs fur lined her sharp face while subtle snowflakes rested against her brown hair and the tip of her eyelashes. She crouched behind the low hanging branches of a pine tree to hide herself from sight. True to training, shed mapped out a path for us up the tree if we needed to hide quickly, putting a lot of faith in my ability as an archer to protect us once stuck there.

No one should pass by. The only ones who traveled into these frozen woods were aspiring knights looking for the White Bear to prove their value to their king.

Its just a bear, well be fine, my voice came as a whisper.

Elis whispered back, I dont think you understand what a bear is.

A grunt escaped my lips. Ive seen some of the knights who bring back the bears paw, and Im just as strong as them. It cant be that ferocious.

When Elis didnt reply, I glanced in her direction, but her hazel eyes remained fixated on our surroundings as she scanned the area. The large pine trees made it difficult to see, but I appreciated the change in color that would provide an easier background to spot the White Bear.

Wed traveled out early this morning before the sun peaked over the mountain tops. Id always valued Elis for her reliability as a sister, but Id never loved her more than when she agreed to join me this morning with no questions asked. Even still, as wed hid in the snow for hours seeking out the mysterious White Bear, she didnt ask what I planned to do once we acquired its paw. Her unwavering loyalty amazed me, and I ranked it as one of her highest attributes.

I didnt tell her that enough. I really appreciate you being here.

She glanced my direction. Your nose is the same color as your hair. You look terrible.

Her candor was another one of her attributes that I enjoyed. Still, the corner of her mouth twitched upward while she repositioned herself. Her own nose carried a tint of redness to it as she sniffed.

Red was good. Red was not blue. We might come out of this with frostbite, but we were not frozen. Not yet.

Id stay here until I froze beyond thawing if it meant I caught that bear. I needed this.

I took a moment to bury my nose into the hood of my parka as the frosted fibers rubbed against my skin, providing little relief from the chill. This had already taken longer than predicted, and my stomach complained of hunger while my skin complained of the crippling cold. Where was that blasted bear?

Are you certain Briggs said he came here? I asked Elis, whose suitor, Briggs, told her where he found the White Bear on his quest to become a knight. After retrieving the bears paw, he snuck past King Olins personal guards to hide it under the kings pillow. The queen wasnt amused but King Olin was impressed. Briggs was knighted the next day and began pursuing Elis a week later.

His instructions to the bear sounded clear. Travel east from the caves of the people, down the Lost Man Trail to the edge of the Wandering Mountains. Go to the second mountain on the left, then travel halfway until you find a streamfree flowing despite the frozen temperature. Follow the stream to the source. The bear will be nearby. It always comes, as if it knows its being called upon.

Besides the stream, there was little to distinguish this part of the Wandering Mountains from the rest of the range. Every inch of the rocks was coated in the same layer of snow and ice. If it werent for the stream that flowed with clear water while the rest of the mountain stood frozen, I wouldnt know this valley from the next.

Travelers often got lost here, and it was easy to see why. It wasnt marked with mines and civilization like the Northern Mountains were. The Wandering Mountains were large and uncharted and lifeless. Mostly lifeless.

Were lost, I said, digging my fingertip into my palm to stimulate blood flow.

Elis sighed, and her visible breath coiled around her nose. It will come.