Chapter Eleven

Matheus stood in the doorway of the tent, returning Rowan’s saluting gesture. He was one of Delmar’s closest friends and among his most trusted allies. He was the one to capture Alex when he was lost in the mountains of the Dark Zone after knocking him unconscious. In time, Matheus began to train Alex to fight with a sword, and at the time of the battle for the Citadel, he stood by Matheus’ side as they helped lead the Ravennites to their decisive victory against Robert Morenno. Matheus looked past Rowan and acknowledged him.

“Hello, Alex,” he said with a slight grin.

Alex also greeted him with their salute. “Matheus,” he addressed him. “How long has it been?”

“Nearly six months at the latest,” Matheus answered, thinking for a second. “How have you been? I can see your Runners are doing well.”

Alex’s eyes suddenly went down. “I wish that were true,” he muttered somberly. He could not shake the chilling events of that morning from his mind no matter how hard he tried. “The truth is we suffered serious losses today.”

Matheus could see the obvious turmoil Alex was feeling. The thought caused Matheus to place his hand over his heart as he closed his eyes in respect.

“What brings you out here, old friend?” Rowan spoke up.

Matheus acknowledged her question and then returned his attention to Alex, clearly recognizing him as the head of the camp. “I couldn’t help but notice that your last report was nearly a month ago.”

Alex nodded his head sheepishly. “We’ve been busy.”

“I realize that,” Matheus responded with a serious look about him. “But we have other matters to discuss right now. That’s why I’m here.”

Alex was a bit confused. “What do you mean?”

The three of them exited Rowan’s tent and stepped outside. The sun was reaching higher in the morning sky, but the air was cold as ever. As a matter of fact, the days seemed to be growing colder as each had come and gone. Even after all this time, after all the nerve he managed to muster, Alex crossed his arms as the cold appeared to be getting to him for the first time in a long while. It was no secret, as Matheus instantly took notice of his reaction to the freezing gusts.

“You can sense it, too,” Matheus remarked with a snicker. “Even the toughest Outsiders can recognize when it comes.”

“When what comes?” Alex asked, almost obliviously.

Rowan teasingly rolled her eyes. “Alex, I told you about this many nights ago. Don’t you remember?”

Alex gave her a blank stare as he struggled to think about what she was talking about. “Vaguely.”

Laughing at his naivety, Matheus clapped Alex on the shoulder as they walked around the campsite, and it was now that he began to tell him thoroughly of one of the stories of their people.

“There’s a very old legend, Alex,” Matheus began, walking as he spoke. “A legend of our ancestors that goes back further than the integration of our two peoples.”

“My grandmother used to tell me this story when I was a child,” Rowan added. “I remember sitting in her arms before the fire, wrapped in a warm blanket, during the harshest winter’s night I ever endured.”

“Wait a minute,” Alex cut in. “I think I remember now. You were telling me the other night about a winter storm or something?”

Rowan shook her head. “You know Alex, sometimes you can be really obtuse,” she teased him. “I don’t think you fully understand what we’re trying to tell you.”

“Seriously?” Alex laughed. “Rowan, I’ve been through many blizzards in my life, and that’s not to mention all the storms we had last winter. If there’s another blizzard coming, then why should it be any different than the rest?”

“Because,” Rowan responded with a harsh expression, “this is not a normal storm we’re talking about. It’s not the weather of the natural world.”

Alex raised an eyebrow curiously. Matheus could sense his perplexity. “Have you felt the days getting colder?” he began with a foreboding tone of voice. “For many generations, the elders of our culture predicted the pattern of a great and devastating winter storm. Occurring in a precise twelve-year cycle, these mountains endure freezing winds powerful enough to uproot trees with ease, and temperatures so cold that even the flesh of the strongest man would crumble at the force of its bite. It is an unnatural event, and our ancestors believed it to symbolize a never ending battle between the Twin spirits of the light and the darkness.”

Such claims were extremely difficult for Alex to take seriously. For starters, he had never been a huge believer of religion, and therefore he could not help but become distracted whenever Rowan would tell him tall tales like this one. It was a thought that made him feel guilty for having. However, the idea of such an allegedly unnatural storm engulfing the mountains, not far from his own home in the Outside, just sounded too far-fetched for him to buy.

“You know,” Alex began to retort, “my family doesn’t live very far north of your borders. I’ve lived there my whole life and I’ve never once experienced a blizzard as powerful as you’ve described.”

“Oh really?” Rowan fired back. “Well, I have. I was only four-years-old but I remember it very clearly. My father had to constantly feed the fires just to keep our cottage warm. Our doors and windows were boarded shut so the winds would not blow them away. I remember the cold gnawing relentlessly against the flesh of my face. I remember crying into the loving arms of my mother from the freezing pain and the deafening winds, begging for it all to stop. And then, all at once, it did. Everything went silent, and the air felt very...empty.

“I had a dream that night; a dream that I was walking through a vast valley blanketed in snow. On all sides, the mountains surrounded me, and no matter how far I walked, they never drew any closer. I felt as though the air around me had become frozen and motionless, and as I looked up at the sky, I could see the sun dancing around in circles. Very soon I felt lost and afraid, until a great, black wolf appeared and showed me the way back home. I was only a small child at the time, but the terrifying experience and dreams still flash across my memories like lightning.”

This was the part of himself that Alex hated the most; the part of him that was afraid to say a word for fear of offending Rowan and her people for their beliefs. Fine job he had done of that so far. Alex always admired Rowan’s passion for her culture. However, despite everything she had said, he knew how much every child at that age believed a simple storm to be the end of the world. He had been the exact same way.

“So what are you suggesting then?” Alex turned his attention back to Matheus. “If you came here to warn us of an approaching storm, then what do we need to do to prepare for it?”

Matheus shook his head. “No, Alex,” he replied seriously. “I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do to prepare yourself. I’m here because Delmar has ordered everyone to return to the Citadel immediately. It’s gonna be far too dangerous out here.”

Alex was disturbed by his words. “What? You mean now?” he said, feeling somewhat uneasy as he looked to Rowan for support. “We can’t! Not yet at least. We plan to hunt down a squad of Domineer messengers tomorrow. They could be carrying important information and it’s essential that we intercept it!”

Matheus sighed. “I’m sorry, Alex, but I can’t allow that. I have my command from Delmar.”

Alex looked as though he desperately wanted to object as he thought for a moment. “If you’re predicting a storm,” he began, “then how soon are we talking? How long until it’s here?”

Matheus’ eyes went up briefly in thought. “A few days, a week at the latest.”

“A few days?” Alex repeated in disbelief. “Matheus, please, all I’m asking for is one more day! I lost nearly half of my Runners this morning trying to learn of the Domineers’ activities and I refuse to allow their deaths to be in vain. Tomorrow, my team will head back out into the hills, hunt down the Domineer messengers, and be back before sundown. You have my word.”

Matheus’ hands were twitching slightly in anxiety as he contemplated Alex’s request in his head. Looking past him at Rowan, he saw her give him a slight head nod that was telling him she also wanted to see Alex’s mission through. Feeling somewhat overpowered, Matheus lowered his head and let out a sigh. “Alright,” he mumbled. “You get one more day, but we cannot linger here for long.”

“One day is all I need,” Alex replied as he managed a victorious smile. “Please understand that I just want to ensure that I do my part. I always have.”

Matheus grinned proudly. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I know you have. I’ve always had faith in your abilities, for an Outsider.”

The two of them laughed for a moment as Rowan took her leave. Alex looked back, watching her slip away and disappear into her personal quarters. He immediately began thinking back to all the things he said to her today. It made him question where his mind had been, and where it would be going if he did not learn to keep his cool. He knew without a doubt that he was seeing things; things that were invading his mind and attempting to drive him off the edge. 

Perhaps the most maddening aspect was the strange, red symbol which, to this day, he could still see on the face of Rowan’s pendant. Alex knew that there was something unnatural about the symbol. Every time he looked at it, it did not appear as though it were carved into the wood. It almost looked like it did not belong there at all. No matter how hard he tried to shake it away, Alex could not escape the feeling that there was something otherworldly about the things that were happening all around him.