Polar Opposites

The twins stood at the bow of the ship as the creak and groan of ice echoed all around.  From behind came the muted hum of the skimmer drive and above was the wind.  Occasionally one of the crew members arrayed along the edge of the ship coughed or sniffed in the artic weather.  

“Well,” Langley said quietly, “This was supposed to be the best point of entry into the ice maze.”

Sabreur leaned out over the edge to stare at the ice crust below the ship.  

“I’m sure it was.”

He then looked up at the sheer cliff edges that dominated the ice maze and the iceberg that had at some point wedged itself into the opening between the two.

“Langley, I say we handle this my way.”

“I am not letting you blow stuff up this close to the Ark.”

There were audible sighs of relief from the crew behind them.

“Then… heh.  Just watch.”

He backed up a couple paces and adjusted the strap on his tote bag.  

“Back the ship up and then come pick me up, alright?”

“Sabreur…”

Her brother broke into a sprint.  He hit the railing with all fours and then leapt, the words of a spell on his lips as he did so, and he rocketed from the ship out across the open ocean to land on the side of the ice cliff.  Langley winced as his form scrabbled for a moment, slid, and finally stopped spread-eagled against the ice.

“My brother is insane,” Langley muttered, “Engines full reverse!”

The shout was taken up among the crew until it reached the helm.  There came a rumble, then the roar of the engines from the rear of the ship.  The Ark slowly started to back away from the entrance to the maze, first swaying one way, then the other, until Sparrow brought it into a straight course.  Langley leaned on the bow, fishing in her void pouch for her brass telescope.  Sabreur was climbing the last few meters up the side of the cliff and Langley hoped that he was being smart enough to use some form of ‘mancy to keep him stable.  That ice was slick and he was attempting it with no climbing gear, judging from the spur-of-the-moment jump he made.

“Is he going to be safe, captain?” one of the crew asked.

“It’s Sabreur.  Is he ever safe?”

There was no reply to that.  Langley waited to call a full stop until they were safely out of her estimated blast radius and Sabreur was just a speck to the naked eye along the cliffs.  Then he leapt again, landing near the peak of the iceberg and slipping about halfway down.  Langley winced and considered putting the telescope away so she wouldn’t have to be witness to whatever plan it was he had.

Sabreur continued sliding down the iceberg, stopping at periodic intervals.  He’d pause, fiddle with something on the surface of the ice, then slide further down.  When he reached the bottom he paused and Langley increased the magnification.  He seemed to be scratching his beard and staring at the water at his feet then up at the side of the iceberg.  It was far too slick and steep to climb.

“Yeah, didn’t think this far ahead, did we?” she muttered, and noticed that his tote strap was free of firebombs.  “Oh bog.”

“Get Sparrow out here!”

He appeared on deck a few minutes later.  By that time Langley had also had a grappling hook and rope brought up.  She shoved this into the skiridian’s hands.

“Fly over to those cliffs there, secure the rope, and drop it down to my crazy brother.  He’s a bit stuck.”

“I can’t glide that far or high,” Sparrow replied, eyeballing the distance.

“How about with a boost?”  She plucked the feather from her hat and twirled it between her fingers.

“That will help.”

“Brace yerself then.”  Sparrow wrapped the rope around his chest and crouched, spreading his wings and tensing his legs for a leap.  “Permaximum turbo.”
A great wind filled Sparrow’s wings, sending Langley’s jacket tails flying about in the tumult.  He leapt from the deck, soared out of their reach, and snapped his wings open for a glide over to the cliff.  Strictly speaking, skiridians could not fly.  Only glide.  But Langley’s aeromancy had given Sparrow enough height for him to reach the cliffs.

The boy landed and after a moment, the rope went spilling out over the edge to land near the edge of the iceberg.  Sabreur saw, skittered along the edge of the iceberg, and leapt for the rope.  He hit the tail end, kicked for a moment, and then found his footing.  Together, with Sparrow hauling on the rope and him climbing, he made it to the top of the cliff.

“Now what?” Sparrow asked, collecting the rope into a neat bundle again.

“Now we start a chain reaction,” Sabreur replied, fishing in his pockets for a match, “Like throwing dynamite down the stairs.”

“Who actually throws dynamite down stairs though?”

“I do.”

And the match blossomed into flame.  Sabreur narrowed his eyes, breathed something, and the first of the metallic spheres clinging to the iceberg exploded.  Shards of ice went flying as the tip shattered.  Then the second detonated.  Like an icicle being stepped on, the iceberg split into pieces as the bombs ripped through it, fire cleaving a line clean through the middle.  It roared, split, and sank into the ocean as a tumult of debris, leaving the path clear for a skimmer to pass above and into the ice maze.

“Beautiful,” Sabreur whispered.



It took five days to navigate the ice maze.  Five tiring days of arguing and backtracking, where even the crew denounced the map and started offering their own opinions.  It seemed the only one not complaining was Sparrow, who didn’t care for much outside the helm, and Ajiin, who had already resigned himself to the worst upon hearing of the nature of this trip.

Either way, Langley spent long hours on the top deck studying the currents of ‘mancy and Sabreur spent his time replenishing his firebomb supply.  Neither got terribly much sleep.

On the eve of the fifth day they sighted the landmass.  Here the ice maze met the warmer currents of the volcanic region and dissolved into clear water for a span of several miles.  Then solid land surfaced and from the top deck Langley could see the port of the only known town in the southern pole.  

“Raise altitude to safe levels and cut all engines.  Ajiin!  Have the crew furrow the sails and inform them they’re to be on deck at sunrise tomorrow before we make port.  Set a watch as well for the night.”

“Not taking any chances, are we?” Ajiin asked quietly as he made for the door.

“Considering where we’re at?  No.”

“Good girl,” he replied, very softly, and vanished out to the deck.

Morning came.  Langley appeared on deck well armed, as did her brother.  Ajiin was already out there, along with the crew, and Langley was surprised to find that he too was armed.

“I’ve already briefed the crew on what to expect,” he said tersely, “and reviewed procedures.  All we need to do is bring her in.”

Langley nodded her approval.  This was more than she had expected, but for some reason, Ajiin seemed tense and eager to get moving.  And he was carrying his rifle with the ‘mancy scope – the only ‘mancer crafted item he carried.  That was unusual.

“Raise fore and rear sails only.  Engines at half power, standard altitude.  I want all guns manned.”

A portion of the crew detached itself and headed below to the gun deck.  After a moment, the six turreted cannons started to swivel through preliminary tests.

“Sparrow?  Bring her in.”

The twins moved to the bow to watch as the town grew closer.  It was a ramshackle collection of wood and stone buildings, surrounded by an area of scrub grass and bare dirt.  The steam from hot springs rose about a mile out from the town.  There were five docks, rickety wooden things that Langley was reluctant to trust the Ark to.  It seemed fit for the small skimmers, not a merchant ship like Langley’s Ark.

“Town,” Ajiin said, having come up behind them, “No name, it’s just –the- town.  Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Awfully small.”

“Interesting place.  I’ll be going ashore with you two this time.”

The twins swiveled to look at him in disbelief.  Ajiin, who avoided shore like the plague, was going to make land with them in the frigid artic with undead penguins loose.  It wasn’t like him.

“Everyone will be paying attention to you two.  It might be good to have someone along that knows the culture and the layout.”

“Ajiin, are you saying that you’ve been here before?”

He leaned on the side, setting the butt of his rifle against the dock.

“Eh.”

Langley returned her attention back to the approaching town.  That was about the best answer she’d get out of Ajiin.  If he’d been here before, than that would quickly become apparent once they made port.  And from the looks of things, that would be an adventure all in itself.  There was only one person on the dock, watching them come in.  Langley scanned the currents of ‘mancy and saw traces of living creatures, scattered throughout the nearby alleyways and shadows.  Yes, this would be interesting.  Hopefully, if Ajiin had indeed been here before, he left on good terms with the locals.

And if not, well, Sabreur had firebombs.

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