Chapter 56
Book 2- The Rise of the Northern Consort
ATASHA’S POV
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“The north is the coldest place on the planet, but it doesn’t mean we are destitute,” Grace said, smiling as she handed me a bowl of warm porridge. I took it and murmured thanks. “In fact, the north is very wealthy.”
I nodded. Since childhood, I’d been told the North kills the careless, you can freeze before sunrise and even a small beast can drag you from a tent. But never about their wealth. Still… I nodded.
It had been two weeks since we left Crimson Howlers‘ territory, two weeks since we burned Crimson Howlers and Nightfall Pack. News came in fragments from scouts. I noted it and let it go. I wasn’t ready to make sense of any of it on the road. Instead I focus on our journey.
The snow started four days ago and didn’t stop. By today it buried the shoulders of the track, covered the pines, and packed over the rock so deep the wheels cut trenches. The driver had the team on chains and a slower gait.
Outriders rotated every mile to keep their faces from freezing. The glass kept fogging, and each time I wiped it with my sleeve, I caught Cassian’s banner slipping in and out of the white ahead while the rear patrol checked our tracks for anything following.
Travel changed with the weather. Horns sounded more often, one short for a drift, two for a choke point, three for a halt. The heater core under the bench hummed and kept our breath from frosting inside the carriage, but the cold still pushed through the seams.
Because of that, Cassian rode ahead with Lucas to clear the pass. When I asked to go, he refused. And told me that the north was too harsh, and I wasn’t acclimated yet. He left two wardens with me and told Grace to keep me inside the column.
I thought I’d fight him on it, but I didn’t. The order gave me what I needed, time to breathe, go through some notes, and arrive with enough strength to face what waited at Blackfrost.
And of course, the biggest change had been Grace who was asked to accompany me all the time.
Grace poured me more tea from a lidded tin. “You’ll see our first village after the pass. We call it Frostgate. From there, caravans branch cast and west. Most families earn coins through the
mines.”
“Mining?” I asked. “In this weather?”
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Chapter 56
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“We work under it.” She pointed to the floor, as if I could see through the packed snow and rock. “Old veins run along the mountains and the frozen rivers. We follow them. It’s not all iron and salt. The wealth is in Fac stones.”
I looked up. “Fae stones… the same stones that amplify abilities?” I have read about these stones in the past. However, they weren’t very detailed about it.
“The same,” she said. “They form in pockets where the earth is thin and the air hums. We grade them by color and weight. Clear is common. Blue holds cold and wind well. Amber takes to healing or growth. Red carries impact and fire. Black is rare and dangerous.” She tapped the side of the cup. “Cut right and set in silver, a stone can power a ward–tower, heat a barracks, or strengthen a gifted fighter for a few minutes. We sell refined stones south and west. That trade is why the north is rich.”
“Who controls the mines?” I asked.
“Lord Cassian and the guild council. The guilds handle picks, food, medicine, and contracts. The lord sets taxes, guards the roads, and keeps the monsters out.” She glanced at the window as the carriage rocked over a drift. “When the snows come early, the beasts push down out of the white. Frostboars, glass–wolves, sometimes a wraith. They smell heat and blood. Hunts keep them back.”
“Is that why he rides ahead?”
“Yes. The scouts flagged sign yesterday. Something big crossed the river ice. He took Lucas and a dozen riders to sweep the slope.”
I set the bowl aside. “Do children work the mines?”
“Not inside the deep shafts. Apprentices start above ground, sorting, washing, carting. Down below is for trained hands. We lost enough men before we learned that lesson.”
“What about the stones themselves? Are they safe to handle?”
“Raw stones hum in the bones. Too much contact makes you dizzy. The black ones burn out the nerves if you press them to skin for long.” She pulled a small pouch from her coat and loosened the top. A dull blue shard sat inside, the size of a thumbnail, wrapped in oiled cloth. “We carry them shielded. Only cutters and smiths handle them bare, and only for a breath.”
“What do you do with them after cutting?”
“Most go to the forges and sold to the Facs.” She counted off on her fingers. “Obviously, we also work with Faes to create power cells for the ward–towers. The best stones go to the keep, accounts, reserves, or the lord’s personal stores. The rest are traded for grain, medicine, and
iron.”
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Chapter 56
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I nodded. Faes live further north. It is only expected for them to interact with the wolves who are mining their stones. “And the villages live off the guild contracts?”
“Mining feeds everyone, but people still trap, fish under the ice, and tan hides. We also harvest frostkelp from the caverns near the hot vents. It sells well to healers. In spring, river barges take timber down to the midlands.”
The carriage slowed. I heard a horn cut short and the crunch of boots outside. Grace lifted the curtain an inch, then let it fall. “Checkpoint. The road narrows before Frostgate. Scouts rotate here. You’ll see the first ward–tower soon, stone spine, iron cage at the top. It burns blue at night.”
“Powered by stones?”
“Four blue cores and one clear back–up. The tower keeps wraiths from lingering on the road. It also runs the signal lamps to the village.”
I watched a rider pass along our side, hood rimed with ice. “So… Faes can live here as well?” I asked.
“That is only natural.”
Again, I nodded as I wondered more about Faes and their relationship with werewolves. In the south, Faes aren’t that common. In fact, I had never seen one in my life.
“What about theft?” I asked. “A stone small enough to pocket could buy a home.”
“Every pouch is weighed and signed. Every cart is sealed. The council hangs thieves. Not because of the coin,” she added. “But because a stolen stone can power a weapon used against us. We don’t risk it.”
The carriage jolted as we took a rut. I braced a palm to the wall. “And the monsters?”
“Winter brings the bold ones. Frostboars come in pairs. You don’t let them ram the runners or they’ll flip a wagon into a ditch. Glass–wolves hunt in a crescent, they learn the curve of the road and wait at the bend. Wraiths drift. You feel them in your teeth before you see them. The towers keep most of those away.”
“And if the towers fail?”
She met my eyes. “Then the lord rides.”
We fell quiet for a stretch, listening to the wheels grind through snow. The air in the carriage stayed warm, held by a little brass box fixed under the bench. It hummed faintly.
“Stone heater?” I asked.
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Chapter 56
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Grace smiled. “Created by Faes. It uses clear core, nothing fancy. Good for travel. We don’t waste wood when the ground gives us better.”
I looked back out the window. In the distance, a column of darker stone rose out of the white, topped by an iron cage like she said. Men moved along the road, faces covered, spears strapped to their backs. Beyond them, a line of low roofs with steep eaves sat pressed to the mountain, smoke thin and straight in the still air.
“Frostgate,” Grace said. “After this, the road splits. West to the ironworks and the main guild hall. East to the healers‘ caverns and the hot vents. We’ll head east for tonight, then on to the keep tomorrow.”
“Does everyone here answer to Cassian first or the guilds?”
“Both,” she said. “The guilds are managed by Five Families and they run the work. The lord decides who lives to keep doing it. That’s how the north holds.”
Outside, a horn sounded twice. The carriage rolled forward again. I tightened my cloak and picked up the cooling porridge.
“Eat,” Grace said. “You’ll need the heat when we step out.”
“And if something comes out of the snow?”
She didn’t look worried. “Then you’ll see why the north is wealthy. We can afford to fight.”
However, before I could take a small sip, a knock echoed inside the carriage. “Your Highness, Mr. Aries, wanted to see you.”
AD
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11:17 Wed, Sep 10
Chapter 57
Chapter 57
