The Ice Barrier

Aurora spent the rest of the day and into the night tending to Devrim. She wrapped him and herself in the Guardian's cloak, which magically stretched, and the pair were protected from the freezing temperatures as the stars passed overhead.

By morning Devrim had recovered enough for them to continue their journey. Although both their bodies were scraped and bruised, they were optimistic. It was a new day and at least they could face the challenges together.

"I found a path up the barrier, I think," Aurora told Devrim after they had eaten more dried food from their supplies. Their food stuffs were getting low, and so it was even more necessary that they get across the barrier as soon as possible.

"That's encouraging," Devrim said with a smile. "How far away is it?"

"Not far. If you are ready, we can go."

Devrim stood and reached out his hand for Aurora. His dazzling smile made her heart skip a beat. "Then let us go, my lady," he said playfully. The Empress was delighted to see Devrim was back to his old self. It seemed the near-death experience from the day before had cured him of his distant and aloof behavior. She took his hand and they headed out.

As Aurora had said, the walk was short and they came to the path after a half hour. They looked at the switch-back trail, following it with their eyes until it was lost in the clouds. "Do you think anyone is guarding it?" Devrim asked.

Aurora shrugged. "I don't know. We will have to be careful, but I think this is far better than trying to climb straight up, don't you?"

"Fair enough," Devrim agreed. "I will stay behind you, you know, in case you slip." The thought of catching Aurora and saving her from falling was very appealing. He almost wished she would slip just so he could be her hero.

"You are quite the gentleman. What if we are attacked from the front?" Aurora teased.

"Eh, I am sure you can handle it." He winked. "If not, duck down and I will skewer them before they get you."

"Just make sure you do not skewer me in the process!" Aurora was only half-joking.

"Don't worry. If I do, you will be dead before it hurts." Devrim looked at her seriously.

"Hey!" Aurora opened her mouth in shock and gently pushed her friend away from her. Devrim's face broke a huge grin as he took a dramatic step back from her push.

"I am only kidding, Your Majesty. I would never hurt you." He bowed in half while still grinning.

Aurora smiled at him sweetly, making Devrim's heart melt as he straightened his body. The Empress leaned into him and pushed her forehead against his. "I am glad you would never hurt me," she said in a honeyed tone, "Because if you did, Chief Zan would send every soldier in my army to rip you apart." A chill ran down Devrim's spine, though whether it was from the cold or Aurora's threat he would never admit.

'No wonder people were so afraid of her mother,' Devrim thought as Aurora pulled her face away from his. 'I am glad she is just joking...well, sort of joking.'

Aurora turned to walk up the ice barrier, but not before reaching out and squeezing her friend's hand. She liked winning their bouts of playful banter, but she did not want Devrim to fear her like most people did. She cared what he thought far more than anyone else. "Let us go," she said gently.

The Empress placed one foot on the ice barrier. As expected, the ice was slick and smooth, and the humans had to tread carefully. It was also very narrow as it moved back and forth, forcing them to walk one in front of the other. Aurora did slip once, and Devrim got the extreme satisfaction of saving her royal rump from bruising itself. "Thank you," Auora said while cupping his cheek with her hand. With almost continuous movement and only short breaks, the pair reached the cloud-line when the sun was just past its peak.

"Something is strange about those clouds," Aurora said.

"Everything here is strange," Devrim answered.

"True...are you ready to continue?" Aurora watched as Devrim took a drink of water and handed her the water-skin. She had already drunk, so she stored away the container in her cloak to keep it from freezing. They started out again.

A tingling sensation tickled her exposed skin and as she reached the clouds, the strange feeling intensified. Her head pushed through the clouds first and a howling wind pushed against her hood. The rest of her body came through as she walked, and the whirling snowstorm in the clouds nearly knocked her over. She could feel the golden necklace around her neck become warm, and the push against her body lessened. The storm raged, but a bubble of invisible protection came around her. Aurora smiled. She wondered if her father knew the necklace's capabilities when he gave it to her.

Turning around, Aurora's smile faded. Devrim had entered the cloud, but he had no magical necklace for protection. The storm had pushed him to the ground and was slowly suffocating him. Already, his lips were turning blue. "No!" Aurora cried. She jumped toward her friend to shield him from the storm. The bubble of protection surrounded them both, and Devrim gasped for air. "Are you ok?" The Empress asked as she allowed him to sit up.

"I am ok now. How are you doing this?" Devrim motioned to the invisible bubble around them as he caught his breath.

"I am not. The Fate's necklace is. I think this storm is meant to discourage non-magical creatures from moving onward. Perhaps you should stay close to me until we get out of the blizzard." Aurora said.

"With pleasure," Devrim agreed. "I rather like breathing." Due to the heavy cloud cover, the humans could barely see what was in front of their faces. They had no idea how far they had come, but as the trail began to descend, they believed they had passed over the ice barrier's peak.

Of all the scenarios that had played in Aurora's mind, none of them prepared her for what she saw when the clouds finally cleared.

Below the clouds, a land of indescribable beauty stretched out before them. It was large and lush, and somehow the colors were brighter and more vivid than either of them had even seen. Stepping off of the ice barrier and onto the ground at last, Aurora could smell the rich earth and feel a warm breeze on her cheeks.

Devrim's mouth hung open as he came alongside her. "This land is incredible!" he said with no small amount of wonder.

"It is more than that," Aurora said, with a hidden smile. "It is magical."