Dragon Aster Trilogy

31: COLD NIGHTMARES



The harsh snowstorm forced Cirrus to the ground on reaching the Suzerain Continent. It was impossible to track anything by his normal senses, as the Animus Threads of the world no longer led or vibrated in any direction with most of them frozen solid.

‘Did you think that I would allow you to return to my Continent?’

Cirrus looked around for Tenu as the ice shook. Then the shadow of the sea serpent passed under him. He really didn’t want another obstacle to fight through.

‘You allowed one of Aragmoth’s Fay to die and the loss of another will be the final draw of Thread on this world. His mere breath freezes the souls out of the eminor and Ancients.’

“If you’re not going to help, then get out of the way,” Cirrus said, as the sea serpent passed under him again.

‘Yes, I will help. By sending you to a quicker death.’

Cirrus turned and looked at the ice as it suddenly cracked and Tenu’s serpent crawled out from the water. He didn’t remember the black snake being so immense before. “Dammit. I don’t have time for this.”

Blood hit the snow as Cirrus went straight for its throat. It whipped its head and nearly threw his grip on it off, before he expanded bigger and brought the full fury of his weight down on it. The ice cracked, and both of them fell through and into the freezing water. Cirrus released the serpent as it tried to drag him deep enough to drown, and swam back to the surface. But Tenu grabbed his tail and pulled him back.

‘You will not escape my wrath so easily, dragon.’

Cirrus struggled to try and get free, before swimming down and sending his claws for her black eyes. But it was impossible to fight, let alone move in the icy water that didn’t slow Tenu in the slightest. He grew weaker as his blood left his body from numb wounds he couldn’t feel. He prayed that Sybl would find a way to make it, as he lost consciousness and blacked out.



Kenshe finally broke through the ice with his claws, and Gwa crawled in and swam after the dragoon as Tenu’s serpent swam away to whatever her attention was drawn to now. Gwa feared he wouldn’t reach Cirrus in time, but his perfect eyesight saw the dragoon, and he quickly caught him between his talons. He swam back to the surface, and the hole Kenshe kept open. Then he set the dragoon down on the ice where the phelan dragged Cirrus away by his shoulder. Then Kenshe grabbed Gwa by his neck feathers and hauled him out of the water.

Kenshe shook his fur out in relief. Then he looked at Cirrus as he sensed he was coming back around. “What did you do to piss her off so bad?”

“I think I will…just stop talking to females…altogether from now on,” Cirrus panted from where he lay on the ice.

“Do that,” Gwa coughed. “Because I’m not doing that again. That water is bloody cold, and Kenshe you smell bad enough to wake the dead even when frozen.”

“You aren’t exactly a flower garden yourself.”

Cirrus just blocked out their bickering as he tried to figure out what they would do next. The ice shook again, and he looked into the distance as Moon emerged from the ice. The Eminor had consumed the estus form of the sea serpent and doubled his size.

“You realize this will send the Atrum’s entire army down on us?” Gwa said.

“Might I make a suggestion?” Kenshe asked.

“We’re listening,” Cirrus replied.

“We can’t fly or travel the land or Keol in this. We’ll freeze to death before we get anywhere near Helios. We should take a train.”

“A train? Will it even travel in this?” Cirrus asked.

“The Keol is currently as hot as a sun—I’m willing to bet the tracks aren’t frozen,” Kenshe added.

Cirrus sighed as he didn’t have an argument against the idea. “Train it is then.”

Kenshe scratched his chin where the start to a beard had started to grow, before he looked at Gwa who was laughing at him, despite the pain in his face that hurt him more as he did. “What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking that the best place to start with trains would be with your father’s Runners, and since we have you, with Prisca.”

The color drained from Kenshe’s face.

“I don’t think even Cirrus can mess up this girlfriend,” Gwa added with a snicker.

“Girlfriend?” Cirrus asked, confused. Kenshe was only fourteen or fifteen now. Clearly something else wasn’t being said as Kenshe wrestled Gwa down in an angry flurry of snow and feathers.