Shadows over Sigil - The Deva Spark

"There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep."

from an Olympian epic

Third Guild Day of Savorus, 126 HR

The ice wolves were pulling the sled steadily through the endless expanse of the Plane of Ice. Hours had passed since they had escaped from the yetis, and the tension of the chase had given way to an exhausted silence. The landscape around them had changed little: A vast white plain of snow stretched out before them, with gigantic ice formations rising up here and there like silent sentinels, their crystalline forms glistening in the pale light. Dilae leaned back, her breath forming small clouds in the icy air. She watched as snowflakes gently fell from the sky, each one a tiny work of art made of ice. Until something else caught her attention ... She let out a soft call of astonishment and pointed upwards. High in the sky, between the clouds, a frost phoenix glided by majestically. Its wings, spanning over ten paces, shimmered white, light blue and turquoise, while fine ice crystals trickled from its feathers and glittered in the air. Dilae had heard of these creatures in old songs and stories – and also how rare their sight was. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the legendary creature flew overhead, almost as if to bless their journey.

Yelmalis' voice finally broke the reverent silence. "I didn't think I'd ever see a frost phoenix with my own eyes," he whispered in awe. "They're more of a myth than a real creature."

With its one, large eye, F-45 followed the movements of the wonderful bird in the sky. "Correction: they are real creatures, master. However, the probability of seeing one of these birds here on the Plane of Ice is only one in ten thousand and five hundred ten. This frequency is indeed classified by most cultures under the rather vague term rare."

Dilae was thrilled as always when the spherical monodrone delivered such analyses, because it presented them so earnestly and at the same time looked so cute doing it. As she often did in these moments, she patted its outer shell, and Yelmalis shook his head with a mild smile.

Garush snorted softly, but Dilae could see the admiration even in her eyes. "Myth or no myth, we should concentrate on the road ahead. There's a storm brewing over there, and it looks more threatening than the last one. I'm not sure that the sled's canopy will survive it. We should find a safe place."

She was right. Behind them, the sky was already darkening, and an icy wind whipped across the plain. The wolves ran fast and tirelessly, but the approaching storm was faster. Tarik and Sekhemkare activated the magic dome using the crystals, but when the full force of the storm hit the sleigh, the transparent barrier flickered visibly.

"You're right, Garush!" Yelmalis shouted against the howling wind. "We should find shelter!"

Dilae clung to the side plank. "Yes, we have to! The sledge won't last much longer!"

Sekhemkare narrowed his eyes and tried to peer through the swirling snow. "Over there!" He pointed to a spot diagonally to the right in front of them. "I think there's an opening in the mountain!"

Garush steered the sled in the indicated direction, and sure enough, a dark crevice appeared in an ice wall in front of them – the entrance to a cave. The amazon urged the ice wolves on, and with their last ounce of strength, the animals pulled the sled into the protective shelter. They jumped out and carefully pushed their vehicle as close as possible to the cave wall. Then Garush and Tarik unhitched the wolves so that they could rest. It was relatively dark, so Dilae conjured up her moonlight orb, a soothing white light that always hovered a little above her palm. In its glow, they discovered another opening on the opposite wall. When they carefully went through, the passage opened up into a huge cavern after a few steps. The walls were made of flawless, shimmering bluish ice, so smooth and clear that they looked like polished mirrors. Massive icicles hung from the high ceiling and the floor was covered with a thin layer of snow that crunched softly under their steps. Strangely, blue flames burned at regular intervals along the walls in artfully crafted ice lanterns, bathing the surroundings in a mysterious, flickering light.