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THE WALL AHEAD OF ME glowed like a hundred suns, and then images started to appear. I stared at the breathtaking, winter backdrop. The sky was stained with pastels, all the pink and orange and violet hues of a sherbet-colored sunset. Fog swirled all around a white, frozen landscape, devoid of trees, plants, or mountains. The place appeared to be nothing more than glittering ice, pure white snow, howling winds, and subpar temperatures.
“Is that a winter sunset or something?” Julie said.
“Sunrise,” the priest corrected. “This gives you and your companions the entire day. However, I suggest you get back before nightfall. Many creatures wander about in the darkness, and you would likely not wish to encounter them.”
“So is this...real?” Julie asked. “Not some kind of illusion?”
He motioned toward the scene ahead of us. “This is no illusion, my child. The ancient book resides in an ice cave a few miles away.”
“But it’s freezing out there, and in case you didn’t notice, the sky is kind of a freaky shade of crazy.”
“If the cave is only a few miles away, we’ll be back long before nighttime,” I said.
“Just do not lose your way.” The priest motioned to the right, where there was a closet full of fur coats, hats, boots, and gloves. “It is important to keep warm,” he advised.
Julie and I looked at each other and shrugged, then hurried over to the closet. I slipped into a luxurious black and gray coat, black hat and gloves, and fur-lined boots.
“You look cute,” Julie said, proudly donning a beautiful white, plush fur coat with a matching hat.
“Okay, Christmas Barbie. I sure as heck don’t feel cute,” I said. “I’m scared to death.”
“Why? Just because we’re heading into some weird portal in some ancient vampire lodge? What could you possibly be scared of?” She smiled and squeezed my hand with her warm mittens. “I’m scared too.”
I winked. “Well, at least we’ll go out in style.”
She ran her hand across the coat. “Pssh. This isn’t even real. It’s synthetic fur. Trust me. I know the difference. But that’s okay. I don’t believe in killing animals just so we can wear...” Her voice trailed off, and her hands began to tremble, and in spite of all her jokes, it was clear that she was as terrified as I was, wondering what we were about to face in an unknown world.
“We don’t have to do this, you know,” I said. “We can always turn around and forget about this little field trip.”
“Yes we do,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Gosh. And to think I never believed in stuff like this before.”
She bit her lip. “Me neither. I was quite happy living oblivious to the supernatural world around me.”
The priest told us the backpack couldn’t go, so I told Jesse to drink as much blood as he could. The last thing we needed was him breaking out into one of his fatal hunger pangs while we were walking through the weird winter wonderland.
“Taylor...” the priest said.
When I turned around, he was holding up a sword and a long sheath.
“You need a good scabbard to carry your weapon,” he said.
I raised a brow. “Weapons?”
His face grew stern and serious. “The frozen world of Lelopa is a mesmerizingly beautiful but very dangerous place,” said the monk. “I could not, in good conscience, allow you to go unarmed.”
“In that case, how about a couple machineguns and a rocket launcher?” Julie said.
The hair on my neck rose. “What’s in there?”
“Ice rats, ice wolves, and many, many other hazards. I allowed you into our temple and led you safely past the guardians, but I’m afraid I can help you no further. The rest is up to you.”
Julie patted Jesse’s arm. “It’s okay. We have our very own personal vampire escort. Can’t leave home without one, right?”
“I promised I would support you,” Jesse said to me, “but I’d like it to be known that I think wandering off into some strange world we know nothing about poses great risks. I don’t like going into things blind.”
“I know,” I said, “but I need answers, Jesse. I already feel blind because I don’t know what’s going on.”
He gazed at me. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said, “positive.”
He gazed over at Julie, and she nodded in agreement. “All right,” he said. “Then I’ll do my very best to protect you from whatever is in there.”
I kissed his lips. “Thank you.” I put the sheath on, slid the sword down inside it, then glanced at the monk. “Are you sure we’ll be able to get back?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said.
I stared into the frozen desert, a whole different world. We’d come so far, and I knew we would never have such a chance again. It was only a few miles in, after all, and I knew we had to go through with it. Still, I harbored plenty of fears about hiking through the snow and ice, into a cave we’d never been in before, all while possibly being pursued by strange creatures and wildlife. I was just glad we had each other—and swords to protect ourselves.
Julie turned to the monk. “If we manage to find the book and get back here, will you lead us safely out of the temple? I don’t wanna become gargoyle bait.”
“Yes,” he said, “I will help you return to the entrance, but you will not be able to remove the book from the cave. You must study it there. That is why I am sending you off at sunrise, so you will have time to learn all you can before nightfall.”
I pointed straight ahead. “So how do we get in?”
“You must only walk through, but before you do, I must tell you the most important rule.”
“And what’s that, Father?” Julie asked politely.
“All three of you must come back together, at the same time. Anyone who is left behind will be forever trapped in that frosty realm.”
Julie gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.
“No worries. We’ll stick together,” Jesse said.
With a deep sigh to calm myself, I led the pack, and we walked straight ahead and through the glass wall. It was something like walking through a sheet of water, like standing behind a waterfall, and when I turned back around, I could see the room.
When the monk smiled at me reassuringly, I smiled back. It was such a fascinating experience, the strangest thing I’d seen thus far. Knots began to form in my stomach, twisting and burning, as I wondered what an ice rat was. Part of me was scared to go on, to leave that room where the monk was standing, as I feared we might get lost and never return. I wasn’t an adventurer and had no desire to explore new worlds. I did want answers, though, to the questions that had been keeping me tossing and turning at night, and I would do anything to get them, even if it meant trekking through that unknown territory, armed with a sword, to find an ancient tome.
Julie touched my arm softly. “You look rattled. You okay?”
“Sure, Jules. This is absolutely normal, right? Why would I be rattled?”
“I know, but we both need answers, some kind of order to our crazy, chaotic life. We’ve come this far, so let’s move it, Snow Queen.”
Jumbo, fluffy snowflakes started to gently fall from the sky. The bright white landscape made me feel as if we’d been dropped off in the middle of Alaska.
Jesse’s messy head of black hair blew around in the wind. He looked absolutely adorable in his black coat and matching gloves.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw a huge glass room. The monk waved goodbye, and we all waved back.
The sting of the bitter cold made me shiver all the way down to my bones. I tied my hood tighter in an effort to stave off the frigid wind. The snow was nearly up to my knees, and as it crunched under my feet, I took a glance around. Really, the place didn’t seem very dangerous. In fact, it looked like a Christmas card, a beautiful, serene crystal paradise, as if we’d traveled into a snow globe. Even though there didn’t seem to be a sun, the ice and snow somehow glittered like diamonds, creating a breathtaking panorama. The frozen landscape before me was like a fresh, blank canvas, and I imagined painting in my own colors to brighten up that arctic world.
Julie craned her neck and squinted against the wind. “What’s up with this place anyway? I don’t see any street signs, and the monk didn’t give us a map.” Her breath came out in a frosty cloud.
“It’s a very secret world where ancient knowledge is hidden and stored,” I said, shivering. “That’s all we know.”
She trampled through the thick snow, lifting her legs high with each step to accommodate the drifts. “Well, that isn’t much,” she said. “He should have at least given us a travel brochure. There’s nothing out here.”
“Isn’t that the point?” I said. “It’s the perfect hiding place.”
It really was a gorgeous place, and crystals of snow and ice sparkled for endless miles. Still, I was freezing, and my teeth began to chatter; the fur coat was a fashion statement, to be sure, but it did little to stop the wind from blowing right through me, sending me into shivering fits. The icy breeze whipped snow across my face, but Jesse instinctively wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close to keep me warm.
After we hiked for what felt like forever, we stopped for a minute to rest. Jesse probably could have gone on, but Julie and I were mere mortals.
“I hope this isn’t a wild goose chase,” Julie said.
“Me, too, because my feet, toes, fingers, and even my freaking nose are frostbit!” I said.
Jesse’s brows furrowed above his intense blue eyes, and the wind whipped through his black hair. “Perhaps we could consider the source, the reason we’re here. Drake cannot necessarily be trusted.”
“Look!” Julie said, pointing to a bright orange orb in the sky. “Maybe now the place will warm up a bit. Let’s think happy thoughts, everybody.”
I shot her a half-smirk. “Happy thoughts are not gonna warm me up,” I said. “I swear, I can’t feel anything.”
“If it’s any consolation, this little blizzard isn’t helping my appetite either. Walking through this stuff is quite a workout, and I’m starving,” she said. “Is there a Starbucks around here anywhere?”
“If there is, count me in,” Jesse said, smiling at our witty friend.
Just as I was dreaming of a warm latte, I suddenly slipped. I looked down at my feet, only to discover that the snow seemed to be sinking out from under me. Shrieking, I threw my hands out to catch my balance. My cry ended in a terrified scream when I landed with a thud, facedown, loosened snow and ice raining down around and on top of me.