Appelastus

Lisa woke to find herself back inside the Ice Cathedral, staring up at an intricate cluster of icicles that were hanging from the ceiling above her head. Strange light reflected from the entrance a few metres away.

'What happened?' she said, rubbing her head with one hand.

'Rest,' Riser said, sitting on a rock beside her. He had lit a fire between them, providing a welcome warmth to the cold, inhospitable place.

A drop of water landed on the ground beside her as she tied to recall the last few hours. 'Sablynx!' she said, struggling to get up.

Riser held out a hand to forestall her. 'She's out of action for now.' He said, gesturing to a glowing green dome on the floor nearby. Sablynx was lying on the ground inside it.

'What's that?' Lisa said, staring through bleary eyes.

'It's a shield, kind of. It'll hold her for a while if she wakes up. I'm not sure it can really stop her from teleporting away but its the best I can do for now.'

'How did you that? How did you create it?'

Riser shrugged, his riotous beard looking like a dishevelled bush sticking out from his jaw as he faced her in the firelight.

'I've been using my implants to learn more about the Refractor Orb,' he said. 'It has pre-installed schematics that explain most of its functions, but they're written in some fucked up style that makes no sense at all. Whoever designed this thing knew a fuck load more about mathematics than I do. I don't know what I did - in short. We should stay alert, just in case.'

Lisa nodded. She didn't have the energy to chide him on his foul language. 'It looks like the Refractor Orb's going to be more useful than I imagined.'

'In the right hands,' Riser said.

Lisa frowned. 'Is it safe lighting a fire beneath those icicles?' she said, pointing at a huge cluster hanging down above the fire. 'What if they melt and fall down on our heads?'

'They won't fall on us. Not for a while at least.'

Lisa looked at her arm, stroking a finger across the pale white scar where Ibex had stabbed her with the dagger. It didn't hurt until she tried to flex her fingers and even then it was stiff rather than painful.

'What did you do to my arm?' she said.

'I used the Refractor Orb for that too.'

'But it's a weapon, isn't it?'

'Amongst other things. It has many functions.'

'I'm impressed.'

Riser smiled. 'Not such a fool after all, am I?'

'You're still a fool.'

Riser sighed.

'But maybe I like having you around.'

Riser scratched his head, stretching his exoskeleton's legs out before him. 'We need a plan, Lisa.'

'We need to find Appelastus. I thought he would be here by now.'

'I think I found him.'

'Hey! Maybe he can explain what's going on around here. Where is he?'

'I don't think he's going to be of much help,' Riser said, climbing to his feet and straightening his back with a groan. He gestured for her to follow him towards a small archway at the back of the cave. 'Come on, if you're up for it.'

Lisa flapped her wings behind her, jumping to her feet in a single well-practised movement.

Riser gave her a sideways glance before rolling his eyes. 'Is that your new trick? Maybe save it for parties.'

Lisa ignored his jibe and straightened her hair with one hand. 'Take me to him. It's about time we got some answers.'

Riser led the way towards an opening at the back of the cave. Lisa followed with uneven steps. She still felt dazed after her fight with Sablynx but she couldn't wait to meet Appelastus. She had come so far to find him. Her mind was already racing with questions that she wanted to ask him.

Why was Riser being so quiet? She couldn't understand why he was so relaxed about meeting Appelastus. He wasn't usually so casual about spending time with the lords.

The rough stone arch led to another ice cave behind it. As Lisa followed she saw what Riser was pointing at. Several robed bodies lay scattered across the ground, some lying face down in the middle of the floor while others were leaning against walls with their eyes open, staring at nothing.

'Oh no,' she said in a quiet voice. 'Appelastus?'

'I guess so,' Riser said, shrugging his shoulders. 'How many companions did he have?'

Lisa chewed her lip as she glanced around. 'I don't know.'

'Your cousin must be more dangerous than she looks.'

Lisa frowned, giving Riser a sideways glance from the corner of her eye. 'She's not my cousin.'

'She's a sky lord, isn't she?'

'We don't all come from the same grandparents - at least not as far as I know. It's the Lasrecon that transform us, not our genetic ancestry.'

'Well, she was here, and these guys are dead. I'm assuming she was responsible.'

Lisa nodded. 'But why?'

'You can ask her yourself.'

'I will.'

Riser started walking back towards the main cave but Lisa caught him by the arm.

'Thank you.'

'For what? It wasn't that hard to heal your arm. It was a clean cut and the Refractor Orb did most of the work. I just triggered the appropriate algorithm.'

'Not that.'

'What then?'

'If you hadn't stopped her, I don't know what would have happened.'

'She's a tough one,' Riser said. 'You need to practice fighting.'

'I'm not a fighter.'

Riser grinned. 'Neither am I, but we have to survive, don't we? I don't see any armies trying to help us out.'

Lisa stared down at the ice beneath her feet. It was full of tiny air bubbles. She wondered how long they had been trapped there. The ice might have frozen thousands of years ago. She didn't think it would ever thaw in a place like this.

'How long do you think Appelastus has been dead?' she said.

Riser shrugged. 'The bodies are still fresh, but that doesn't mean much here. They're frozen. They could have died yesterday or a hundred years ago. I don't think their bodies will decay in these conditions.'

'So it could have been several years ago?'

'Yes, easily.'

'I have an idea.'

'What do you mean?'

'I don't think Sablynx is her real name.'

Riser raised an eyebrow, glancing back towards the main cave. 'Who is she then?'

'I think she's Ibex. If I'm right, she's the one who killed my grandmother at Los Verion.'

Riser gave her an odd look. 'Do you want to spend some time with her alone?'

'No, Riser. That's not what I'm saying.'

'I won't tell anyone. You can do what you want to her.'

Lisa shook her head. 'I don't want to sink to her level. She's trapped right?'

'Yes. I hope so anyway.'

'She might be crazy, but she's been here for a long time. We can learn a lot from her if we ask the right questions.'

'You're going to let her live?'

'Yes. She can help us.'

'She doesn't look like the helpful kind.'

Lisa chewed her lip, gathering her arms around her waist as the cold sank into her bones. She was already missing the fire. 'We'll have to find a way to loosen her up somehow.'