Cai
No one should stay out late. There are forces outside. Forces even Talja cannot protect us from.
The elders' words followed him through the streets of Glacial City, echoing with every step. Yet the city itself had never given him reason to fear. Nothing truly dangerous had ever happened here. The warning was old; something parents repeated to hurry their children home before nightfall.
Petty crimes had occurred, yes. A robbery here, a drunken brawl there. The guilty were caught, judged, and locked away. Order always restored.
Nothing more.
The last time darkness had taken root so quickly, when fear spread faster than the cold, was eighty years ago. Back when they lived alongside the Eirvaleans. Non-ice users, as people called them now, with a careful distance in their voices.
That was a long time ago. And Glacial city had been peaceful ever since.
So why did the silence tonight feel wrong?
His thoughts slid, unsteady, back to the evening, after the swim.
Edur didn't stay for long, as he had to head back to resume temple duties. The rest headed back home. Cai, however, had lingered. He'd excused himself and gone to the Shack alone.
Only those bearing the tavern's signature coin were allowed inside. No one under sixteen had one, and even then, you could only apply for it at the general market after graduating.
Cai's title changed that. He was admitted without question. He'd lowered his scarf around his mouth, lifted the hood of his fur jacket, and the guards recognized him. He pulled it back up when he was inside.
The next thing that came after: blood, violence, broken bottles. He was lucky he made it out alive this time.
Then voices broke the stillness.
Behind him.
He turned sharply.
Two figures staggered into view, laughing, leaning heavily on each other. Drunk. Loud. Unsteady. Those voices. He recognized them immediately. They had sat next to him at the counter. Men in their late forties, all washed up, rattering on about mid-life crisis. He pulled his jacket tighter and held his breath, hoping they would not notice him.
*****************
Three sharp raps echoed against the frosted glass.
Boreas yanked the curtains aside and peered out at the figure hovering outside. "No way. Cai?"
"Well, are you going to let me in or keep staring at me like I'm some ghost?"
Boreas unlocked the latch and pushed the window open. "Sorry. Did anyone see you?"
Cai tumbled through, landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor. He scrambled to his feet, brushing ice crystals from his clothes...
"Where were you after we left the academy? I thought you'd forgotten the plan."
"Somewhere," Boreas said with a grin. Then he sighed. "Alright. I'm not good at hiding things. I went to the barn to observe the mammoths. They're so cool."
Cai snorted. He never understood his friend's obsession with those wooly animals. "That stunt you pulled on us wasn't funny."
Boreas shut the window and drew the curtains. "Speaking of Nira. Wasn't it her turn tonight?"
Cai's jaw tightened. He didn't answer.
"Cai. You were supposed to—"
"I know." His voice was flat. "I just... I needed somewhere else tonight."
Boreas studied the fresh bruise along his friend's jaw. The way Cai wouldn't meet his eyes. The tremor in his hands.
"Does she know you're not coming?"
"No."
Boreas sighed. "She's going to worry."
"I know," Cai said again, quieter this time. "I'll... I'll explain tomorrow."
He wouldn't. They both knew that.
Boreas grabbed a blanket from his bed and tossed it to Cai. "Floor or—"
"The floor's fine." Cai caught it, already settling into the corner by the hearth.
"Thanks, Boreas."
"Yeah." Boreas climbed back into bed, but he didn't blow out the candle. Not yet.
"You can't keep doing this, you know." He said quietly.
"Doing what?"
"Running. One day you're going to have to—"
"I know." Cai pulled the blanket up to his chin. His voice was barely a whisper. "I'm working on it."
Boreas watched his friend curl into himself, making his body as small as possible. Like he was trying to disappear.
"In that case, goodnight," He blew out the candle.
For a long while, neither of them slept.
Finally, Cai broke the silence. "We had a fight."
Boreas turned. "What?"
"Nirvana and I. Earlier." Cai let out a soft laugh. "It wasn't serious. We're fine."
"That doesn't sound bad at all." Boreas said, sarcasm thick in his voice. What he meant to say was that it doesn't sound strange at all. Because he knew Nirvana was a busy body who pried into everyone's business. He also knew that Cai was a secretive person. That combo never went well. Especially for friends. They were bound to have problems.
"I promise we're good. Everyone's stressed, that's all."
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Now you want me to talk? I know we're all friends, but what Nirvana has for you is deeper."
Cai frowned, a flicker of irritation in his eyes. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know." Boreas rubbed his face. "What do you want me to say?"
Cai sat up. "Glacial city is changing."
"I should tell you that….Glacial city is…changing?"
"What?" Cai stared at him through the darkness. "You're so slow. It's frustrating."
Boreas sat up and reached for the candle, striking the match and letting the flame flicker to life. The soft glow carved shadows across the room, painting Cai's face in warm, golden light.
Boreas couldn't help himself; he scrunched his nose, made a ridiculous, exaggerated frown, and raised his eyebrows as if mocking some invisible threat.
Cai blinked in the candlelight, his long lashes catching the glow, his delicate features softened and elegant even in the dim. For a moment, the tension between them cracked, and they both laughed, Boreas at his own absurdity, Cai at the sheer ridiculousness of it.
The candlelight lingered on Cai's face, highlighting the gentle curve of his lips and the smooth sweep of his cheekbones.
"Your dad isn't at home right?" Cai asked.
"Yeah. The Eirvaleans are coming tonight so he's gone to get them."
"Everyone at the palace is frantic. I hardly see my father cause he's been in meetings non-stop. All he does is try to pacify the people. People have been coming in with complaints. They're also visiting the temple often. Even the hardcore skeptics are calling on Taljya's help. It's crazy."
"You said they're far out on the ocean. So that means no guard is currently in Glacial city? That's really scary."
"Well, few stayed back…" Boreas frowned. Then his eyes widened. "I just got it. Now, I know why you mentioned Glacial city's changing. Is it because of the Eirvaleans coming? Because of the rite. Because the law we've upheld for years is changing."
"Yes." Cai leaned forward. "For the first time in years, they're allowed to participate. Don't you think that's strange? Why now?"
"Population crisis," Boreas said. "That's what my father told me. We're dying out. Birthrates are too low. We need more people filling roles."
"They've been across the wall this whole time. We've kept them separate for centuries. And suddenly, when things get desperate, we decide they're good enough?"
"You're saying the elders are hiding something."
Cai hesitated. He wanted to say more.
"I think the elders are scared," Cai said quietly. "And scared people make desperate choices."
Boreas was silent for a moment. Then: "My father said the same thing. About the elders being scared. He didn't say why, though."
"No one ever says why." Cai's voice turned bitter. "That's the problem."
"My head hurts."
"I think you should go to bed. This is the most thinking you've done in years."
"Shut up!" He threw a pillow in Cai's direction. It landed next to the fireplace instead.
The look on Boreas' face made Cai explode with laughter. When he saw Boreas wasn't having it, he stopped. Still, it felt good to tease his friend. With Boreas, he could let loose.
"Good night, Cai." Boreas angrily blew out the candle for the second time.
"Good night." Cai's eyes shut. Finally some good night's rest—
Boreas' voice piped up again. "What is their magic? Do we get to fight them? Who's stronger?"
"Boreas." Cai groaned. "These questions."
"I don't know what to feel—fear, excitement, worry. It's a lot, Cai."
"It's okay to feel everything. We don't know what awaits us. We can only ask for courage to face whatever comes." Cai assured him, hating that he sounded like Edur. But Boreas wasn't one to be open about his fears, unlike Nirvana, who was unashamedly open about everything. Nirvana liked to talk. She talked about everything. Why did he keep comparing them? Why was he even thinking about her? He shook his head, and her face disappeared from his thoughts. "Oh, and don't tell anyone what we discussed. Especially Nirvana. She's dealing with a lot at the moment. I don't want to add to her burdens."
"I won't. My lips are sealed."
"It's absurd…" The words escaped before he could stop them.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Say it."
"People are saying the Eirvaleans will kill us in our sleep. That they'll poison our food. That Talyja will punish us for letting them in." He paused. "And all you care about is whether you could beat them in a fight."
Boreas was quiet for a moment. When he spoke, his voice had lost its usual swagger. "I don't pay attention to what everyone's saying. As you said, fear makes people stupid."
"Well, yes, I did say that but—"
"My father's a protector, Cai. He's spent his whole life keeping people safe. You think he'd bring outsiders here if he thought they'd hurt us?" Boreas shifted in the dark. "The King probably has good reasons. My father trusts him. And if my father trusts him, then..." He trailed off, as if surprised by his own words.
The King probably has good reasons.
"You really believe that?" Cai asked quietly, and he hated how his voice shook. "That they thought through all the risks?"
"They had to. Right?" But Boreas sounded uncertain now. "They wouldn't just... gamble with all of us."
But they are, Cai wanted to scream. They are and I can't tell you and I can't stop them and I can't—
"Cai? You okay?"
He wasn't. He hadn't been in months. Not since he'd started noticing the closed-door meetings. The spy reports locked in desk drawers that Cai had only glimpsed once before his father almost caught him. The inner chamber sect.
You're not telling me anything. Let me carry your burdens. Nirvana words came back to haunt him.
"Yeah," Cai lied. "I'm fine."
"You're a terrible liar."
A choked laugh. "Yeah, well."
Then Boreas said, softer, "Whatever you can't tell me... I get it. I'm not asking."
Cai's throat closed. "Boreas—"
"I mean it. Sometimes we carry things alone. Doesn't make us bad friends."
Cai didn't respond.
"We should get some sleep," Boreas mumbled, rolling over. "Big day tomorrow."
"Yeah," Cai whispered. "Big day."
"Hey, Cai." Boreas' voice was muffled as he pulled the covers over his face and turned away. "I'm glad you came tonight."
"Me too." Cai whispered into the dark. "Me too, man."