Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Intermission 2 (Patreon)

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Somewhere on Arran

Craolyx frowns as she taps her talons on the throne she’s seated upon, simply looking out at the array of six different floating blocks of ice. Each of which shows the image of one of the other upper ranked Frozen Lords situated in the world.

The images all show incredibly inhuman-looking creatures, ranging all the way from a massive draconic creature standing on four legs with two wings and a tail, all the way to a tiny blue creature made of ice that constantly shifts form without staying in one shape for more than a few seconds. And everyone of them can be seen looking at Craolyx with displeasure on their faces. For the ones that have faces.

“You let that creature go free?” the eldest of the Frozen Lords on the planet, a dracrao creature with the appearance of a dragon from warm one mythology, speaks. His voice reverberating strongly throughout the chamber Craolyx is in. “Explain.”

“It was by His will,” Craolyx answers without any pause, making the others freeze up.

The hard look in Dragron’s eyes softens as he states, “In that case, relay the Excellency’s words to us.”

“The Esteemed One has declared that the Frozen Lord and warm one hybrid is to be left to his own devices unless he enters a fellow Frozen Lord’s territory,” Craolyx declares, shocking every Frozen Lord there with the revelation that the hybrid isn’t just part cold one and part warm one, but part Frozen Lord. “And should he enter a fellow Frozen Lord’s territory, only the Frozen Lord whose territory he has invaded shall have free reign over him.” Then she frowns slightly. “No one is allowed to kill him as he is to be brought to the Esteemed One in the future.”

Her words bring silence throughout the entire frozen chamber as the various Frozen Lords ponder over her words.

After nearly an entire minute as passed, however, another Frozen Lord speaks up. One with the form of a large turtle covered in spikes of ice.

“Then are we supposed to simply allow the hybrid free reign over our crystals?” Craax asks, the turtle’s eyes narrowing more than a little at Craolyx.

But Craolyx simply glances at him and answers, “If you don’t wish for your crystals to be taken, defend them better. It’s as simple as that.” Then she looks at every Frozen Lord present and declares, “We are to treat him as we would another Frozen Lord for the time being, with exceptions made when he enters our territories. This is His will, and there will be no voices against it.”

All of the Frozen ones nod their head and repeat, “By His will, so it will be.”

Because for the frozen ones, Cocytus’s will is law.

“Moving on to the next subject of this meeting,” Dragron declares, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Report your progress on the plan and any updates about the Sun God’s Holy Vanguard.”

“The Holy Vanguard has been in a deep slumber ever since its clash with my brother, Cryonix” Craolyx states, a frown on her face as she remembers her brother, who is also in a deep slumber. “And neither of them have shown any signs of waking up any time soon. It is also impossible to get close enough to the Holy Vanguard to harm it due to the vast amount of warm energy let off by its body. Therefore in order to approach, we must grow stronger or request for a new Vanguard to be sent.”

“The Winter God has no time for a fringe world such as this to send a second Vanguard here,” Dragron immediately shoots down that option.

“Then we are left waiting for my brother to awaken from his slumber,” Craolyx declares, her frown ever present. Then she turns to look at the small frozen one whose form is simply made of ice as she asks, “Crao, what of the plan?”

Seconds pass in silence as the Frozen Lord in question simply ignores her, not bothering to give her an answer.

“Crao, answer her question,” Dragron declares with a slight growl in his voice. Clearly not happy with the politics of Frozen Lords getting in the way of the meeting, even though he, too, has little goodwill for a Frozen Lord who looks so much like a human like Craolyx.

Crao soon answers without much hesitation, its voice soon echoing through the room in a monotonous and androgynous manner, “Preparations are underway for the conversion of the planet. Estimated time until completion is five years. Should this one be interrupted before then, preparations will be doubled in time taken.”

Craolyx glares at Crao, but the formless Frozen Lord simply ignores her glare. Meanwhile Dragron ignores their wordless bickering as he turns his question on the others involved directly in the plan, “And you, Voxil and Voxal?”

Both Frozen Lord twins, each having the forms of highly advanced wraiths with cold energy blades as their arms and heads that look eerily like helmets with the only clear differences being their genders, answer simultaneously despite being from different blocks of ice, “Progressing.”

Dragron stares without saying anything.

“We are searching for crystals with the effects of cold immunity,” Voxil answers, only for Voxal to take over for her brother, “however, we have not been able to find any thus far beyond weak and useless crystals.” Then Voxil takes over once again for his sister, “For the plan to succeed, the Frozen Lord conducting it must have a stronger cold immunity than any of us presently have.” And they both finish simultaneously. “Assistance would be appreciated for the search.”

“Very well,” Dragron states before narrowing his eyes a little. “Larx, aid the twins.”

His statement makes the Frozen Lord with the appearance of a large spider raise one hand and give a salute without a word before lowering his leg again and returning to his peaceful stillness.

“With that, this meeting has hereby concluded,” Dragron declares, following which each of the blocks of ice shatter, dissipating the images on them.

Leaving Craolyx alone in her chamber as she lets out a sight.