Fire and Ice

“Could you please summarise what you have learned today about the fire...” the teacher said casting his gaze around the small room of children. He looked at their expectant faces, so full of youth and innocence he thought and for a moment he wished he was their age again, so full of life...hope. He sighed inwardly as none of the children offered any answer to his request and spoke directing his request to one individual at the rear of the class. “Jai-sen?”

The young boy stopped fidgeting and looked up from his desk and glanced around the class at the faces which had now turned to watch his awkwardness. He stared at his dirty nails, before reluctantly rising to his bare feet to face his elder. “Fire can be good or bad” he stammered uncertainly, “If we control it, we can cook our food and keep warm with it. When fire is free, it can burn whole forests, the land, our homes. Whole villages can be destroyed, people killed.”

“Very good, Jai-sen.” The teacher nodded encouragingly. “Anything else to add?”

The boy shook his head so hard that his shaggy black hair flew into his eyes, causing some of his classmates to snicker and whisper behind their hands. He glared at them as he settled back down cross legged on the hard packed dirt, fidgeting and pulling at his small tunic, then turned and grinned at a pretty girl behind him. She smiled back and playfully stuck out her tongue at him and wrinkled her nose.

“Thank you, Jai-sen. Now, Seeka have you anything to add?” asked the teacher watching the exchange between his pupils”, young love he thought smiling as she violently shook her head, aghast that he had seen her actions, “well...in that case could you summarise what you have learned about ice.”

The small girl rose slowly to her feet and frowned her forehead wrinkled in thought. She stood uncomfortably in the midst of her fellow pupils and rubbed her arm, her hands running over her olive skin and her deep brown eyes running over the faces of the children, “Ice happens when water gets very cold.” She said quickly, “Then gets hard and you can’t drink it.” She quickly sat down to a small chorus of giggles from the others.

“Now, now children” chided the teacher, “there are no wrong answers. Very good Seeka, now then Tomas can you expand on Seeka’s answer?” The large set boy stopped laughing and covered his mouth with his hand and stared down at the ground. The slightly stooped teacher paced in front of his class and looked at the boy kindly. Tomas sat in silence looking at the floor avoiding the gaze of the teacher, a blank look on his face. “Come on son, you seemed to find Seeka’s answer amusing, so may we hear what you have to say...”

“If you control fire you can break the ice,” one girl said, her hand thrusting in the air eagerly.

“Don’t forget to stand, Beilal.” The old man shook his head and smiled at the small child before him and sighed at the forgetfulness of his young pupil.

“Sorry, mentor.” She lowered her head in shame, but her smile lit the dirty floor as she glowed in the attention.

“But you are right, Beilal,” he said with a smile. “So if fire does break ice as Beilal rightly says, then how does the fire break ice? Anyone?”

“Fire makes the water warm,” said Jai-sen. He hurriedly clambering to his feet to finish his answer. “Um, so it’s not hard any more.”

“So does that make fire more powerful than ice?” The teacher stood and looked at each student, his gaze stopping briefly on each face as they stared back from their seated position.

“If ice turns to water then with the water would put out the fire. So the ice would win,” said Seeka triumphantly.

“So, they are both powerful forces. The same, but different in other ways. Both have the power to give life, and to take life. Both must be treated with respect and diligence. Anything else to add? Anyone?”

A tall boy stood up boldly with hands clasped behind his back and cast his gaze around the class, until they finally rested on the teacher. The teacher sighed, Thoryn...he was older than the other children, older and stronger. He would make a good warrior in the future, if only he could curb his attitude and enthusiasm for causing trouble in and out of school. His bronze frame rippled in the sunlight which streamed through the frame-less window and threw a shadow across several other pupils “Yes, I have a question, mentor.”

“Go ahead, Thoryn.”

“I would like to know why all the Elders are having so many meetings and discussing ‘fire and ice’. My father says the gods are angry with us and now we are talking about it in school. Does it have anything to do with the jungle?” the boy asked.

“Very observant, Thoryn” sighed the teacher, damn this child and his father. “The Elders have been discussing a legend that foretells many things…like the jungle that is growing where grasslands used to rest. The wise ones have been going over the passage about ‘fire and ice’ because the foretelling is coming true and we need to be prepared. We need to understand so we can protect ourselves. Even you children can help, if you understand, this is the purpose for the change in our lessons.”

“What is foretold?” asked Thoryn. He sat down quickly, surprised that his first question was answered, and hoping the mentor would continue.

“In simple terms, it is foretold that our world will go through great upheaval every time the sun is shadowed on a clear day. The disturbances continue over many years and will cause strange apparitions and effects on the land around us like the jungle that is growing so quickly. The legend suggests that ‘fire and ice’ are roused into combat against one another by the darkened sun, and only ‘fire and ice’ can finally put things right again.”

Jai-sen stood up excitedly, his hand waving wildly above his head as he spoke quickly. “The sun darkened two days ago! I remember, and I remember talking about it here. We learned about it in class.” he nodded around him as he spoke

Thoryn stood up again, a frown crossing his thick brow. “Mentor, how does fire and ice fight?”

The teacher faced his class grimly and placed his hands together, his shoulders sagging under the weight of expectancy and sadly shook his head. “My dear students … that is the question. All we can do watch and learn, we have no idea of the world which we are facing, but we must stay calm and stay safe at the same time. We need to understand our strengths and our weaknesses, so that we can put things right again.” he looked about his class and felt a sudden pang of guilt and wondered whether he had been correct to tell about about fire and ice. The council had prohibited it, but surely the children had to know...they were the future weren’t they? “Class dismissed.” he added and turned quickly from the room before any of the students could ask another question. He strode purposely from the hut and across the small village square, avoiding the gaze of curious faces as he walked, his hands folded into the sleeves of his flowing gown and a worried look playing across his face.

Shuran the teacher, stood on the edge of the village close to an imposing building and watched as the children left the hut. He pulled back into the shadows and hoped that none of the children could see him. He had acted on impulse, telling them about the legend, but how could he keep it from them? How could they not notice what was happening? He was surprised they hadn’t asked about the neighbouring tribes closer to the jungle and what was happening near the forest? The people of the trees, the rock people, the people of the water...There had been no travellers from those villages for months. But even more troubling, none of their own people who travelled that way for trade had returned. Something was wrong. Everyone needed to be warned, even the children and with this thought Shuran felt vindicated in his own guilt.

He pulled himself from the inky black shadows of the building and walked through the small village of huts, picking his way through the meandering buildings to enter the lodge of the Elders. The structure was bigger and more imposing than the smaller buildings which huddled around it like ducklings being comforted by their mother. As Shuran entered the dark building, he felt the shadows swallow him again and shudder with the cold as he let his eyes become accustomed to the dim light. Several ancients were already deep in discussion, sitting in a circle around a small carefully-tended fire. The flame cracked and spat small embers into the air as it burned in the centre of the room. He joined the group and took his place at the council, listening to more talk of the legend of “Gonosz” and the war between fire and ice. The flame flicked violently as a sudden breeze invaded the room, and casting his gaze to the back of the building allowed his vision to cross the shadows.

Thoryn pushed himself further against the wall of the building and held his breath as he watched his teacher gaze around the room. He didn’t dare move for a moment, but he needed to know what was happening...

“We need to travel to the mountains where snow always sits on the peaks,” a frail man said heatedly, his hands waving wildly over his head. “There we can study the ice for ourselves instead of believing all the stories from our grandfathers’ grandfathers.”

A large, fierce-looking old man with a heavy thick beard shook his head violently. “And how would we get that high up into the mountains? How would we live? What would we eat?” He pushed back and stood up, ready to end the debate. “That is foolish talk, Gybe.”

“We would ask the people of the snow for help” snapped the old man, “they will help us”

“And what if they don’t?”

“We make them!”

“They will not help us, no-one will. Our messengers have no word from any of the tribes of the free”

“You want us to sit and wait until our village is destroyed? Is that your advice?” Gybe snorted in derision. “You are the foolish one, Trysk and not worthy of being called leader.”

“Elders! Please! We need your wisdom,” Shuran shouted above the growing noise, before bowing his head in respect as he continued. “It appears that the fight between fire and ice has even entered this hut.” A few nods appeared around the circle in agreement with the teachers observation.

“You are wise beyond your years, teacher,” an elderly woman said with approval. She paused to gather her thoughts, then said, “We must decide on how to save our people” she said eventually looking around the gathered group. “It is true that we are faced with our end, but we must prepare for the coming conflict between the gods. They make play on our homes and we can only watch and survive. I do agree with the counsel of Gybe, we must reach out to the others people of our land and take their counsel. The people of the snow and the people of the flame are the closest to the battle, I would suggest we send a group of warriors to talk-talk. We need to decide who to send to carry out those tasks, do we send the old and the wise or the strong.” She sat back and studied the other ancient faces that surrounded the fire.

Trysk grumbled but sat back down. “Your counsel correct, old Mother those are the decisions to be made and we need to decide soon.”

“If our people stay within reach of the fire, we will be consumed.” said one old man as he leant toward the flame

“If our people travel to the ice, we will starve and freeze.” said another.

“We need to learn how to live on the ice.” declared the old Mother

“Can we not live at the edge of the world between the fire and the ice?” queried Shuran.

“The most dangerous place of all?” scoffed Trysk “What are you thinking?”

“The edge of the world is where fire and ice would be most vulnerable, where we could learn their weaknesses.” insisted the teacher “There would be water to drink from melting ice.” he continued, “And food within a few hours travel into the fire’s zone. Maybe that close to the edge, the fire would not consume us.”

They all sat quietly for a time in silent contemplation. What they were considering was dangerous. This was a trek for the young and strong, not Elders. Some people would not survive. But if they didn’t they would not survive.

“Do we agree?” asked Trysk

“We need to think this through” said Gybe hesitantly “We will meet again tomorrow to discuss questions and concerns.”

“You have changed your heart?” smirked Trysk.

“What we are asking is surely the death of our warriors...or our selves we must be sure”

Trysk nodded, “agreed” he looked about the small room, “we shall talk-talk again when the sun is above us”

While the Elders pushed themselves up gradually, with Shuran’s helping hands, Thoryn quietly faded away from the wall of the hut and faded through the shadows outside and melted into a grove of trees outside the village border. He looked around the small group of children who had been waiting for his return.

“The Elders are fools” spat the young boy, “they sit and talk-talk while the gods fight. We are but playthings to the council and the gods, I say we act ourselves!”

“But Thoryn, what did they say?” asked Jai-sen.

“The gods are angry” said Thoryn lowering his voice to a whisper and spreading his hands out before him as he spoke. He knew some of the children were a good few years younger than him and would be scared by his story and he revelled in his power over them. “They fight for the world and our land, but we can travel to the edge of the world and beg for our land” he pressed his body deeper into the forest, “the council believe we can join with the people of the snow and flame to defeat the gods. I shall be part of that group!” he declared proudly pulling himself to his full height. “I’ am going to prepare myself for the journey.”

“Me too!” said Jai-sen pushing his way the crowd of children.

“You’re too little.” Tomas scoffed as he waved away the small boy, dismissing his very presence. “You are tied to your mother-kinds robe”

“No wait,” Thoryn said. “We all have to stick together, as one we are strong...that is what I have learned. It’s important.”

Jai-sen’s face burst into a broad smile. He couldn’t believe it, Thoryn said that! His heart thudded in his chest like it would explode. “I’m going to get ready!” he exclaimed, and he ran as fast as he could to the hut he shared with his mother’s sister and her family.

Thoryn watched as he ran through the rough trees and smiled at his retreating figure, “do not worry Tomas” he said quietly, “by the time he returns...we shall be gone”

Since his parents had been dead for many years, he was sure his aunt wouldn’t miss him; he was just another mouth to feed and felt a burden to his family. Gathering his meagre belongings into a pouch made out of Oxen hide, he headed for the door and paused, turning to look around the hut for a final time. Impulsively he grabbed a chunk of meat that was hung from the rafters, drying over the small fire and ducked out of the building and into the cold evening night. He pushed his small frame through the forest and paused when he was just out of sight of the hut and wrapped it properly in banana leaves and thrust the food into the pack. The food would be sorely missed by his family and he felt guilty about stealing from them, but he had an important journey to make.

When Jai-sen returned to the grove of trees, his heart sank as the copse was empty...the others were gone. They must be packing for the trip, he decided and he sat beneath the shadow of a tree and waited. He could feel the tight embrace of sleep grip his body and slowly he dozed off in the heat, lulled by the droning of insects and the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Distant shouting woke him and he stirred in a panic, his heart pounding to the steady beat of the noise which filtered through the trees. Maybe they discovered the meat he’d taken was his first thought. He peeked out between the tree trunks, keeping low and finding solace and comfort in the thick undergrowth and his small body was swallowed by the jungle. People were running and shouting, Jai-sen could see fear on their faces and he pushed himself further back into the thicken. His breath came in short gasps as he watched people being dragged from their homes and beaten. Where were the warriors he wondered as he watched flames licked the buildings and spread across the village. Men with long pitched spears pulled and pushed men and women, children and babies from the huts and out into the cool night air. Fear gripped at his body as he stared as the men were kicked and beaten and shuddered as sprouts of blood erupted from their bodies, while women were dragged by their hair and stripped before being kicked across the floor of the village. The strangers stood over the forms of the women, some spitting on the prone bodies, others urinating over naked female bodies, humiliating their victims as the children looked on huddled in a large group away from the adults. Some of the men stood their ground and fought back, but under the suddenness of the attack and the sheer weight of numbers they were soon overcome and subdued, clubbed, then dragged, dripping with blood. Jai-sen could hear the sound of bones breaking and closed his eyes to the horror erupting around him. The Elders were pulled from their homes and dragged before the people of the village.

“These are your leaders!” roared one of the attackers as he held the hair of Trysk in his hand and pulled his head back as he raised his blade high in the air. “You shall submit to our will!” he shouted above the frightened symphony, “These cannot help you now!” he continued and nodded to his colleagues who took their positions behind the other members of the council. “They cannot save themselves” he laughed and brought his hand toward Trysk’s throat, pulling the cold steel of the blade swiftly across his neck and severing the head from the body. He held the head aloft like a trophy and grinned manically as the blood ran down his arm, staining his skin. Jai-sen could hear the sound of flesh tearing as the attackers sliced each one of the council, repeating the actions of their leader and dosing the ground in the blood of the fallen. “Bound the men and children” he ordered, “we take the women!” he declared licking his lips and dropping the head to the floor, before kicking the useless lump of flesh into the undergrowth. Tears streaked Jai-sen’s cheeks but he couldn’t drag his eyes away and he wished he had kept them closed as he watched the people in his village bound and defiled. What should he do?

A twig snapped behind him, and his heart missed a beat as he held his breath, afraid to turn around as fear caressed his body. He turned slowly, expecting to see a club coming down on his head, but instead a couple of his classmates crept up beside him and watched silently.

“What can we do?” Jai-sen said through his tears.

“There are too many” said Tomas slumping to the ground “Our best warriors were pinned down within minutes and killed, they had no chance.” Tomas pulled his legs up to his chest and pulled them tight into his body and sat rocking back and forth. “There’s nothing we can do but watch and hope they don’t get us too.”

“Is that what they would do to me?” asked Seeka quietly as she peered through the trees at the figures ringed in the light of the flames.

“Seeka!” snapped Thoryn through gritted teeth, “do not look”

“But, those men, what are they doing?” her couldn’t pull her eyes away from the horror as another man bore down on the prone form of a woman and tore her clothes from her body.

“Yes” sneered Tomas, “over and over again” he grinned as he spoke.

“Tomas!” snapped Thoryn, louder this time as he thrust his body between Seeka and Tomas. He placed his hands roughly on the smaller figure and pushed him roughly to the floor, “you are an idiot!” he whispered as he stood over the sprawled figure that now lay in the mud, “and you...” he rounded on the startled girl and saw tears forming in her eyes, “I said do not look” his tone mellowed and he placed a hand on her shoulder, “you are not of age, they would not do those things to you” he reassured her.

“Don’t be so sure” sneered Tomas, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “they are savages and do not think as we do. They would take you as they have taken your mother and sister”

“I said enough!” shouted Thoryn, raising his fist menacingly above the boy’s head. He looked through the bushes at the attackers and the helpless form of the villagers, “we should move” he said eventually.

There was silent agreement from all present and as a group pushed through the trees, moving as quietly as they could through the undergrowth, stopping as they heard the approach of footsteps, then moving off again in a silent procession. The soundless group watched from a distance as all their family and friends were led together with strips of hide binding their limbs, many stumbling with injuries from their fight.

“They’re heading deeper into the jungle,” Tomas whispered as he nursed his swollen cheek.

“The people of the trees” whispered Thoryn watching the line stream past them.

“What should we do?” asked Jai-sen.

Thoryn looked at the small group of children. Was this all that was left of the village, himself and the three younger children. He had to be sure, “we go back” he said determinedly looking through the forest at the path they had just made.

The four children moved like shadows towards the village, flitting from strands of brush to tufts of grass to anthills. Thoryn checked the Elders while the others searched each hut, his fingers touching each corpse as they lay dormant by the dwindling flame. He could hear the other three children move from one hut to another calling softly in case someone was hiding. But everyone was gone, either missing or dead, all except for the old Mother. Her body lay where she had fallen by her hut, her breathing uneven and shallow and her voice rasping as death approach. Pain crept over her body and her bones cracked and organs failed as she reached for the children as they carefully picked their way through the village. They lifted her body, taking her weight between their small frames and carried her into a hut and laid her on a soft fur hide. She stretched out gratefully, groaning with the effort, but her eyes were bright and observant.

“Children!” the old Mother called them to her. “What a hard lot has been given to you, so young” her voice was weak and rasping as she spoke. “You need to keep yourselves safe...” her voice trailed off as she gazed into the distance “yet all your friends and family are being dragged away to whatever end may befall them. There are dangers everywhere.” she said to herself

“What should we do?” Seeka asked.

“There is no right or wrong answer,” said the Mother. “One sure thing, you cannot stay here.”

“We should go after our families, try to free them,” Tomas snapped looking around the group. “We need only free the warriors and they will fight for the village”

“You could try, but consider...would they fight for you? You might succeed or you might be captured. Do you have weapons?” the ancient lady asked. Seeka shook her head in misery. “The only thing you might be able to do is listen to the captors, find out where they are taking them. Then go for help...one of the other tribes. If you were to follow and free some of our people, consider who would you free?” the old Mother asked gently.

“My mother and father.” Seeka barely whispered the words. “My brothers and sisters … but they would be too small to run away …”

“It would be a hard choice, and would they leave your siblings and of course you would probably be caught instead.” the old Mother shifted her weight to lean up on one bony elbow. “You could travel to a village closer to the mountains to warn them, the people of the rock may help...or the people of the trees” Tomas glanced at Thoryn as she spoke and turned back to the old woman as the older boy shook his head. “You would be safe for a while.”

“Would they know how to live on ice?” asked Jai-sen.

The old Mother tilted her head to look at the small boy. “You were listening to the Elders’ discussion, I think.” she said, her face cracking into a toothless smile and revelling a deepening crimson scar spread over her body when she saw Jai-sen nod, and glance toward Thoryn she said, “That’s good, very good.”

Tomas strode to the side of the bed and leant on the edge of the furniture and spoke softly. “We know we have to live on the edge of the world between the fire and the ice in the shadows of the gods.”

“I see.” The old Mother forced herself upright so she could see them better. “Then I think your path is clear. Travel towards the mountains. Warn the other villages. Learn more about ice and fire.”

“What about the people who captured our families?” said Jai-sen.

“They are lost, the fire has already consumed them. They are evil now.”

“Yes, they are,” agreed Tomas quietly, but his eyes burned with anger as he spoke.

“Beware of hate and anger, it lets the fire in,” warned the old Mother with steel in her voice. “Be very careful. Each of you needs to control your own hatred.” She looked at their down turned faces. “Now get ready go, you have much to do.”

“We need to make a sling to carry you,” said Tomas, standing up.

“No. I am staying here” whispered the woman silently, “I can care for myself but I cannot make this journey with you.”

“We can’t leave you here!” declared Seeka as she hovered over the frail woman.

“Gather some food from the huts, as much as you can carry. I can sense others coming...I see my family...I need to be here when travellers come to warn them.” The children all exchanged looks and glanced toward the door as the sound of breaking twigs alerted them to a figure moving through the village outside. The children looked around the room in panic as the sound of footsteps got nearer. Their eyes searched for weapons as the handle of the door began to shake and slowly the barrier to their haven began to open.

“Hello” came a small gentle voice

“Beilal” sighed Seeka, relief almost exploding in her voice.

“How did you escape?” asked Tomas suspiciously eyeing the small lonely girl as she stepped into the light of the hut.

“Tomas!” snapped Thoryn.

“No...” whispered the old Mother hoarsely, “it is a fair question” she looked back at the girl, “well my child?”

“Old Mother!” exclaimed Beilal bowing her head before the old woman in respect, “I did not know you were alive”

“Please answer the question” she urged gently

“We were walking through the forest. The binds cut my wrists and my legs hurt. We stopped to rest, I remember my father telling me not to worry. My binds were not tied tightly enough and I managed to get free myself. My father told me to run...” her voice trailed off into a series of sobs and Seeka grabbed her, pulling the younger child into her chest.

“Enough!” she snapped

“Did anyone else get away?” Tomas asked quickly.

“I said enough!” snapped Seeka

“I don’t know, maybe.” said Beilal through sobs

“Do you know where they were taking you?” Tomas asked ignoring the glances of Seeka.

“To the people of the trees”

“Beware the Lady Theye” warned old Mother coughing small globules of blood onto her chin.

“Who is Lady Theye? I’ve never heard of her,” Jai-sen said.

“In the trees.” whispered Thoryn cryptically

The old Mother rose shakily to her feet. “They will come after you, they will turn you into their slaves or worse. You must go. Right now!”

“But old Mother…” said Thoryn taking her fragile hands in his.

“No arguments. You will all be caught if you don’t leave now.” The children readied their belongings and food then bowed their heads for the old Mother’s blessing. “Safe journey young ones. My heart goes with you.” She watched as the five youngsters headed towards the distant, white mountains and smiled sadly, lowering herself onto her bed. “Goodnight father” she whispered as she closed her eyes for the final time.