A Game of Ice and Shadows: 2

Wendy frowned. She’d gotten up that morning, killed and ate a rabbit (no devil rats here, at least) and then tried to find… anyone. Her phone wasn’t getting connection and she was gonna curse the rap at the local Saeder Krupp Phone Co—they said they got reception anywhere.

And there was no grid.

No airplanes in the sky.

But it doesn’t feel like a metaplane.  She’d set the phone’s inertial guidance system so she could get back where she started.

And the spirits… they were curiously…

Sleepy. Like they had been silent for a long time, but were only now waking up, to say nothing of how clean astral space was. It was like one trip Wendy had taken, to a nature preserve, one of the few places kept safe…

Speaking of that…

Wendy created a fire, put out the best parts of the rabbit that she’d killed, not cooked but raw and started conjuring.

She remembered Old Jake’s comments.

“Kid, a lot of mages out there, they call up spirits, bind ‘em, send them out as meatshields…and then they get so frakking surprised when every spirit they meet hates ‘em, or one slips the chain and attacks them. You wanna do that, conjure an elemental, but spirits are people and they remember and talk. I’m not saying you can’t ever do it the fast way, and spirits understand that, but treat ‘em with respect, and that means, unless it’s life or death, don’t just yank ‘em away from their home.”

Wendy said the words, holding her hands over the meat. Slowly, she felt a presence, and this time a wolf appeared.

“Hello, Older Brother,” she said. “I have an offering for you.”

The wolf tilted his head, and then nodded.

“Little Sister, I have not seen your kind for many years.”

“I have just come here. I am lost.”  The wolf nodded, and then swallowed the offering in one gulp, the meat vanishing both materially and in essence.

“What would you have me Do, Little Sister?”

“I would ask that you find others, humans like me, return and tell me of them, Older Brother, so that I might find a pack.”

“I shall.” And then the Wolf vanished.

Wendy sighed. Negotiating was always better than conjuring and commanding, though most spirits didn’t mind. Now binding… that was a different matter.

But before she expected, the wolf returned.

“Little Sister, I have found a man. He runs, driven by fear.”

“From what?”

“His memories.” Wolf paused. “I scent old death that yet walks with him, Great Death that lies behind him.” Then it gestured with its nose, and Wendy got the sense of the direction. “Farewell, Little Sister.” Moments later, she was alone.

Right.  Well, she had a direction and a tugging. The spirit had granted her a minor geas, pulling her towards her destination.

“Let’s go.” Wendy said.

*****

Wendy was still stiff as she walked along the trackless woods. There was water, and the snowstorm had blown away, but it was cold. The pull was getting stronger, but it probably wasn’t leading her to a nice coffin hotel, or hell an abandoned squat.
"I hate this, I hate—" She paused. She heard someone running through the woods. Wendy ducked down and then, as a man entered the small clearing from the other side, stood up.

Yap. That’s him,  she thought as the geas faded. "Hello!" she called, one hand on her pistol.
"AHH!" he shouted and actually tripped, rolling to the ground in front of her. He stared at her and scrambled back.  The guy was a little older in her, dressed in leathers, with a… sword?

Was she at some kind of reenactment thing?  Nah, can’t be. That’s for rich corpos and they’d have cops all over me.

"I'm… I'm not going to hurt you!" Wendy said.

"Who—who are you?"

Okay, at least he speaks English. Some metaplanes let you understand the inhabitants, but this place didn't feel like a metaplane… Wendy shook her head, keeping her grip on her pistol.

"Wendy. Who are you?"

"Will." He looked at her. "I—you shouldn't be out here alone."

"Why?"

"I… I saw…" He looked around, and the last time Wendy had seen anyone look so scared it was a lady who had been kidnapped by a Toxic Shaman.  "Never mind. I'm a deserter from the Watch. If they see you with me…"

"Watch? You mean like the cops?"

"Cops? What are they? No. We wear the black, we man the wall to keep the wildlings and the White Walkers at bay, but nobody believes they exist, the White Walkers, they're like Grumpkin's and Snarks. They're…"

"Okay," Wendy said. "Calm down."  She pulled her hand away from her pistol. She was going to need them free for her next plan.

"No! I fled, I wasn't a coward, but I fled. Ser Royce, they shattered his sword, and then the eyes, the blue eyes—"  He backed away. “I have to go… you need to forget you saw me, just go, child I—“

Wendy shot him with a stunbolt. His eyes rolled up, and he collapsed to the ground, and then she shook her head.

I have some flex tape, and it's about time to try to catch something… that was the neat thing about spirits. They were really good hunters, especially if you shared.  She could do it herself, but it'd be better to stick around, um… Will.

After all, once she had him calmed down, guys running from the law usually needed help and were really willing to make deals…

And I’m really gonna need a guide.  From the way he acted, the way he was dressed…

“This might not be a metaplane, but it sure as hell isn’t anywhere close to Seattle.” Wendy said to the air as she pulled out her flex tape.