Brothers of Brimstone Spin-off: Jack
Autorzy
Elizabeth Gordon
Lektury
23,0K
Rozdziały
25
Chapter 1: Ring Around the Pole
Spin-off: Frost
All year long, the Brinkmen of the north toil to whittle toys and jar goodies to deliver to the children of the world in celebration of Winter’s Eve.
The arrival of the torchbearer, Kiera—a servant anointed by Brimstone—marks the coming spring as she returns to the north to collect an eternal flame lit by the winter god to signal the end of winter.
Though these two figures were mythical to the rest of the world, I knew them both personally. My brother is the winter god, and Kiera is his lover.
I had helped both Kiera and my brother ascend to their positions, and during their very first torch lighting, my brother had asked me to fashion a special gift for Kiera that would remind her of the north until she returned again.
Over the years, I had come up with all sorts of gift ideas. One year, I made a globe filled with water that, thanks to the white painted gravel inside, gave the illusion of snow when shaken.
Last year had been particularly painful because my brother demanded I whittle an effigy of him, which he insisted on posing nude for.
This year, I was stumped. My first thought was to whittle her a broomstick with my brother’s and her name seared into the handle, but once the handle was finished, I decided it was a lame idea and staked the unfinished stick into the snowbank beside me.
Now I had woven a ring from some of the thin branches of the winterberry bushes that grew along the lake, which I planned to decorate with pine needles and cones.
As I held it up to inspect my handiwork, I wondered if I should fashion one of those big red bows the Brinkmen were fond of attaching to the children’s gifts. I was still undecided when Angus, the leader of the Brinkmen, approached.
Their thick blue skin protected them from the cold, and their eyes were so blue they were nearly transparent, which could be startling. But today, Angus’s large cheeks were rosy, and his blue eyes were dancing.
I had become accustomed to Angus’s stern demeanor, so it was a nice change to see him in a good mood for once. I suspected he had received a visit from the winter spirits.
“Aye, young Jack,” Angus greeted me. “The sleds are nearly loaded, and the polar bears are fed.”
I had become heavily involved in the yearly tradition. Due to my willingness to teach the Brinkmen to whittle, I had once been the head toymaker. When Angus mastered the skill, my brother promoted him, bumping me up to supervisor, which was an important but very dull job.
“Do you need some help?” I asked hopefully, leaping to my feet. “What do you need me to do?”
Angus held up his hands. “We have everything under control,” he assured me. “I just came to give you the good news because you had been absent during the announcement.”
“Announcement?”
I had been outside the walls of my brother’s winter palace, trying to come up with a decent gift for Kiera, who was due to depart shortly.
“Yes, apparently your father has granted Kiera goddesshood, so once her task is completed, she will ascend.”
Kiera was a witch, descended from the warlock Emerald, the first torchbearer. When Emerald’s body expired, he completed the task in spirit, which passed into the ether when the old winter god failed to light the torch, prompting my father to anoint Kiera.
“That’s good news for the winter god,” I said. “I suspected that Kiera’s return in spirit would have made her relationship with my brother challenging.”
“And since she will be a goddess, she’ll be able to return to the north indefinitely, only needing to depart when it’s time to herald the spring,” Angus added. “So your brother plans to hold a binding ceremony once she returns, and all of us Brinkmen are invited.”
I should have been happy for my brother—overjoyed, in fact—but something snapped in my brain, sending a thick, sticky goo filled with a distasteful feeling to my heart, extinguishing the last ember that had been fueling me.
I was jealous. The old winter god had frozen me and beaten me into a fine mist, and though I was conscious, I didn’t feel much during that time as I carried through the wind as frost and clung to the windows, watching the world above evolve.
When I redeemed myself, the ice in my veins melted, sending hot blood pumping to my heart and extremities, and that was when I realized I had feelings for Kiera as well.
Until this moment, I had been in denial about my little crush, playing it off as limerence because I had gone centuries with a frozen heart, and she was the first eligible woman I had encountered.
Not wanting to upset another god, I had pushed my feelings away by diving into my work as the head toymaker.
Toymaking had kept my hands busy and given me purpose—until my brother got it into his head to promote everyone. The announcement of his binding had extinguished that last ember burning in me, and now all I felt was a void in the center of my chest.
I had been so dumbstruck by the news that I’d forgotten all about Angus until he snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“Jack, have you frozen?” he asked, concerned.
Remembering myself, I blinked at him and plastered a smile on my face. “I was just stunned by the news of my brother’s good fortune,” I managed to lie through gritted teeth.
“He’s a good god,” Angus stated loyally. “And good gods deserve to be rewarded.”
Angus was right—my brother was a good god. I couldn’t have prayed to the gods for a better brother, so my reaction should have brought me shame. Though the bitterness I had initially felt left a bad taste in my mouth, I was otherwise apathetic.
“Is that Kiera’s parting gift?” Angus inquired, looking at the item in my hand with interest.
I glanced at the wreath. Realizing it paled in comparison to the gift my father had granted her, I decided I didn’t want to give it to Kiera anymore.
“No.” I sighed, tossing it aside. I’d been aiming for the nearby winterberry bush, but the tip of the unfinished broom handle I had plunged into the snow earlier caught the wreath and sent it spiraling down the length of the wood.
“It’s a new game!” Angus said, rushing over to retrieve the ring. “This would make a good Winter’s Eve gift for my boy Amos.”
I waved a dismissive hand. “Take it and wish your family a bright Winter’s Eve for me,” I told him.
Overjoyed, Angus freed the broom handle from the snow, then checked the sky and noted the hour. “Kiera is due to depart soon,” he reminded me.
“Then we shall be getting back. I suspect you’ll want to give Amos his gift and dine with your family before you depart for your long journey,” I said, slapping Angus on the shoulder as I walked with him toward my brother’s ice kingdom.
“The nights are getting longer now that we’ve expanded our operations,” Angus said.
“I suspect your son Amos will be manning his own sled before too long,” I replied, struggling to process the emotions the news of my brother’s binding had evoked.
Though I had been defrosted for some time, I still struggled with all the complications of being a warm-blooded being once again. Right now, I longed for the days when I was frozen.
“And then he can train his sibling,” Angus offered.
It took me a moment to realize what he was insinuating. “Angus! Agatha is expecting a little one?”
A large, goofy grin spread across his face. It looked so out of character that I couldn’t help smiling myself.
I offered him a hearty slap on the back.
“It seems that everyone is being blessed this year,” I said.
Before the brief moment of joy could impact my mood, that annoying inner voice said, Everyone is being blessed except you.
