Bard: Chapter 10

“Gods, it’s cold!” Laura exclaimed, breathing into her hands and then shoving them into her pockets. She ducked her head down into her scarf and wished she’d had the good sense to get a hat when she’d had the chance—warm clothing was at a premium in the city the past few weeks. “Isn’t it supposed to be warm in the south?”

Eloise, another member of library security, acknowledged her from the cowl of the wool blanket she’d wrapped around herself.

“It’s unusual, for certain,” she confirmed. “I heard one of the librarians saying we’re getting unseasonal winds from the north, and they’re bringing the freezing temperatures with them.”

“Did they mention how much longer it might last?”

“No,” Eloise shivered. They hurried into the main foyer of the library, trying to shake off the cold from outside. It was warmer in the library. The old building was heated by channels that ran through the walls and floors, bringing up steam from a boiler in the cellar. The system worked to keep the building warmer in cold weather without bringing fire near the books, but it hadn’t been designed for a cold snap this severe. The air held a chill if you stood too far from the walls, near the windows, or in the stairwells where there were no heating channels.

Laura had been mapping the channels in the walls as the weather had turned bitter. She stayed near them as often as possible, and trailed her fingers along the heated panels as she passed by, drawing what warmth she could.

“The boiler’s already going full force,” one of the librarians lamented to another as Laura strolled past. “I worry about keeping out mildew if this gets much worse. We can’t open the windows.”

“We might need to bring some braziers in,” the other commented.

“That’s no good,” the first said. “Fire and smoke?”

“A last resort, maybe?”

Laura cycled through the shelves and made her way upstairs, pausing next to a plain stretch of stone wall that radiated heat. The wind rattled a nearby window, whining slightly. Even against the warmed stone, Laura could feel the chill. She felt the first half of her shift dragging like it never had. By the time she had her lunch break, all she could think of was curling up under her blankets at home.

“Do you know anywhere I can get hot food nearby?” she asked the librarians at the end of her shift. After a cold lunch, she didn’t want to go home to more chilled food.

“Something savory, or sweet?”

Laura considered. A meat pie would be most practical, but sugary sounded leaps and bounds more appealing.

“Sweet.”

She got directions and bundled herself up before hurrying towards her goal. The wind had picked up, and tugged at the edges of her coat, cutting through to her bones. Laura stuffed her hands into her pockets and moved at a strenuous pace to keep her blood pumping, careful of the slick patches of ice that had begun to form on the paving stones. As she turned on to the street that led down towards the harbor, she spotted Liam walking toward home.

“Liam!” Laura called, falling into step beside him. “Come with me, we’re getting crepes.”

“What are crepes?” he asked, pulling up his collar and clutching at a knife he wore next to one of his swords.

“No idea,” Laura replied, “but they’re sweet and hot, and the shop is between us and home. We can step out of the wind for a few minutes and warm up before we take on the second half of the walk.”

Liam snorted, shivered, and shrugged his shoulders.

“How can you stand having your hands out?” she asked, nodding to the knife. Liam drew the blade and turned it, offering it to her by the hilt. Laura cocked an eyebrow at him. “I have plenty of knives.”

“Take it,” he said, “but just for a moment. I want it back.”

Laura obliged him, and let out a little gasp, clutching the short blade close to her chest. It was warm. Not just the object itself, either. Holding the little knife radiated heat up her arm and into her chest that flooded her entire body. It wasn’t enough to cut the frigid winds entirely, but it made a significant difference.

“What is that?” she demanded.

“Isn’t it great?” Liam grinned. “Trista made it for me.”

“Can she make me one?”

“I don’t know. We can ask.” He extended his hand and Laura reluctantly returned the knife to him.

They turned onto the street Eloise had described and Laura spotted the striped canopy of the crepe shop. It had frilly curtains in the window, and the lamps cast warm light into the street, making the shop look like the most inviting place she’d seen all day. Liam faltered just outside the door.

“I don’t know…” he began.

“It’s fine,” she assured him, tugging on his arm. “Anyone can go inside, and it’s my treat. I have disposable income! We’re getting something nice!” She pulled him through the door and up to the counter. There was an array of fillings to choose from. Laura chose chocolate and Liam chose one filled with apple butter.

“It looks like a watered-down pancake,” Liam commented as they received their crepes and sat down. Laura threw her napkin at him.

“I’ll eat yours too if you don’t want it.”

“I want it,” he said, smiling slightly. “I’m only just saying.” He cut his crepe in half down the middle and the filling steamed beautifully. Laura speared a bit of her own and chewed slowly, letting the warm chocolate fill her up. Liam made a single bite of half his crepe at once.

Outside, it had started to snow. People were running in the street, laughing and twirling around as if it wasn’t cold enough to freeze to death. She wondered for a moment if Everly had seen snow before, and guessed they probably hadn’t if people were reacting so gleefully. At the very least, the snow might warm things up a bit. It had always felt just a bit warmer back home in the snow than with ice and winds.

“There was ice on the bay today,” Liam said, watching the snow pick up outside.

“On the bay?” Laura repeated, incredulous. “The salt water that’s in constant motion?”

Liam nodded, rolling the second half of his crepe and shoving the whole thing into his mouth.

“That can’t be natural.”

“The dock hands said as much,” he agreed. “People are getting shaken up down there. If the harbor freezes, half the commerce in the city shuts down.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”

“It’s warmer up north,” he added, and Laura narrowed her eyes.

“What?”

“Some of the deckhands that came in today were saying that winter hasn’t hit as hard up north yet,” Liam explained. “They said the winds picked up a day or so north of Everly, and it’s all cold south of there.”

“The librarians said it was the winds bringing the cold in from the north.”

“North of here,” Liam said, looking regretfully at his empty plate and glancing at Laura’s. She drew her own plate closer to herself and he chuckled. “Some of the traders are saying it’s dragons.”

“Dragons?” Laura said scoffed. Liam nodded. “There’s never been a dragon on this continent.”

“It’s what they’re saying.” Liam shrugged. “I imagine there’ll be all sorts of weird rumors if this doesn’t clear up soon.”

“No kidding,” she took a final bite of her crepe and pushed what was left over to Liam. He grinned and polished it off. “I’m going to get one of these for Trista on the way out. Hopefully it will be warm when we get home.”