The Mirror Guard (chapter 3)

Three: One Day in the Stark

THE STARK SEEMED TWENTY DEGREES COLDER THAN THE CITY. The snow was deep, which made traveling slow and taxing. The gusts came in waves, but when they came they were frigid. The Stark was nothing but snow and ice. Nothing grew out here except for a few short trees that had adapted to the harsh environment. Depending on the drifts, the trees were there, and then they were gone.

At first they tracked their direction by keeping the walls and glass towers of Crystalis behind them. Then, the snowfall came so thick that nothing but whiteness was visible. Eke tried to use some tracking tricks that the boys used to tell each other, but it turned out they were mostly tips told in children’s stories and didn’t actually work. So — for a while they just walked, hoping they were following the right direction and a straight line.

They took many breaks — mostly for Mrs. Shimmyshanks, who refused to take off her heels or tear her dress to make it easier to navigate through the snow drifts. Her frou-frou dress was ruby red with a bunch of tulle underneath to puff it out. Her breasts were shoved uncomfortably together by an equally as red bodice. Even now, in the middle of a tundra, Mrs. Shimmyshanks was primping her ruby red hair. <Did she call this break just so she could fix her hair?> Eva wondered.

“Do you not wear proper dresses?” Mrs. Shimmyshanks asked Eva.

“Dresses don’t work with reserve work.”

“Eva I have to pee.” Jono said.

“I’ll take him.” Eke stepped in and took Jono’s hand. “Let’s go over here little guy. Looks like there’s some trees.”

“I want the big one!” Jono pointed.

“Okay, you show me which and I’ll pee on another one.”

<Boys,> Eva thought.

“It’s a shame, you could truly be such a beautiful girl.” Mrs. Shimmyshanks continued her and Eva’s uncomfortable conversation. The old woman’s red eyes judged Eva up and down, slowly. “Don’t the Mirror Guardians wear those cute little mini skirts?”

“Yes,” Eva grumbled.

“At least you’d appear more womanly in one of those.” Mrs. Shimmyshanks added as an aside.

“I do just fine!” Eva snapped.

“Oh I know,” Mrs. Shimmyshanks swallowed a chuckle. “Going from hotel to hotel is no life for a woman. People must think you’re some sort of harlot.”

Eva kept an eye on her brother. They were a few yards away, foggy from the blowing snow. Eke was close by, both posed as men do while pissing.

“I’ll never understand,” Mrs. Shimmyshanks said quietly. Eva knew that the statement was meant to appear as if Mrs. Shimmyshanks was speaking to herself — but it was meant for Eva to hear. It was meant for Eva to react.

“I won’t ever understand what he sees in me either.”

Mrs. Shimmyshanks appeared taken aback. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Your son loves me. He’s loved me since the second grade. And you hate it because you think I am beneath you.”

Mrs. Shimmyshanks cocked her head, taking it all in. Her horns were grown on either side of her head straight up, curling at the very tips, making her head look impossibly heavy when she cocked it to the side like that. “You’re not wrong.” She turned to face Eva for the first time. Her hair looked like spun rubies. “You don’t have feelings for him?”

“Never really have.”

“Thank the Goddess.” Mrs. Shimmyshanks sighed.

The boys returned and Eva felt like it hadn’t been soon enough. Not even Benjamin was willing to save her from Mrs. Shimmyshank’s scathing words…Though Eva couldn’t really blame the artificial, their programming had funny blocks where women were concerned.

Once Mrs. Shimmyshanks had felt satisfied, they continued deeper into the Stark. Deeper into the cold and starvation. “The sun is beginning its descent. We should probably prepare a camp.” Eva suggested.

“Where are we going to sleep!?” Mrs. Shimmyshanks cried.

Eva looked around obviously, “Here.”

“We can’t sleep here!”

“Mom, we are days away from the bunker. There’s no way we can just walk the whole way.”

“Well I’m not sleeping on the ground.” Mrs. Shimmyshanks even crossed her arms in protest.

“Suit yourself.” Eva said as she knelt over her survival pack and began yanking out the canvas tent that she’d had stuffed in there.

“You expect me — Rupalapur Shimmyshanks — to sleep in a tent!?”

“Mother,” Eke pleaded.

Mrs. Shimmyshanks began stomping in her red heels deeper into the stark. The Stark was snow, endless snow. No one knew how far the Stark stretched. No one has ever made it back from an expedition. When she was young, Eva’s parents always brought her out into the Stark while they were studying some albatross or group of norwotters. Eva knew how to survive out here, better then most. Definitely better than any Crystalissian. “You better get her,” Eva said to Eke. “She’s not going to make it an hour out there by herself. I think that we haven’t been stalked by a predator because we are together.” And more to herself, Eva said, “Or perhaps it’s that ridiculous dress your mother’s wearing.”

The only people that lived out here were the Cavamen. This was Cavamen land, as Crystalis was theirs. Eva’s parents had befriended a tribe once. She wasn’t sure how much communication they’d kept over the years. She wondered where they were now. The Cavamen live in caves and could sneak up on almost anything out here, despite their dark skin and hair against all this white. They have mastered the Stark. Eva was most fearful of running into Cavamen, than any wolf or snow cat.

“Eva?”

“I’m sorry,” Eva shook her head. She had been daydreaming while tying off the ropes that anchored the posts down.

“I can’t believe that we are all going to sleep in there together.” Mrs. Shimmyshanks complained.

“It is 90% safer to sleep inside a tent together than out in the open,” Benjamin informed.

“To shards with you, damn artificial! You don’t even have the coordinates to the bunker. You are of no use to me anymore. I’m not even sure what percentage of a chance we have of making it to the bunker with you.” Mrs. Shimmyshanks said. Benjamin sat there quiet. Eva couldn’t help but snicker.

The tent was up and it was going to be close sleeping for all of them. The tent looked like it was good for two people. They would have to stuff three of them in at a time — and Mrs. Shimmyshanks’ dress. At least the collected body heat would help to keep them alive.

At least Benjamin had a built in fire starter. Fires were necessary, but dangerous, Eva’s father used to always explain every time they lit one. The fire’s warmth would protect them from hypothermia, but the light would alert anything nearby that they were there. The creatures of the Stark were opportunists, though for the most part they would stay away from fire. Eva was more concerned by Cavamen.

“I’ll take first watch.” Eva announced. They’d moved as much snow as they could from around the fire so that they could sit on the ground. Mrs. Shimmyshanks wasn’t too keen on sitting on the ground, but there was nothing within sight to make a better seat from, so after realizing her feet ached after walking in heels all day, the witch finally swallowed her pride and sat on the ground with the rest of them.

Eva, with Jono’s help, cooked canned goods over the fire. Eke ate like Jono, in big gulps as if they hadn’t eaten in days and weren’t sure where the next meal was coming from — which wasn’t far from the truth. Eva laughed at them, while Mrs. Shimmyshanks scoffed in disappointment. “Just because we are in the wild, doesn’t mean you need to act like animals. How do you plan to attract a woman to marry if you act like that?” She asked Jono. The boy’s face fell and he began chewing gloomily. “You should start acting right now. Give yourself a better chance. You don’t get to pick a wife. You will need to attract a wife like every other man.”

“Someone will love him just fine. Besides, he’s too young to worry about such things.” Eva snapped. “Aren’t you tired yet, old woman?”

“Eva.” Eke gasped. Jono laughed.

Mrs. Shimmyshanks huffed, gathering her layers of dress, “I think I will lay down. At least I can get some sleep before you barbarians join.”

Mrs. Shimmyshanks slipped her bulk through the small opening. There was a lot of shuffling around while she attempted to get some comfort in the tent, before finally, there was quiet, except for the crackle of the fire and the boys’ eating.

“You eat how you want.” Eva reassured her little brother.

Eventually, even the boys crawled into the tent. Eva checked on her brother a few minutes after she heard quiet. Eke had his arm wrapped around the younger boy. There was space between Eke — and his mother.