Ice Devils

Lita takes Gentle Reader to the land of Clockpunk Wizard today, with an excerpt from Old Bony Blue Eyes.

Mountain Pass to Fearsome Valley

Wizard Kadmeion, his assistant Sir Bright, and the wizard’s cynanthrope familiar Furgo have flown their airship to floating Wager Island. They now journey by horseback over a mountain pass to Lady Luck’s home. They must take this difficult path because workers are repairing the Lady’s airship dock.

They must cross the glacier-filled Fearsome Valley. The wizard says that if they are lucky, they will not meet the unpleasant residents called Ice Devils. The mountain path has narrowed, and the travelers must walk their horses single file. They go around a curve. Before them stretches Fearsome Valley. And unfortunately, they have a welcoming committee.

An odd glint caught Bright’s eye. He turned his head and froze.

An Ice Devil stood on the snow. Bright’s imagination had been too kind. This dazzling horror was almost four feet tall and bristled with icicles. The creature radiated nastiness and sucked joy from the air. The only good news was that the creature stood twenty feet away from the path.

“Kadmeion? Are you sure Ice Devils can’t leave the snow?”

“I am sure. Maybe it won’t follow us.”

They Journey by Horseback Over a Mountain Pass to Lady Luck’s Home

Not to be. The Ice Devil skittered across the glacier’s surface, and then froze. Bright saw no eyes in the part of the creature that resembled a head, but the narfleet was positive it had no difficulty tracking their movements. They rounded a bend. A rockfall blocked the trail. Ten Ice Devils waited at the snow line.

“Can you blast the fall away with magic, Kadmeion?”

The wizard examined the heap of dirt and rocks. Kadmeion shook his head.

“Could you elevate the largest rocks so we can get by?” Bright asked. “The entire slide doesn’t need moving, only enough so we can get over it.”

“I can do that, but it will be difficult.”