Gala was still in a trance with the shocking information that the barrier had revealed to her, but despite, still being shaken, Alvaro urged them to continue their journey as soon as possible because they had already lost a significant amount of time. Alvaro also stated that the information Gala possessed was critical and that they should complete their mission as soon as possible.
They were now trekking over a steep and rocky mountain with sharp, overlooking cliffs on its edges. Gala quivered when she saw the dangerous terrain, then looked at Alvaro and Elderifrey nervously. "Is there any other way?"
Elderifrey shook her head. Gala heaved a nervous sigh. She gently pushed Ejonna back into her pocket to keep her safe. "Stay in there, Ejonna."
They found it more difficult to prod safely on the rocky paths due to the frozen ice. Each of them walked onto the narrow path with slow, careful, and feeble steps; their backs leaned against the rocky wall of the mountain. Elderifrey and Alvaro clenched their teeth, wishing they could use their wings.
Gala leaned her body slowly towards the narrow edge, curious about how the cliff looked below, and immediately backed away when she felt dizzy seeing the one hundred meter drop. If someone fell from this cliff, they would almost certainly perish because the ground below was solid ice.
"God, that was terrifying," she mumbled out of breath, her knees wobbly from leaning over the cliff. "I don't think I can walk anymore."
"Why did you lean over if you're afraid of heights?" Alvaro argued, as he stood next to her. His breathing was calm, as if this wasn't much of a big deal to him.
Gala shot him a glare. Why did he always have to be so rude? God, she hates his guts!
"It's natural for humans to be curious, okay?" Gala retorted.
"And it was your curiosity that led you to accidentally enter Aelfrey," Alvaro teased, her face smug.
All of her words were pushed back into her throat as she couldn't come up with anything to refute him because his words were true. To her chagrin, she shot him a glare as sharp as his sword, hoping to inflict as little harm on him as possible.
"Rude!" she yelled at him.
He yelled back, "Dimwit!"
"I am not a moron," she defended herself.
"And you've misinterpreted my honesty as rudeness, young lady; I guess the case is fair," Alvaro retorted proudly.
Elderifrey's clicking of the tongue interrupted their trivial argument before another retort came out of Gala's throat. "Can you both stop being childish?" Elderifrey asked, feeling a little helpless at having to put up with these two ridiculous beings.
Alvaro and Gala, who were like children being scolded by their mother, slumped against the rocky wall, their heads down. Elderifrey sighed. She could understand Gala's behavior because it was just probably her coping mechanism being in the new environment, but Alvaro? She was certainly most surprised by Alvaro's demeanor towards Gala.
She had known Alvaro since he was still a child, and never did she see him lose his cool like this. He always prided himself on his composure and how he handled himself in the crowd. Elderifrey has no idea how Gala could push Alvaro's button so easily. Was it because she was of another kind? Elderifrey hopes it wasn't the case. She does not agree with how the king sees the humans and prays that Alvaro wasn't following the king's twisted principle.
"Gala, just do one more step and you'll be out in the cliff." Elderifrey instructed Gala.
Gala's head jerked off towards the elder faye and smiled, knowing that Elderifrey was our of the edge of the cliff indeed. She swiftly moved her body and hopped towards the elder faye, thankful that she was no longer on the cliff. But to Gala's astonishment, her eyes were greeted with sharp-bladed glass being crystalized that was as tall as Alvaro.
Gala could see their reflections in the massive crystallized blades, which created an eerie atmosphere. Ejonna's head jerked around in wonder; she assumed the pixie had never reached here when the frost began. Gala kept a close eye on her surroundings in case someone or something appeared out of nowhere.
"Let's make haste; we're near the peak of the mountain." Elderifrey said while expertly avoiding the protruding crystal blades that obstructed the path while Gala clumsily walked through.
Gala breathed a sigh of relief as they moved past the crystal blades and onto a path that was clearly covered in moss before being encased in solid ice.
"That's Spîcolion," Elderifrey announced as they reached the mountain's highest point, pointing to a small human settlement visible from where they were. It must be less than a mile away from where they are right now.
Gala roamed her eyes around. Despite not being born into this world, she somehow felt sad about how their land ended up in such a depressing state. She can't help but wonder what Aelfrey looked like without the frost.
Moments later, the lavish hues of golden rays from the setting sun on the west horizon painted the icy landscape in magnificent yellow, red, and orange. It was breathtaking. The sun gradually fades into the horizon, and darkness blends with the livid colors. Utter darkness is about to fall and they need to find a shelter to stay in during the night in the midst of the frozen land.
"Where should we stay tonight?" she asked Alvaro, who was busy removing the knapsacks on his back and laying them on the icy ground.
"Where do you think?" he answered lazily as he laid a thick blanket on the ground.
Gala couldn't believe it when she realized it, "You're kidding me! We're going to die of hypothermia by daybreak if we stay in this open area tonight!" she yelled, defiantly stomping her feet. Gala turned to look at Elderifrey, who was doing the same with Alvaro. "Don't tell me you're okay with this, Elderifrey."
"Hush now, Gala. Just do what Alvaro says." Elderifrey responded while digging out of her own knapsack.
She can't believe them; maybe they've adapted to the harsh weather, but she hasn't! And, for crying out loud, she is a human with no magic to help her survive the freezing cold overnight. Alvaro and Elderifrey could wake up tomorrow to find her cold, lifeless body.
"I don't think you understand how the human body works," Gala grumbled, but Alvaro gave her a warning look, and she forced herself to sit, frowning and sulking in the corner.
"Oh Ejonna, I'll be dead by the morning." Gala whispered to the pixie, whose full attention was directed towards Alvaro, who was now picking food packs from Gala's knapsack.
Alvaro handed Gala her share for tonight. "Here, eat." Gala grumpily received the share, during which Ejonna's eyes focused on the food wrapped in a dry, clean cloth. Alvaro noticed the pixie, so he tore off a tiny piece from a year-old cheese. "And here's your share." Alvaro said to the pixie, who poked the man with its tongue for giving it so little.
When everyone was settled, Alvaro raised his hands in a big, circular motion. He then positioned his arms horizontally just above his belly; his fingers flickered in rhythm. Alvaro closed his eyes and, seconds later, he chanted these words. "Come forth, gift."
Gala momentarily forgot her anger towards Alvaro when she saw him summoning his gift. An audible 'wow' escaped Gala's throat. Her eyes sparkled in anticipation and elation for being able to witness a faye displaying his gift for the first time. She was too engrossed in gaping at Alvaro that she no longer noticed that Ejonna was eating her share.
A faint-transparent round bubble that glows in mellow red, came out of Alvaro's flickering fingers. It started off as tiny as Ejonna's head until it steadily grew, huge enough for the three of them to be engulfed within. Its edges glow in soft red, with dim sparks emitted out of it. Gala realized the purpose of it when she realized that she was no longer cold but rather felt the thick warmness from the bubble.
Gala clapped her hands excitedly, "You have the gift of fire, Alvaro!" Gala exclaimed in a high-pitched tone. She munched on what was left by Ejonna from her share, not caring if it would fill her stomach.
"Most of the faye warriors have the gift of fire, Gala." Elderifrey answered on behalf of the young warrior as it was busy checking the bubble, keeping the temperatures inside stable.
"And so Deviro?" she asked, propping her head with her hands on her knees.
Elderifrey shook her head. "Deviro has the gift of water."
For the first time, Gala was relieved that she was with Alvaro, as his gift had proven to be convenient at such times like this. "Wait, why won't all the fayes with the gift of fire do this in the entire Aelfrey? Problem solved." Gala exhilarated as if she had come up with a genius plan, with the kind of smug look she was giving Elderifrey.
"Not possible." Elderifrey answered simply.
"Why?" Gala exaggeratedly swayed her arms in front of Elderifrey, who chuckled in response.
"Because it will take a toll on the fayes' bodies to produce such a large amount of magic, and second, it will not completely solve the problem, making it an impractical approach," Alvaro replied as he lay down on his thick blanket.
"I see," Gala replied, exhaustion finally setting in. She lazily stretched out and let out a big yawn before she dozed off. Ejonna was snuggled beside her.