The Divine Shield gathered for a meeting in one of the tents, and the mood was grim. Furlus considered ordering the army back to Dremlock, after being pressured by Shennen, Thrake, and Trenton. But ultimately the Tower Master decided to press on, without giving much of a clear reason. Lannon suspected that Furlus was thinking of Taris Warhawk's plight and of the fact that the Red Knights with their heavy lances were like lesser siege engines themselves. As long as the supplies held out, the Knights were still prepared for war.
***
Later that night, with the snowy wind howling outside their tent, the Squires sat in quiet contemplation of Jace's apparent death. Thanks once again to the fires of sorcery, the interior of the tent was warm and dry. Whenever the temperature cooled a bit, one of the Squires would ignite a weapon blade, projecting the heat throughout the interior. The sorcery was not limitless, as it drained energy from the caster each time it was used and would eventually cause complete exhaustion, but Aldreya, Vannas, and Jerret exchanged heating duties to keep from tiring-and all three had a lot of energy to spare. Although Jerret lacked the precise control necessary to dry out clothing, he could still generate a considerable heat from his blade.
Lannon simply lay back and tried to enjoy the warmth, but his mind was cold. He was just as distraught over Jace's death as Aldreya was. He couldn't accept the notion that Jace had perished so easily.
But the Squires had underestimated the huge sorcerer, for later that night when they were beginning to drift off to sleep, the tent door opened and Jace wandered in. He sat down without saying a word. His skin looked frozen, and a strange fog clung to his purple cloak. His eyes seemed haunted and held a bizarre, distant look.
The Squires were delighted and amazed, but their joy was tainted by the realization that something seemed drastically wrong with the giant. Aside from looking half frozen, his appearance was somehow sinister. He seemed engulfed in a disturbing aura that sent chills over their flesh. The fog curled off him like little, twisting snakes.
"I'm so happy you're alive, Jace!" Aldreya said, but she didn't smile and she kept her distance from him. "What happened to you?"
Jace shrugged. "I fell. Into some water. It was cold."
"It's good to have you back, my friend," said Prince Vannas, managing a smile. "However, you look very…well, cold, I guess."
"I was in a cold place," said Jace. He sighed. "Yes, a very cold place."
Jerret glanced at Lannon with fear in his eyes. Lannon knew Jerret was thinking the same thing he was-that Jace may have become contaminated somehow by the Deep Shadow. It would explain how he'd survived the fall through the ice. The Deep Shadow was known to give some of its victims extraordinary endurance, to the point where some were nearly invincible.
Lannon probed Jace with the Eye of Divinity, but all he could see was a hazy wall of fog that seemed to pop up to block his power. Jace fixed his grey eyes on Lannon and gave him a humorless grin.
Lannon's power faltered. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Yes, perfectly fine," said Jace. He fumbled inside his cloak with a frozen-looking hand and produced his pipe. But it fell from his trembling fingers.
"I'll warm you with my dagger," said Vannas, drawing his blade.
"Allow me, cousin," said Aldreya, giving him a look of warning. She ran her burning dagger over Jace's flesh, but he seized her wrist.
"Uncle Jace is perfectly fine," he insisted, pushing her hand away. "I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm back. And perfectly fine. Perfectly…"
"Does Shennen know you've returned?" said Lannon.
"Not yet," said Jace. He started to say something, but his mouth closed again.
"Who is guarding our tent?" Lannon asked.
"Massack Fireheart," said Jace. He picked up his pipe and dropped it again. He gazed at the pipe with a curious expression.
Lannon grabbed a lantern and peered outside. A masked Blue Knight was standing rigid in the blizzard and gazing off into space, snow building up on his head. He looked as still as a statue. Chilled, Lannon ducked back inside.
"Massack looks kind of dazed," Lannon whispered to Vannas.
Vannas raised his eyebrows in bafflement. He casually produced the pouch containing the White Flamestone and held it in his lap.
"Massack is doing fine," said Jace, rubbing his hands together. "He's probably a little cold right now, though."
Lannon gulped. "Did you…do anything to him, Jace?"
"He asked me questions," said Jace. "And then he…fell silent."
"He fell silent?" said Lannon, chilled.
Jace nodded. "And so it goes…"
"You were struck by ice," said Aldreya. "Did it injure you?"
"Just a shattered shoulder," said Jace. "Nothing fatal." He rubbed his shoulder. "Bone fragments like puzzle pieces. Difficult to fit back together. When you move one piece into place, and it's the wrong fit…well, it's quite a pain. But it's all okay now, patched up good as new."
"Jace, what is wrong with you?" said Aldreya. "I'm delighted that you are alive, but something is quite amiss!"
"I look hideous, I imagine," said Jace. "Yes, I feel rather hideous too. Then again, I nearly drowned. And then came the bitter cold…"
"Are you hungry?" asked Lannon.
"I have no use for food," said Jace. "My belly is…deathly calm."
Aldreya shuddered and glanced helplessly at Lannon.
Lannon could only shake his head.
"Jerret, go and get Furlus," said Vannas.
Lannon nodded his agreement at the idea.
Jerret hesitated, then rose.
"Sit down, Squire," Jace commanded, his frozen gaze fixing on Jerret. "I'm not done talking yet. We have so many things to discuss."
His face pale, Jerret sat back down.
"I was dreaming in the deep," said Jace, puckering up his lips and blowing fog from his shoulder. "I was…dreaming. I saw the Hand of Tharnin crushing our army, while a great beast descended from the heavens. I saw the White Flamestone lying in pieces, and Lannon…Lannon was soaked in blood. The beast of Dremlock's doom is drawing closer…"
Jace closed his eyes. "Yes, I was lost in the fog…in an endless dream." For a moment he was silent, and then he added, "But then the dream did in fact come to an end. It always does. Goodbye, my young friends. I must sleep now and I may never…ever…ever…ever…awaken. Don't mourn me at all. Just forget this old fool…" He fell to one side, knocking over a water jug.
"I'm getting Furlus now!" Aldreya cried, and she leapt up and was gone from the tent so swiftly the others barely saw her move.
***
In spite of his bizarre appearance and behavior, Jace seemed back to his old self the next day. The strange fog that had clung to him was gone, and his skin had returned to its normal, somewhat pale hue. The light of awareness was back in his eyes, bringing with it his usual personality. Massack Fireheart also seemed normal again and couldn't recall acting dazed, though he admitted he'd been very tired while on guard duty and might have simply been daydreaming (which of course earned him some harsh words from Shennen).
When asked about his strange condition of the night before, Jace just sighed and answered, "I was seriously injured from a falling chunk of ice-an injury that may take weeks to fully heal, if it ever does heal properly-and I nearly drowned and froze to death at the same time. I got trapped under ice and swam around in a near panic, unable to find where I'd fallen through. As my body was beginning to fail, I barely managed to punch a hole through the ice, thanks to my sorcery, and crawl out into the freezing air. I lay there for quite some time like a gasping fish, unable to get up. Then I had to walk for what seemed like hours with my clothes soaking wet, with only my sorcery to warm me-hence the steam that was rising from my cloak-and again save me from certain death. Now, would you act normal immediately following such events?" Aside from that reply, Jace would say nothing more about it.