Chapter Fifty-Nine

 

Chapter Fifty-Nine

The cabin door slammed open with a gust of wind, waking up everyone inside. Hanna jumped to her feet, sword drawn within a split second. DJ was right behind her, being the farthest from the door. Misty stumbled inside with someone following her. The two of them closed the door with some force against the howling wind. It was dark outside. Hanna did not put away her weapon, but stepped forward and stared the new stranger down. “Who’s this?” she asked, once again automatically placing herself between her friends and the stranger. 

“Put that away,” Misty said, turning to face Hanna with mild annoyance. “This is Abby. She’s a medic from the closest aid station. I went to get help, remember?” The person introduced as Abby lifted a badge and pulled up the brightly colored trauma bag she was carrying. Hanna begrudgingly put her blade away and relaxed her stance. Abby appeared to be an older woman with a petite frame. She stood half a foot shorter than Hanna. The medic scanned the room, sharp dark brown eyes lingering on the winged cryomancer. Silently judging whether or not she was a danger. 

“Better check on DJ first,” Misty suggested, gesturing to the lancer. She also had a large bag with her. She set it on the kitchen island and retreated to the back bedroom. Whe Misty re-emerged, she was missing most of her winter layers. Now she wore jeans and a turquoise sweater. After all the time bundled up in coats, this was the first real chance Hanna had to notice Misty’s appearance. She was a smidge shorter than Hanna, but not as short as Abby. Her hazelnut hair was neatly braided and hung over her shoulder. She came out to the kitchen and started unpacking food supplies from her bag. “Hanna, can you help me with this?” she asked, mostly to get the frost woman out of the medic’s way. Hanna stood where she was, glaring at Abby for another minute before she relented and moved to the kitchen. Abby went to DJ, who sat down again. The medic set her bag down, pulled on a pair of gloves, and started asking him a list of questions. 

Hanna watched for a few more seconds before finally deciding her friend would be okay. She tied back her loose hair, knotty and dirty as it was, to keep it out of the food. She removed her gloves and washed her hands up to her elbows with soapy water. It took three washes before Hanna was satisfied. “I don’t like this,” she muttered.

“Yeah, well, she was the only one willing to leave the station with me,” Misty answered, handing her a clean towel. “A storm was starting to pick up as soon as I left the cabin. You don’t have to like it, but it’s the best we have right now.” She placed a cutting board, kitchen knife, and a few freshly washed vegetables in front of Hanna. On second thought. Misty took the cutting board and knife away, replacing them with packaged food Hanna could help open instead. She started chopping up the vegetables herself and threw them into a pot. Hanna didn’t seem to notice the switch in duties. “I never got to ask,” Misty started, making conversation while she prepped. “What are y'all doing on Everest anyway?” 

Hanna frowned. “I came to stop EDJ. Then things got complicated.” She turned to Misty. “Do you know anything about the castle or the person who owned it?” 

“Only that EDJ likes blowing up my cabins,” Misty answered with a laugh. It wasn’t until she noticed Hanna’s silent stare that she caught herself. “Well, you said the guy in ice was EDJ, right? I knew he owned the castle. There’s a public warning posted not to go near it. I told you I come up here every few years. The only reason I don’t come more often is because my cabins are always getting destroyed. That’s why this one is surrounded by trees. So he won’t find it. I have to get them rebuilt every time.” Hanna narrowed her eyes. Good grief, what’s it take to get this girl to believe you? Misty put a hand on her hip. “Why don’t you tell me how the castle exploded and its owner got trapped in a block of ice.”

Hanna bristled, blue eyes still narrow. “EDJ kidnapped my friends so I came here to stop him,” she said simply, leaving out a few key details. “Putting him on ice was my way of containing him until he could be handed over to the proper authorities. That was before the explosion happened, which was a complete accident, by the way.”

Misty blinked at her. “Wait, you were inside the castle right before it blew up?” The frost woman nodded. “You’re lucky you got out in time.” Misty paused. “How did you get EDJ out if he was already a popsicle?”

“I carried him.” DJ’s voice, silent up until now, echoed from the living area across from the kitchen island. Abby was poking and prodding him with medical instruments. His voice was even when he spoke, but it was clear from the look on his face he was incredibly uncomfortable. 

“You carried him?!” Misty repeated in shock. DJ nodded, jaw clenched and wincing sporadically. 

“Right after beating him in combat too,” Hanna added. 

“Let me get this straight…” Misty held up her hands and counted on her fingers. “You went to EDJ’s castle, fought him, beat him, froze him, and then carried his frozen corpse out of the castle before it exploded?” 

“...Yes?” Hanna raised a brow, not sure what was so surprising about the events listed. “He’s not dead though, if that counts for anything.”

Misty was still trying to wrap her mind around the situation. “That’s still like three hundred pounds of extra weight, counting the ice and armor. If not more! Have mercy, it’s no wonder you were unconscious!” She gestured to DJ then turned to Hanna. “You know that’s the reason why most of these frozen climbers stay on Everest, right?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you carried him…” 

“I had to,” DJ responded. “If I didn’t, he would have blown up with the castle.” 

Misty gave DJ and Hanna both a suspicious look. Something told her there was more to these strange people than their circumstances and appearances. She pointed at the mirror. “And what’s his story?” 

“He…” Hanna’s shoulders fell and her glare softened. “I don’t know.”

“He’s our friend.” DJ answered for her. “We think EDJ trapped him in the mirror, but we don’t know how. Or what to do to get him out.” DJ turned to the medic and nodded toward the mirror. “Can you do anything for him?” 

Abby shook her head. Finishing up, she pulled off her gloves, picked up her bag, and went to Hanna. “Are you going to let me treat you?” 

“Absolutely not,” Hanna answered with a snort, hostility returning in full force. 

The medic huffed. “Then I am done here.” She fished out a bottle of low pain relief and set it on the kitchen island. “Mild concussion, cuts, first degree burns. Monitor him for the next few hours. Watch for infection and internal bleeding. If symptoms worsen, take him to a hospital.” She went to the door and turned expectantly. 

“Oh, right,” Misty said, suddenly remembering she promised to take the medic back. “You guys can keep working on dinner. I’ll be right back!” She grabbed a parka and left with Abby. The weather outside sounded like it was getting worse. 

Hanna let out a breath, releasing the tension she was storing. She watched the door, trying to remember the last time she was treated by a medical professional. She couldn’t remember. An involuntary shiver went down her spine, ruffling her feathers for no discernable reason. She glanced at DJ. “Can’t stand doctors either, huh?”

“I don’t mind them.” He shrugged. “They have their job. I have mine. At the end of the day, we’re both trying to help people.” 

“Is that what you do at that fancy academy all day? Help people?” Hanna asked as she stared at the food still on the counter.

“I try,” he answered. He said no more, but turned to the mirror with a thoughtful look. He fished out his phone from a pocket.  

Hanna contemplated the random ingredients in front of her. Misty didn’t mention what she was planning to make and didn’t seem to be working off a physical recipe that could be used as reference. She looked at DJ. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what she was planning for dinner?”

“Nope.”

Hanna frowned. “You’re no help.” She started rearranging the objects on the island to best suit her preference of where things were located. 

“I’m lots of help,” DJ corrected with a soft chuckle. “Just not in this specific context.” 

Hanna grabbed the kitchen knife and resumed Misty’s half-finished chore of chopping vegetables. “I could almost make borscht, but I don’t see any beets. They’re kind of a main component in-” Her head snapped up and she pointed at DJ. “Don’t say it!” 

He blinked in confusion. “Say what? I didn’t say anything.” 

“You were going to make some smart comment about dropping beats. I could see it on your face.” 

DJ laughed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t make any faces.” 

Hanna glanced at the mirror with a frown before resuming her task. “It’s the same face Lui makes when he comes up with a clever pun,” she muttered too quietly for anyone to hear. DJ stiffly stood up and walked into the kitchen before she turned to him. “What do you think you’re doing?” Her tone was sharp and the hand with the knife hung midair. 

He glanced from the knife to her and back. “...helping?” 

“Not with that grimy armor, you’re not,” she retorted. “Besides, you’re supposed to be resting. Doctor’s orders.” 

“She didn’t actually say-”

Hanna interrupted. “I’m not going to have you collapse with exhaustion in the middle of the kitchen floor while I’m juggling frying pans. I may not be the best cook, but I am perfectly capable of making dinner by myself. If I need help, I’ll ask for it. Go check on Lui.”

“But you-”

She pointed to the living room. “Out.”

DJ raised his hands and backed out of the kitchen while Hanna went back to cooking. He went to the mirror still resting on the second armchair. Lui was awake now, looking back at him. DJ knelt in front of the glass. “How’re you doing, buddy?” 

Lui shrugged. Even though they were only a couple feet apart, the Original did not feel his Other’s presence at all. Can you hear me? DJ reached out through midspeak, but did not get an answer. It seemed the strongest connection they had to Lui at all was visual. Sure, sound was able to get through occasionally, but it was inconsistent at best. That paired with the lack of mental connection fed an increasingly worrisome suspicion in his mind. One he wasn’t sure he should vocalize until he had something more to go on. Hang in there, Lui.