The illusory cliff face concealed a large cave entrance.

  They were cloaked in darkness the moment they entered it. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust. Marrow – the apt name Vale had given her steed – fell to the ground, his bones turning to dust, and coalescing into a set of knucklebones that Vale stored in a pouch.

  ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

  Shiver was repeatedly sticking her head through the illusory wall. The image of it was uncanny and Vale was getting nauseous.

  ‘Sh-Shiver, won’t you stop that. We should rest a moment.’

  She finally relented and took a seat beside Vale. They stared up at the stalactites that covered the cave ceiling as their eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.

  ‘You said your father discovered the Archcity.’

  Vale shifted uncomfortably, and nodded.

  ‘He hasn’t physically left Soulhaven. He doesn’t need to. He spoke of planning to send his servants to investigate on his behalf.’

  ‘We’ll have to be on the lookout then. I’m surprised we haven’t run into any yet.’

  Vale’s stomach let out a deep rumble, and she covered her face in her hands.

  ‘I don’t suppose you packed any food with you when you left?’

  ‘Don’t blame me! Those thugs came by, and I had to run before they caught me.’

  ‘Let’s hope we can find something to eat in the Archcity then.’

  In the ancient, lost Archcity of Fear concealed by illusions so persuasive it thwarted the archaeologist’s guild?

  Vale didn’t fancy their chances.

  ‘I’m hungry too!’

  ‘What was that, princess?’

  ‘I didn’t say anything.’

  The pair of them exchanged a glance. They rose quickly, on alert, scanning their dark surroundings with difficulty. Then Vale’s eyes widened.

  ‘Who said… Shiver! On your shoulder!’

  ‘Hello!’

  ‘What in Avalkin’s hairy-! Get it off me! Vale!’

  Vale ran towards her, grabbing the tail of her cloak and started to whack her with a little more enthusiasm than was really necessary.

  ‘No, no stop! Ugh!’

  The ice cube fell onto the cave floor below. A muffled voice emerged.

  ‘Ooh its freezing down here. Comfy.’

  ‘Shiver… what is that?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  The pair of them stared down at the sentient ice cube that lay still in the impression it had created in the snow.

  ‘This voice… it’s familiar… you were in my dream.’

  ‘A dream?’

  Shiver knelt next to the ice cube, a dagger in hand.

  ‘I sure was! Nice to meet you Shiver, I’m you’re guide!’

  Shiver ignored the ice cube, exchanging a glance with Vale.

  ‘You’re seeing this thing too right?’

  ‘Hey! I’m not a thing! I’m a living, breathing-‘

  ‘Goodness, what could it be? I’ve never seen anything like it before. Did you mention that you saw it in a dream?’

  ‘I did… It was… giving me a motivational speech.’

  ‘Ahem. If you would be so kind as to pick me up. As comfortable as this spot is.’

  The pair stared on in silence, unmoving.

  ‘Any time now…’

  Vale looked to Shiver, her hands grasping the undead horse’s reigns.

  ‘What should we do with it?’

  ‘Leave it, let’s go.’

  ‘Oh my, just wait a mome-‘

  ‘Are you sure? It seems harmless? And friendly?’

  ‘I don’t know… I’ve never seen a trustworthy-looking ice cube. Popsicles are better.’

  The ice cube remained silent, seemingly having resigned itself to its fate. Shiver finally knelt, picking the ice cube up with care.

  ‘That’s better! Finally, I have the opportunity to correct a misunderstanding. I’m far grander than any “popsicle”... I resent the comparison! I’m your guide, Shiver, as I’ve been trying to tell you. It’s nice to meet you!’

  ‘A guide?’

  ‘Yes! As you must know, guides are assigned to Fearshapers to aid in your descent into your Fear!’

  Vale’s mouth dropped open.

  ‘So it is true! You are a Fearshaper! There’s hardly a way you could have conjured those ice daggers otherwise!’

  Vale gasped, the realisation hitting her.

  ‘YOU’RE OF NOBLE BLOOD!’

  ‘Noble blood?’

  Vale huffed, staring down Shiver, who diligently avoided her gaze.

  ‘After all of the strife you put me through for being a lady, throwing me to the crabs to “humble me”, you’ve been a noble all along! Only nobles can be Fearshapers, though I don’t know of any that wield the power of ice…’

  Shiver shrugged, scratching her head with practiced nonchalance.

  ‘Well, I never knew my parents, and they’re dead to me for all the help they’ve bee-‘

  ‘Silence.’

  The ice cube’s voice cut through their exchange, stopping them in their tracks. The winter wind battering the illusory wall seemed to momentarily halt.

  Goosebumps erupted along Vale’s arms as a sudden chill washed over her. She took an instinctive step away from the ice cube.

  ‘Becoming a Fearshaper is the right of all elves.’

  Somewhat ironically, the ice cube’s tone turned warm and motherly, as if gently chiding them for making a small mistake but speaking with an authority that surprised the pair. It seemed to assume that this was common knowledge to Shiver and Vale.

  ‘That can’t be right! Only the noble families have ever produced Fearshapers.’

  The ice cube fell silent, as if pondering Vale’s words. Shiver manifested the daggers she had called upon in her fight with the lord.

  ‘You’re telling me I’m a Fearshaper?’

  The ice cube beamed up at her.

  ‘That’s right!’

  ‘And where Highlord Berevan has a phoenix for a guide… I got an ice cube? I thought I picked a [Mythic] guide.’

  At her words, the ice cube fell silent. As the silence drew on, Vale gave the ice cube a pitying look.

  ‘Oh, stop it, Shiver. Miss? If I may address you as such, don’t mind my companion’s temperament, it took me a bit to get used to her. My name is Vale R- ahem, Vale. How may we address you?’

  Shiver continued with her muttering.

  ‘Why couldn’t you have been a popsicle instead.’

  ‘Shiver stop being ungrateful. Let her speak!’

  They paused, looking expectantly at the cube. With a soft voice, she replied.

  ‘You may call me… Icey.’

  The crack of thunder reverberated throughout the cave from the outside. The howl of the wind grew louder, the telltale sign of an oncoming blizzard.

  You had to hand it to the ice cube.

  She had a great sense for drama.

  ---

  Vale continued forwards, trailing after their new companion who scouted ahead. She cast furtive glances back towards Shiver, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression without betraying her concern.

  Shiver’s face was shrouded in darkness, and since Icey’s arrival, she had just trudged forward in silence.

  She’s taking this hard. What can I do for her?

  Vale let out a sigh, as she continued onwards, delving further into the cave. Icey was their saving grace, as shrouded in the dark as they were. Without her to help navigate for them, Vale wouldn’t have been surprised if they ended up lost, never to see the surface again.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  ‘Psst. Vale.’

  Vale’s eyes widened, and she turned to Shiver. As she approached, she made out her expression. Calm and serene, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

  Vale frowned.

  Of course she’s pretending. She doesn’t want me to worry.

  The girl hung back, allowing Shiver to catch up to her.

  ‘What do you make of my companion? Do you know much about guides?’

  Vale let out a smug laugh.

  ‘Would you look at that, the genius stumped. Your lack of even elementary knowledge disappoints me.’

  ‘How very helpful of you. What would you have me do to persuade you to share your wisdom? Perhaps you would like your boots licked and shined, my lady?’

  Vale yelped as she heard Shiver rasp, presumably collecting saliva in her mouth and preparing to spit it in her direction.

  ‘You’re truly feral aren’t you? Oh very well… I suppose I should start with Fearshaping.’

  While Vale’s tone had remained steady, Shiver sensed a tension that entered her voice, where it had previously been absent.

  ‘Even given my… noble birth… my father and our tutors kept knowledge of Fearshaping under lock and key. My elder siblings obtained guides, and began their descent into their Fears. They never told me just how they began their descent.'

  Vale winced as her thoughts turned to her siblings.

  'Perhaps it's no surprise, they'd sooner kill me than share any useful information.'

  Shiver raised an eyebrow. She couldn't help but feel impressed by Vale’s nonchalance.

  'Each began their journey by visiting Somnolence, the Archcity of Dreams – but they revealed nothing more. Only that those who were deserving – the nobility – had the right to begin their descent.’

  ‘Their… “descent”?’

  ‘Yes, their descent. From what we were told of guides, their purpose is to path a way through the depths of your Fear, until you are released from it. Oh wait a minute... that must be what "Serenity" means. The word in Olthamus' journal.’

  Shiver froze. It was widely known that Fearshaping was a power reserved for the nobility, the chosen. In addition to gaining absurd power, now she was to believe that they eventually became free of their Fears?

  Pov had told her a long time ago, that Fears came in all forms.

  Fears of tangible objects – like Dag’s Fear of blades or her own Fear of ice.

  Even intangible concepts, though rarer, like Pov’s own Fear of destitution.

  Shiver remembered the instant her Fear had manifested. Once it had, her life had changed irrevocably.

  For her, it had come in the form of panic at the sight or feel of the cold. Hallucinations of shades, that gradually came to bear the appearance of people in her life.

  For Pov, his Fear had fostered hoarding tendencies. It had led him to greed and obsession, that threatened to destroy him. Which was when he had met Marta. She was one of the rare few elves whose Fears had not emerged. For many, it was just a matter of time.

  No one had been there to rescue Shiver.

  And she would be Feardamned if she was going to live out a life of centuries fixated on the object of her Fear.

  Now though…

  ‘You’re telling me, that you nobles were the only ones that had the means to escape your Fears this whole time?’

  Vale winced. They had both heard what Icey had said to them; it was hard to forget.

  That Fearshaping was a “right of all elves”.

  ‘Tell me, oh wise and noble princess. If Icey is right, why have Fearshapers only ever emerged from the nobility? Hoarding the power that it brings?’

  Vale remained silent. She whispered under her breath.

  ‘I don’t know. It goes against everything I was ever taught.’

  Shiver snorted derisively, and Vale turned to her in annoyance.

  ‘Well. It sounds like you’re blaming me. I’m not having any of it, you crazy orphan.’

  Shiver’s gaze burned into her, with unexpected vitriol.

  ‘You did not see the orphans that were driven to Insanity. Who lost themselves to their nightmares and hallucinations, and their grasp on reality. With no one to support them. Forgive me, princess, if I’m angry that only the nobility were granted the right to free themselves from their Fear.’

  Silence fell between them. Only the dripping of water from stalactites to the cave floor could be heard.

  Shiver’s voice broke through the silence, carrying a hint of remorse at her outburst.

  ‘I’m sorry. You should have seen them, Vale. Even Mother Ventra had her own demons to manage. For all of her faults, she looked out for us. Children with nothing. She used to be better, before her Fear drove her to Tranquillity. It stole her from us completely.’

  Vale met Shiver’s gaze in confusion. The term was unfamiliar to her.

  ‘Tranquility?’

  Shiver stared incredulously at her.

  ‘You truly haven’t heard of it?’

  Vale blushed, just shaking her head.

  ‘Tranquillity is a drug. One that gives you relief from your Fear.’

  Shiver sighed in frustration.

  ‘Freedom from the constant nightmares, hallucinations, and panic that seeps into your bones. It’s no surprise that so many grow addicted to it.’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Being left without, it only brings symptoms of greater severity with its withdrawals. It creates a destructive cycle, and before you know it, your Fear is far more terrifying than if you had never indulged in the first place..’

  They walked on in silence before Shiver broke it once more.

  ‘She gave it to us, naively believing that it would help. When it became clear it was a lie, the old hag continued to cling to her flimsy hope. She still offers it to the younger orphans.’

  Shiver gritted her teeth.

  ‘I hated her for it, but in the end, she’s just another victim of her Fear. It doesn’t excuse what she’s done, though.’

  Vale turned in her tracks, facing Shiver. Her gaze was solemn.

  ‘You said to me yourself, that many ladies and lords flee their families to avoid the responsibility of Fearshaping. There’s a reason for it.’

  A troubled look reached her eyes, yet Shiver watched as it was gradually overcome by the steel in her expression.

  ‘Fearshaping is no easy road to peace. They call it a “descent” into your Fear for a reason. Every step in your descent drives you closer to Insanity. Most Fearshapers lose themselves to their Fears entirely, before becoming free from their Fears.’

  ‘Then it looks like neither of us have an easy path ahead of us then.’

  Vale stared at her in surprise.

  ‘You knew?’

  ‘Isn’t it obvious? Why else would you seek out the Archcity of Fear if not to awaken as a Fearshaper?’

  Shiver reached out in the dark, and gave her a hefty thump on her back.

  ‘Ow!’

  ‘I underestimated you. Having the guts to call me an “orphan” to my face and to challenge the Highlord of death-‘

  ‘Shiver, those two things are not equivalent-‘

  ‘I’m sorry for thinking you were a na?ve, prissy and dull-headed lady.’

  Vale hesitated in her tirade. As her eyes passed over Shiver’s expression, it was no longer manufactured to prevent the betrayal of any hint of emotion. The girl looked ragged and tired, like she had lost all of the vitality that she had when they were in Brimstone.

  But…

  Vale’s lips slowly formed into a smile.

  ‘I’m sorry for thinking you were a happy-go-lucky idiot with no sense of responsibility.’

  They exchanged a smirk.

  It seemed like Shiver still had a bit of fight left in her.

  ‘I’ve never heard such strange apologies before… It sounded like you were just insulting each other. Anyway, we’ve arrived!’

  They jumped at Icey’s sudden appearance.

  Before they knew it, an end to the endless darkness finally revealed itself.

  ---

  Beyond them was a door cast in a familiar, dark metal.

  Darksteel, the precious ore that dominated Brimston’s anvils.

  To cast a door of all things in the metal was such an exercise in excess that the sight of it would have sent the undercity’s smiths into an uproar.

  Icey raced onto Vale’s shoulder, somehow defying gravity as she climbed the side of her body to rest on her shoulder. The little ice cube had doggedly avoided Shiver throughout the length of their journey through the cave. Vale didn’t blame her.

  The girl had treated her with suspicion, brushing off her attempts at connection. Vale understood.

  If she was assigned to Shiver as a guide, she’d resign.

  ‘Let’s try to open it.’

  Shiver stalked forwards, giving the door a tentative push. It resisted briefly, but slowly gave way to her efforts. With Vale’s help, the door creaked open to reveal a stone passageway. It was lined with warm orange orbs, emitting a soft light. They floated a short distance from the walls that they bordered. Glowing orange script lined the walls, appearing to supply them with the necessary power.

  ‘Pretty! Let’s go!’

  ‘Wait Ice-‘

  Icey burst into motion, rushing through the corridor into the darkness beyond. Shiver cursed as Vale excitedly followed her, throwing caution to the wind.

  Shiver rubbed at her temples. Things were in dire straights if she was the cautious one.

  The corridor led into what appeared to be a large mansion, lit only by the small orange orbs of light. The place was deserted, devoid of any signs of life.

  ‘Vale, Icey! Get back here.’

  Shiver tried to coax her companions back to her, but watched helplessly as they began to ascend a spiral staircase.

  A soft humming emerged from the room above them. A mellow, friendly tenor, accompanied by the enthusiastic rustling of pages.

  Twin daggers crystalised into Shiver’s hands. She held them at a ready, joining Vale as they peeked into the room.

  They noticed a short elf, garbed in a familiar attire. A beige bucket hat, shorts and a brown leather coat emblazoned with a shovel and brush.

  Brimstone’s archaeologist’s guild.

  The stout man sported a handlebar moustache and a pair of round copper glasses. He hummed merrily as he paged through a tome almost a quarter of his size.

  Shiver exchanged a glance with Vale. Then she winced at the sudden sound of his voice.

  ‘Rooooad to the unknown. Dododododoo… what secrets lie in wait for me, I wonder. What luck, to find this goldmine on an expedition. Aveline would be positively stewing if she could see me now.’

  The short elf cackled with hearty laughter, speaking to himself.

  ‘Why hello there sir!’

  Shiver froze.

  Vale had taken a step forward into the light, unbeknownst to her. She cursed internally, as she saw Vale draw closer to the stranger, who had reacted in surprise to her greeting with a small jump. He quickly broke into a warm smile and a swift bow.

  Shiver cursed her carelessness internally. In all of the excitement and strangeness, she had forgotten that she had a na?ve noble on her hands.

  ‘Gaah! Oh, a fellow explorer? What luck! Hello there, my name is Pevir, I’m delighted to make your acquaintance. And to whom do I owe the pleasure?’

  ‘My name is Vale and may I confess Pevir, it is wonderful to finally be graced by such refined company. It truly has been too long.’

  Shiver’s eyebrow twitched.

  ‘Forgive my companion, she’s a little shy, come on out Shiver!’

  Vale made a gesture towards the staircase, dashing Shiver’s plans of covert surveillance.

  Shiver masterfully withheld her exasperation as she stepped forward into the light, holding a dagger behind her, obscured from Pevir’s view.

  You could never be too careful.

  ‘Oh, how wonderful! I can’t tell you how glad I am to see fellow explorers; it’s been too long!’

  ‘And where do you hail from Sir Pevir?’

  ‘Oh, just Pevir would suit perfectly – I’m from Brimstone’s archaeologist’s guild! Are you familiar?’

  Vale coughed in to her fist.

  ‘Intimately. I’ve heard the guildmistress is quite the character.’

  They watched as Pevir burst out into laughter. He wiped away a small tear, and continued chuckling heartily. The pair exchanged a glance.

  ‘Ahh my beloved niece! I can’t wait to share what I’ve found with Aveline. I’ve been camped out for almost three days now, there’s so much to explore! Do you two hail from Brimstone as well? How did you stumble across an entrance?’

  Vale froze, looking to Shiver in desperation.

  Avalkin’s nutsack. Of course she didn’t think of a plan.

  ‘Why… we were seeking adventure of course.’

  Shiver walked forward with a twinkle in her eye, spreading her arms. The dagger, nowhere to be seen.

  ‘You of all people would understand Sir Pevir.’

  The elf’s moustache twitched into a bright smile, displaying his palpable excitement.

  ‘We were exploring the wilds – we thought to catch a glimpse of the elusive emberhare – have you heard of the creature?’

  Vale shot Shiver a quizzical glance.

  ‘I’ve never heard of such a thing.

  ‘Ah well you see, there have been rumours all around Brimstone of an ancient species of rabbit that live in the mountains, with a flaming coat. Capable of leaping great distances, leaving ash and firelight in their wake.’

  Pevir’s eyes widened in amazement as he shook his head.

  ‘If it weren’t for my prior obligations, those rumours would have enticed me as well.’

  ‘Indeed, indeed sir. The Verscallian Peaks hold many secrets… But if I may be so rude as to enquire – what exactly was the assignment which brought you out here? I am at a loss for where exactly we’ve found ourselves?’

  Vale arched an eyebrow as Shiver continued to play the part of a naive girl, lost in the moods. Shiver shot her a covert glare, which made her flinch, before her expression instantly returned to one of idle curiosity.

  The archaeologist laughed heartily, and adjusted his glasses with a mischevious smile. Utterly oblivious to their silent conversation.

  ‘Why it was a grand challenge. To uncover a place lost to our histories-‘

  He rose from where he was seated – before the enormous book lit inthe flickering light of floating, ethereal orbs pervading the library. Crossing the floor surprisingly nimbly on his short legs, the archaeologist gently withdrew a weathered set of curtains to reveal a sight which made Vale audibly gasp and Shiver’s heart stop.

  They stared, peering through the small gap in the curtains the archaeologist had created.

  ‘The lost Archcity of Fear – welcome to Anhedonia.’