BEYOND THE ICEWALL (A Dragonlance Reign of Winter Story)

[Lady Argentea Malassene]

Why are you revealing our intimacies?

*Blushes*

[Kileanna]

It seemed... uh... relevant? I mean... so they can understand who we are... Why we do what we do... I don't know...
You aren't upset, are you?
*Gives her an innocent stare*

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 21

The rest of the night was uneventful. I slept next to my sister, as usual, though some nightmares haunted my dreams again. I was mostly accustomed to them, so it was a regular night for me. The next morning we woke up with the riding sun, and after Indi and I refreshed our spells, we got back onto the trail. The weather was slightly better than the previous day, and Waldsby wasn't far away.

We had almost reached our destination when Nadya pointed towards a black spot in the sky. I had already spotted the flock of birds a while ago, but I didn't pay much attention to them. Nadya became terrified, though, when she realized they were approaching.

-You gotta hide, quick! Don't let them see you!

Even if we didn't understand why Nadya was so worried, we tried to do what she said, but it was too late. The flock of birds descended upon us. Nadya pulled out her bow and my sister followed her lead. They were both competent archers, and each shot killed a bird,which would have been great if there weren't dozens of them. I prepared myself to cast a spell, but before I could do anything I found myself swarmed by the crows. They were pecking at my face, trying to reach my eyes. It was the most painful thing I had ever experienced.

-Get away from them!- Indi's voice sounded distant and muffled by all the flapping and croaking, but he was only a few steps away from me. I stumbled away the best I could, and before the whole mass of birds had time to follow, I heard Indi invoking the power of his goddess to burn them all. I was recoiling in pain,with my hands covering my eyes, so I didn't see what happened. I heard more croaking, more flapping, and Indi screaming "get off of me!" Apparently, the surviving birds wanted to avenge their charred cousins. I guess that Cat and Nadya brought most of the remaining birds down wirh their bows, because the next thing I heard was Nadya saying that they were fleeing and exhorting Cat to kill them before they got away.
-We are in trouble.- she said when everything was over.- Those crows are spies for Nazhena. You much watch out for crows and mirrors while you are in Irrisen. Witches can spy on you from them.

Truth or superstition, I didn't know, but definitely, those weren't normal birds.

-Normal crows aren't that vicious.- I whined, rubbing my eyes with my hands. It hurt so much.
-Are you all OK?- asked Nadya.
-Those damned sons of the Abyss tried to gouge my eyes out!- complained Indi.

Fortunately, Nadya's peers had managed to take cover too, so they were all safe. The wounds on my face weren't serious either, just a few scratches, but my eyes were still burning in pain.

-Let me see that.- said my sister grabbing my wrist gently to get my hand out of my face. The daylight did nothing but increase the burning sensation, so I closed my eyes instinctively.- Maggots!- she cursed in elven tongue, and then she repeated again:- Maggots!- despite its complexity, the kagonesti dialect was kinda lacking and unimaginative when it came to curse words.
-What's wrong?- I asked, trying not to appear too scared.
-Your eyes are bleeding.- announced Argentea with absolute calm.

I attempted to keep my eyes open, but I only saw black shades dancing over a red-white background. Indi's healing magic alleviated the pain but didn't improve my vision: basic spells provided only a quick and rough mending, which wasn't of help when it came to healing wounds that needed delicate manipulation. This was the case: I risked going blind for many days if my eyes weren't correctly treated. Fortunately, I had a rough idea of what we had to do. Unfortunately, no one else did, so I had to trust my sister to be my hands and my eyes, while I guided her carefully, telling her step by step what she should do. And here comes a piece of advice: never trust a hunter to do the work of a healer. In all her willingness, my sister was about to gouge out one of my eyes.

-It's not that I like my uneven eyes a lot, but I'd rather keep both of them if possible!- I joked, in an attempt of lightening up the situation.
-Allow me.-said Nadya with her heavily accented voice. I tried to instruct her on what she had to do.- Shut up and stand still.- she spoke to me like I was one of her children.

I don't know what Nadya did aside from washing my eyes in cold water, but I don't think she really knew what she was doing. She just improvised. Anyway, whatever she did, she did well. Because while Nadya could be a hunter, but she was also a mother, and mothers usually come with impressive healing powers (at least mothers who don't abandon their children to be raised by others, but we'll get into that later in the story).

After a while, my eyes were still tearing up, my vision was a bit blurry and the daylight still burned my eyes, but at least I had recovered my eyesight and we were free to continue our trip. Waldsby was already near and, after having alerted Nazhena's spies, we shouldn't delay.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 22

As we got to Waldsby, the first thing I noticed was an awkward sensation of having been there before. The faces were new, the buildings were new, the environment was new, but everything felt strangely... familiar.

Many villagers had come to greet the hunting party: in that cold, infertile land, their lives depended on a successful hunt. Their initial excitement, though, turned quickly to waryness and mistrust when they saw us, the strange-looking foreigners. I was already used to that kind of first impression (I was a wild elf among humans and a bad omen among kagonesti elves), but it caused a big shock to Argentea and Indi, who had always been "normal". Indi was the one to cause the strongest reaction among villagers: adults stared at him with their eyes wide open while children pointed their fingers at him in amusement.

-Let's get to my house- said Nadya to Indi in a low voice-. I will lend you some clothes. You might not be cold but you are getting too much attention.

Nadya did her best to calm down things and convince her folks that we weren't trouble but, even after she spoke, they still looked at us with that mixture of fear and hostility that was so familiar to me.

We had to cross the whole town to get to Nadya's home, a cabin on the opposite side of the village.

-It's like we were back in Linsel.- my sister said as we got to the main square.

I looked around and I realized what she was talking about, the reason behind the feeling of having already been there. Each street, each building had exactly the same layout than the ones in Linsel. Even minor details like the number of windows or the placement of the doors seemed identical. The coincidences were too many to be accidental but, being under the curious eyes of so many villagers, it wasn't the right time to discuss and investigate the peculiarities of the town.

From Nadya's home, in the outskirts of the town, we had a clear sight of the tower that dominated the view. It was majestic, and it seemed to have been sculpted completely out of ice.

-That is the Pale Tower, Nazhena's home- explained Nadya, with a hint of rage in her voice-. All the food we brought was meant to be a payment for Thora's freedom- she sighed-. Now there's no point in it. Please, don't tell the kids anything about their sister, okay?- she added, almost as a plead, before opening the door and entering the cabin. It was a small home, but it was kept incredibly neat and tidy, considering there were two children living there. Of course, there wasn't a single mirror in sight. Aside from being an expensive good, Nadya firmly believed that witches were able to use them to spy on people.

The two young human boys stormed from the other side of the house to greet their mother, followed by an old woman. Nadya presented the kids (who were identical twins) as Orm and Mjoli, and then the old woman as a neighbor who cared for her children while she was away. Her name was Kashka and she didn't speak a single word in Common tongue but, to our surprise, the young boys did. After Kashka was gone, Nadya explained to us that her husband had descended from foreigners, and that his biggest dream had been to take his family out of Irrisen and the control of the Winter Witches. That explained why Nadya and her children spoke a fairly good Common.

The two kids were quick to bombard us with questions. Where did we come from? What were we doing there? Why were our ears so long? They were relentless, but we were glad to answer all their questions, and we were more sincere to them than we had been to anyone else since we had got there. Cat and Indi seemed to be like magnets to them: my sister had always had a natural understanding of children and Indi was a big kid. I liked them too, but they didn't seem to find me especially funny or interesting, so I enjoyed being ignored for once in my life. Argentea just stayed away from them: one could think she was afraid. And Blond... well, he was just standing still in the middle of the room like a piece of furniture, in his typical fashion.

After a few minutes Nadya excused herself, she had to take care of the food shipment and divide it amoung the villagers. She entrusted us with taking care of her sons while she was away: they were in good hands, but before she left, Nadya also showed Indi a closet full of clothes and told him to take all that he needed. After all, her husband wouldn't be needing them anymore. Indi felt a bit uncomfortable wearing clothes that belonged to Nadya's dead husband, but he thought that it would have been impolite to refuse. And, truth to be told, they fitted him so perfectly that it would have been a shame to just leave them there.

Nadya wasn't away for a long time: she returned soon with her share of the hunt. The kids were so distracted playing "pull my sister's ears" that they didn't even stop to greet their mother. Meanwhile, Indi and I had been discussing what to do with Blond, and we had come to the decision of seeking advice. Nadya told us how to locate the local temple, whose only priest, Rolf Halzberg, had no love for the Witches. He was a follower of the faith of The Tree of Wisdom, Zivilyn, and might be able to help us to discover what was wrong with Blond. While Indi and I went out to take Blond to the temple, Cat and Argentea stayed with Nadya, watching the kids and talking about the threats we might find on our way to the Pale Tower and inside.

The "temple" itself wasn't in fact more than a small chapel built next to a burned house. The villagers seemed to avoid both buildings, but while the chapel just looked like it was being ignored, people who passed by the burned house made signs against the evil eye. Later, Rolf the priest would tell us why the house was supposedly haunted: not long ago the duchess Nazhena had sentenced its owner to be hung and burn his house down with the rest of inhabitants (a woman and a baby) inside, just because she had heard rumors of treason. It was because of that kind of incidents that Rolf gave us a cold geeeting at first, and when we told him that Blond was allegedly the son of Nazhena he looked like he was about to ask us politely to get out of his chapel. But Rolf was a kind and helpful man at heart and, despite his fear of Nazhena, he really wanted to help us.

Rolf was skeptical about Blond being literally Nazhena's son. She had never been married and, even though there were rumors about her having a love affair with her apprentice (a man without a pint of noble blood in his veins called Radosek Pavril) she had never been known to be pregnant. Of course, there were many ways she could have hidden it and kept a secret son, but Rolf believed that it was unlikely that Blond was Nazhena's son in a literal way. He, however, considered it to be more than possible that he was under the influence of one of her spells or that he had been somehow created by her magic. He was no expert in witch magic, though, so the only aid he could offer was studying him for a few days and try to get something out of him. It wasn't so different from what we had already done, but we had been too busy to pay too much attention to him, and he clearly needed help. Rolf, even if we had just met him, was the best we had. After discussing with him for a while about faith, gods and belief, he seemed trustworthy to me and he also despised the Witches (who kept Chemosh as the main god of the queendom and marginalized other religions). That was a plus.

After negotiating to leave Blond in the chapel for a couple of days (thay would last forever) we got back to Nadya's cabin. Argentea and Nadya were talking in front of the window that offered the clearest view of the Pale Tower, while Cat was sitting by the fire with Orm and Mjoli, who were telling her something she seemed to find really funny. She cheerfully greeted us.

-Orm and Mjoli have such a lively imagination!- she said- They were telling me about their imaginary friend who once tickled Nazhena's feet!
-Hatch isn't imaginary!- protested one of the kids- He is here!
-He is invisible because he doesn't like strangers.- explained his brother.
-Oh, I'm sorry, Hatch.- apologized Cat with a playful voice. She still didn't believe that Hatch could be real, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. People didn't believe that Nina could understand me either, and she did.

I asked them many questions about Hatch. Even if he wasn't real, he seemed like an interesting character anyway. According to the kids, Hatch had escaped Nazhena's tower because she was no fun, and he had been hiding for some time in the house until the kids found him. He cleaned the house when their mother was away, and he also entertained the kids with jokes and pranks. He had been a bit sad since Thora was away, but tasty food and treats always cheered him up. When they ended speaking about Hatch, I still wasn't sure about whether he was real or not. An imaginary friend who acted like a mother when their real mother was away and who was also able to prank the big baddie by harmless means like tickling her feet seemed like the perfect story for a kid to make up. But what if Hatch was real and he had really been to the Pale Tower? He could provide priceless information!

So I devoted myself to the task of earning Hatch's trust. I spoke to the walls, presenting myself and my friends, like there was someone listening. I told stories to the air about our adventures that Orm and Mjoli also enjoyed listening to. And I recruited the aid of my sister to cook some delicious treats for the invisible friend. Nadya looked at us like we had lost our minds. The kids were as excited as I was about getting Hatch to reveal himself. Even when Cat offered them some of the treats we had cooked, they politely refused, arguing that "those are Hatch's sweets. He'll share them if he wants to".

As I didn't want to be too insistent with Hatch, we chose to leave him alone for a while and pay a visit to the inn. People tended to gather at inns in the evening and we might be able to gather some useful information from them. It might be a dangerous place, though, as Nadya told us: many guards from the Pale Tower frequented the place, so we risked calling out Nazhena's attention.

-It's worth trying- shrugged Cat-. Haven't the crows already alerted her? What's the worst thing that could happen?
-Getting in a fight?- I asked. For some reason (a reason called Alleycat) each time I walked into a tavern, inn or similar, a fight happened.
-Who would start a fight in an inn?- asked Argentea in disbelief- That would endanger a lot of people, it wouldn't be wise.
-You haven't been in many tavern fights, have you?- asked my sister, rising an eyebrow.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 23

Nadya instructed us before we got to the inn. We should be cautious and try not to bring uncalled attention to ourselves. Though most people didn't have any love for Nazhena, they wouldn't lift a finger against her guards if we got attacked by them. She was the established power in the region and nobody would dare to defy her. We should be able to find some people there who were able to speak in Common. Though it was kinda infrequent in the rest of Irrisen, there were quite a few people with Northern ancestry in Waldsby who had been taught Common as a rarely used second language. Asking too many questions to the wrong people could end with them alerting the authorities about trouble-seeking foreigners, so we had to be cautious. Nadya also informed us that we would find many people who were able to speak our language among Nazhena's followers. It was said that she had commanded them to learn it a few years ago. Argentea believed it proved the existance of an invasion plan on our lands. Why else bother teaching a foreign language to the troops?

After Nadya told us to "avoid trouble by any means" for the hundredth time, we left for the inn. We were surprised to find it emptier than we had expected. There were a few people scattered around the place, having their meals quietly; five fully armed men standing at the bar; and the two innkeepers, who had to be a married couple, for the look of them. Behind the bar, the biggest mirror I had ever seen reflected back the whole room. I hadn't seen my own face so clearly before, and for a moment I was distracted by my own reflection: a mess of red hair with mismatched eyes giving me a disapproving stare.

-This place is dead.- groaned my sister, staring suspiciously at the armed men. As always, she kept the focus on what really mattered everytime I got lost in irrelevant thoughts- Let's get out of here.

Too late. We had already become the center of attention: the newcomers, the foreigners. The people at the tables spied on us out of the corner of their eyes while faking an unusual interest in their meals. The armed men and the innkeepers just stared at us with a complete lack of subtlety.

-Well-come travelers!- said the male innkeeper in a loud, heavy accented Common, with a huge forced smile on his lips. I found him creepy, and the fact that he used the Common language to adress us worried me. He knew too much.- Take a seat! It's dinner time!

The woman rushed to clean a table (that was already perfectly clean) and offer a seat to each one of us with the same fake smile on her lips.

-Let's get out of here.- mustered Cat again.

But, as I said, it was already too late. We couldn't do anything but playing the game.

-You will be served in a couple of minutes.- said the woman. She had a crystalline voice, with next to no accent and not a single trace of kindness in it.

As she left, the man who seemed to be in charge of the armed men approached our table. He was a tall and gruff man with a thick beard, who carried a spiked shield on his back that made me think of Argentea's. He introduce d himself (in perfect Common) as Volan Sertane, captain of the guard at the Pale Tower. A pair of villagers finished their meals in a hurry and then rushed out of the place. My sister had a "we are screwed" look on her face. Indi seemed more excited than nervous. As for Argentea, she remained as inscrutable as ever, but she didn't lift her hand from the grip of her blade. I looked at the mirror again, searching for a hint of someone else spying on us from it. Of course, it didn't reveal anything to me but my own face... again.

The captain didn't ask us any questions that hadn't been posed to us before: Where did we come from? What were we doing here? No matter how good could our lies be, all of them were easily dismantled by the fact that we didn't know a single word in Skald, the local language. But, unlike my friends, who had already assumed that we wouldn't get out of the inn without a fight, I still believed we could talk our way out of there. I engaged the captain in conversation, trying not to reveal too much, just enough to make him satisfied, but he never seemed to be so. I tried to be as charming as I could: soft voice, innocent smile, big eyed stare... It usually worked well in getting me out of trouble, though my mirror self looked a bit stupid doing it and, gods know why, people tended to think I was flirting each time I did it. And it seemed to be happening again, as the captain asked me to accompany him to a separate room for some private interrogation. Cat and the others freaked out when I agreed, but I had it all under control... or so I thought. He agreed to it being just the two of us, after my friends complained. It would be a good opportunity to extract some useful information out of him, away from the watchful mirror. Something shook inside of me in excitement: he was my prey.

But as we got to a private room, nothing went as expected. Now that he had separated me from my group, the captain became even more commanding, more inquisitive, more aggressive. He wasn't a skilled interrogator, just a brute legitimized by authority. As soon as he locked the door with a key, I started fearing that I hadn't made the right choice. Then he pushed me into taking a potion that would harm me if I attempted to lie. It wasn't so bad, there were still many ways to say the truth. But he was relentless, and anything I said brought him closer to the truth. In the end, I realized I had to get out of there if I didn't want to end up revealing that we knew about the Winter Portal or, alternatively, completely screwed up.

I knew what I had to do but I hadn't done it before. It was all or nothing. I warped his time perceptions to make him experience the tiredness of days of sleeplessness. That was enough to switch off most untrained minds for a few seconds. It worked, but I knew it wouldn't last long. Unlike a real Sleep spell, this was a very rough manipulation that was quick to overcome. As soon as the captain fell asleep, I knelt by him and grabbed the keys, trying not to wake him up. Then I ran to the door and unlocked it. I heard him standing up again, but I didn't look back. I just opened the door and ran across the corridor, crying for help.

The captain ran after me, crying out words in Skald. I only recognized the word for "witch", as it sounded very much like its equivalent in common and I had heard it many times coming from the lips of Nadya and her peers.

I was greeted from the main hall by a crossbow bolt right to my chest. I felt no pain in the rush of the moment. One of the innkeepers, the male, stared at me from behind the bar with homicidal joy and a crossbow in his hands. His wife stood behind a table, giving us a cold stare. Everyone else but the Pale Tower guards had left the place.

-You won't destroy our way of life, invaders.- the woman cried out loud in her perfect Common. It sounded pretty exaggerated, but it wasn't the right time to start an argument. She pulled out a scroll and casted a spell to make us cower in fear, though we were able to resist it and stay focused. The man had shot me, but she was some sort of spellcaster, which made her potentially more dangerous. I lifted a finger towards her.

-Go to sleep.- I hissed, and I invoked my magic again. The woman collapsed on the table.
-You killed her! Witch!- her husband cried out both in fear and grief.
-She's sleeping. Drop your weapon, take her out of here and you will live.

I waited for a second bolt on my chest, but my words had the desired effect on him. He obeyed.

Meanwhile, Volan Sertane was already reaching my position. The other guards were blocking my way, so I couldn't escape. I would have been in real trouble if Cat and Argentea hadn't already engaged them in melee. My sister focused on quickly defeating one of them, allowing Argentea to break the defensive line and charge towards the captain. Using the same strategy she had used with the troll, she used the momentum to push Volan back with her shield, allowing me to retreat. The guards weren't a big threat, but the captain was a tough one. Watching Argentea fighting him made me realize how similar their combat styles were. Indi joined the fray with his quarterstaff, while I stayed at a prudent distance. I couldn't put the captain back to sleep (that only worked once), but the same trick worked with one of his men, the last one as Cat and Indi had already taken the other ones out. Without any help on his side, Volan Sertane was quickly outnumbered and defeated.

Later, when we searched him, we found him in possession of a magic mirror, which we identified as a tool to communicate with someone else (duchess Nazhena, we guessed). The theory of being spied on from mirrors was gaining credibility.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 24

Fortunately, we hadn't killed anybody in the skirmish at the inn. Unfortunately, we had messed up badly and we didn't know what to do with the prisoners. Aftet stabilizing their wounds with magic, while Cat tied them up, I examinated my own injury. It was superficial, but the bolt had been aimed to my chest. I had been lucky. It was a shot that could have easily killed me.

-What are we doing with this people?- asked Argentea, while searching them and removing anything they could use as a weapon.- If we set them free they will alert Nazhena and come back to get us.

That, supposing Nazhena hadn't seen everything using the mirror behind the bar, I thought.

Argentea got distracted for a second testing Sertane's sword, which was crafted out of a particular material, similar to the one Nadya used on the tips of some of her arrows. Cold iron was pretty popular in Irrisen, as it was specially effective against fey creatures. Argentea had found a new weapon.

-Kill them- said Indi in a serious tone. Argentea turned towards him, still wielding Sertane's blade. Indi was freaked out for a second-. We have already messed up. What's to lose?
-So we mess up and they pay for it with their lives?- I protested- That doesn't seem fair. Let's take them to the burned house. People will probably stay away from there.
-That will buy us some time to interrogate them and then decide what to do with them.- said Argentea.

It was already dark outside and there were no people in the streets, so taking them to the burned building shouldn't be difficult, and it seemed safer than waiting for the innkeepers to gather up the courage and allies to come back to get us. Carrying five adult armored men was the main problem, but we solved it by making the only one who was conscious carry one of his peers while we carried the other three. Argentea and Indi could easily lift one of them and carry him over their shoulders, while Cat and I were able to move the last one together. Cat surely could have done it by herself but I wanted to help despite not being that strong.

Once we were safe in the only place in the town where nobody would look, we healed our prisoners up to interrogate them. Argentea expected to get some useful information about the Pale Tower. I wanted to hear from them that we could release them without them coming back to get us. Indi just thought it was a complete loss of time. I hate to have to admit he was right. They were too loyal or too scared to reveal anything sensitive or to even think of betraying Nazhena. And, to them, something like not trying their best against us once we released them seemed like a big betrayal to Nazhena. They'd rather die against us than face the punishments she would bestow on them and their families. And the most terrible thing was that they felt that everything was right as it was: a ruler must ensure the loyalty of her people by any means, and the temptation of power combined with the fear of punishment is one of the best ways to do so.

When we were sure that we wouldn't be getting anything out of them without resourcing to questionable means (something inside of me wanted to test how much pain they could take before they broke, but that wasn't fine) we got back to the point of deciding what to do with them. Indi believed firmly that anything but killing them was a bad idea. They would bring us too much trouble. But, even if we aggreed, we didn't want to take that decission. In the end, I suggested that keeping them as prisoners in the burned house until we got back from the Pale Tower and freeing them after that, when we were ready to leave Waldsby, would solve most of our problems. I am pretty sure that you can see the many drawbacks of taking that course of action. We were no fools. We were aware of them. But that was the only idea we had that didn't involve killing them, so we did it anyway.

After that, we got back to Nadya's home and told her what had happened. She wasn't angry or even specially surprised. I can only guess that she expected us to mess up.

-We will depart tomorrow with the first lights- was the only thing she said-. We have to hurry up before she is fully prepared.

Even if she wasn't, Nazhena seemed like too much for us. But what we could do? Wait until she decided to come at us with all her minions and considerable power? Our best chance was striking first.

-Do you intend to come with us, Nadya?- asked Cat.
-I am going, with or without you. Nazhena will pay for- the kids were already sleeping, but she still spoke in a lower tone-... what she did.
-I won't try to dissuade you- I said-. You have the right to seek revenge. But you still have two children, and if you come with us, you must must be aware that we might not return.
Nadya gave me an intense stare.
-This is all for them. They deserve better than this.
-I understand. I just wanted to be sure that you understood the consequences.
-I do. Better than any of you. We cannot lose.- She didn't say that like "we will win". It was more like "If we lose, the consequences will be terrible".
-Watch out for the goat man too- a low pitched voice came out of the kitchen alongside a munching sound- He's almost as disgusting with Nazhena.

A tiny man with a big beard was sitting on the table, looking at us hesitantly while chewing on one of the traits Cat and I had cooked. He looked almost like a dwarf, but he was about the size of a kender or a goblin.

-Hatch?- I asked.
-You are a domovoi?- added Nadya, surprised and maybe a bit upset- And you are lviing in my house?

The tiny man raised an eyebrow like he was saying: "can you both stop asking obvious things?". I didn't know what domovyie (the plural for domovoi) were, but Nadya told us later. Akin to the fey, domovyie were widely known in Irrisen as mischievous home spirits who were as likely to help doing the housework as to create a real mess, depending on their whimse. This one was apparently in a helpful mood. Even if he had been a bit reluctant to show himself, Hatch wanted to share his knowledge about the Pale Tower with us, so we had a chance to survive. After Nadya's initial shock, we all listened carefully. He had a lot of information and some of it was even helpful. In addition to the color of the curtains, the location of Nazhena's footlocker, and a song that Hatch made us learn by heart because he insisted that it was important (I believed him), we also learned some useful information about the capacities of Nazhena and her apprentice Radosek Pavril (the Goat Man, as Hatch called him). Even though Hatch's explanations were anything but good, I got one thing clear: Nazhena was way beyond our capacities and she wasn't alone. But still, we'd have to find a way to defeat her and close the Winter Portal. Maybe taking the fight to her own lair, her tower protected by Baba Yaga's magic (if we were to believe Hatch's words), wasn't the wisest course of action, but it was still the best option we had.

-Someone should stay here.- I announced after pondering Hatch's words carefully.
Everybody protested at the same time.
-We cannot enter the eye of the storm unprotected- I explained-, and only four of us can bear the Mark at the same time. I don't know exactly how it works, but it's possible that we couldn't even enter the Pale Tower without it...
-Well, it's worth taking the risk.- Shrugged Argentea.
-...or we might be banished from existence, who knows?- I finished- You can assume the risk, but I am not up to it. Even if we are just forced to split up because of the Mark, leaving one of us behind in a hostile territory is unacceptable.

Not that the town was that safe, with its crossbow-wielding innkeeper, but it was definitely safer. In the end, everybody agreed to do it my way, though not everybody was happy about it. Nadya still insisted on coming along and I thought she had the right to avenge her daughter and find some peace. Argentea had also pending issues with Nazhena, who had been resonsible for her kidnapping and the death of her traveling companions. Indi, on his behalf, had befriended Orm and Mjolin and could also help Rolf the priest to learn more about Blonde. He was the perfect candidate to stay out. Now that I come to think about it, I might have suggested Indi for less objective reasons, as I don't feel that I was ready yet to fly on my own without Cat. But whatever the reason was, my arguments stuck and Indi was left behind to take care of Nadya's kids, Blonde and the prisoner. Now that I think about it, maybe leaving him in charge of the prisoners wasn't the best idea either.
After that, we went to sleep... sort of. Nadya slept in Thora's bed. Indi, Cat and I slept on the floor by the fireplace, the best place in the house. I had slept in a real bed once in my life, when I was a child and I caught a severe cold. I had next to no memories of it, but both Cat and I thought that beds were an unnecessary luxury. Argentea, of course, as the noblewoman in the group, got to sleep in the main bed alone. It was big enough for two people, but Nadya would rather sleep with the kids, Cat and I by the fireplace and Argentea thought it was improper to have a man sleeping by her side without being married to him.

But before we went to sleep I wanted to have a talk with Argentea. I had been thinking all day about what had happened the last night. Cat would have said I was overthinking things. I was still worried that she could end up regretting what had happened, or thinking that I had provoked her somehow into it. Indi was much simpler, so honest and open-minded. It was easy to know what was going on in his head. But Argentea seemed confusing to me. It was like she was two different people: the real Argentea and the one she presented to the world.

I knocked on her door, resolved to talk it out, but when the moment came I was unable to get the words sorted in my head, and Argentea didn't seem specially comfortable with the conversation. So, instead of talking about the last night, we ended repeating the last night. At least I could be rather sure now that she didn't regret it.

[Dalindra]

And this is the moment when Blond goes out of the story to never come back.

When I created the character I intended to use him to give my players alternative ways of ending the adventure via a sidequest with the solamnic knights. Blond himself was one of a few solamnic knights kidnapped by the winter witches to obtain information about the enemies they would have to fight with in the upcoming invasion. Once the witches had enough information the knights were executed. All but Blond. Nazhena thought it would be funny to brainwash him and use him against his old friends. Of course, all kind or rumors spread. Some people said he was Nazhena's secret son; another ones believed he was some kind of magic construct, or even a disguised demon!

I roleplayed Blond as a quiet NPC who could slip bits of information to the PCs and help them in little ways (I didn't want him to overshadow the PCs in any way) and... the character was a complete failure. Lesson learned: Quiet characters don't work with my players. Fortunately, they quickly developed bonds with Argentea, who then became the focus of the solamnic sidequest.

As for Nadya:

Indi's player told us he was going to miss some sessions because of real life matters, so I took Nadya and made her an archer Skirmisher Ranger. I intended to use her as an NPC, but I never had to.

The first day Indi couldn't play we welcomed a new player. I didn't want to delay the session making a character for a player who maybe didn't come back, so I let him chose between Argentea and Nadya as his PC. He chose Nadya.

When the session was over, I told him that we could meet another day so he could roll his character. He didn't want to. He had become infatuated with Nadya's background and he wanted to keep roleplaying her. And that way Nadya Petska became one of the most memorable PCs in the adventure.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 25

The next day I woke up before the break of dawn with Nina pulling my hair. Everybody else was still sleeping, but I had to commune with Nina to prepare my daily spells. Each morning I spent about an hour meditating in her company to replenish my magic, so I usually was the first one to wake up but the last one to join the group... though Indi usually shared my situation, as his goddess demanded him to commune with her at sunrise. This morning was unusually early, though, and Indi was still sleeping. Lucky him.

When I joined up with the group they were already having breakfast. We had some leftovers from the previous day, Nadya kissed her kids goodbye, and we departed with the first lights of the day. Orm and Mjoli were happy: something they had heard made them believe we were going to bring Thora back, and they missed her. They were also glad to be left with their new friend Indi, who was much funnier than that old boring Kashka, who was always complaining about her aching hips.

With the first lights of the dawn, I chose my three riders for the day: the redhead Nadya was My Red Sun, the sneaky and stealthy Cat was My Black Midnight and Argentea, our knight in bright armor, could only be My Bright Morning. Then, we tied the dogs to the sled and got back on the road.

Nadya knew all the best paths to get to the Pale Tower without being noticed and despite walking through the woods made our trip longer and more exhausting we were rewarded with an uneventful trip, as patrols rarely ventured beyond the roads. We got to our destination by midday, and I was almost blinded by the light the tower reflected. It was, as I had thought, completely sculpted out of ice and surrounded by a wall of pointy icicles about three times our height. The tower itself resembled a giant icicle. One of the first things we noticed as our eyes got used to the reflecting light was that there was a massive flock of black birds (most likely crows) flying around the top of the building.

There was no visible entrance, but there was a trail of footprints and sled tracks in the snow that led directly to the wall, so it wasn't hard to guess that there must be a door. We decided to approach the tower from the main road and try to get anyone who watched the entrance to allow us to pass. We still had part of the gear that we had taken from the guards we had fought at the inn, so we could pass as a returning patrol to anyone who looked at us from a certain distance. Cat's impersonation wasn't very good, as she was really short for a human and her features were clearly elven, so she stayed behind, cloaked, hooded, and covered by the rest of us. Being almost a head taller than my sister, I didn't have the same problem and despite not having an imposing frame as Argentea or, to a minor degree, Nadya had, I had something even better: magic. Since I was a child I had known how to trick people's minds into make them perceive me as an entirely different person. I didn't know where that ability came from, as nobody had taught it to me, but it had proven useful in the past to get free meals. This would be the first time that I put it in a truly serious use and I really wished that it worked. Nadya had been teaching me some words and phrases in Skald and I hoped to be able to speak them correctly and convincingly to reinforce my impersonation. In the end, Skald was kinda similar to Common, as all human languages had a common origin in Ergot, the first human tongue. What really made Skald difficult to understand (and to speak) was the accent: despite having been practicing for the last hours, the heavy consonant sounds still got stuck in my throat.

We approached the wall, with Nadya and me in the lead, and Cat in the back. I was wearing the face of one of Sertane's men, so the guards on the wall could at least see a familiar face. The rest of the group covered their faces with their hoods the best they could. I was relieved to hear that the guard that adressed us spoke in short phrases and cried them out loud and clear: "Who goes there?", "Where do you come from?" So I was able to understand everything with little effort. Nadya and I did all the speaking, though there wasn't too much to do. I repeated my prepared speech and we were allowed to get in without further questioning. Part of the wall lifted like a regular portcullis, through instead of metal bars it was made out of polished icicles. We crossed the gate, and I felt grateful that the guards remained in their places instead of approaching us, as I didn't think our costumes were good enough to hold up to a closer examination.

We got into an open courtyard, dominated by an imposing ice scultpture of a dragon spreading its wings. To its sides, there were seven wooden shacks, and some dogsleds parked near them. As soon as we got out of the sight of the guards at the entrance we peeped inside one of the shacks.

-Dogs- whispered Cat, the first one to look-. But they are dead.
-Are you sure?- asked Argentea, who couldn't see a lot in the dim light inside the shack.
-Yes, unless they like sleeping in a pool of blood with their guts scattered all around the place.

Argentea backed away, deciding she didn't need to see that, and headed towards another shack. She opened the door, took a look inside, closed the door and looked at us with a face that made her look like she smelled rotting fish.

-Nothing to see. Just more dead dogs.
-But who did it? And why?- I asked. Killing the dogs and leaving their remains scattered all over the place made no sense.

I would get an answer to my questions soon, as the next shack we checked was occupied by something quite different from a dog. A large hunched figure approached us as we opened the door. It had a thick blue skin, tiny red eyes and unusually long arms ended in hooked claws. We had fought a troll before, but this one seemed bigger and stronger.

We thought we could avoid a fight by pretending to be guards, but that didn't help. Bordegga, as the troll called herself, had grown tired of being paid in useless metal and gave us an ultimatum: bring me food or become food. Anything as good as the dogs from our sleds would suffice. Even though she effectively mistook us for guards, she didn't show any respect to us, acting in a belligerent way and constantly threatening us. Who was the genius who thought that hiring this troll as a guard was a good idea?

We might have avoided the fight, but after seeing the fate of the dogs in the kennels we weren't willing to sacrifice the ones that came with us. Most humans treated animals under their care like they were slaves or belongings, but Nadya was kind to "her" dogs. Cat and I thought that sacrificing the life of someone under our protection was beyond consideration. Argentea, who couldn't care less about the dogs, thought that Bordegga was dangerous, unpredictable, and would turn against us when she had an opportunity, and there was no point in negotiating with such a creature. She was possibly right, as the first thing Bordegga did after we told her that she couldn't eat the dogs was saying that we would make a better meal and attacking us right away.

Argentea was the target of the first blows, as we were ready for a fight and she had taken a strategic position up in front of us to protect us from being hit. She parried the first attack from the troll's axe, dodged her claw and made her taste the steel of her shield when she attempted to bite her. She had learned from our last time fighting a troll that they liked to bite, and this one seemed to find us especially tasty. Cat got out from behind the wall of the shack, ready to do her thing, but I told her to wait. Trolls had a thick skin and regenerative blood, which could make them formidable adversaries when fighting them with conventional weapons, but they also had a reputation for being rather stupid and weak willed. The trick that I had used against Volan and her men should work with Bordegga too: a couple of words, a simple gesture, and she was put to sleep. Cat was quick to slit her throat with no hesitation, as we knew that it wouldn't kill her but keep her unconscious for a while. According to the legends, even severed heads would grow back or reattach themselves.

-We must kill her- said Nadya, putting an arrow right into Bordegga's eye with surprising accuracy to prevent her from regaining consciousness-. If we don't, she will come after us as soon as she awakens.
-Isn't there a way to prevent that?- I asked- Locking her up in the kennels,maybe?
-Does she look like she would be held back by a thin layer of wood?- smirked Argentea.

She was right. Given some effort and time, even I might be able to knock down the door.

-We gotta be quick- insisted Nadya-. With all this noise, we must have already alerted the guards.
-Fire- I said-. We need something that we can set on fire.

Cat improvised a torch as fast as she could wrapping some cloth around a broken broomstick she found inside the shack. I produced some fire with my magic, just a tiny spark that was only useful to ignite easily flammable things: fire magic wasn't really my speciality. Argentea didn't wait for confirmation, as she knew what she had to do.

-Now!- she cried out as she beheaded the troll, holding her sword with both hands. It wasn't a clear cut: the head was still attached to the body by some sinew and bone, which was quickly regenerating.

Cat didn't hesitate. She pressed the improvised torch against the partially severed head and, with a crispy sound of charred flesh, the troll stopped moving. The wounds were no longer bleeding or regenerating.

-Should we set her on fire to be sure she's dead?- asked my sister, looking at me for an answer, but it was Nadya who spoke:
-No. No time for that.

It was difficult to recognize the sweet and caring mother in the cold and determined hunter that Nadya had become since our departure. Cat and Argentea shared her determination, but while the first's motivation was protecting me and the latter's was duty, Nadya was solely motivated by revenge. And, what would happen when, after having had her revenge, she realized that her daughter was still gone? I was worried for her. Anyway, we did what she said and hurried up. The guards should already be coming... Save they weren't, and they never did. They must have heard the fight. Maybe they'd rather avoid the troll. Maybe they were already used to Bordegga causing trouble and they chose to ignore her. Or maybe they were just incompetent. We never knew. We just found ourselves in front of the icy doors of the Pale Tower with no more opposition. And the doors weren't even locked. We were coming for Nazhena.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 26

As we opened the doors we were greeted by an unexpected wave of heat. We got to a circular chamber dominated by a steaming pool right in the center, surrounded by six pillars of ice. Cloudy versions of ourselves walked towards us from foggy mirrors on the walls as we entered the room. I wasn't still used to my own reflection (it was disturbing) but, aside from that, the chamber seemed empty. We approached cautiously to the center and I kneeled by the pool. The water was steaming hot, perfect for a bath. I got rid of my uncomfortable guard costume (which was pretty useless in such close quarters) to make it seem like I was about to get into the pool.

-Forget about Nazhena, I am staying here.- I joked. Fluffyball Nina opened an eye and hooted lazily in agreement.
-Focus.- said Argentea trying to appear severe but not really being able to conceal her smile.
-Okay...- I answered with pretended annoyance and joined back with the group.

There were many sets of doors that led out of the main hall, plus a couple of square ice platforms, one at each side of the room. A magical detection spell revealed that they were magical in nature, so I proceeded to examine them more thoroughly while Cat approached stealthily the doors to check what was behind them. Meanwhile, Nadya and Argentea kept an eye out for us so we weren't surprised by unexpected attackers. The floor, despite being made out of polished ice, wasn't slippery at all, and it muffled sound allowing my sister to move around like a ghost. When she was done she informed us that two doors lead to latrines, another two lead to sets of stairs, and the last ones lead to chambers full of people. Though she only had been able to get a glimpse of the two last rooms, she was pretty sure that they were some kind of dormitories or barracks for the guards. Meanwhile, I had identified the platforms as some sort of teleporters that could be only be activated by some sort of specific event. If that was the use of an item, a password, or anything else, I had no clue, nor I did know where they led to. But I remembered the song that Hatch had taught us, insisting so much on us learning it by heart. The first time I had heard the verses I had thought them to be a sort of riddle but maybe they were just a password. I was excited to check out if my guess about the teleporters was right, so I voted to try our luck with them before walking up the stairs. Nadya agreed: if they were aware of our presence in the tower, they would expect us to use the stairs, not the teleporters. Argentea didn't think that a magic device could be a trustworthy traveling option but she had to agree with Nadya's reasons, so she reluctantly accepted that taking the teleporter could be the best option... if we could manage to make it work, that's it.

The teleporters weren't that big, allowing for only two of us to stay on the platform at the same time. Unexpectedly, everyone volunteered to be the one to accompany me on my first try, but we decided that Argentea would be the most appropriate one to go with me if we met problems on the other side, as she was an expert at keeping attackers at bay. I could tell she was rather scared when she stepped onto the platform: she didn't like or trust magic, but still she did her best to keep her usual look of determination.

-A gathering within the wall, take one, take us all.

I recited, more than singing. I had a soft voice, and people tended to find my kagonesti accent rather melodic, but aside from that I didn't have the slightest bit of musical talent. Anyway, the teleporter must be as tone deaf as I was, because the reciting worked fine. Suddenly, I felt a coat of ice climbing up my legs, covering my whole body. Argentea lifted her shield in an instinctive attempt of protecting herself but, before we were able to do anything, we were completely covered in ice. Was it a trap? Had I said the wrong password? Soon the layer of frost shattered, releasing us again. It had all happened so fast, lasting not more than a few seconds, and then we realized that we were somewhere else and Cat and Nadya weren't with us.

A melody ceased sounding as we materialized in a luxurious dining room. Two diminutive winged creatures stopped dancing among the chandeliers and stared at us in surprise. Mierul, the traveling bard we had met two days ago, was there holding a lyre, seeming as surprised as her fellow fey were. Clearly, we had interrupted something.

Mierul started singing and playing again, a hauntingly beautiful magical song meant to fill the hearts of her allies with resolution. The two smallest faeries muttered arcane words and disappeared from sight with a simple gesture, just like the faeries in the forests of Linsel did. But this time I was prepared. I had been learning more secrets from Eternity and I was looking forward to put them into practice: I took a pinch of sand from my belt pocket and blown it towards the position where I believed the fey to be. With a couple of gestures and a word of power, the sand transformed into a massive cloud that filled most of the room, coating everything in glitter: the chandeliers, the dishes, the furniture and, of course, the invisible fey.

There was a huge dining table in the middle of the room that acted as a barrier between Mierul and us, so Argentea had to go all the way round the table to get to her. Cat would have thrown herself under or over the table, but I just couldn't picture Argentea doing that. One of the smallest faeries aimed his bow at Argentea, but the sting of the tiny arrows didn't even pierce her armor. The other one just brushed her eyes violently, trying to remove the sparkling glitter that hindered her vision. At that moment, Cat and Nadya materialized in the room with an explosion of shards of ice, ready to fight. They didn't know what was going on, but we looked like we were in trouble and that was enough for them. Cat rolled under the table trying to get to Mierul, while Nadya took aim at the flying faeries that were beyond our reach. Without the weather on their side and with a skilled archer (with cold iron arrows) on ours they weren't so tough. Mierul was the only one left standing in the blink of an eye, and only because she was harder to reach. I put her to sleep to prevent her from running away, and when she woke up she had the edge of Argentea's new sword resting on her neck.

-Please, don't kill me- she pleaded with the hesitant voice of someone who wasn't used to plead-. I surrender.

We had actually no reasons to kill her. She had caused no direct harm to us and, taking into account that we had broken into the room fully armed and prepared for a fight, it wasn't unusual nor unreasonable that she had attempted to defend herself. We told her to lock herself in her room and stay there until we were done with Nazhena. Then, she would be free to leave.

-You won't find Nazhena here- said the bard when she heard the duchess' name-. She has been called to Whitethrone by the Queen herself.

-What do you mean that she isn't here?- Nadya's voice trembled. For a moment I feared that she was either about to start crying or to fire an arrow into Mierul's guts, but she just gave her a cold stare. I couldn't imagine what was going on in her head in that moment.
-She was already gone when I got here- shrugged Mierul-. She left Radosek in charge.

I noticed a slight disagreement in Mierul's voice, and it wasn't hard guessing the reason. Radosek had hired a troll as a guard who had slain and devoured the dogs. His guards had let us in with next to no checking. We had got to the second floor without any opposition. It didn't seem like Nazhena's apprentice was doing anything near competent work here.

We interrogated Mierul about what could be Nazhena doing in Whitethrone (the capital of Irrisen, as Nadya told us) and what could Queen Elvanna might want from her, but she didn't seem to know anything. She was just an artist, a wandering bard, as she constantly reminded us. She knew nothing about a winter portal either, and she looked genuinely surprised when we asked. She proved to be more useful when it came to questions about Radosek and the Pale tower, as she was more than willing to share with us which was the teleporter that led to his bedroom and to the ritual chamber where he and Nazhena usually performed their magic. She still didn't seem to believe that we weren't going to kill her afterwards and thus she tried to be as helpful as she could so we would spare her life.

-He doesn't allow anyone to use that teleporter without his consent, though- Mierul warned us-. He keeps it locked with a key, but he might have given a copy to someone.
-Who?- asked Nadya, who wasn't in the mood for games at that moment.
-He gave a key to the keeper of the aerie, hoping she'd come visit him at nights while Nazhena was away- she had the hint of a smile on her lips, the smile of someone who knows a secret that could destroy someone by telling it. One could guess she didn't like Radosek at all-. As far as I know, he is still waiting.
-Who is she?- I asked.

Mierul shrugged again.

-Her name is Jairess Sonn and she is some sort of priestess, I believe. She doesn't look fully human, though.

We posed a couple more questions to Mierul, like what she meant with Jairess not being fully human (something about her having blue skin despite not being winter-touched, she said), but she wasn't of much more help, so we escorted her to her room and she locked herself in.

Nadya was very disappointed after our chat with Mierul. The rest of us were at the Pale Tower because of the Winter Portal, so Nazhena's absence could be a good thing after all, as we weren't prepared to win a fight against a powerful winter witch. But Nadya has joined us only because she wanted to avenge her daughter and take Nazhena down. To her, this was a hard hit. I felt really sorry for her, but now we had to focus on closing the portal and trying to stay alive.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 27

We walked by a mirrored wall to a side door to take Mierul to her chamber. There seemed to be mirrors everywhere, in every room, which gave us the sensation of being under constant watch. We feared that our conversation with Mierul could have been heard through the mirrors, but what else could we have done to prevent it? We hadn't found a single room where we were safe from our reflections' watchful eyes.

Next to Mierul's room there was another closed door. Cat opened it carefully, but the person who was inside the room had heard us and stood up quickly. Having been noticed, my sister opened the door wide enough for us all to see inside. The room was small yet luxurious, with a rather comfortable looking bed with some beautiful dresses scattered over it, a big wooden closet with intricate carvings, and a matching boudoir with... guess what? Yes! A big oval mirror. But the most striking feature of the room wasn't the interior decoration, but the person that we met inside. She was wearing a green dress that complimented her olive skin and her green eyes, with carefully combed curls of auburn hair falling over her shoulders. She stepped towards us with a mixture of resolution and elegance, while we stood paralyzed for a few seconds, as we couldn't believe what we were seeing: the woman that we had in front of us looked exactly like Argentea!

-Who are you?- asked the woman in the green dress. She stared at (our) Argentea with a worried look in her eyes.
- Who. Are. You- replied (our) Argentea-. That is the real question.
-I am Lady Argentea Malassene, squire of the Order of the Crown. Has Nazhena sent you to kill me and replace me?

Despite not carrying, apparently, any weapons, this new Argentea didn't seem intimidated by us. She stepped back, though, when the fully armed Argentea approached her, sword in hand.

-Stop pretending to be me, imposter!
-Alright, calm down!- I said, getting between them, as I feared they would try to kill each other. Then I addressed the one who had been traveling with us:- Let her explain herself.
-I am not going to listen to any of her lies!
Again, she looked like she was about to attack, but I intervened again.
-Maybe she isn't lying.
-Then I am, is that what you mean?- I had never seen her so upset.
-No!- I cried out desperately.
-Explain yourself!- demanded both in unison.
-Yes, please- said Nadya-. I don't get where you are trying to go with this.

"Out of this mess I got myself into" I thought.

-I mean, maybe both of you believe to be the real one. Maybe Nazhena played with her mind to make her believe it.
-Not with mine!- both screamed in unison again.

I really wanted to think that the woman who had been traveling with us was the real one, but both looked so alike that it was confusing. And what about the intimate moments we had shared? She had behaved like a completely different person then. That an engaged solamnic noblewoman like her showed even the slightest interest in an accursed pariah like me seemed far from believable. What if we had been traveling with an imposter, maybe even a spy? After seeing her risking her life for us, I couldn't believe that she was a traitor, at least not willingly. But, what if she didn't know? Even if the new Argentea was the imposter, we didn't have any proof that she was lying rather than having been deceived through magic. All about this situation was so confusing and difficult to handle.

-Do you recall how you got here?- I asked to the woman in the green dress.
-I was kidnapped by bandits and brought here- she explained-. I was kept here since then. I didn't know what the Winter Witches were planning to do with me- she leveled a cold stare at the other Argentea-. But now I do.
-Your room wasn't locked from the outside.- Cat pointed out.
The new Argentea looked at my sister defensively.
-I didn't have any weapons- she pointed at her lookalike's shield in an accusatory way-, I was in a hostile place. What could I have done?
-Fight for your life.- answered the fully armed Argentea. I don't know if that was intended to be a piece of advice or a threat, as she stepped towards her with her sword unsheathed (I believe that she was just trying to intimidate her, but it could also be that our Argentea had grown tired of tolerating her lookalike). I wasn't able to react in time to stop her, but it was probably for the better. Foreseeing an upcoming attack, the imposter revealed its true appearance: a tall and slender creature of unidentifiable gender with a pale, featureless face, who fitted as well in Argentea's dress as a young kid would have fit in their parent's clothes. The real Argentea opened her eyes wide in shock and released a cry of anger before striking the creature, who unsuccesfully attempted to defend itself with its bare claws. I had never seen anything similar to that creature before, but stories about doppelgangers who replaced people without no one noticing were well known in popular tales. They were depicted as cunning, manipulative and heartless creatures... who weren't specially good at fighting, as we had the opportunity to attest. Even in its true form, he was no rival for the real Argentea. Of course, we knew better than to participate in the duel: we might have earned a good old shield bash if we had tried.

-This was my favorite dress- Argentea knelt by the corpse of the alien creature, pondering the damage done by her sword and the spilled blood to her clothes-. What is this... thing?
-They are called doppelgangers, I think. Now we know why they kidnapped you.
-If they already had a ready replacement for me, why bothering to keep me alive?
-They probably wanted to bring you here so that thing could learn how to do a better impersonation of you.
-Yes, because it didn't look like me at all. I cannot believe that it fooled you!
-I think that it actually made a pretty good Argentea.- Cat chuckled.

My sister was right. Even asuming that the doppelganger had been reading our minds to improve its impersonation, its imitation of Argentea had been way too accurate. Not to forget that it had already been wearing Argentea's face before we got into the room. That implied previous knowledge of her. Maybe she had just been scryed with magic during her captivity at the lodge, but it worried me that everything could have been planned out in advance and they could have been watching her for a long time. I felt that it wasn't a good time to bother her with new concerns, as she already had many, so I didn't translate my fears into words. Making her suspicious of her own family and allies would do no good.

-Are all this fancy clothes and cosmetics yours?- asked Cat, messing around with the items scattered around the place and making me push aside my grim thoughts. She was really good at it- They look rather impractical. Can you even breathe with this thing on?

Cat sat on the bed, holding a dress with a very tight corset. We were used to see Argentea in her battle gear, and it was difficult to us to picture her wearing something like that, even if her copycat had allowed us to see how she'd look.

-These clothes aren't meant to be comfortable. They are noble garments.

Cat raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

-One would think that more money meant more comfortable clothes.
-They cannot be comfortable or practical. If you are wearing clothes that don't allow you to do a lot of things, it means that you have people who will do all those things for you.
-You humans don't make any sense. Doing things for yourself is good, you know?
-I agree, but this dresses look so pretty anyway- I intervened-. I can understand how someone could want to wear them.

Argentea gave me a skeptical look. Despite all that she had just said, I must note that I have never seen her as comfortable in a noble garment as I have seen her in her battle attire. But, after all, it was she who said that noble garments weren't meant to be comfortable.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 28

We gathered up Argentea's belongings, though she insisted on discarding some cosmetics that had been obviously used by the doppelganger. She wanted to throw away the torn dress too, but I convinced her not to do so. I knew a few tricks that could make the dress look fine again. The clothes I was wearing were at least twenty years old and, barring a couple of patches that they already had when I got them, they looked like they were brand new. I have never understood people who believe that using magic for fighting is fine, but using it for casual things isn't. That 's how wizards think: you shouldn't practice casual magic in front of people because they are afraid of magic. Maybe they wouldn't be so afraid if people witnessed more helpful casual magic (like clothes mending) and less people being burned alive by a harmful spell, right?

But we've had enough venting for now. We'll get back to my ideological differences with wizards later. Now, let's get back to the Pale Tower. We had just decreased the number of Argenteas by one and gotten back to the dining hall, ready to keep searching the place. As we opened the next door, the first thing I noticed was a delicious scent of freshly baked goods, but before my mouth had time to start salivating, a short ashen-skinned figure wearing an apron startled us. From what I could extract from his swift speech in Skald, he didn't want intruders in his kitchen and wanted to kick us out. I didn't get the feeling that he minded a whole lot that we were also intruders in the tower. He just wanted us out from "his" kitchen. Before we could apologize and get out the gnomish creature (a spriggan, as Nadya would tell us later) used the innate magic of his kind to cast a spell to scare us away. It worked, at least on Cat and Nadya, who backed away in fear, but it caused the opposite reaction on Argentea, who stepped towards him in determination. I pointed at the spriggan and made a quick gesture to impose a curse on him, while resorting to my usual manic laughter to keep his resolution undermined (here is a tiny secret about my most basic curses: they only work because people think they do, it's all in the head).

-Witch!- the spriggan cried out, with a mixture of fear and reverence in his voice, and then he tapped himself on the chest while crying out loud:- Grow! Grow! Grow!

In front of our eyes, he started to grow in size like a well fermented dough, until he was many heads taller than Argentea. I kept cackling, half because I needed to hold my curse on him, half because I found the whole situation pretty amusing: I had never seen an enlargement effect being casted like that.

-Two can play at that game!- I said. I knew the perfect spell for the situation. After I said the words and made the proper gestures I added three last words to the spell:-Grow, grow, grow!

I thought it was pretty funny, but Argentea looked at me like she was questioning my sanity again and Nina hooted in dismay: that wasn't how the spell was intended to be! My magic worked fine, anyway, and Argentea grew up almost to double of her size.

-What...?- Argentea was confused and disoriented with her new size and missed a couple of hits against the spriggan. Meanwhile, Nadya and Cat joined the fray, already recovered from the magical fear. My sister sneaked into the battle from between Argentea's legs while some arrows flew above her head into the fray. Nadya's aim never ceased to impress me. Cat was a pretty good archer too, but she would most likely shoot Argentea instead of the enemy if she ever tried to do what Nadya was doing.

The spriggan was a tougher fighter that one would expect for a cook to be. He attacked Cat and Argentea with formidable strength while he threatened with feeding us to the troll.

-The troll is dead, and so are you- said Nadya in an absolutely cold voice that gave me the creeps, while she fired another arrow. It would be hard to tell if it was her who delivered the final blow to the spriggan, as the fight was as messy as most fights are, but those were definitely the last words the cook heard before he fell to the ground, shrinking back to his normal size.
-Grow, grow, grow?- Argentea looked at me in disbelief- Seriously?

I shrugged.

-It worked.
-You are the weirdest witch I have ever known.- said Nadya.

I had been called weird and witch so many times that I had lost count, but that was the first time I took it as a compliment: all the witches Nadya had known were cold, heartless tyrants.

-Kileanna, look, cookies!- cried out Cat. She knew how much I liked anything sweet. The last time we had sneaked into a kitchen I had been sick for two days because of a cake that was too big and tasty for my own good. And now, there I was, in front of a tray full of some of the most delicious looking cookies I had ever seen, and I didn't really mind the fact that I had a dead spriggan laying besides me. One of the cookies looked especially good: it had been shaped as a dragon's head and covered in frosting to make it look like a white dragon with a candied cherry as its eye. If that wasn't enough, it was about the size of my open hand... So bad that a quick magic examination revealed that the cookie was not only magical but cursed. I never got to know why would someone put a curse on a cookie, but I had to deem it unsafe for eating and crush it. The rest of them were absolutely non magic and delicious, though, so I packaged them up to share them with Hatch and Nadya's kids when we got back to Waldsby.

The rest of the group wasn't nearly as excited as I was about the cookies, so we moved on to our next destination in the Pale Tower, getting through the oversized double doors to a mirrored hall with two large doors on each side and another one in front of us. Behind the door to our left there was a big chamber, where a hideous tangle of vines vaguely shaped to resemble a young kid stood chained to a wall. The creature, clearly insane, hungry, or insanely hungry stared at us for a second and then attempted to attack us in a mindless rage. The chains stopped him right in the middle of the charge but it kept pulling and, even if the chains seemed resilient enough to hold it, the ice of the wall didn't. As we thought that fighting a plant-baby-monster wouldn't do any good, we just closed the door to the room again, but we could hear it shrieking and pulling at its chains for a while before it seemed to calm down.
The door to out right led to a big, cramped library, with bookshelves that reached the ceiling covering all walls but one, which was occupied by another massive mirror. The center of the room was clear and well lit, oocupied only by a big wooden table with a big pile of books on it. A human woman quickly closed the book she was reading stood up as we entered the room.

-Who are you and what are you doing here?- she asked disdainfully in Skald.

She was tall, even by human standards and despite wearing no armor she had the bearing of a warrior. At first I thought she was unarmed but, as she approached, I noticed she was carrying the biggest sword I had ever seen on her back.

-We are...- what? Innocent visitors wandering around holding bloodstained weapons? Terribly accented guards that she hadn't met before for unknown reasons? I didn't know how to end my phrase.
-...coming for Nazhena.- concluded Nadya for me.

The woman in the library unsheathed her sword and moved one step closer.

-Bad luck. She's gone.
-Where?- I asked.

The woman hinted a crooked smile and spoke in a perfect yet heavily accented Common.

-That isn't of any concern to a bunch of northern weaklings who are most likely going to die here.

Both Argentea and Nadya seemed about to jump at her throat. I could picture them asking "who are you calling a weakling?" and "who are you calling a northerner?" respectively.

-We don't need to prove anything to you- I said-. There's no reason to start a pointless fight here. If you stay out of this, we won't come after you.

The tall woman raised an eyebrow.

-Do I look scared? Should I be? The Abyss will freeze over the day I back away from the poorly concealed threats of a northerner.
-We are not threatening you- to my surprise, my voice sounded way too much like a threatening hiss, which partially invalidated what I was saying-. We are trying to spare your life.
I had to admit that her cocky attitude was getting me to my nerves.
-Does it seem like I need your pity? You are just trying to save your miserable lives.

Of course, we have gotten right into our enemy's lair because we were such cowards!

-Fight.- said Nadya dryly, while aiming her bow at her. All the patience she could muster had evaporated since we had been told that Nazhena was gone. She still didn't want to believe it and needed to see it with her own eyes as soon as possible.

The tall woman was ready for a fight. Cat was the first to strike, going right for the throat as usual, but our enemy parried the first attack with a bare arm, taking only a superficial wound. An invisible field blocked the second attack, and I recognised it as a magic armor spell, the same that I usually casted on myself everyday. Could she be some sort of spellcaster? It seemed so, as she stepped back, recited some arcane words and started growing up. That seemed to be the theme of the day, though there was no "grow, grow, grow" involved in this case. She prepared to deliver a powerful blow with her oversized sword, but she had lost way too much time casting the spell, and both Argentea and Nadya took advantage of it. Meanwhile, my task was business as usual: cursing and cackling.

The fight didn't last long, with only Argentea being hurt on our side as she approached the enlarged woman. The hit could have been devastating, but she managed to deflect most of it with her sword and get a shallow cut on her right arm. After that, our opponent didn't have another chance to fight back before she was knocked down unconscious. We disarmed her, tied her up and used Indi's healing wand (that he had gracefully lent to us) to get her back to consciousness. She might have useful information.

Indeed, she might have, but she wasn't willing to share. The most useful piece of information that came out from her mouth was her name: "Captain" Hestrig Orlov. Every other question received contemptuous, or directly threatening answers. She was mocking us. We had already lost our patience, and when I told her that she'd rather speak, for her own good, she anwswered in a daring voice:
-Are you going to torture me?

-No!- we all said in unison, all but Nadya. Her silence worried me.
-Then, what is the worst thing you can do to me? Killing me? Nazhena will do worse than that.

Thora immediately came to my mind. She was probably right. After realizing we wouldn't get any information out of her, we came to the conclusion that the best we could do was leaving her there, gagged and tied up, but it was Hestrig who convinced us that it wasn't a good idea:

-How much time do you think will pass before someone will find me here and release me, and how long before I come back after you?- I swear she was looking at the mirror as she spoke- If you want to fight me again, release me now, I am ready for more!

Even if Hestrig seemed hot-headed she didn't seem like an idiot. Why demanding another fight right now, wounded, alone and at clear disadvantage, when she could come back later, fully healed and maybe even with some backup? I couldn't understand then, but now I believe that she was scared. With all her pretended self confidence and cockiness, she was utterly afraid of Nazhena, and she'd rather face a sure death by our hands than whatever punishment the witch kept for people who failed to perform their assigned duties. Whatever the reason was, we came to the realisation that we had to kill her. Argentea was willing to free her and allow her to make a last stand against us, but Cat and I couldn't disagree more.

-Freeing her doesn't make it any less of an execution- I argued-. In her current state she doesn't have the slightest chance against us. It won't be a honorable combat but a parody. At best, she will manage to hurt one of us before she gets killed, and we would be wasting what little magic our healing wand still has left, only to trick ourselves into believing that we are giving her a chance.

My speech was passionate, but completely useless, as Cat and Nadya were already more inclined towards a quick and painless death and Argentea kept thinking that Captain Orlov deserved to die like a warrior. Much to her disgust, the majority had spoken, and Hestrig Orlov died with an arrow shot through her eye socket. Maybe Argentea was right and she deserved better than that, but we had to think about our own safety first.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 29

After searching the whole level we found no more opposition, just another private chamber and two more teleporting platforms: one was a simple block of ice at the end of a short corridor while the other was beautifully carved, with a red carpet leading to it and at the end of a luxurious mirrored hall. It wasn't difficult to tell which one should lead to Nazhena's private sanctum and which one to the aerie on the top of the tower. Even without Mierul's information it wouldn't have been a hard guess.

But before we got into more trouble, we searched the last room we had found. According to the size and style of the clothes in the closet, it probably belonged to the captain we had just fought, who seemed to have quite expensive tastes, as she kept a chest full of jewelry and assorted finery under her bed. But the biggest treasure were a handful of tiny bottles that resonated with magic: the ability to fall slowly for a limited time granted by three of them would be of great use in the immediate future.

After we were done with searching Hestrig's room we went on to examine the teleporters. I was pretty sure about knowing the right verse to activate the main teleporter but, as Mierul had warned us, it refused to work, so we tried our luck with the one that should lead to the aerie. Once again, Argentea and I stood on the platform and I recited the verses:

-Take wing, soar and fly, let me see the winter sky.

Again, the ice creeped over our legs and soon we were completely encased in ice but, as it had happened the last time, it only lasted a moment before our prison exploded in a million shards and we were greeted by chilly winds, the croaking of crows, and the unpleasant smell of their droppings. There was a triangle shaped structure that acted as a perch for the birds, but most of them were flying free around the tower. Their keeper, Jairess Sonn, was standing by the balcony, but she turned to face us as we appeared. She was dressed in completely ordinary furs and leather, but her blue skin made her really stand out as something quite different than a simple human. Also, her blond hair seemed to float around her rather than obey the dictates of the wind.

-Protect me from the intruders!- she cried out.

The crows understood and obeyed, gathering in a cloud of black wings around their mistress. I had already been swarmed by crows once and it wasn't an experience that I wanted to repeat. Fortunately, I had the perfect spell to deal with the situation.

-Stay away.- I said to Argentea.

As I finished reciting the arcane words for my spell, I felt the sensation of being choking. I coughed, trying to clear my throat of whatever was obstructing it, and more than a hundred spiders of about half the size of my fist crawled out of my mouth and down my body, heading towards Jairess Sonn and her crow army. One could think that the crows should be safe as long as they didn't touch the ground, but spiders can be also pretty good jumpers, and they gladly preyed on any bird that made the mistake of flying too close to them.

When Nadya and Cat got onto the aerie they witnessed a chaotic situation: crows pecking at spiders, spiders biting crows and the blue skinned tamer in the middle of everything, twisting around like crazy in an attempt of getting rid of the spiders crawling all over her body. Meanwhile, Argentea and I stayed away: the spiders were as loyal as most spiders are, and my control over them was very limited.

Jairess commanded her crows to attack me, trying desperately to set herself free, and it worked, but not as she expected: I concentrated to make the spiders follow and distract the crows so they couldn't attack me. It didn't work out, as the crows moved way faster, and I found myself swarmed by crows again. At least Jairess was free now, so my friends could go to get her. And they didn't waste their time: unprotected by her shield of crows, Jairess wasn't a big threat. Cat and Argentea quickly flanked her, but it was Nadya who was about to finish her off when the tamer surrendered.

-Call out the birds!- I demanded.
-Call out the spiders!- she answered, while she commanded the birds to fly away with a single gesture. Without any crows in sight, the swarm turned their hungry eyes towards the closest living thing: me. Concentrating again to send them crawling down the tower wasn't as much an answer to Jairess' demand as a matter of survival.

Jairess was a priestess, a follower of Kisla the Wild (called Chislev among humans), the goddess of Wilderness. She carried in her the blood of the spirits of the wind, and she had always felt affinity with birds. Nazhena had hired her to raise and feed the crows, and she couldn't care less for politics or wars. The duchess had always been fair to her and she considered her a good ruler, to the point that she dismissed Nadya when she told her about what had happened to her daughter.

-She must have commited a grave offence to deserve that punishment.- she said.

But when we told her about the Winter Portal and Nazhena's plans to turn Ergoth into a frozen wasteland again, she became suddenly concerned. Her first reaction was believing that everything we were telling her was a lie but when we asked her to travel Northwest and see for herself she realized that we were telling the truth she was horrified. As a follower of Kisla and a keeper of balance, Jairess found Nazhena's aspirations heretical.

After the priestess had agreed to give us the key to the main teleporter, we told her to lock herself in her room for her own safety and leave when everything was over, as we had done with Mierul. She refused to stay any longer, though, as she had her own means to leave without being noticed and didn't want to be close if we failed and Radosek realized her betrayal. She gathered up all her scarce belongings that she was keeping in her room, all but a beautiful mobile made out of ice crystals shaped to resemble tiny birds, which was hanging from the ceiling. It reflected the falling sun, creating spots of light all over the room.

-Aren't you taking this?- I asked, fearing that she was forgetting about it. It seemed like something with sentimental value.
-It was a gift from Radosek- she answered with a hint of contempt-. You can keep it. Or thrash it, for all I care.

After packaging up, Jairess drank a flight potion and floated away. The crows were also gone, at least for now, making the aerie suddenly calm and silent. From the top of the tower, we had an amazing view of the sunset in the frozen plains. I could even see Waldsby in the distance with the small wooden houses and the white gusts of smoke coming out from the chimneys. One of the smoke columns caught my attention being bigger than the others: someone must be cooking something delicious for dinner.

[Lady Argentea Malassene]

Ugh! I can't believe I have kissed her.

SPIDERS. WHY SPIDERS?!?

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 30

We were back again in front of the main teleporting platform, but this time we had the key that should allow us to make it work. We were aware that Radosek, or whoever else was on the other side, could be waiting for us, if all that had been said about the spying through mirrors was true. Like the other platforms, this one was too small to hold us all, and neither Cat or Argentea were willing to allow me to take the lead: I was the weakest and least experienced member of the group, as well as the least likely to survive a surprise attack. Nadya shouldn't go in the first group either, even if she wanted to, as all her archery skills depended on her being able to stay out of reach. Therefore, Argentea and Cat where the ones to take the lead. Neither of them had bothered to memorize the key verses, but I told them before they got up on the platform.

-Onward, upward, in a tick. Don't be late, just be quick.

Cat repeated the words in a voice that reminded me of the lullabies she sang to me as a child. She wasn't the best singer, but her voice never lacked emotion.

For the first time I had a clear view of the process from the outside: the ice climbing up their legs until they were completely encased in ice and then it was like the block was swallowed up by the platform and they were gone. It was somewhat scary, but Nadya and I rushed onto the teleporter right after our friends disappeared. All the other times that I had used the platforms everything had seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, but this time I had the sensation that everything was going on slow motion. Argentea and Cat could be in grave danger on the other side and the teleporter just wouldn't speed up!
When we finally made it onto the other side the fight had already begun. The chamber was huge and, aside from some bookshelves, tables and chairs in the corners, the space was mostly clear. The ceiling was also pretty high and a massive glowing sphere was floating above us in the middle of the room. Argentea and Cat had moved away from the platform and next to an empty cauldron on the other side of the room where they were fighting a bunch of ice elementals, which weren't any taller than a human child. There was a dark haired man in the room, with a big beard and a crooked nose floating far enough above the ground level to make it impossible for Argentea and Cat to reach him with their attacks. The entire setting made sense as a whole: tools to create magic, big magic ball, summoned creatures, a floating man... Only the goat standing slightly to the side of the room, staring blankly at the portal with its horizontal pupils seemed absolutely out of place. The floating man, Radosek, looked at me with a delighted smile.

-Ah, there you are! I have something for you... Valstoi!

Valstoi, which seemed to be the goat's name, lowered his head and charged towards me. It was then when I realized that his horns had an unnatural blueish glow and a thin layer of frost coating them. Nina also knew how to hold my spells and deliver them with a touch, though I didn't like exposing her to danger like that: she was a messenger from beyond, not a combat bird. Obviously, Radosek didn't have such concerns regarding Valstoi. I had already been startled by a dragonlike creature, pecked by crows, persecuted by skeletons and shot by a bartender. I didn't want to add "rammed by a goat" to my list of unusual ways of almost dying. Fortunately, I still had some spells left, specifically another use of the one that I had used on Jairess. I opened my mouth and coughed out another spider swarm, who crawled viciously towards Valstoi. The goat stopped right in his place, trying to ram and bite the critters crawling all over him.

The ice elementals were only a minor threat. They were pretty clumsy combatants and both Argentea and Cat dodged their hits easily. They would have put me into serious trouble had I been their target, as I was even clumsier than they were. The real deal with them, though, was that they kept harassing Cat, not allowing her to take her bow and help Nadya taking care of Radosek, who was the real menace. Not that Nadya wasn't doing a good work all by herself: all her arrows were aimed at vital spots and only his magic and keeping himself in constant motion saved Radosek from Nadya's killer shots.

-Where is Nazhena? Tell me!- she kept crying out loudly as she aimed at him. To this point, she seemed on the edge of a complete emotional breakdown.

At first Radosek ignored Nadya, waving his wand to summon an ice spear up from under my feet that made me fall prone and almost impaled me. I stood up and pointed at him:

-Time to take a nap, big boy.- I hissed.

And nothing happened. All mental magic is based on a clash between the raw power of the spellcaster and the will of their opponent, and in this case Radosek seemed to be among the stubborn ones. He gave me an ice cold stare and spoke magic words. I recognized it as a blindness spell, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. My sight faltered for a second, but my body was able to resist the tension and I overcame the spell with nothing more than a quickly receding headache.

Being the center of attention wasn't my favorite thing, definitely, but it was a good thing that Radosek was focusing so much on me. He had chosen to ignore Nadya, despite she had already scored a couple of hits on him, and I bet that they had made it past the heavy clothes he was wearing. Cat and Argentea were also being ignored and, as they had already defeated the weak elementals, Cat had taken up her bow to join Nadya and Argentea was charging towards Valstoi, dropping her shield and wielding her sword with both hands. When Radosek noticed it (with her taste for crying out loud everytime she charged, Argentea wasn't subtle) he used his wand to summon another ice spear to trip her, but that didn't stop her. She seemed genuinely disappointed when Valstoi fell from her very first blow.

-Valstoi, no!- Radosek cried out with a mixture of grief and rage in his voice. If Radosek's magic was like mine, as it seemed to be, Valstoi wasn't a goat at all, but his only link to whatever power beyond taught him magic. Losing him meant losing access to most of his magic knowledge. I looked around, searching for Nina, as I feared that Radosek would want to pay us back in kind, but I was happy to realize that she was nowhere to be seen. Nina certainly knew how to stay out of sight during fights.

For a moment, I believed that Radosek was going, in his rage, to start blasting Argentea with spells for what she had done, but Nadya caught his attention with another killer shot aimed right at his heart. She missed by no more than two fingers and still caused him to recoil in pain. He had been ignoring her for too long... and I was just too close to her, focusing on keeping the spiders under control and send them away through the window. That made me the perfect collateral victim: if I was knocked down, the spiders would run rampant and start attacking us. He called upon his winter powers and summoned a blizzard of snowballs towards Nadya and me. As fun as a snowball fight might seem, they were unnaturally cold and hit really hard. We tried to take cover, but we were still hit by many snowballs.. This wasn't enough to discourage Nadya, though, as she was so focused on her prey that she barely seemed to feel pain. I did my best to stand strong too and, after I got definitely rid of the swarm, I gave the evil eye to Radosek, cursing him to make his moves clumsier. He had been avoiding way too many shots.

The fight was starting to turn to our favor, with Valstoi and the elementals dead, and Radosek badly wounded. Nadya and Cat were doing excellent work with their bows, and Nazhena's apprentice didn't seem to know any tricks to protect himself against them. Realizing that he was at a clear disadvantage, he wouldn't stay there and face a sure death. He floated towards the window.
-He's running away, finish him!- cried out Argentea, who had taken out her own bow and wasn't doing that badly with it either.

A flurry of arrows flew towards him, but it wasn't enough to bring him down. He flew out to the window and down to the courtyard below as quickly as he could and took cover behind the dragon statue, to avoid being shot. The distance to the ground below was enough to kill anybody foolish enough to try to follow him, but we had still some resources left. Nadya was the first one to drink one of the potions that we had found in Hestrig's room.

-Quick!- she said as she jumped out the window- ¡We cannot let him escape!
She fell slowly to the ground, like a leaf on the wind. Cat followed her. But we had just another potion left.

-Go- commanded Argentea-. I will use the platforms. We'll meet in the courtyard.
I didn't like it, but it wasn't the right time to start an argument, so I obeyed. I drank my potion and followed Nadya and Cat. An alarm bell started sounding at the guard post near the entrance, and Nadya circled around the ice dragon to meet Radosek, who had been using his healing magic to regain his health. He had to fall before the reinforcements arrived. She was already aiming her bow when I heard my sister scream:

-It's moving!

It took me a couple of seconds to realize what she was talking about, but Nadya noticed it immediately: the statue had uncurled its tail and it was slowly turning its head to face Nadya. Backing off could mean that we lost our best opportunity to defeat Radosek, so she took the bravest (but probably not wisest) course of action: she stood there, firing everything she had at Radosek. The Winter Witch attempted to retreat again but he was in an open field and, before he could reach cover, he fell victim to Nadya's arrows. His last words were addressed to the ice dragon:

-Grab her!

I was hoping that whatever magic that made the statue move would be gone with Radosek, but it didn't happen. The creature fell upon Nadya, striking at her with its frozen claws. A real dragon would have used claws and fangs and tail and wings to attack, but this was nothing like a real dragon, and it didnt seem to know more than a single simple fighting technique: use right claw as a hammer, use left claw as a hammer, repeat. But, as unimaginative as this strategy might be, it put Nadya in serious trouble, she stepped back while firing desperately at the statue but soon found herself being cornered by the statue. Cat ran to the rescue, kukris in hand, dodging miraculously a slam from the dragon's right claw and being promptly ignored after that. The mindless creature focused solely on the last command it had been given, and that was getting Nadya. My sister tore off big chunks of ice from the statue's hind quarters, but it didn't give any signs of even noticing it.

I wanted to help, but damaging magic was Indi's thing, not mine. He would have been able to melt down the dragon with a single spell, but I was useless. I had ran out of useful spells, so the only thing that came to my mind was channeling raw magic energy through my body and into my hair. I had been practising this new ability, but it had never stuck me as specially useful. My messy hair started coiling like snakes and growing until it was more than twice its usual length. I had a rough idea about how to use it as a weapon, though I couldn't assure its effectiveness. I couldn't put it to test, though, as three men had come down from the watchpost after ringing the bell and they were aiming crossbows towards Nadya, who was already hurt from some serious hits she had taken from the living statue. I could put one of them to sleep but that wouldn't last long. I needed something else, something like the spears of ice that the man laying close to me had summoned against us moments ago using a wand. A wand that was still clutched in his hand, and that one of my hair-snakes grabbed effortlessly. I summoned a spear of ice rising from the ground as I had seen Radosek doing, managing not only to trip one of them but to knock him down and catch the attention of the other two. Whether I had saved Nadya's life or just endangered mine was yet to be seen, because the dragon statue had grabbed her in its forelimbs and she seemed unable to break free from its grip.

Just in case the situation wasn't desperate enough, the doors of the tower opened and Argentea came out through them in a hurry. I could hear the sound of a crowd approaching from the other side. Instead of joining the fight, she stood by the double doors, trying desperately to close them quickly.

-We need to block them, quick!- she cried out, not even noticing the massive creature that we were fighting.

I wanted to help Argentea. I wanted to save Nadya. I wanted to knock downt the guards. But what to do first? The two remaining guards had reloaded their crossbows and where aiming at me, so that helped me to make my choice: I wouldn't be of any help if I was dead. I waved the wand again towards them while I ran towards the door and another frozen spear emerged. I expected them to at least attempt to get out of the way to avoid being hit, but one of them froze in place, like he didn't know if he should go left or right, and ended up being impaled. Believe me, it wasn't a pretty sight. His friend tried to shoot me, but the shot went so far above my head that he would have missed me even if I was twice as tall as Blond.

Against all odds, Nadya had managed to free herself from the dragon's hold, but she was still cornered. She desperately fired another arrow, right into the statue's head, making half of it crumble and fall off, with nothing more than aesthetic results. Cat had already cut off most of the right wing, as well as carved a hole in its hind quarters. The body was also full of cracks, but that didn't stop the creature from performing its task. Before Nadya could attempt another shot, the ice dragon was grabbing her again.

The situation in the entrance of the tower wasn't much better. They were pulling at the doors from the other side, and Argentea was unable to keep the doors shut any longer.

-I need help here!- she cried out again.

Judging for the noise coming from the other side there were quite a few in there. Cat and Nadya were busy fighting the statue, so I'd have to forget for now about the last guard standing and try toto help Argentea holding the doors. If my maths were correct, a lot of guards should be far more dangerous than a single inexperienced one. I dropped the wand and I extended my animated locks towards the doors. I lacked physical strength but my hair was powered by magic, not by muscle. A cry of surprise escaped from Argentea's mouth.

-What's that?
-Just me, don't worry!

Despite our combined strength we couldn't keep the doors closed. There were more and more people pulling from the other side, attacking us with spears through the small slit that they had managed to open. I was able to elongate my hair enough to remain at a safe distance, but Argentea's only protections were her armor and the partial cover that the doors offered. I looked behind me, hoping that Nadya and my sister were doing better than us but that wasn't the case. The ice dragon was crushing Nadya in what was left of its jaws while Cat kept tearing off chunks of ice desperately. Nadya had ceased moving (for all I knew she could be already dead) and the living statue was turning to face Cat. If you have ever heard the expression "fight like a cornered cat" you might get a pretty accurate idea of what my sister did next. And suddenly, when I was just thinking that we wouldn't be able to make it, the dragon crumbled down to pieces. It had been so severely damaged during the fight that it was full of cracks and just one more hit was enough to make the statue break into pieces. The remaining guard, who was still aiming at me, never saw my sister coming. He was knocked down without ever knowing who had slit his throat. Cat was the most compassionate person I knew, but when she went into her hunter mentality, she could also be pretty ruthless. And, definitely, she was never compassionate if my life was somehow endangered.

-Are you alright?- she cried out to me, running towards my position.

I nodded. I was relatively unharmed this time around.

-Go help Nadya!- commanded Argentea. At first I thought she was talking to Cat and I didn't move, but then she added:- Cat, stay with me, I am letting them out.

That made sense: I was the one with magic powers and a healing wand. And still I felt illogically jelous. I would have given up on all my magic to have the physical prowess that both Argentea and Cat had and to be able to fight by their side. But magic was what I had and magic was what was needed of me, so i obeyed, even though I suspected that it could be already too late for Nadya. I knelt by her and cast my most powerful healing spell, not wanting to lose any time by checking if she still breathed. If she was already dead there was nothing I could do. Raising the dead was something that was far beyond my limited comprehension of magic.
Meanwhile, Cat and Argentea were doing a good job in keeping the guards at bay, as the doors weren't wide enough to let them all out at once, but still their forces were starting to falter. We needed Nadya's backup. Fortunately she was still alive and my healing spell was enough to get her back on her feet. She stood up as fast as if she had lain down on a bunch of caltrops and looking completely disoriented. Her confusion didn't last long, though, as she realized immediately what was going on and readied her bow to shoot anyone who got past the barrier that Cat and Argentea formed. Even I got to be of some help attacking with my hair. I had almost run out of magic, but the hair trick was much more useful than it might seem at first glance.

Against all odds, we were winning. The guards wouldn't surrender but fanatically throw themselves at us almost seeking a sure death, which ensured almost no survivors on their side. I used my magic to stabilize everyone who wasn't already dead, and it was then I realized that Radosek still lived. We took him along with the others to the dormitories. We had yet to decide what to do with him but one thing was sure: in his current state he wouldn't wake up in many, many hours.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 31

The first thing we did after recovering from the battle was to go back to the room where we had fought Radosek. Nadya followed us in silence, looking unusually tired and depressed. It had been after the last guard fell that she seemed to be hit by the sudden realization that Nazhena wasn't going to manifest out of nowhere to let her have her revenge. Both Cat and I tried to talk with her, but she just nodded without giving signs of really listening.

-Leave her alone- said Argentea-. Give her some time.

It was kind of funny that Argentea, who was as impulsive as most humans are, was the one who had to remind us to be patient. Cat had always been open to me about her concerns, and I was the kind of person who tended to overthink everything until I made a bigger issue out of a small problem, so giving me too much time usually made it worse. But maybe Argentea was right and Nadya needed some time, and she wasn't our only concern anyway.

As we got back to the ritual chamber we found Nina perched on a bookshelf, staring at the floating orb in the middle of the room. Looking within, glowing shapes formed and shifted before our eyes. Occasionally sparks appeared, creating arches from one point to the next, wrapping the surface in a faint light. I got as close as I could to the sphere to study it. The vibrant forms inside the globe seemed to represent patches of land floating on a vast sea, and I recognized one of the biggest lands as Ansalon, our continent. The mass extending to the south of the Icewall should be Irrisen, which was much bigger than I had imagined. I had no idea what the other places were, as Krynn was a largely unexplored world. The arches of light all seemed to have their origin somewhere in Irrisen and were linked to different places in and around Ansalon: the Blood Sea, the woods of Silvanesti... and, of course, Southern Ergoth. It was this last one that looked sightly different: it originated in a different location and despite being the faintest of all the pulsing arches its flow was constant instead of an intermitent pulse. I called Nadya.

-Does this represent Irrisen?- I asked, pointing to the land below Ansalon.

She nodded.

-It seems so. This is a very accurate map. This- she pointed to the origin of the constant arch- is where we are, and this must be Whitethrone, the capital.- she added, pointing towards the origin of all the other light arches.
-This is Southern Ergoth, the place where we come from- I said to Nadya, who wasn't paying a lot of attention. I continued speaking aloud, mostly to myself-. The line ends in the woods near Linsel, right where the Winter Portal is. The two locations seem to be naturally connected somehow, and Nazhena is using that connection to feed energy to the Winter Portal and keep it open. But... there are more of them... all over Ansalon. They seem to be inactive right now, though.
-Are they preparing a large scale invasion?- asked Argentea.

I was shocked. I didn't expect anyone to be listening to me.

-Maybe. Possibly. I think this sphere works as some sort of... channeling device?
-Can you close them? Destroy them?

I shrugged.

-I can try. I need to figure out how it works.
-Then do it.

I spent a long time studying the sphere. At first, the rest of the group stayed close, watching expectantly but, as the time went by and nothing happened , they lost interest and decided to do more productive things, like more thoroughly searching the rooms where we had already been and telling Mierul that she was free to leave. They wouldn't dare examining any room where we hadn't been yet without me, as I was the only one who could sense magical sigils and traps.

After some indetermined time, I finished studying the magical device. The sun had already set and the glow of the orb was now much more evident. When we met again in the ritual room and around the globe I shared my new discoveries with the rest of the group.

-This is far too complex for me to fully understand, but I think I can make it stop channeling energy to the portal on Ergoth. That should close it. But I can only do so from here, which means that we would be trapped on this side of the portal. Argentea...
-What?
-We are going to be stranded here for a while. Maybe you should get back home before we close it.
-No way! There are more portals just waiting to be opened! Can't you close them too?
-I wouldn't know how. They aren't powered from here.
-Then I am not done here yet. We still have an invasion to foil and a witch to kill.
-But your fiance...
-He's not my fiance yet, and if he doesn't understand that this is way more important than he is, he will never be.

I knew that arguing with Argentea was pointless, and I didn't really want her to leave, so I said no more.

Performing the delicate manipulation of raw magical energy needed to close the portal required a lot of concentration, but once I knew the proper procedure to do so it wasn't that difficult. There was a brief flash of light coming out from the sphere and then it just stopped glowing and the whole room went dark.

-It worked.- I said, and then I cast a light spell to illuminate the room so Nadya and Argentea could see. Argentea asked me twice if I was really sure the portal was gone before she was finally satisfied and then we proceeded to explore the few rooms we hadn't examined yet. We didn't find anything of interest in Radosek's room aside from some well concealed paintings under his bed depicting a variety of landscapes, though strangely none of them were wintry or snowy, instead depicting motifs like waterfalls, beaches and golden fields of wheat. They seemed weird choices for a Winter Witch that made me wonder if Radosek had ever dreamt about escaping the frozen wasteland that was his home.

Nazhena's chamber was way bigger than Radosek's and much more opulent, with an oversized bed, an oversized matching closet and other equally unnecessarily big pieces of furniture. In the middle of the room, there was a human sized statue made of ice carved in the likeness of an elegant woman and an owl.

-Nazhena.- Nadya said with a grim voice.

Nor the statue nor anything else in the room emanated magic, so I told the others that it was safe to get in. Aside from some exotic fragances and expensive clothes made for a woman taller than Argentea we didn't find anything particularly interesting there except for a door leading to a nearby chamber with another statue watching over it, identical to the one in the previous room. A quick examination using my magical senses revealed that this statue had some sort of magical trap placed on it and I didn't know how to remove it without triggering. The first person who dared to enter the room would be affected by the statue's magic, which I believed to be some kind of curse. Before Cat and Argentea offered to trigger the curse themselves (which I heartily believe that they would have done), I came up with an idea.

-We have the perfect test subject- I said eerily. Everybody looked at me expectantly-. Help me bring Radosek here.
-Are you sure this is a good idea?- asked Argentea.
-Better him than an innocent.- I said with absolute conviction. What I really meant was "better him than any of us".

Argentea wasn't really sure that it was a good idea, but Cat fully trusted me and Nadya shared my opinion. In my defense, I still hadn't learned how cruel the Winter Witches could be, and I expected Radosek to turn purple, have all his hair fall off, or even some kind of embarrasing organic malfunction. I wasn't prepared for what actually happened when we tossed the beaten and unconscious body of Radosek Pavril inside the room. The statue started speaking without moving its lips, in a cold female voice:

-The uninvited shall wither and die like the frost-covered bloom. You should never have ventured here, and you'd do well to leave before my return.

As she spoke, Radosek's skin and flesh started withering until he died with a mute sigh. Maybe someone who wasn't already wounded could have survived the curse, but it was a death sentence for someone as badly injured as he was. We were shocked.

-Did you know this was going to happen?- asked Argentea, evidently upset.
-No, of course not!- Cat and I answered at the same time, equally offended.

She believed me, but what I never said is that I didn't feel guilty for what I had done. It had felt... fulfilling, strangely pleasing. The only thing that actually bothered me was the fact that I had failed to foresee the consequences of my plan. At least, the magical trap on the statue was gone and we were able to enter the room freely. It turned out to be some sort of vault where Nazhena kept most of her valuables: barring the cauldron that Radosek had used against us and some other things we found on the ritual chamber, most magic items were stored in that chamber, from scrolls that I could use to learn new spells to potions and all kind of other magical stuff. I had never seen so many magic items kept together in the same place before. We would find out later that one of the scrolls held a spell that allowed to spy through mirrors, which made it clear to us that all the mirror paranoia was justified. But before I could examine and catalog everything in the vault, deciding what to do with the surviving guards was a priority.
Before speaking to them we all agreed onsetting them free, so they could go back to their homes. We were going to leave soon to Whitethrone, so we thought they wouldn't be able to cause too much trouble for us. Maybe Indi would have had a different opinion, but he wasn't here, so we healed the survivors and gathered them up in the front hall and told them that we were going to release them. They were terrified.

-If we leave, Nazhena will brand us all traitors.- explained one of them.
-Can't you just leave?- I asked. Young innocent me.
-Where? We would be hunted down in all Irrisen!
-Then leave Irrisen.- I said. I realized that I had said something stupid as soon as the words came out of my mouth.
-How?- The natural barriers made it next to impossible. The best option would be by ship, and the local government had the few ports under close watch.
-Maybe we can just leave them tied up here?- asked Argentea.
-Please, no!- pleaded another guard. By the tone of his voice one would think we had pressed a blade against his neck.
-Nazhena would make an example out of them.- Said Nadya.
-Then go hide in the woods-suggested Cat- You could live there. Isn't it better to run the risk of being killed by a troll than facing a certain death?
-I have a wife! I have kids! They wouldn't survive living in the woods. Can you imagine what would the Duchess do to them if I desserted?

According to Nadya's face, she could.

-Then what?- I asked out of sheer frustration- Do you want to die?
-No!- the man who said it had tears running down his cheeks.

That perfectly sumarized the situation in Irrisen: people were afraid to die, but they were even more terrified of living. They believed the Winter Witches to be omnipotent and they wouldn't dare to do anything against them. That day I swore to myself never to become that kind of witch. People might be afraid of me (they had always been) but I would never use that fear as a tool.

In the end, we let each one of the prisoners choose: be released, be executed while conscious or be executed while sleeping. Only two of them were willing to take the chance of running away: all the others chose to die peacefully while sleeping. As Argentea would point out later, they didn't choose to live or die as warriors because they weren't warriors but villagers that had been giving a weapon and a chance to feed their families. After having been in a lot of battles, I can say this was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. Knowing that with all my magic power, all that I could do was to provide a peaceful death by putting them to sleep made me feel useless. What is all the magic in the world worth if you cannot even save a single life with it?

Executing the prisoners was hard, and left us feeling a mixture of hatred and frustration towards Nazhena, as we felt that our hand had been forced by the absolute fear that her followers had felt towards her. Nadya looked absolutely defeated, while Argentea was furious about the situation in Irrisen and talking about bringing down the wrath of the Knights of Solamnia in a crusade against the country. Cat kept claiming that we were going to get Nazhena and everything would be alright again, with her usual slightly delusional positivity, but I am not sure that she actually believed it. And what about myself? I was fuming. I thought we'd need to make an statement, to prove to ourselves and Nazhena that we weren't afraid, that we would be going after her.

I grabbed one of the spears of the dead guards.

-Come with me, Cat.- I commanded. She wasn't used to see me demonstrating such self confidence, and she seemed surprised.
-What are you going to do?- asked Argentea, evidently concerned.
-Showing Nazhena the fate that awaits her.- I answered with a grim tone.

We got to the ritual chamber, where Valstoi still laid dead, and I asked my sister for help in severing his head from his body. She still didn't understand what I intended to do, but she helped me anyway. When we were done cutting the head off, I impaled it on the spear and took it into the dining room, placing it right in front of one of the biggest mirrors. Though the rest of the group were shocked, I don't think that they really understood the depth of my actions. Valstoi wasn't just a goat, but the sole link to the source of Radosek's magic power, and if I was right seeing his head on a pike would make her really angry.

[Dalindra]

This scene with the prisoners set the mood for all the story. From this point on, it was not just an adventure about some evil witches trying to conquer the world: it became a story about the suffering of the Irriseni people and finding how to help them.

Suddenly, my players were not into freeing Baba Yaga. What kind of monster could support this regime? Frreing the Little Mother would end all hope of changing things. They realized they had to find another way of saving Krynn.

I was never so proud of them.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 32

I couldn't sleep. After executing the prisoners and putting Valstoi's head on a pike, we had been searching the tower for anything that could help us in the hard times to come. Then we took a bath in the hall, though Argentea refused to take a bath with the rest of us and insisted it on doing it after we were done, because apparently human nobles shouldn't bathe with other people. Later we had some dinner and went to bed. I was doing fine, finally enjoying some rest and not thinking about tyrant witches and dead people at all. Until I had the brilliant idea of sleeping alone. Cat and Nadya chose to sleep in the main hall and the barracks respectively, which were the two warmest places in the whole tower. But I wanted to see the starry sky and insisted on staying in the aerie. What was I trying to prove? That I was already a big girl who could sleep alone? Well, I apparently wasn't. Everytime I closed my eyes I was overwhelmed by all that had happened during the day, and I knew that if I managed to fall asleep it would be worse, as I'd be haunted by nightmares again.

In the darkness, the ice crystals from the mobile cast ominous shadows on the walls, and I remained laying on my bed (which used to be Jairess' bed), staring at them, hypnotized while lost in my own thoughts. I wasn't afraid of any darkness that wasn't my own, but that one terrified me. In the end, I had to admit that I was still incapable of sleeping alone. That made me feel so frustrated: I didn't want to be a burden on my sister for the rest of my life.
I stood up, put on my coat and left the aerie, letting my feet guide my steps, and I found myself knocking on Nazhena's door.

-Wait a minute!- a female voice said from inside the room.

After a few seconds, Argentea opened the door. She wore a long nightgown that seemed both elegant and comfortable, yet not particularly fitting. Whether she had recovered it from the doppelganger or borrowed it from Nazhena, it reinforced the impression that she owned the place.

-Can I come in?- I asked shyly.
-Is everything alright?- she seemed worried.

I shrugged.

-I cannot sleep.

Argentea gave me a big smile.

-Oh, I see- I swear that she was about to burst into laughter-. Come in.

Judging from her expression, she thought I was making up an excuse to be with her.

-It's true. I can't sleep alone.- That I wanted to be with her was also true.
-Is it because of your dreams?- she asked. She no longer smiled.
-I think so.
-Do you want to talk about it?

I had never told anyone what my nightmares were about, not even my sister. I had always been her little girl and I didn't want that to change. The possibility of talking about it with someone else felt relieving, though I was also afraid. I didn't want to appear like a monster.

-I... seduce men... in my dreams. I... hurt them... and then I... kill them.

Argentea seemed surprised, but she soon recovered.

-Have you ever wanted to do it for real?- she asked. She seemed concerned, but also curious.
-No! It's horrible!- I answered without thinking twice- I have strong... needs... but I don't want to hurt people.
Argentea gave me a calming smile.
-Then you aren't any different from everyone else. We all have a dark side. Self control is what keeps it at bay.

I didn't think that she fully understood what happened in my mind, but something told me that it was better like that. I returned the smile and threw myself onto the bed. I cried out in surprise.

-Help me! -I laughed- It's swallowing me!- she lent me a hand and I sat on the bed- What is this thing made of? It's fluffier than Nina!
-Haven't you ever seen a feather bed?
-How many beds do you think I've seen in my life? Until a few years ago I believed that all humans slept on piles of straw!
-Right, I had forgotten- Argentea gave me another serious, concerned look-. You know, my offer still stands: when I get back home you and your sister can come with me.
-Cat is a wild elf at heart, I don't think she'll enjoy the life between four walls a lot. But maybe I will take you up on your offer- I was lying. I knew that a higher destiny awaited me-. My sister deserves to stop living for me and start living for herself.
-She seems happy with it.
-She could be happier. Can I ask you something?
-Of course.
-Why are you so good to us?

Argentea shrugged.

-Why aren't other people? That's what anyone should do.
-It isn't what anyone would do.- I answered. Then I felt the sudden urge to kiss her and acted without thinking, but Argentea grabbed me by the shoulders to stop me. Had I gone too far? I didn't want to make her upset.
-What are you doing?- she protested. I was quick to try to apologize, but she cut me off before I could- Have you washed your mouth?
-Y-yes.- I was puzzled. Why the sudden concern about the hygiene of my mouth?
-There aren't any spiders left, are there?

She was being absolutely serious, but I found her attitude funny. I couldn't help but start laughing.

-That was just a spell! I am not made of spiders, you know, I just summon them!
-But why inside of you? That's gross!
-Because... magic?
-Magic is gross.

I had to admit she was right. I found the spiders to be rather cute, but having them crawling from my throat wasn't something I especially enjoyed.

-Not all magic, just mine.- as far as I knew, wizards summoned their spiders outside of their bodies.
-It's all the same. I don't like magic. Any magic.

I smiled and kissed her again. This time Argentea didn't push me aside. She seemed to be a bit uncomfortable at first, but she relaxed and let herself go as soon as my tongue touched hers. I animated my hair to embrace and caress her.

-That is actually a bit creepy.

I let my hair turn back to normal.

-You are no fun at all.- I complained with pretend annoyance while pushing my body against hers. We kissed again: a long, wet kiss. I couldn't believe that we had laid together the two previous days and I still felt the need to be with her one more time.
-You are insatiable, aren't you?- laughed Argentea in amusement when my hands slipped under her nightgown.

I blushed so hard that my face hurt.

-I like this.- was my only answer as we undressed each other.
-Me too but... three days! Isn't that too much?
-We aren't doing anything wrong. You told me you did this before.
-Never that often!

Despite her complaints, she kept exploring my body with her hands, so I didn't feel like I should stop either. I started kissing her body. She was delicious.

-Did you do this with your maidens?- I asked out of curiosity.
Now it was Argentea's turn to blush.
-Uh... yes, but... A lady does not speak about certain things.
-Why? Do you think this is wrong?
-It's not that it is wrong, but many people wouldn't understand. It's a common way for single ladies to avoid being tempted to be with a man, it must be kept private.

I didn't like what I was hearing. If felt hypocritical: she said that we weren't doing anything wrong but then we had to conceal it like we were.

-What's the difference between being with a man or a woman? Isn't it all the same?- I asked.
-Absolutely not.- she answered, slightly upset.

Kagonesti elves didn't make such distinctions, so Argentea's point of view really puzzled me. But I didn't want to keep upsetting her, so I just let it be.

-You humans are complicated- I mustered before getting lost again in her body.

Argentea got carried away with the same passion as usual. Whether what we were doing was right or wrong, she didn't seem to care a lot. For the first time, we believed we had absolute privacy , so we took our time to explore each other. When we were done, we were both exhausted. I breathed deep and laid my head on her chest. She was far more comfortable than the bed that wanted to engulf me. She sniffed my hair and sighed.

-Are you wearing one of Nazhena's fragrances?- she asked.
-No, why?
-You seem to smell especially good today.

I felt a bit embarrassed.

-I bathed. I'd rather not tell how much time I had spent without taking a proper bath.
-No, it's not that- she sniffed my hair again-. It's a special scent. Maybe I didn't notice it before.

I was about to answer when I realized something else that we hadn't noticed before. My own naked figure was staring at me with a tired look on her face and her messy red hair turned into an even bigger mess after laying with Argentea from the big mirror on the wall. The sole idea of Nazhena spying on us while we had sex made me want to be swallowed by the bed and disappear, but I didn't want to show embarrassment so I just sat on the bed and waved at my own reflection like it was someone else.

-Hello there! You have a comfortable bed, you know.

Argentea widely opened her eyes in realisation and covered herself with the bed sheets.

-Are you enjoying the view?- I went on.

Argentea laughed.

-You are insane!
-Does this offend you?- I let a good laugh came out of my throat- Then come and stop us! We are waiting for you!
-Are you being serious?- Argentea was embarrassed, puzzled and amused at the same time- Do you really think she has been spying on us?

I shrugged.

-Who knows? Just in case.

We would never know if she was, as she didn't magically appear then and we never got to question her about it later, but the sole idea of having been spied on through the mirror ended our fun for that day. We stayed awake for a while, just in case something happened.

-Can I stay for the night?- I asked shyly when I was starting to feel sleepy.
-Sure.

I laid my head on her chest again.

-My Bright Morning.- I chuckled.

I expected her to tell me I was creepy again, but that didn't happen. We were both already half asleep.

[Lady Argentea Malassene]

Kileanna wrote:

I expected her to tell me I was creepy again, but that didn't happen. We were both already half asleep.

You are creepy. Happy now?

And you smell good. Very good...

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 33

I slept reasonably well that night, though the nightmares were there as usual. I woke up so late that Nina was already sleeping and I had to wake her up so I could get my daily spells. I finally got the proper spell to mend Argentea's torn dress, so I did it as soon as I could and hurried up to join the rest of the group to give Argentea a pleasant surprise. But when I got to them, Cat and Argentea seemed very concerned and I momentarily forgot about the dress.

-Nadya left with the first lights- my sister explained to me-. She told me that her daughter was calling for her.
-She has lost it- said Argentea-. This has been too much for her.
-It might be true, who knows?- I interjected- But she shouldn't have gone on her own. The woods are dangerous and it could also be a trap.

Honestly, I believed that Argentea's guess was correct, but wasn't I following a call that I didn't even know where it came from? How couldn't I give Nadya the benefit of the doubt? But still her behavior worried me and I feared that she could do something that we all regretted in that state.

We wore our heavier clothes to go out to the woods to find her, but as we were ready to leave Cat saw a figure approaching the tower. It was Nadya! And she brought company: on her forearm perched a female snowy owl, younger than Nina. As the gates of the tower opened, Nadya rushed towards up, happily greeting us.

-I found her! She was calling me!

We all stared at her in confusion.

-It's Thora. The gods sent her back to me.

Cat was petrified. Argentea looked away like this wasn't going with her. I didn't know what to say.

-Is that possible?- Argentea asked me. I had apparently become the expert in strange things and snowy owls.

I didn't really believe that the animal was Thora: she had been missing for just a few weeks, and we had released her soul from the doll only a couple of days ago, while the owl was almost an adult. Of course, with the gods all could make sense, but it was still hard to believe that they would trap the soul of a young girl just to please her mother. Though I could picture this owl being a guardian animal of sorts, sent by gods or by Thora herself to protect her. But seeing Nadya smiling again, I couldn't gather the courage to tell her what I really thought: that her daughter was gone, possibly forever.

-I am not an expert in godly matters, so I cannot say. Maybe.- I finally answered without much conviction.
-You don't believe me, do you?- asked Nadya, not just to me but to all of us.
-I believe that Thora might have sent you someone to watch over you.- I finally said.
-This is Thora.- she insisted.

She really needed to believe. Maybe in the future she would be at peace with the loss of her daughter and she'd be more reasonable, but until that time came we'd have to cope with her calling her new companion by her dead daughter's name, as creepy as it might seem.
Meanwhile, Nina remained napping, perched on my arm: as she wasn't a real owl she never showed the slightest interest in socializing with other owls. Some time later, when I learned to communicate with Nina, I asked her about Nadya's companion out of curiosity. Her answer was: "She's just an owl, she's not very clever. She's so boring".

After packing everything up, which took us most of the morning, we left the Pale Tower to get back to Waldsby, though we didn't expect to stay there for long. Nadya was adamant about guiding us to Winterthrone: she still had pending issues with Nazhena, and she didn't feel safe in Waldsby either, after all that had happened. She had some family living near Winterthrone and she wanted to take Orm and Mjoli with them so they didn't end suffering the same fate as Thora.

As we got back to the village, we noticed that something wasn't right. The air smelled of smoke and even from a certain distance we could see that the burned building had burned again and was reduced to ashes. We met Kashka, Nadya's neighbor, on our way to Nadya's home. As we saluted her, she looked at us in panic, made a sign against the evil eye and limped away towards her home. Otherwise, the streets were almost empty.

As we approached Nadya's home, we saw Indi waving at us from the window.

-Welcome back! Get in, quick!

Orm and Mjoli ran to their mother crying out loud and almost tripping her to the ground. At first they both asked for Thora in unison, as they were convinced that their mother had been away to bring Thora back. They were very disappointed about their sister not being back, as Nadya (fortunately) didn't explain to them her theory about her new friend owl. "They are too young to understand" she would tell us later. But after I gave them the cookies that I had picked up at the Pale Tower they cheered up a bit and started telling their mother what they had been doing in her absence.

-Indi wouldn't let us play outdoors so we built a fortress under the table!- said one of the kids.
-It isn't a fortress, it is a pirate ship!- corrected the other.

A pirate ship? That had to be Indi's doing. He came from a coastal town and his mother, as he had told us, was well known for dealing with noblemen and pirates alike.

-It is, indeed!- Indi laughed out loud- And you are slacking! Get back on board, swabs, I have to speak with your mother.
-Yeeees, captain!- screamed the kids in unison, and then they left running out to the kitchen. That wouldn't be the last time that Indi's fascination for pirates came up... by then I still thought it was kinda funny.

As the kids left, Indi's face turned serious.

-What's going on?- Nadya demanded to know.
-I went out twice since you left. People seem to be pretty... nervous around here. I feared for the kids' security. Especially after the burned building burned again.
That was the building where we were holding the prisoners. That it had burned to its roots was kinda suspicious, and the fact that Indi was the one who wanted the prisoners dead didn't help.
-So it just ignited on its own, right?- asked Argentea in an accusatory tone.
-Maybe it was the will of the gods.- said Indi with a beatific smile.
-Which god... or which goddess?
-It's already done- I intervened with a conciliatory voice-, we are not solving anything by arguing. Let it be.

Argentea grunted.

-I'm keeping an eye on you, Evil Druid.

Indi chuckled and headed towards the kitchen, where the children were being especially noisy.

-Maybe I'd like that.- he said with big toothy grin as he left.
-No. Definitely not.- she answered, but Indi had already left, followed by Nadya. Cat went out to untie the dogs from the sleds and attend them. They were as tired as we were, but at least we counted on resting for a day or two in Waldsby before leaving to Whitethrone. That would allow us all (dogs included) to get a well deserved rest.

While Cat was taking care of the dogs and Nadya was telling a kid-friendly version of what had happened in the Pale Tower to Indi and the children, I suddenly recalled that I was still keeping the dress that I had mended for Argentea. With all the deal with Nadya I had completely forgotten about it. I was surprised by Argentea's gratitude when I gave the dress back to her. The spell that I had used was really simple and cost me no effort, but she reacted like I had put a lot of time and effort into it. I felt a bit overwhelmed: I didn't deserve so much gratitude!

I helped her take off her armor, and we talked for a while. I had already begun to joke about her having to take me as her squire.

-I am still a squire myself.- she answered. But it wasn't like the Knights of Solamnia would take among their ranks someone who didn't descend from a Solamnic family and didn't have a single drop of human blood running through her veins... not to speak about the magic. The Knights of Solamnia seemed to abhor and despise non-godly magic.

I don't even know how it happened this time. One moment we were having a pretty normal talk, the next we were putting our clothes on and wondering how we had ended up like that again. I had always had strong impulses, but I seemed to have an inability to control them when she was close. She just let herself go. It was all my scent's fault, she said.

When we got out of the room Nadya was waiting for us. She gave us a killer stare.

-What were you two doing?

Argentea went pale. I blushed.

-You heard us?- I asked, evidently embarrassed.
-You don't realize how noisy the two of you are, do you?
-I am sorry, I...
-What would have happened if the kids had heard you? What if they had entered the room?

Argentea went from white to red. The kids were in the kitchen with Cat and Indi and they were all screaming so loud that I was surprised that they could hear anything but themselves.

-What's up with the kids?- I asked in confusion.
-They could have seen you!
-And?

I truly didn't understand where the big deal was. To me the course of action in that case was pretty clear: tell the kids to get out, and later explain to them what had happened. But humans seemed to like making big dramas out of small things.

-So you don't mind doing perverted things in front of children?
-We weren't doing anything perverted!- I protested- I seriously don't understand why you are so upset. I know you humans are different, but kagonesti elves are much more open about sex.
-So flashing it all in front of kids is something absolutely normal to you- I hadn't said that, I didn't mean that at all, but I was so nervous that the right words wouldn't come. And Argentea wouldn't help. She was frozen solid-. You are sick. You and your people. And you...- she turned to face the statue at my side- you are human. What is your excuse?
-I am really sorry, Nadya- Argentea mumbled-. I just didn’t think...
-I bet you didn't. You can do whatever you want, I don't care. But not in my home, and stay away from my children.

I wanted to answer something, but words kept evading me and Nadya was leaving. She headed up to the kitchen, to return a few seconds later in my sister's company. They sat in a corner and spent quite a long time arguing in whispers while looking at me every once in a while. Argentea and I felt too embarrassed to talk about what had happened, so I focused on identifying and studying the scrolls that we had looted from the Pale Tower while Argentea stared out from the window, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

After some time, Nadya approached me, speaking to me in a conciliatory tone.

-I am sorry- she said-, I might have overreacted before. I understand that you come from a different culture, but you have to respect that I want to wait to explain certain things to my sons until I consider that they are prepared.
-I do.

I thought that Nadya hid too many things from her sons to keep them safe, like Thora's death, and I believed that it would be more painful for them when they learned the truth. But I respected her choices and I would never dare to act against them.

-I am sorry- I added-. I never meant to cause trouble. We just got carried away, and there wasn't any problem the last time.
-The last time? Is there a last time? Here?- I shyly nodded- Nevermind. I'd rather not know.

Having said that, she headed towards Argentea.

-Ah, Nadya- she greeted with a serious tone-. Come here, take a look.
-What's up?- Nadya looked out from the window as Argentea spoke.
-There's a lot of people on the streets. I don't like this.

I went to the other window to see what was going on. Argentea was right: there were too many people on the streets, and they seemed to be gathering in a crowd.

-We are in trouble.- I stated as a matter of fact. My sister and I had been "politely invited" to leave an elven settlement after something bad happened so many times that I was already pretty used to it. Blaming the strange red haired girl was a popular policy among kagonesti elves.
-Don't worry- said Nadya-, after all that happened these days it's only normal that they are somewhat nervous, especially if they have gotten news of what happened at the Pale Tower.
-Argentea is right- intervened Cat-. I have seen this happen before, and I don't like it either.

Nadya trusted her neighbors. They were her friends, her hunting companions, the people who had helped her after her husband died. But they were also the people who did nothing when Nazhena took Thora from her, I thought. I couldn't help but think about the guards who have chosen to die before having to face the wrath of the Duchess. Fear and desperation lead people to take unexpected courses of action.

While we talked, the crowd began approaching Nadya's home. I couldn't say that Nadya wasn't concerned, but she was convinced of being able to solve everything by talking to her neighbors.
She left the house, and we all followed her, even the children. Indi told them to go back inside, but they protested and squirreled away from him to see what was going on.

I immediately recognized the woman from the inn in the middle of the mob, speaking out louder than anyone, accusing us of dooming the town. There were also claims among the crowd saying that the duchess would forgive them if they presented her our bodies when she came back, all of that combined with different words of hate and fear.
Nadya took a step forward and addressed the mob.

-Stop! Don't come closer!- she spoke in Skald but I followed her speech without much difficulty- We have to stop acting out of fear! You want to take these foreigners to Nazhena to placate her because you are afraid of her fury, but if you let them go I swear that you won't have to fear her anymore.
-You too, Nadya- hissed the innkeeper-. This is all your fault. These strangers have poisoned your mind and you have helped them to bring doom to our village.
-Duchess Nazhena is the best ruler we have ever had!- said someone else in the middle of the crowd- She released us from the tyranny of her mother, have you already forgotten that?
-Have you already forgotten Thora?- interjected Nadya- Have you forgotten the whole family that Nazhena burned alive?
-They were traitors- I recognized Kashka's voice-. And you should have disciplined your daughter better. She's probably living a better life now than you could have given to her.

I could feel Nadya's metaphorical blindfold being removed in this moment. She felt betrayed and abandoned by her neighbors, who wouldn't even care about what had happened to her because it hadn't happened to them. To their eyes, we were the monsters, coming from foreign lands to endanger their existence, and Nazhena was just a fair ruler who only punished those who did something to call upon her wrath. I really wanted to tell them about Thora's real fate, but they would most likely not believe me, and Nadya would kill me for telling it in front of her kids. She was still standing there, immobile, staring at her own people in disbelief. And they kept approaching.

-Stop!- Nadya cried out again, taking her bow from her quiver and aiming it at the mob- We will solve everything! The Winter Witches aren't as almighty as they try to make us think! They can be defeated! Radosek is the proof!

A single stone flew towards us, I didn't even see who threw it, but even before it hit the walls of Nadya's home, a swift arrow flew towards the crowd. I saw a man falling to the ground with an arrow deeply rooted in his throat. He coughed some blood and then fell still. That was when I was finally able to react and run towards Nadya.

-Orm, Mjoli, are you alright?- cried out Nadya, while she kept aiming at the crowd- Stand back! Stand back!- They seemed doubtful about whether to run away or attack in a mob.
-Get inside the house, quick!- commanded Argentea, but I knew that the thin doors and walls of Nadya's house wouldn't hold back an angry mob for long. I was pretty sure that we would be able to defeat them if needed, but I didn't want to reach to the point where I had to release a swarm of poisonous spiders on a bunch of innocent villagers.
-Go back to your homes- I hissed. My Skald was slowly improving.

If they only responded to the fear they had for witches, I could give them a witch to fear. I invoked my powers, causing one of the people in the crowd chosen at random to fall asleep, and then I continued speaking with my most threatening tone:

-Stay out of our way and you will live.

I might hate people who ruled out of the fear of their people, but if the only way to avoid fighting (and possibly killing) those people was using that fear against them, it was fine by me. And I have to admit that getting them to obey and rush back to their homes was surprisingly fulfilling. I could understand how someone could get used to it. To be honest, there were many of them that only left reluctantly after they saw that the crowd was disbanding, but yet we had got to keep them, and ourselves, safe.

The rest of the group had already gotten into the house except for Nadya, who stood paralyzed by my side, staring at the man she had killed. I grabbed her by an arm and pulled her towards the door.

-Come on!

She followed me, pale as a ghost.

-I saw something flying towards the children. I didn't think, I...
-I know- we reached the house and closed the door-. You were just protecting them.

I couldn't say that my sister wouldn't have done the same for me.

-But he was my neighbor, he used to...
-He earned it- Indi said bluntly, putting his hand on Nadya's shoulder-. He should have never come here or thrown that stone. He sealed his own fate.
-You're right.- answered Nadya, forcing herself to believe it.
-We should leave as soon as possible- suggested Argentea-. We don't want to be here when they go back to fearing Nazhena more than they fear us.

That was a sensible thing to do. It was already late afternoon, which didn't leave us many daylight hours ahead, but everything seemed better than staying in a hostile town. Nadya was still in shock after what had just happened, and the twins were unusually silent, not being able to fully understand what was going on. Later, when we were already on the road, Indi would tell them that their mother had killed their neighbor because he was an evil man who wanted to hurt us. After the kids had gone to sleep, I asked him if he thought that making them believe that the man had been evil was a good thing.

-Would you rather have them wondering if their mother is the evil one?- he answered. He had a point.

We spent the last hours of the day on the road to Whitethrone. With two children traveling with us and the limited supplies that we could gather up before we had to leave, it wasn't going to be an easy trip.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 34

It was the second day of our journey. According to Nadya, if everything went fine, we still had a full week ahead before we reached our destination in Winterthrone, and we still had to make a stop in the nearby village of Ellsprin, where Nadya's sister-in-law lived. Winterthrone would be too dangerous for the two sons of a peasant, especially when we took into account what we intended to do: steal Baba Yaga's dancing hut as her Black Rider had told us to do. Right now, the Witch Queen was our best chance to close the Winter Portals: if the actual queen of Irrisen, Elvanna, had risen against her, and was also responsible for the creation of the Portals as we thought, finding Baba Yaga seemed like the most sensible thing to do. In addition, if the source of my mysterious magic really had something to do with Baba Yaga, maybe she would be able to shed some light on who I really was and where I came from.
In the last few months, the nightmares and the sensation of being called had been growing in intensity to the point that they were next to impossible to ignore. Because of that, I felt that anything that could ease my mind and my heart would be fine.

The weather did nothing to make our journey easier, but aside from that, it was an uneventful and easy trip so far. Orm and Mjoli's addition to the group did wonders to cheer everyone up. They recovered from the shock as fast as only children can, and they were handling the situation with integrity. After all they heard from their neighbors, they had good reasons to believe their sister was being held at Winterthrone by Nazhena and that their mother was coming to the rescue, which made them really excited about the journey. At their age, they still believed that there wasn't anything their mother couldn't do.

Despite the chilly winds that slowed our pace, the sky was sunny and clear, so when we saw a black cloud forming on the horizon we immediately realized that something strange was going on. It was about noon when we first noticed it, and it continued growing in size and approaching as the hours went by.

-That must be the biggest flock of birds I have ever seen- Nadya said after observing the cloud for a while.
-I bet they are crows.- Cat guessed.
-You can count on it. Nazhena must have sent them to check what happened at the Pale Tower, because they are coming towards us.

I just saw a big strange cloud. If they said they were crows, I would have to believe them. My previous encounters with crows hadn't been very pleasant, so I'd rather have the cloud be anything but crows.

-We have to hunt them down- said Nadya later, as the cloud got closer-. If we kill them all they won't be able to inform Nazhena.
-If she doesn't have already all the information that she needs.- objected Argentea.
-Then why is she sending crows?- Cat asked.
-Right.

Though I didn't like the idea of getting into trouble with crows again, I understood why Nadya wanted to keep some information from Nazhena, like the fact that we were traveling with children now, which made us vulnerable, so I agreed with her plan of hunting down the birds. Based on the size of the flock, there must be hundreds of them, but we trusted Indi’s magical powers to blast most of the crows off before they got to us. Nadya, Cat, and Argentea should be able to shoot down the remaining ones and, if everything else failed and they got really close, my spiders have proven to be effective against them. Meanwhile, the twins, Nina, and the owl would remain hidden in the sleds under thick blankets. Getting Nadya’s companion to stay there and not move was already quite a chore but finally she calmed down when one of the twins (I still wasn't able to tell one from the other) held her in his arms.

The hunt itself didn't go as well as we expected. First, Indi’s best damaging spells couldn't reach the flock until it was pretty close and, even then, they weren't wide enough to catch most of the birds in a single spell. That meant that we had to rely on arrows to attract them to our position and then we had to be really quick finishing them off before they got to us. Seeing them covering the sun as they fell upon us was enough to make me wonder how sensible had it been to attract their attention.

Everybody did as expected: Indi was able to get rid of about half of the birds all on his own, and many others fell from the arrows, but they were approaching too quickly and there were too many. I vomited a spider swarm to shield us, but they only reached the crows that were flying closer to the ground. Once again, I was surrounded by birds who were pecking, scratching and flapping at me.

-Why do they hate me so much?- I cried out in pain.

I ran away from them (and from the spiders) the best I could, considering that the blood and the pain were clouding my vision again. Indi cast another spell. He and Nadya had remained close to the sleds, which kept them from being engulfed by the cloud of crows.

-Where are they? I can't see!- I heard my sister crying out. They had to be controlled by magic somehow, or trained to go directly for the eyes. Such viciousness wasn't normal.

Just like last time, when their numbers had been drastically cut down the remaining birds attempted to flee. My sister and I were blinded, so we couldn't be of much help, but Indi and Nadya did a superb job finishing off the surviving birds. We didn't even have to worry about the ravenous spiders: Indi had blasted them alongside the crows.

This time, healing my wounds was easier: among the scrolls we got in the Pale Tower, there were a couple of them containing specific spells to restore eyesight. After Indi used one of those on me, I had enough skill to treat Cat's wounds without using magic. Our magical resources were still too limited to waste them unnecessarily. At least the kids were fine, our wounds were easily treatable, and we were able to continue our journey without having suffered any losses.

We set up camp at late evening, and though our hunting patrol (also known as Indi, Nadya and Cat) didn't manage to bring anything for dinner, we still had enough supplies for a few more days… which could have changed the following night.

At the end of another tiring day and unsuccessful hunt for food, we set up camp and, after a fulfilling meal, we retired to our tent to sleep. I didn't mind having just one tent, despite the lack of privacy and the occasional foot-on-face, but I was very embarrassed about having my nightmares in front of so many people, and afraid of not letting them sleep.

Indi took the first watch as he usually did, so he could get a full night of sleep before getting up at dawn to commune with his Goddess. My sister was already asleep, breathing heavily on the top of my head, which I found comforting.

I was starting to feel the numbness that preceded the loss of consciousness when Indi cried out “intruders” and Nina started hooting. Cat, despite having been deeply asleep just a few seconds before, was the first one to get out of the tent, ready to fight: her ability to get in and out of sleep effortlessly never ceased to amaze me. Nadya got out right after her, while Argentea spent a couple of extra seconds wrapping the straps of her shield around her arm and taking her sword. I got out to see what was happening but I knew this battle wasn't for me: magic has its own rules, and if I don't get roughly eight hours of uninterrupted rest I am absolutely unable to concentrate to memorize my daily spells. Even if casting a single spell or channeling energy to my hair doesn't seem like a big effort, it is the mental equivalent of lifting a heavy weight and it renders me exhausted. Unless the enemies were especially tough and the group really needed my help, I didn't want to delay our journey just because of a couple of spells.

I made the right choice. The “enemies” weren't bigger than Nina, and were more interested in the supplies on the sleds than in picking a fight. They had oversized bat ears, tiny red eyes, a mouth twisted in a permanent grin full of sharp teeth and that blueish skin that all the winter-touched fey from Irrisen seemed to have. As the arrows started to fly and Cat and Indi charged towards them, they just fled back to the woods. They were small, stealthy, and only my sister and I had a good night vision, so we didn't even bother to chase them up.

-They were probably just hungry- Argentea guessed-. Is anything missing?

Cat and Indi approached the sleds and lifted the blanket that was covering the supplies.

-Maggots!- Cat cursed.
-What’s wrong?- I asked, running towards the sleds.
-Maggots. Real maggots.
-Those pocket-sized saboteurs have spoiled our food.- added Indi.

As I approached I noticed the foul smell. The meat was rotting and full of maggots. The cheese, the bread and the very few vegetables that we had were covered in blueish mold, and we didn't even dare to check what had happened to the liquids.

-This is disgusting- said Argentea, making the most obvious remark of the day. She looked at me-. Can you use your magic to fix it?
I shrugged.
-I can add spiders to the maggots.

Indi coughed.

-I can fix it, thank you for asking- he smiled-. Or at least I will be able to tomorrow.
-I guess we can wait.- said Argentea. She kept staring at the spoiled food like she was about to throw up. I found her reaction funny: it was obvious that she had never had to scavenge for food.
We removed all the spoiled supplies from the sleds to keep them from contaminating our other belongings and then went back to sleep. Waiting until the next day to purify the food was probably a good idea anyway: if the fey saboteurs believed that they had succeeded they wouldn't bother us again. Still, they made me worry: had their attack on our supplies been casual or had someone sent them after us? I thought about it for a while until I finally surrendered to sleep, so tired that I didn't wake up until I felt the daylight on my face.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 35

The next morning, Indi used his magic to cleanse the food and make it edible again. To be honest, everything looked better than ever. Some of our supplies weren't as fresh as they should have been before the fey spoiled them, and Indi made them look (and taste) like they were back to their glory days.

After a scarce but fulfilling meal, we were ready for another day of travel, which was again uneventful, aside from the usual inconveniences of the weather. In the evening, after camping, we even managed to hunt down a doe, which would provide food for at least a couple of days. Mjoli had been the one to spot her behind the bushes, and he felt really proud of himself. Nadya had called him “a real hunter" which had made Orm a bit jealous. In the end, Nadya allowed Orm to be the one to collect the wood for the campfire the next day and he felt proud of being entitled with such an important task… a task that I had performed all the previous days and that wasn't exciting in the slightest.

The next evening, while we were setting up the campsite, Orm left to collect some firewood. We were on the border of a forest, so it shouldn't be difficult to find some dry wood for the campfire.

-Don't go too far, and come back before it gets too dark- instructed Nadya-. It’s going to start snowing.
-Okay, Mom…- answered Orm, and he left, almost running, making a tired face when his mother stopped looking at him. He had probably heard that speech too many times.

When we were done setting up camp, Orm still hadn't returned and it had started snowing like Nadya predicted.

-He cannot have gone too far.- said Cat, and then she cried out Orm’s name twice. There was no answer.
-He is a good child. He cannot have disobeyed me.
-Good children can disobey too- said Cat looking at me. I answered with my own stare, begging her not to bring back embarrassing childhood memories. Luckily for me, she didn't. She was more concerned about the lost kid-. Let’s find him before it starts snowing too much.

It was easier said than done: the snow had already covered most of Orm’s footprints, making it hard to follow his tracks. Argentea and Nadya stayed at the campsite with Mjoli, while I left with Indi and my sister to search for Orm. Nadya might be the our best tracker alongside Cat, but she was just too nervous to be of use, and we didn't want her around either, in case something terrible had happened to the boy.

We were searching for Orm until it started to get dark. I had to cast a light spell so Indi could see, though the heavy snowfall didn't allow us to see a lot anyway. We wandered around the woods for a long time calling the boy's name, but he was nowhere to be found.

-He has already been away for too long.- pointed out Indi after a while.

We were tired of searching and we were starting to slow down. Indi had always been the pragmatic one, so I feared that he might be about to suggest giving up on our search and getting back before we got lost too. But instead of that, he told us to move faster.

-I don't wanna be the one to explain to Nadya why she only has one kid left, so we’d better hurry up before it’s too late.

Finally, Cat found some footprints in the snow. Orm couldn't be far. We called out his name, and this time we got an answer: a single high pitched cry that allowed us to have a rough idea of his location. I sent Nina to scout ahead while we ran as quick as we could, following the direction of the voice.

We reached a clearing where Orm was standing on top of a fallen trunk, which wasn't high enough to keep him out of reach of the jaws of the hungry wolves that hounded him. Like most wolves, these three animals were naturally afraid of humans, and they hadn't gathered up the courage to strike, so they were still circling around the terrified boy and snapping bites at him.

As we approached the clearing, the wolves turned to face us, ready to pick a fight to protect their meal. I immediately put one of them to sleep, while Cat and Indi took care of the other two and sent them running after the first blows: the wolves had no interest in fighting enemies who were stronger than them. Despite them being gone, Orm remained immobile and even paler than usual, until Cat took him in her arms. Then he pressed himself against her chest and mumbled:

-I got lost. I didn't want to go so far.

Indi tapped the boy on the head, making his hat fall over his eyes.

-Don't worry, kid. Just don't tell your mother about the wolves, or she won't let you go out on your own until you’re married. We’ll just tell her that you got lost, alright?

The kid nodded, feeling much more calm now that he knew that we wouldn't be telling his mother. Kids and their strange priorities.
After we picked up the fallen firewood and got back to the campsite, night had already fallen and we were all hungry and exhausted. Nadya was so happy to have Orm back safely that she forgot to ask any questions about what had happened to him, which was probably for the best because Cat was the worst liar ever.

Orm was the first one to fall asleep, as emotionally and physically fatigued as he was, and we soon joined him. It had been a long day and we would have to get up early if we wanted to get across the woods in a single day’s journey. Wolves were possibly the least dangerous creatures that we might find inhabiting the woods, and we didn't want to stay in them longer than necessary.

The journey ended up being much easier than we expected, as there was enough distance between the trees to allow the sleds to pass without impediment and the weather was calm, if colder than usual. It wasn't noon yet when we got to the middle of the forest, and it was about an hour later when we spotted a wooden cabin right in front of us. A thin line of smoke rose from the chimney, and as we approached we could smell what seemed to be a delicious stew. I hadn't eaten anything since dawn, so I couldn't help but start feeling hungry.

-This is so strange- said Nadya-. Why would anyone live here in the middle of nowhere?

Maybe they just wanted to stay away from the tyranny of the Winter Witches, I thought. But Cat was faster than me in her answer:
-Why would anyone would like to live in a town governed by a witch?
Nadya was about to answer, but then a woman came out of the house and waved at us. She was tall and strikingly beautiful, with hair as red as autumn leaves flowing from under a green hooded cloak. She approached us fearlessly, apparently delighted to see us. She introduced herself as Sylgja and, after the presentations, she invited us to enter her cabin and share her meal. Argentea and Nadya seemed especially suspicious of her: nobody had been so kind and helpful since our arrival in Irrisen. We were so curious that we decided to trust her for the moment, though Argentea didn't lift her hand from the grip of her blade and Cat seemed ready to unsheathe her kukris.

-I don't get a lot of visitors, much less a group of skilled warriors, so this is a big event for me!- Sylgja’s enthusiasm seemed to come in increments. She laid one hand on Indi’s shoulder and another on his staff- Look at all those big weapons! How good are you with them?
-Only the best, of course!- Indi answered with a flirty tone. Sylgja seemed interested and Indi wasn't the kind to turn down a beautiful woman.
-Then maybe you could do me a small favor.- the woman said in a soft, charming voice.
-Ha! I knew it! Nobody’s so kind unless they expect to gain something from you!- far from being offended, Cat seemed much more relaxed now. She had always been suspicious of people who were too nice without a reason.
-I am sorry. It wasn't my intention to seem too demanding- Sylgja’s face changed to reflect such grief that I felt the sudden urge to comfort her-. I just thought you wanted to help me.
-Tell us- I said-. Maybe we can help.

The woman’s expression brightened up again. I couldn't tell if she was a master manipulator or just a very emotional person. Maybe she was a bit of both.

-There is a troll living in a cave uphill. I didn't know about it until about a week ago… when I went out to look for my husband… He went hunting near the cave… and that troll killed and devoured him!
Indi stepped back when Sylgja mentioned a husband but as grief cracked her voice again, he approached her again and put his arm around her shoulders.
-Did you see it happen?- asked Argentea.
-I have seen the troll at a distance many times, but I don't dare approach it. It would kill me too!
-What I actually mean is: are you sure your husband isn't still alive?
-Why would a dim-witted, foul-smelling, dirty moss troll keep Finngarth as a prisoner? If he wasn't dead he would have come back to me- Sylgja’s desperation was evident-. And yet, I don't want to lose all hope- she sighed and laid her head on Indi’s shoulder-. I feel so lonely here by myself…
-We will find out what happened to your husband- said Nadya with an unusually aggressive voice, staring at Sylgja with fire in her eyes, before standing up and heading to the door. I’d swear she was jealous-. Who will stay here with the kids?

Her last words seemed to imply: “because I am not leaving them alone with this woman".

-Indi will stay here with me.

Indi laughed. He seemed to find the situation funny and I could tell that he found Sylgja’s attentions (and Nadya’s jealousy) flattering.

-The lady has spoken. She has decided for me.
-Would you like to stay and live here with me? This place is much better than Whitethrone, or anywhere else in Irrisen.

That caught Indi off guard.

-What? No, I can't, I have... responsibilities.
-The Evil Druid has learned a new word- Argentea smirked-. You can stay if you wish, we will manage well without you if that’s what you want.
-Glad to know that I’m expendable, but this is as much my responsibility as it is yours. Nobody’s freezing Zeboim’s seas unless she wants them frozen.

Argentea grunted: she didn't have a good answer for that. Indi dedicated her a triumphant smile.

-Let’s go.- commanded Nadya, who still seemed kinda upset.

So we followed her, heading uphill towards the troll’s cave. But as we exited Sylgja’s cabin, Cat noticed something strange in the snow.

-Look at the footprints- she said-: there are many of them heading towards the house but none leaving it.

That was strange. There were many magical creatures of the forest, like hags and fey, who were able to walk without leaving footprints or any other trace. Sylgja was a rather strange woman, but could she be something other than human? For as long as I could remember, I had been able to do something very similar to that, and I was just an elf (a strange one, but an elf anyway), so there was a chance that it was nothing important, but still, it made me even more curious about that mysterious red haired woman.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 36

The cave wasn't far from Sylgja’s home, so it didn't take us much time to reach it. At first the troll was nowhere to be seen, but as we got deeper into the cave, we were greeted by an axe wielding, moss covered, screaming maniac. Argentea (who was leading the way, with her unsheathed sword illuminating the cave thanks to my light spell) raised her shield in a defensive position to meet the attacker. As the enemy got closer to the light source we realized that something strange was going on: this was the weirdest troll we had ever seen.

The “troll" wasn't much bigger than us, and most of his features remained hidden by a thick layer of a green-ish mold that covered most of his body and a big part of his face. The few exposed parts under the mold looked unmistakingly human.

-This doesn't look like a troll to me!- Argentea said, blocking an axe blow with her shield.

I had a rough idea of what we could be dealing with.

-Aim for the mold, not for its host!

-Got it!- Cat answered while she sneaked past Argentea and the “troll”, so fast that the enemy didn't see her coming. She aimed close to the host’s head where the mold grew thickest, trying to cut off a big slice of it. To our surprise, the mold dodged the attack and Cat almost cut off one of the host’s ears- It moved! I swear it moved!- she cried out, apologetically.

-I didn't know it could do that!- parasitic fungi that were able to mind control people were common in tales, but I had never met one in person.

As far as I knew, the mold was intelligent, but it had too much of an alien mind for me to be able to influence it, so I focused on using my powers of fate manipulation. I touched Nadya to share a bit of my power with her before she attacked, and I saw the two possible futures unfolding in front of my eyes: in both, the arrow hit the mold. Fate manipulation is neither infallible nor always useful. As the two possibilities consolidated into a single reality, the arrow hit the mold, making part of it explode into a dusty substance.

I laughed, not because I found the situation funny, but to keep Nadya under the effect of my magic. Meanwhile, the controlled human kept making incoherent sounds while staring blindly at us and waving his axe like an automaton. Argentea was doing a great job, as usual, keeping him at bay while attempting to cut the mold off him with her blade. She delivered a well aimed hit on the mold near the chest of the host, which also exploded, covering her in a cloud of dust. She coughed, attempted to say something, and coughed some more.

Another arrow flew towards the parasite but, once again, it moved at the last moment, causing Nadya to hit the man under the mold. At the same time, the mold had started regenerating, spreading all over the host’s body again. Cat’s furious slashing seemed to be effective, but it also spread more dust (or more accurately, spores) into the air. And, if that wasn't enough, the parasite launched a sphere-shaped pod towards me, bursting into innumerable spores. I tried not to inhale them, but I accidentally took a deep breath after a long cackle. I immediately felt a numbing sensation, like I was in the middle of a dream, but I forced myself to stay focused.

-Don't breathe it!- I said. My own voice seemed distant, unreal.

I expected Argentea or even Cat to make a witty remark about how my advice was late, but I got no answer and I started worrying: I had only inhaled the spores once, but they had been doing it with each hit.

The mold kept regenerating, but we damaged it faster than it could heal itself. The host seemed to be determined to make it difficult for us, but we had faced much better fighters than him. His mind controlled attacks were predictable and unimaginative. In the end, Argentea delivered the final blow with her sword. There weren't any obvious signs of the mold being dead, but it had stopped regenerating and the host suddenly stopped fighting and looked at us in absolute confusion.

-Finngarth?- asked Nadya.

The man stared at Nadya for several seconds, having a hard time responding to such a simple question. He finally nodded.

-Your wife sent us to help you.- I explained. There was no reason to tell him that she thought him dead.

I am not sure if he was understanding what I was saying, but he smiled when I mentioned his wife.

-It will take him a few days to recover- I said-. How are you all feeling?- myself, I still felt a bit numb.

-Like I spent a whole night in a tavern, minus the good parts.- answered Cat. Whatever that meant.

-I feel so tired. I cannot think clearly.- Argentea’s speech was slower and much more erratic than usual. It was strange: I was used to being the one with the “ehs" and “uhms".

We helped Finngarth, removing the remains of the mold that were still attached to his body and healing the wounds that we had accidentally inflicted him with. After that, we returned to the cabin with Sylgja, Indi and the kids. The spores that we had inhaled must have some mind-numbing toxin that allowed the mold to control people more easily, and I expected Indi to be able to do something to help us recover faster.

As we returned, Sylgja came out of the cabin to greet us, followed by Indi and the kids. They looked like a happy family: even the children, with their hair as red as Nadya’s, could have been Sylgja’s sons. I took care to not share my thoughts, though, as I didn't think that Nadya would have liked hearing them. Anyway, as soon as Sylgja saw Finnegarth, she forgot about everything else and ran towards him to meet him in a tight embrace. He returned the gesture, seemingly comforted by her touch. For a while they didn't seem to have eyes for anyone else in the world. Even when we explained what happened, Sylgja was too happy about having her husband back to pay much attention to anything else. When I told her that it would take quite a few days for Finngarth to recover, she didn't seem especially concerned.

-I will take good care of him until he is back in shape.- she answered with a smile.

-I can help him, if you wish.- suggested Indi with a softer voice than I had ever heard from him.

-Save your magic for your friends, dear- she answered-. They have a long trip ahead, they will need it more than us. You can always heal him tomorrow, or the day after.

-Wait, what?- Nadya seemed to be really pissed off- Indi is coming with us too!

-You cannot decide for him. He told me he’d stay here.

Nadya gave Indi an ice cold stare.

-You told her what?

-I can't just leave her here all by herself, and she doesn't want to come with us.

-Now her husband is back- Nadya was about to lose her temper-. Her husband.

-There’s enough room here for three.- said Sylgja in an absolutely innocent tone.

-Indi. She. Is. Married.

-I am not jealous- Indi protested-. And I haven't heard Finngarth complaining.

No, he hadn't complained. Nor had Argentea, for that matter. Normally she wouldn't have wasted such a good opportunity to pick on Indi, and still she remained silent. She must be feeling much worse than she looked. Indi’s behaviour wasn't normal either. Under his careless facade, Indi had a bigger sense of responsibility than it seemed, and he was a loyal friend. I couldn't believe he was so willing to abandon us to live with a woman that he just met… unless there was mind-affecting magic involved. Though Sylgja seemed to mean no harm to us, I could picture her charming Indi in her fear of being left alone again. A charm spell was something rather inoffensive that messed with emotions at a very basic level, but it could get someone who disliked you to be nice or make someone that already felt attracted to you absolutely enamored.

-Sylgja, we need him- I said. I didn't want to throw a direct accusation at her. She didn't seem like a bad person to me and I hoped that she was reasonable-. We are on a very dangerous trip and we need Indi if we intend to survive.

I could see that Indi was flattered. This time I spoke to him, using my best soft, charming voice.

-You can come back when we are done, but we are together in this. We need you.

I could also be kinda manipulative from time to time, though I really felt what I said. Indi looked at Sylgja. He seemed dubious about what to do.

-It’s fine- said Nadya in a harsh tone-. If you are going to let us down, better do it before we reach Whitethrone.

Indi looked like he'd been slapped in the face. Sylgja looked at him with sad eyes.

-So, are you leaving?

-I guess I have to.- answered Indi, with the same conviction of someone who has to get out of bed early.

-Come back to visit us when you are done.

Indi promised he would, and we left. We still had many hours of daylight ahead and we wanted to make good use of them. As we left, I explained to the rest of the group how I believed Indi to be under a charm spell, which seemed to calm down Nadya just a bit.

Even after the spell faded, just a few minutes later, Indi wasn't upset with Sylgja. Like me, he believed Sylgja wasn't really human, but some kind of fey or other forest creature, and he didn't want to judge her by human standards.

-I still don't understand why you considered staying with her.- nagged Nadya.

Indi smiled at her.

-You know, I have always had a thing for redheads.

Nadya didn't answer. After that, she didn't bring up the topic again.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 37

We were already on our way, not far from the exit of the woods, discussing which road to take.

-While you were troll-hunting, Sylgja…- Indi started to say.

-I am not sure I want to know how that sentence ends.- Interrupted Argentea. I giggled.

-I shouldn't have healed you. You were much nicer before.- Joked Indi.

I was glad to have Argentea (almost) back to normal. She still looked more silent and absent-minded than usual, but at least she had regained her attitude.

-Go on, though I am afraid I will end up regretting it.

-Sylgja told me about a sacred forest to the South, not far from here. According to her, it’s one of the very few fertile lands in all Irrisen. It’s full of vegetation and life. Sylgja believed the forest and its inhabitants to be consecrated by some God.

-I would love to see that!- I said.

-Wouldn't that make our trip longer?- Asked Argentea.

-Not that much- answered Indi-. An extra day or so. But I think it would be worth it.

-Already tired of the snow?- I chuckled.

-Not yet. I am just curious.

-Maybe we could gather up some extra supplies- suggested Cat-. We’re starting to be short on them.

-It looks like a good place to hunt for food.- Nadya agreed.

Indi didn't seem so sure.

-Uhhh… Nope. As someone who grew up in a temple, I would advise against going into a sacred place and slaughtering the ones under its protection.

-I hadn't thought of it that way.- Said Cat.

-Gods won't be offended if we pick some berries, right?- I asked- If that place is such a fertile land there must be other edible things aside from animals.

Indi shrugged.

-I guess so.

-Maybe we can get some sap!

Argentea looked at me like I was talking about eating shoes.

-The sap of some trees is delicious, sweeter than honey! Well, I guess- I hadn't eaten honey in my entire life-. You just have to make a small hole in the bark, and collect the sap in a bottle…- Argentea’s stare didn't change- I swear it’s delicious!

Cat didn't back me up, as she had never developed a special taste for sweets, and everybody else seemed to find the sole idea of “bleeding a tree" disgusting, so I was stuck being that weird girl who is capable of eating the strangest things.

A night of rest and many hours of traveling (plus a few jokes about me being full of spiders because I had eaten them and found them delicious) later, we got to the sacred forest. It was much smaller yet full of much more life than we had expected. It was mostly composed of evergreens, which created a thick coat that acted as a protection against the wind and the snow. The ground was still covered in snow, but there were some patches of green grass growing shyly here and there. Even before we entered, we could see some bushes that were growing berries. In the frozen wasteland that Irrisen was, this place seemed like paradise.

We left Nadya behind to take care of the kids and the sleds and ventured into the sacred forest. We passed by a white hare, which stared at us fearlessly. It might have never seen a human or an elf before. Birds tweeted, perched on the branches of the trees, undisturbed by our presence. It would have been too easy to hunt there, but we had to respect the sanctity of that place, so we just collected berries, some firewood made out of a fallen tree and some roots that looked like turnip and hopefully would taste like turnip. I also managed to collect a full bottle of sweet sap, though I was never able to convince anyone to try it.

As we went deeper into the woods, we found the biggest tree that I had ever seen. It was thrice as tall as its surroundings, and at least five times wider. There was a big crack on one side, like it had been hit by lightning and we could see that it was hollow inside, yet it was still growing big and healthy like its core was intact.

-How weird!- I said- Let’s go to look at that!

As we had been told this was a sacred place, I expected the great tree to be some kind of sanctuary or place of worship where we could make some offerings. I ran towards it, followed by my sister, who shared my own curiosity. But as we approached, the biggest elk that we had ever seen appeared from behind the bushes, interposing his body between us and the hollow tree. He emitted a low menacing sound while lowering his head. We backed away a couple of steps, and the animal stayed in his place, still ready to startle us. Then we attempted to circle around him but he always maneuvered to keep his massive body in the middle to prevent us from reaching the great tree. Cat tried to calm the elk down and demonstrate that we meant no harm to him, but she only got him to emit a louder and more persistent menacing sound.

-This is not working- she whispered to me-. Let’s get back.

I obeyed. She was the expert.

-We should circle round the tree to approach it without being noticed.- I suggested as we got far enough from the watchful eyes of the animal.

-I am not completely sure.

-Come on! If we approach from the other side he won't notice us!

She was the expert. I should have paid attention, but I was just too curious, and Cat was easily convinced. It all went fine at first but, when we were only a few steps far from the entrance to the hollow tree, we ran into the giant elk charging towards us. He was too close, getting inside the tree before he rammed us was next to impossible.

I pointed towards him.

-Sleep.- I hissed.

The elk stumbled and stopped right in his tracks, falling asleep but still standing on his four legs.

-Let’s go!- I said. My sister started to run away, but she followed me when she realized that I was heading towards the open crack in the tree.

-What are we going to do when he wakes up?- She asked.

-We’ll decide later- I shrugged-. We haven't gotten so far to give up now.

The room inside the tree was much smaller than it seemed from the outside, and it was mostly empty, except for a stump that could make the function of a table or a chair. If it was a temple or a sanctuary, it was a very humble one.

-It looks like someone’s home.- Cat guessed.

To human standards, there was no way this could qualify as a home, but to kagonesti elves, who only in the harshest weather conditions built rudimentary refuges or tents, this was not just a home, but a pretty decent one.

There were no light sources, which was no impediment for my sister and I to see that the walls were fully covered in paintings and carvings. I couldn't decipher the meaning of the carved runes, but I recognized the stylized and schematic figures drawn in the wood with vibrant colors. My people, the kagonesti elves, refused to acknowledge the written language and used paintings as the only way of graphic communication. But what could a kagonesti elf be doing in Irrisen? Most locals (Nadya included) hadn't seen an elf before and mistook my sister and I for fey-blooded or strange-looking humans.

The paintings must be recent, as the colors hadn't started to fade yet. They represented mostly animals, all looking in the same direction, and some plants. The biggest one, which was faintly illuminated by the little light that came through the crack, was a big blue bird.

-This one represents a God, doesn't it?- Asked Cat.

-I think so.

I was pretty sure of that. It was one of the main deities among the kagonesti, but I couldn't remember which. That demonstrated how much of an education I had received from my kind and how much my sister and I cared about the Gods.

The rest of the paintings seemed to tell a story that I was excited to start deciphering, but that would have to wait. When we heard the elk emitting a loud call outside, we prepared to fight. He was too big to fit through the crack, but we were unsure of what kind of attention he could attract with his call.

At first we chose to stay inside the tree, at least that would keep the elk away. Then we heard the howling sounds mixed with Argentea’s battle cries and Indi’s invocations and we realized that we weren't the ones who were in trouble. We had to get out and help them… which could have been easy if it wasn't for the angry elk waiting for us.

As we got out, the animal charged again. My sister and I ran among the trees trying to evade him, but he was way faster than us.

-Can't you make him sleep again?- Cat asked.

-It will only work once!

The elk was on top of us. My sister rolled on the floor to avoid being rammed.

-Run!- she commanded me- Help the others!

I didn't like leaving my sister behind but I trusted her. She wasn't suicidal or given to heroic sacrifice. She knew well when to take a risk.

I ran. I could hear the sound of the battle clearly, so Argentea and Indi couldn't be far. When I got to them, Argentea was fighting a couple of worgs. Compared to them, the wolves that had attacked Orm a couple of days ago seemed like pups, but Argentea was doing a good job holding them back. She attacked with the side of her shield and the sword in its sheathe to avoid harming the animals, while Indi used his magic to make the vegetation grow and entangle the attackers. Of course the worgs didn't respond with the same kindness: their fangs had already caused some serious damage to Argentea, who had bleeding wounds on her hip and her legs.

I approached enough to get the worgs into the range of my magic and I made the one who was still unharmed fall asleep.

-Where’s Cat?- Asked Indi- We’ve got to get out of here!

-Here!- Answered my sister in the distance- I’m coming!

-I am almost done with this one.- grunted Argentea, delivering another shield bash to the head of the worg that was still standing, but the creature was tougher than it seemed and it wasn't knocked down. A sigh of frustration came from Argentea’s throat.

We had no time to lose: we had to get out before the other worg woke up if we didn't want to end up having to kill them. I used my magic again and put the last worg to sleep. Then I called out for my sister.

-I’m going, I’m going!- She repeated, but I could tell that she was having a hard time getting rid of the elk.

-Get back to the sleds, we are leaving.- Commanded Argentea, heading towards Cat. She wasn't leaving my sister to fate.

-Wait.

Argentea gave me a harsh look. She was probably expecting me to complain and refuse to leave without Cat. Nothing like that: I knew that if I stayed I would be nothing but a nuisance. But there was one last thing I could do. I laid my hand on Argentea and cast my best healing spell, wishing that it helped. Then I followed Indi to the sleds.

Nadya was waiting for us and calming the dogs, which were visibly nervous.

-Is it all fine? Were those howls winter wolves?

-Worgs- Indi answered. That seemed to relieve Nadya- We are leaving as soon as we can.

Nadya didn't even have to tell the kids to get on the sleds, they were already prepared to leave. Orm looked especially scared. What had happened a couple of nights ago was still fresh on his mind.

Only a few seconds passed before Cat appeared, panting between the trees. Her white cloak was damp and muddy. Nadya readied her bow, just in case she had to cover her retreat.

-Where’s Argentea?- Asked Nadya as she helped my sister to get on the sled.

-Behind me- Cat was out of breath-. Wait.

Of course, we were not leaving without her. We waited. And then waited some more. We could hear battle sounds nearby. I don't think that more than a few seconds passed before Argentea limped out of the woods, but they seemed like an eternity. The elk was close to her feet, but he ceased pursuing her as soon as she left the last tree behind. He remained there, standing, looking at us with an indecipherable stare.

Argentea got on the sled.

-Are you both alright?- I asked, as we got into motion. The dogs were happy to leave.

-That was exciting!- Said Cat, still breathless.

-My shield has developed mountains and valleys of its own. I might have a broken arm too.

Broken or not (we never knew) Indi’s magic and mine were enough to heal it, as well as the many bruises that both Argentea and Cat had.

-Thanks for your help.- my sister said, addressing Argentea with a big smile.

Argentea answered with her best Solamnic uptight scowl. She even seemed offended, but I was already starting to know her. She was only hiding that she felt flattered.

-It’s my duty.- She answered.

Cat’s smile became even wider. She said nothing, but I knew what that smile meant. With that gesture, Argentea had earned my sister’s unconditional trust, something that didn't happen easily.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 38

It wasn't until we set camp that Cat and I told the others about what we had found inside the hollow tree. Nobody had a clue what a kagonesti elf might be doing in Irrisen or how they could have gotten there but, at least, Indi was able to identify the painting of the blue bird as we described it.

-That must be Habbakuk, the God of Beasts. I heard that he is popular among wilder elves.
Of course! Habbakuk was known among the elves as The Blue Phoenix. It was said that he had an ancient rivalry with Zeboim, the goddess that Indi worshipped, because they both claimed to rule the creatures of the sea.

I felt a bit embarrassed for recognising one of the most popular gods of my people by the human name. I had spent too much time among humans and not enough among elves, but I didn't feel like changing that. The only thing that I regretted was that my sister also had to live like that because of me. Even though she never complained, I knew she missed living among elves. We had tried so many times, and it never ended well.

That night I dreamed. It wasn't one of my usual nightmares, but a lucid dream where I was a mere witness with no control over my actions, while two overlapping scenes unfolded before my eyes.
At first, I was with Argentea. She seemed happy as we kissed, but I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She had her duties, her responsibilities as a noblewoman, and yet she was losing her time with me. It was in my hands to bring it to an end, but I didn't want to. I was too happy with everything as it was.

The second scene replaced Argentea with my sister. We weren't kissing but I was still so close to her that I could feel her heavy breath on my face. She was scared. No, not just scared, but panicking. And yet she didn't move, she didn't try to escape as I took her life with my bare hands. The grief I felt was replaced by a sensation of relief and fulfillment as all my worries now seemed distant and irrelevant and I was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of power that warmed me from inside. It felt sort of similar to the moment when I got Baba Yaga’s mark.

I reached climax with Argentea at the same time that I felt Cat’s life slip away and both scenes began fading, burning in a fire as blue as the ocean. I saw a firebird with scintillating blue feathers rising up to the sky and I opened my eyes. I woke up with my sister’s heavy breath on my face, and I couldn't help but let a muffled cry escape from my mouth. That woke Cat up, who stared at me with panic in her eyes. It took her a couple of seconds to settle down.

-I had a nightmare.- she said.
-It’s all fine.- I answered with my best calming voice, inverting the roles for once in our lives.

I snuggled against her again, and we went back to sleep. Next to us, Argentea had a peaceful smile on her lips. She never looked so calm while awake. Could it be that were all having those dreams?
I enjoyed a dreamless sleep the rest of the night. It was the very first time in many months that I didn't suffer from my regular nightmares, which meant that I woke up the next day exceptionally happy and full of energy. Still, I was worried about having killed my own sister in my dream. Everybody but the kids seemed to have experienced their own dreams, but only Nadya spoke up aloud about them.

-I was in a warm place with the children. Thora was also with us. But there was another version of the dream where I was here on my own, fighting the Winter Witches.

Like mine, Nadya’s dream seemed to imply alternative paths. I told them how I had killed my sister in my dream.

-That’s ridiculous! I know you would never do that!- Cat laughed, but her eyes reflected the same fear that I had seen in them the previous night.
I wanted to comfort her, to tell her that I would never hurt her, but I was unable to.
-Are you sure?- I asked instead- Sometimes I feel like there is something completely wrong with me.
-Don't be stupid, you are my sister, I know you.
-I am not your sister. You just found me abandoned and felt pity for me.

Cat’s eyes flashed in anger. Questioning our blood ties was one thing she'd never stand.

-Stop all the nonsense! You are my sister.

Sometimes I wished that she wasn't so loyal. Taking care of me had taken a big toll on her: she had no close friends, no place to call home. She shared my fate and became a stranger among our kind. She deserved much better.

-Maybe we should move. It’s getting late.- said Argentea, trying to disarm the volatile situation as best as she could. She wasn't that good at playing the mediator, but it worked, as neither Cat nor I were interested in an argument.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 39

We traveled all day without rest to regain the time we had lost when we visited the sacred forest. There was less than a hour of daylight left when we decided to look for a good place to set up camp. It was already getting dark when we found the abandoned village. Back in its time, it must have been much smaller than Waldsby, with no more than a few small houses surrounding a bigger structure that could have been a court or a temple. Now, just a few snow-covered stones remained where the houses had been and only the bigger building was still standing.

-This place must be centuries old.- Said Argentea, examining one of the weathered stones.
-We could set up camp here- Nadya suggested-. If this place is safe, that is.
-Stay here with the kids and watch out for anyone approaching our position- Argentea commanded Nadya-. We are going to check that building out.

We were in the middle of a frozen plain and it hadn't started snowing yet so we had perfect visibility. It was unlikely that anyone could walk around unnoticed. Still, one could never be too cautious. Nadya grabbed her bow and stayed alert while the rest of us walked into the remaining building.

As we entered we noticed that the place couldn't be anything other than a temple: there was an altar next to the opposite wall from the door with an infinity symbol carved on it, and a white marble statue that was missing the upper side of her body. Two people were standing in front of the altar, a human man and woman dressed in white priestly robes with blue ornaments. They looked at us as we entered.

-Kids! What where you doing outside?- The white robed woman spoke in a voice that was full of grief- Come in so we can protect you!
-The Witch Queen is coming with her army of monsters. They will kill you on sight!- Warned the man in a similar tone.
-What are they talking about?- Asked Cat in a whisper.
-They must be ghosts or the like- guessed Indi-. They are dressed like Mishakal’s priests.

The Blue Lady, Goddess of life and healing, was among the most prominent gods of Light now that her consort Paladine was gone. She was said to hate undead more than anything else in the world. Keeping ghosts among her ranks seemed unlikely.

-Come here, children- repeated the woman-. We have to pray to save our souls from Baba Yaga.
We approached with caution. I channeled magical energies towards my hair to animate it if needed. I didn't trust these priests at all. They gave me a suspicious stare as I invoked my magic. The man approached, dragging his feet.
-You have nothing to fear- his voice was meant to be calming, but I found it creepy-. The Judge of Souls is fair to all.

If there was a god that my sister knew by all his names, that was Chemosh, the Ravenous Crow, the Judge of Souls. My sister and I had never fallen into the corruption that Sylvyana, his Chosen One, had bestowed onto our people. Still, my sister held a personal grudge against him since we had visited Crystyne. Any attempt of questioning her about it only led to several minutes of swearing and cursing.

-Not him again!- Cat grunted as she rushed towards the priests. As she stepped in the middle of the chamber, a choir of screams filled the room: around a dozen children crying in agony. It was heartbreaking. I’d have done anything to make it stop.
-Don't cry!- Said the woman in desperation. As she spoke the veil of illusion that covered her real features disappeared, revealing a rotting corpse covered in tattered yellowed robes and blackened ornaments- You will be safe soon.- She added as she attacked Cat using the bare bones of her hands as claws. The other priest, who had also revealed his true horrific self, joined her. The voices of the children begging for their lives still surrounded us.
-Stay still, it’s for your own good!- Hissed the dead man- The Witch Queen is coming.

Cat defended herself the best she could from the combined attack of the two condemned priests, as Argentea joined the fray and Indi released a blast of fire from his hands. The woman screamed in frustration as the fire charred her undead flesh. She looked at Indi with rage in her eyes, but before she could act against him, Cat finished her off with a double slash of her kukris.

I invoked my healing magic and channeled it into my hair, using it as a weapon against the remaining dead priest. As the life energy infused into him by my spell spread through his body, his flesh began scorching. Some people say that undead cannot feel pain, but those people surely haven't heard one of them screaming in agony after being damaged by a healing spell. They hate it so much that you’d better finish them off with that spell or at least have a good way to defend yourself after it, because you are going to become a target. I learned the lesson that day.

-Witch…- mustered the dead priest in reverential fear.

He charged towards me forgetting about everything else and, before I could react, slashed my belly with his rotting claw-like fingers.

Cat and Argentea were quick to fall upon him and tear the last remains of undeath from his body, but the children were still crying. After checking out that my wound wasn't serious Cat suggested we get out of that haunted place.

-Never ever sleep indoors when traveling- she complained-. Creepy killer dolls, crazy dead priests… I’d rather risk being eaten by wolves.

We all had to agree.

-So what exactly happened?- Asked Argentea- Are the souls of all those children still trapped there?
-I don't think so- explained Indi-. That was just a manifestation of their pain. Their souls must have been gone a long time ago.
-In the end, the priests took the worst part- I smiled-. Whether they killed the children out of desperation, or sacrificed them to the Ravenous Crow in order to save their own lives, they got what they deserved: an eternity of torture remembering what they did.

I cannot tell if I really meant it. I was still too horrified by the children’s screams.
Indi looked to the ruined temple behind us with sad eyes.

-They were desperate. Can you assure me that you wouldn't have done the same in their situation?
-Would you?- I asked.

He thought before answering.

-Probably not. But I cannot judge them either. I’d just want to know what kind of person that Baba Yaga is to invoke such fear among people.
-I am not sure that I want to know.- Sighed Argentea.

We went back to Nadya and we told her what we had seen. We also asked her about what she knew about Baba Yaga. What kind of person was she?

-I don't know what she did during the war- she explained-. All that I know is that she gathered an army of trolls, giants and other monsters to unify all the lands into what is now known as Irrisen.
Then she set her daughters as the rulers of the new nation and she left. Every hundred years she comes back to crown a new queen. Not much more is known about her, but her return has always brought stability to these lands.

-What happens to the old queen?- I asked.
-What?
-When Baba Yaga designates a new one.

Nadya shrugged.

-Baba Yaga takes her. Nobody knows where. Some say that she is rewarded. Some say that she suffers a terrible fate. Maybe it depends on whether she has been a fair ruler or not. I just don't know.
-Maybe we will learn when we find her and take her to Elvanna.- I said.
-Maybe we won't like what we will learn.- Objected Argentea with an ominous voice.
-She is still our best chance.- I answered.
-Our only chance.- Corrected Indi.
-So far.- Finished Argentea.
-So far.- I had to agree. But still I saw in Baba Yaga such a compelling and powerful figure that I couldn't help but feel fascinated by her. I really wanted to believe that by finding her I would be able to have a better understanding of myself and of this magic that, according to Indi, shouldn't even exist.

[Lady Argentea Malassene]

Kileanna wrote:

-Never ever sleep indoors when traveling- Cat complained-. Creepy killer dolls, crazy dead priests… I’d rather risk being eaten by wolves.

Words of wisdom, indeed.

[Kileanna]

WARNING! Long one ahead!

CHAPTER 40

The day after the fight against the undead priests I started feeling feverish and weak in the evening. Even though my wound had been healed with magic, the skin looked swollen and red.
Among the scrolls that we had found in the Pale Tower one of them held a spell that allowed to heal any disease, though it would turn to dust once we used it.

Nina hooted insistently as I prepared myself to use it. “Give it to me. You will be able to heal yourself tomorrow.”

I was surprised I could understand what she was saying. Maybe my fever was higher than I thought.

-You can speak?

She hooted again. “I always could, but you wouldn't listen.”

That made sense.

-So, I feed you the scroll so tomorrow I can cast the spell by myself?

I had done that before, but I was feeling so tired and uncomfortable that I hadn't thought about it in this case. The disease didn't seem contagious, so I guessed I could wait until the next day.
Indi had never seen my process of learning spells, and he was very interested in witnessing it, though after spending a long time watching me he still he still didn't understand it.

-You burned the scroll to ashes, then mixed it with herbs, and you fed it to Nina, that’s it?
-I extracted the magic from the scroll and put it into Nina- I explained.- That’s it.
-And now you know the spell.
-No. Nina does. But she will share it with me if I ask her to.

Nina nodded.

-I still don't understand how your magic works.- complained Indi.
-Who does?- said Argentea. I didn't even know that she was listening.
-High Sorcery Wizards?- I answered. Foolish young me- They know everything about magic… Or so I’ve heard. I have never met one.
-I know one- Indi shrugged-. She’s pretty.
-My cousin is a wizard- added Argentea-. Though we have barely spoken since he became one.
-Is he a good wizard?- I asked.
-I guess so. He was always good at what he did.
-Could he teach me? Maybe I could pass the Test.
-Why would you want to go through a Test that could kill you?- cried out Cat. It seemed like everybody was listening- That is a crazy test for crazy wizards with old dusty books. You don't need a book, you have Nina.

Nina hooted aloud to reinforce my sister’s words.

-But there is a lot I could learn from them- I explained-. I barely understand what I do.
“You can learn everything you need from me." Hooted Nina in disgust. Then she flew away and didn't come back until the morning. Maybe she was upset, but she didn't want to give me reasons to replace her for a spellbook. Like I would ever do something like that. Nina was as much a part of my family as my sister was.

After communing with Nina to regain my daily spells and making peace with her in the process, I used my new knowledge to get rid of the disease that had me going from shivering to sweating the whole night. I still felt weak, but I was ready for another day in our journey. It wasn't a long one, as we got to Ellsprin by midday. Nadya gradually became more silent as we approached our destination, knowing that the time to say goodbye to her children drew near.

-That has to be Maret’s house.- said Nadya, pointing to a wooden cabin on the outskirts of the village, separated from it by a small grove.

As we got closer, we noticed a man lying face down in the middle of the road. The snow around him was stained red. It was snowing quite hard, so the blood had to be recent.

-Be careful!- cried out Argentea as she ran, taking cover behind her shield, towards the apparently dead man. I ran after her. If he was still alive I could heal him. But when I was about to crouch by him, something came out from nowhere, running as fast as lightning. The creature was as tall as a human child, with a slender build and the pale blue skin of the winter fey. His nimble moves caught Argentea off guard, allowing him to approach me and strike with his long, clawed fingers. They were colder than ice.

-He’s dead, human, as you should all be. You will learn respect!

He stared at me with absolute hatred.

-Not today!- Argentea reacted before I did, hitting the fey with her shield and tossing him away from me and towards the others.
-We aren't humans, maggot!- Cat wasted no time. She unsheathed her kukris and attacked. The fey was quick to dodge, but not quick enough. His frozen skin offered some resistance, though, and Cat’s attack caused only a scratch.
-Weak, as all humans.- Smirked the fey.
-Are you deaf? I am not human! Not human!- my sister cried out again.

As we engaged in battle, a second creature joined the fray, appearing from between the trees. I had never seen anything similar in my entire life: it was even smaller than its companion and it resembled a miniaturized pine tree with some vaguely human features. It had two root-legs, two branch-arms and a well defined wooden head with a long branch-nose. It joined its friend to flank Cat, who barely dodged its sharp branches.

Indi wisely reasoned that something that looked so much likedry wood should be especially prone to catching fire. He invoked a couple of scorching rays that hit just on their target, leaving it visibly charred and mauled, and revealing that it seemed to be made out of flesh despite of its wooden look.

Meanwhile, the other creature went on with his hate-speech against humans, spitting insults at Indi for daring to attack his partner.

Argentea would have gladly finished the work against the pine tree creature, but the ground was slippery and her target out of reach, so she attacked the spiteful faerie, dropping her shield and grabbing her sword with both hands to deliver an especially powerful blow. The blade, crafted in cold iron, cut through the fey’s flesh and bone without meeting resistance, causing massive damage to the creature’s slender body. It laid face up on the snow, with his chest almost split in half. Even Argentea seemed surprised by the effectiveness of her own blow.

Now, all our attention focused on the pine tree creature who, seeing his companion’s fate, took the wisest decision: it fled towards some nearby trees and disappeared. While the others followed it, only to discover that it seemed to have vanished into thin air, I knelt by the man lying on the road. The faerie hadn't lied: he was already dead, and so was the faerie. There was nothing I could do for them.

In the cabin, the wooden door opened and a woman’s head (most likely Maret) peeped out from inside.

-Are they gone?
-One of them is dead, the other is gone.- I answered.
-Get in!- she cried There are more of them!

Nadya and Indi grabbed Orm and Mjoli on their hips and we ran into the cabin leaving the dogs and the sleds outside. I saw recognition on both Nadya’s and the woman’s eyes as they saw each other.

-Nadya! What are you doing here with the kids? Is everything fine in Waldsby?
-We got into big trouble in Waldsby.- Explained Nadya. They were talking in Skald and the rest of the group were having a hard time following the conversation. Nadya noticed, so she proceeded to introduce us and changed her language to Common.
-You can stay here, though, you have arrived at a bad time- Maret said, now in Common-. They have killed Borvald, and they have Garen too. I don't know what to do.
-They kidnapped your son?- asked Nadya.

Maret looked embarrassed.

-He ran away, and now he is back with those fey. But I refuse to believe that this is all his doing- she was about to start crying-. He loved Borvald like he was his real father.
-Why would your son hang out with the fey?- asked Nadya, confused-. These ones don’t seem the friendly type.
-My son… His father...- Maret’s voice trembled- He ran away to search for his real father… Everybody is so rude to him… He couldn’t stand it any longer… He’s just a kid…

She began sobbing I felt really bad for her. I ran away so many times as a kid, and I had never taken into consideration my sister’s feelings. I believed that she’d be better without me. I barely knew Maret but I hugged her.

-We will bring Garen back safely. If he is with those fey he cannot be far from here.
-Please...- begged Maret- I can't lose him too.

Nadya stayed with her sister-in-law to comfort her while the rest of us went fey-hunting. Following their tracks to a nearby barn was easy: they hadn't been subtle. There were at least two sets of child-like footprints accompanied by the strange root-feet of the smallest one, and the tracks of a bigger two-legged, hoofed creature that made me immediately think of Mierul.

We were expecting trouble as we opened the barn’s door, so we were prepared. Cat opened the door while Argentea charged first as we entered. After magically animating my hair, I followed her.
Inside, three of them were waiting for us: the tiny tree-man who had escaped before, a female faerie who looked similar to the one that we had fought outside, and a young man with goat legs. Maret’s son was nowhere to be seen.

-Murderers!- The female faerie charged towards us followed by the tree-man, while the half-goat stayed where he was.

The female, like her male counterpart before, moved really quick. She tried to use her speed to approach Indi before we could react but Argentea and Cat were in the way. She scratched my sister’s leg while Indi cast another fire spell on the diminutive tree-man, who recoiled in pain. As he desperately charged towards Indi, Cat intercepted him and slashed his throat. Despite his bark-like skin, he bled like a person. It was horrible to see. I noticed the fear in the eyes of the goat-legged man, like it was the first time he had seen something like that, and I wondered when I had gotten so used to seeing people die.

-Don't stand there like an idiot!- Cried the female faerie as she maneuvered to avoid being flanked by Argentea and my sister- They killed Faernip! Now they’ve killed Tindletwig! They will kill us all if they can!
-I can't!- Answered the goat-man. His voice sounded much younger than he appeared to be.
-We won't kill anyone- I said-. Just stop attacking us and tell us where Garen is.
-You will pay for what you did!- In her rage, she wouldn't listen to reason. She kept fighting even if she was at a clear disadvantage.
-I am Garen! I am Garen! Please don't kill her!

The one who spoke was the man with the goat legs. He seemed genuinely desperate. I decided to trust him and attempt to end the fight in the most harmless way possible: invoking my sleep magic. The blueish female faerie fell asleep immediately and Cat rushed to tie her up before she woke up again.

The goat-legged creature that claimed to be Garen approached cautiously.

-Please, don't harm Zzababa- he pleaded-. This was all my fault.
-Are you Maret’s son?- I asked.
-Do you know my mother? Is she alright?- Garen’s voice was a mix of hope and grief- Is she very upset?
-She’s at home with your aunt, Nadya- Cat answered-. And I bet that she is too worried to be upset. Why don't we…
-Garen, you are a traitor!- Zzababa had woken up right in time to interrupt what my sister was saying- We were doing it all for you! Traitor!
-Shut up- Argentea hit the faerie in the chest with the side of her shield, cracking her ribs and taking the air out of her lungs. She fell unconscious again. Then Argentea addressed us-. You should take the kid back to his mother. I will stay here and keep an eye on this one.

The “kid” (who was taller than any of us thanks to his hooved legs, and more hairy than most humans) nodded, still visibly scared. He looked to his fallen companions one last time before following us out of the barn. That was when he saw his foster father’s corpse lying on the snow. He wasn't too close, but I could see on Garen’s face that he recognized him immediately. He turned pale.

-They told me that they would take me to my real father… They wanted me to prove that I was one of them… I didn't know what they were planning, I swear.

I saw guilt, fear and grief in Garen’s eyes. I knew those feelings well. He would run away again if he could, just for the fear of being judged. I had been there.

-You confronted them, refused to take part- I said-. You have nothing to regret.
-I brought them here. It was because of the things I said that they wanted to take revenge on humans for how they have treated me.
-Still, you did nothing- Indi grabbed Garen’s arm and pulled him towards Maret’s cabin so he would stop staring at a dead man-. You aren't responsible for other people’s actions. They are.
-Taking revenge on the people who have hurt me didn't sound bad… at first. Then I realized that they intended to make me hurt my family to prove that I rejected my human side. That was when I realized that I didn't really want to hurt anyone. They said they would help me by doing it themselves.- Garen sighed and repeated:- They told me that they would take me to my real father.

For some reason, this reminded me of my dream about me killing Cat, and I felt a cold shiver running down my spine. I was so afraid of hurting my own family. Not only Cat, but all the new people that I had met and felt like my own family now.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 41

Back to the cabin, Maret was so glad to have her son back that she didn't pay attention to us for a while. Nadya had never seen Garen before and she was evidently surprised, though she tried to pretend she wasn't, while attempting to convince her equally surprised sons of the normality of the situation.

When things calmed down a bit, Maret explained her story to us.

-I was so young then. It was shortly after you married my brother, Nadya. I met a satyr, who was… charming, like all the satyrs are. I made the mistake of thinking that I was more than another conquest to him, and he disappeared from my life as quick as entered it. After Garen was born I was afraid that he would come back to take him away from me, but it never happened. We had to move to the outskirts of the village, because people wouldn't understand. They would mock and insult Garen, because they are afraid of the fey and a young and innocent faun like Garen was the easiest prey they found.
-People are idiots- Cat objected-. Garen is a really sweet boy and if they cannot see it, they are nothing but idiots.

This was personal to her. It felt too much like our own story.

-Not all of them are- Maret gave Cat a sad smile-. Borvald loved me and Garen for who we are.
-People were rude to him too because of me- intervened Garen with an hesitant voice-. He almost got in a fight because of me. And he wasn't even my real father. He didn't deserve that.

I felt like I was hearing myself talking. And the words, from someone else’s mouth, made much less sense.

-So you ran away- I stated-. I have been there too. My people don't like me a lot either. I believed that my sister’s life would be much better without me.

Cat grunted in disapproval.

-Why?- Garen gave me an analytical stare- You look normal. Is it the ears? Your sister has them too. I think they are pretty.
-Thank you!- The unexpected compliment made me blush. I combed my hair with my hands to cover my ears- My people, all of them have pointy ears. They just fear me, because…- I didn't feel like giving an in-depth explanation of Kagonesti superstitions- They think I am different. Putting the guilt on those who are different gives people someone to blame for everything that goes wrong. But that means that they are the ones who have a problem, not you.

That explanation might be too cynical to give to a kid.

-Do you hate your people?- he asked. That was a good question. The short answer was “yes".
-No...Not really… most of the time. Feeling hurt is natural. I try to focus on the ones who really matter and not to think too much about those who don't. I have some good friends now.
-And I have my mother.- Garen answered, only half convinced. It was the same for me and my sister: I loved her but I needed more to be happy.
-Orm and Mjoli will also be your friends, right, boys?- Nadya asked with that mother voice that implies that answering anything but “yes" is a very bad idea. Anyway, Orm and Mjoli didn't need to be convinced. They were fascinated by Garen. We left them to get to know their cousin better, and Maret to take care of more practical matters. Nadya wanted to interrogate the captured fey to make sure that Ellsprin was a safe place to leave her sons (as safe as anywhere in Irrisen could be). Removing Borvald’s corpse from the middle of the road also seemed like a sensible choice. Maybe we had seen (and done) too many things to be easily disturbed but, to most people, a dead man was still a terrible thing to see... As it should be.

While Indi and Argentea took care of the corpse, the rest of us proceeded to interrogate Zzababa, who had a less than collaborative attitude. The first thing she did after we healed her wounds was insult and threaten us. If we killed her, more would come to avenge her, she said. Garen had become weak by spending too much time among humans, but other fey would do what he couldn't: show humans their place. When we asked her concrete questions, like how many her allies were or where they lived, we only got abstract answers like “many" or “everywhere". At first we took it as her being defensive, but when she failed to provide information even when it was for her own good, we started to suspect that she was lying.

-If you don't tell us about your allies- I said with a soft threatening voice- we will begin suspecting that they don't exist. And if they don't exist, we shouldn't be afraid of ending your life.

I smiled. Her fear was so pleasant. I had promised not to use fear as a tool, but it was for the best.

-Do that, and the town will be ravaged- she said without much conviction, like she was sticking to her previous words in an attempt to save her life-. No one will survive.

Nothing made sense. They hated humans and were powerful enough to destroy an entire village, and yet nobody knew about them. Their only known action was trying to force a kid to harm his beloved ones. It didn't seem like a large scale organization.

-If you really want to live- I continued- you should be trying to convince us that you are inoffensive enough to let you go. Telling us where Garen’s father is, or if he had something to do with this would also help.

That seemed like a more realistic threat than the fey ravaging the village. If Garen’s father was really interested in him, he might endanger Maret and Nadya’s kids too.

-I don't even know who he is- the faerie shrugged-. We were just going to help the boy find him. Do you think that all fey know each other? So typical of humans- she gave us another spiteful stare-. Don't think that I will ever bend my knee to humans like you.

She had called us “humans" so many times that Cat had already stopped correcting her.
Zzababa was too proud or too stubborn to negotiate or listen to reason so, after we got tired of being reasonable, we agreed on discussing her fate later and Argentea knocked her unconscious again. We would make wiser decisions after some well deserved rest.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 42

I definitely enjoyed family life. We shared a warm meal (though Argentea insisted on having hers in the barn to watch over Zzababa), chatted for a while about less than transcendental topics to forget about recent events for a while, and now we were just enjoying some moments of relaxation. Nadya and Maret were getting up to date after so many years without seeing each other, though I believe that Nadya was overwhelming Maret with advice about how to take care of Orm and Mjoli while she was away. Cat was playing with the kids, which seemed to be the thing that she enjoyed the most. When I left to a private room to spend some time teaching new spells to Nina, Indi followed me.

-It’s going to be as boring as it was last time- I said- but you can watch if you wish.
-We haven't been spending much time together lately.

His intentions were clear. I have always liked Indi’s frankness and honesty. I gave him a playful smile.

-So… Sylgja isn't here, Nadya is busy, and I am like... what? The third redhead on your list?
-You didn't seem like the jealous type.
-I am not.- I approached him and kissed him. Everything was so easy with Indi. He didn't make a big deal out of things like most humans did.
-Fine, because I wanted to ask you about Cat.
-What?
- Do you think she would be interested in me?- He gave me a big smile that seemed to say “I am just kidding”, though I am not sure that he was really kidding.
-I am sorry, but you have no chance. You are a big, ugly, hairy human.
To reinforce what I was saying, I slipped my hand under Indi’s clothes and started playing with his chest hair. Argentea’s was soft and barely noticeable, but Indi’s was much more abundant and thick.
-You don't seem to care.- He said laughing.

I just shrugged and kissed him again. He was quick to respond me and soon we found ourselves wrestling in the nude. I think that “wrestling” is a good way to phrase it, because Indi brought my wilder side out, and he seemed to have a wild side of his own. He found my animated hair extremely interesting and didn't care that I used it in creative ways. But despite the good moments we shared, and that Indi’s carefree attitude invited me to get carried away, my mind didn't seem to be able to go to the same place as my body. Instead of just relaxing and having a good time, I kept thinking of Argentea. Would she get upset? (Why should she?) What was she doing at that time? I missed being with her. I liked Indi, a lot, but it didn't feel quite the same.

It had been a long, tiring day, so we both felt exhausted when we were done. Indi laid on the bed with a calm smile on his lips, and caressed my skin while saying something to me, I cannot even remember what. I didn't feel like engaging in chatter. I dressed, claiming that I was getting cold (which was actually true, but that had never stopped me) and I left as soon as it seemed polite. I don't think that Indi ever thought that there was something going on, as the only complaint that I got as I left came from Nina.

“I can't open doors.” She protested “Being stuck here with you two was no fun.”

I blushed. I had completely forgotten about her.

-I am sorry.
“You’d better teach me something good later.”
-I will, I promise.

Indi watched us leave with a smile on his face. I bet that seeing me arguing with an owl must seem quite strange.

-Where are you going?- Asked my sister as I headed outside of the house.
-I am going to see how Argentea is doing.- I answered.
-Have fun!

That was the only thing that she said. Not even a month ago, Cat would have been afraid to let me out alone in a potentially dangerous place. It seemed like she was finally started to believe that I was able to take care of myself. Or maybe (most likely) she just believed that Argentea would protect me if I was endangered.

I found Argentea sitting next to the unconscious fey, with an eye on her and an eye on the door. She reached for her weapons as I came in but she relaxed when she saw it was me.

-Is everything alright?- She asked.

I approached her from behind and kissed her neck.

-I missed you.- I answered.

She turned back to face me.

-I have only been here for a couple of hours. That isn't enough time to miss me.

I sat on her knees and embraced her, carefully trying to avoid the spikes on her shoulder pads. I kissed her lips.

-I am on watch- Argentea complained without much conviction-. This isn't appropriate.
-She won't wake up. Even if she did, she is wrapped up like a sausage.
-I am not sure.- she answered but, instead of stopping me, she kissed me back.
-I have just slept with Indi. Well, we didn't actually sleep, but…- I read in Argentea’s face that she got the picture- Yes.

I never understood why calling some things by their name was considered impolite among humans. Euphemisms were confusing.

-Why are you telling me this?- She didn't seem happy.
-Are you upset?- It was a strange feeling. I didn't want to upset her, but the idea that she might be at least a bit jealous was oddly pleasing.
-Why should I be? You can do whatever you want. I am just wondering what you are doing here.
No matter what she said, she still seemed upset.
-I missed you- I repeated-. It wasn't the same without you.
Argentea looked at me in absolute confusion. I kissed her softly, apologetically.
-I won't do it again if it upsets you.- I added.
-Stop saying that. I am not upset. There’s no reason for me to be upset.
She lied. Maybe not to me but to herself. She wanted to believe that what we had was just some “relief", but it didn't feel like it to me. I didn't want to risk losing all we had (whatever it was) because of some real relief with Indi or with anyone else. Even if she would be marrying someone in a few months, possibly earlier, I didn't want to ruin the little time we still had to be together. I kissed her passionately. Thinking that it wouldn't last forever made me desire her even more. She looked thoughtful too, but she smiled as I kissed her.

-I just cannot believe that you still have any energy remaining. Indi must not be a very good lover.- I swear she had a wicked smile on her lips when she said that.
-He is- I should have lied. Why didn't I lie? I could tell that she didn't like my answer-. But he isn't you.

Her face reflected confusion and embarrassment. Argentea always seemed so self confident and sure of herself that I loved when she looked confused. I found it quite funny.

-What is that supposed to mean?- She asked.

I laughed hard and kissed her deeply. I felt exhausted, but still, I needed to be with her. My hands reached for the belts of her armor. Argentea opened her mouth like she was about to complain, took a last look at the unconscious fey and let herself go.

-I can't believe that you still have energy.- She repeated as she responded to me, slipping her hands under my coat.

I didn't, but I still knew how to please her and in the end my body responded much better than I had expected. Argentea made me feel things that I hadn't felt before, and not all of them were purely physical. I had to thank Indi for making me realize.

After a while, we were lying on the ground, snuggling together to fight cold, with my head resting on Argentea’s chest. I could hear her heart beating.

-Did you dream of me the other night?- She asked me. The question caught me off guard.
-The night with all those strange dreams?- I asked. She nodded- I did. We were…
-Like we are now- she finished-. I was there. I had the same dream. Do you think it means something?
-We all seemed to be having shared dreams. I am pretty sure that Cat saw me killing her.- My voice trembled saying the last part. Argentea held me tighter.
-It was just a dream. It doesn't have to mean anything, right?

I sensed in her voice that she feared my answer.

-Judging from Nadya’s dream, and from mine, the dreams seemed to present alternative futures, maybe choices.

Argentea’s heart started beating faster.

-There was more- Argentea’s voice faded into a whisper-. I saw him.
-Who?
-My husband. There were kids. We looked happy.

She said it like it was the most terrible fate that she could imagine.

-Why is that bad?- I asked with a smile. I didn't want to appear as uncomfortable and nervous as the topic made me.
-I am getting old and I never had a chance to prove myself as a knight. I don't want to lose this opportunity just because I have to get married.
-I don't know that man, but he cannot force you to quit. He is a knight too. He has been in many wars. He will understand.
-It isn't so simple. What if it’s me who wants to quit?

I looked at her in disbelief.

-Do you want to quit?
-No!- She responded quickly. Then she looked away and spoke in a low voice again- Not right now. But what if I get pregnant?
-You will have to stop fighting for a time, right, but not forever. You can be a mother and a knight. Look at Nadya.

Argentea sighed.

-She has to leave her children behind. What if I am not able to do it? What if I cannot get back in shape? What if I don't want to fight anymore?
-You?- I forced a laugh- The Blood Sea will freeze before that happens.
-It might.
-Sorry, bad choice of words. I just cannot picture you giving up on being a knight. And if you ever want to, it’s also fine, as long as it is your choice.

She looked sad.

-We don't always have a choice.
-Nonsense. We always do. If not, what are you doing here right now? Why aren't you home with your future husband?

Argentea’s eyes flashed in anger. I had accidentally hit a soft spot.

-What is happening here is more important than an arranged marriage. People are being abused here. We are about to be invaded. This is my responsibility as a knight.
-Isn't putting your responsibility as a knight first also a choice?
-It is just what I have to do.- She answered. She was stubborn like that.

I couldn't believe how afraid to change Argentea was. To elves, humans seemed ever changing, but she was quite the opposite. I wondered if I was anything more to her than a way to evade the responsibilities that she didn't want to inherit. I feared that one day she would make her choice and forget about me, but also that I might be keeping her from being happy with someone who could give to her all the things that I never could. After all, what was I more than a wildling of uncertain origins with no wealth, no family and no home? The fact that we would be parting ways soon, when she met her fiance and I found the source of my dreams, should make all my concerns irrelevant, but thinking about it didn't comfort me at all.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 43

We had to decide Zzababa’s fate before we left Ellsprin, but we postponed it until the last moment. It was a difficult choice. Indi, pragmatic as always, believed that killing her would solve everything. She hadn't been able to prove that she had allies elsewhere, and that was enough for Indi to believe she was alone. But, as Nadya said, if we were wrong in our assumptions, other fey could come to avenge her death. I really wanted to allow her to leave, but if she came back and killed anyone else, it would be on our conscience, so I was hesitant. Argentea and Cat didn't have a clear idea either. They were worried about not being there to protect the people if the fey stuck back.

-Let her leave- a sixth voice intervened in the conversation, catching us all by surprise. It was Garen-. Please. I will take care of the situation if she comes back.

We all remained silent for a moment. Having Garen pleading for the life of someone who had helped kill the only father he had known was unexpected. Finally, Argentea broke the silence.

-You are big for your age, but you are still too young and inexperienced. How do you intend to fight the fey?

Garen held his stare with determination.

-I don't. The fey fighting and killing humans, and then humans fighting and killing the fey, and then the other way around again until we are all dead. It takes someone to break the cycle and forgive. To the fey, you are the same monsters that you think they are, but you can prove them wrong. And if she comes back, or more like her do, I will convince them to leave.
-Why would they listen now?- asked Nadya, concerned- They didn't before.

Garen looked to the ground, embarrassed.

-They did. I just didn't think of the consequences that my words could have. But I won't allow that to happen again.
-Do you really think that you can make it work?- I wanted to believe in him. The young faun definitely had a natural gift for words.
-Just give me a chance. I know I can. If my mixed blood has some advantage, it is that the fey will listen to me before any human.

I looked at Nadya.

-The choice is yours.- I said. She was the one leaving her family there.

Nadya looked at Garen, then to each one of us, like she was trying to read our minds.

-You know the fey better than we do- she said to the faun-. Just take care of Orm and Mjoli. They are going to be like your younger brothers now- then she turned to face Zzababa, who had regained consciousness during the night-. And you: I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. We are being more forgiving that you would ever be with us. But if you don't stay away from my family, there won't be a place in all Krynn where you can hide from me.

Zzababa’s eyes flashed in anger, but I could see a hint of fear in them too. From what I know of Nadya, I don't think she was kidding.

As we took our prisoner outside, the wounds she still had started healing in contact with the snow,and soon she was fully recovered. We released her, unsure of what would happen next. Would she attempt to fight us, knowing that she couldn't win? Would she flee? In the end, her self-preservation instinct ruled and, after staring us in disbelief, she ran away as fast as she could.
Nadya’s farewell to Orm and Mjoli was shorter and colder than I expected, like she was only going away for a few hours. The boys were happy, heartily believing that their mother would come back soon from Whitethrone with their younger sister, and Nadya didn't want to ruin a happy moment by showing her real emotions.

-I might never see them again- she repeated on many occasions during our journey-. But if I can leave a better world to them, it will be worth it.
-Nonsense- Cat always said-. You can have everything. We will kick those Winter Witches out and then you’ll go back home with your children.

Cat had a natural talent to make difficult things seem easy, but Nadya had the dream where she had to choose between her war and her family still fresh in her memory. After we left Ellsprin, she was unusually silent for many hours, until Indi started to cheer her up, reminding her how close we were to Nazhena, and how soon she would be able to avenge her daughter’s death. I don't know how good it was for her to let revenge become her driving goal, but at least it kept her going for now. By the end of the day, she seemed to be in a good mood again.

It was around midday when Nadya reached for her bow and aimed at a bird that was flying above us. The animal, a hawk or a falcon, fell down between the trees.

-Watch out!- Nadya said, pointing towards the skies. Another bird was circling around our position, and as we noticed it, it emitted a high-pitched shriek. It was far above our heads, but my sister and Nadya were able to hunt it down before it flew away. This time the lifeless body landed near our position, and we could see that it had a ring around one of its feet. As Nadya had suspected, these weren't wild animals.
-Our position has been revealed! Move!- Nadya commanded, as she got the dogs to run faster. The animals looked nervous and she had a hard time controlling them.

We hadn't gotten far when another couple of birds appeared, followed by the biggest wolf I had ever seen. It was white as snow, big as a bear and had a predatory and intelligent look in its uneven colored eyes. As Argentea and Cat jumped down from the sleds to block its way, the wolf stopped right in its tracks and sniffed the air.

-A winter wolf.- Said Nadya, struggling to keep the dogs under control. They were terrified and would probably attempt to flee (with the sleds and our belongings) if given a chance.
She had already mentioned winter wolves before. Akin to worgs, they were more intelligent and cunning than their lesser cousins. Taking them for animals could be a fatal mistake.

My eyes met the wolf’s as I animated my hair and he charged towards me. I tried to use my power to put him to sleep, but his will was stronger than it seemed.

-Get the witch!- Commanded the wolf in a voice that sounded like a howl- She is the dangerous one!

A volley of arrows flew towards me, though only a couple of them hit me, penetrating my protective spell. I had been lucky, but I wouldn't survive much more if I kept being targeted. Fortunately, by shooting me, the archers had given away their positions.

-There are four of them!- Shouted Argentea, as she blocked the winter wolf’s charge- Where do you think you are going?

Unable to reach me, the winter wolf jumped on Argentea, knocking her to the ground and trying to rip her throat out with his jaws. Cat jumped to the rescue, paying the wolf in the same coin with a couple of slashes aimed right to his throat. Meanwhile, Indi used his magic to take care of the archers, who remained half hidden between the trees. As I prepared to cast a spell, two falcons fell upon me, but they weren't much more than a distraction. Though my thick clothes were of no use against blades and arrows they did a good job protecting my skin from Nina’s talons, and the falcon’s weren't sharper than hers. Only one of them was able to make a small scratch on my cheek, but even that wasn't as painful as having my eyes pecked by crows. My biggest concern was still the archers aiming at me.

Behind us, Nadya was still having a hard time keeping the dogs under control. I feared that they could end up turning aggressive out of fear.

-How is it going?- asked Nadya, unable to pay much attention to the battle. The situation was pretty chaotic- Do you need help?
-All under control!- I lied.

Protection magic has never been my speciality, so I had to rely on the closest thing to a protective spell that I had ready to cast to save myself. I sent my hair to reach for the winter wolf while I spoke words of magic. A single touch was enough for me to start siphoning his vital energy. Another arrow flew towards me, but the archer was paying more attention to Indi and he missed the shot. The next one was better aimed, but the stolen vital force that was still running through my blood mended my wound as soon as it was inflicted, leaving just a superficial scratch.
Meanwhile, Argentea had managed to get up from the ground and kept acting as a barricade in the way of the wolf that kept staring at me with hungry eyes. If she fell, I’d be next. Fortunately, the combined efforts of my sister and Argentea were causing him serious damage. I want to believe that even my spell contributed to a minor degree.

Aside from acting as a distraction, the falcons weren't much more than a nuisance, too small to cause real damage. On the other hand, the archers really put me in danger. I could tell that they would have aimed for Indi if they had been given the choice, but their leader didn't stop commanding to “kill the witch" in an low menacing growl. Which, given that I was unable to do much more than defend myself, probably wasn't the wisest decision, but that didn't comfort me. I’d rather stop being a target. As the wolf, frustrated for being unable to reach me, exhaled an icy breath, that caught me and Argentea, I started to have real fear for our lives. We might not survive another attack like that. He had to fall as soon as possible.

Indi was doing an excellent job, having defeated two of the falconers, but the remaining ones wouldn't surrender. They were too terrified of their leader, who wouldn't give up on his attacks despite his wounds. The wolf didn't notice, or didn't care, how badly injured he was. Even when my sister delivered the final wound, slashing his throat clean open, he seemed strangely confident and calm, like he never saw it coming. I bet that he never ever considered the possibility of being defeated by a bunch of worthless “humans”, most of which weren't even witches.

The falconers were quick to surrender as their leader fell. They threw away their weapons and begged for their lives, but we were wary after our former experience with the people of Irrisen. They could track us when they recovered. They could inform Nazhena about us.

-We won't, I swear- insisted one of them-. We were just following orders from Norgrimm.
-Who?- asked Argentea.

Both falconers answered quickly pointing towards the dead winter wolf.

-We will go back home with our families. You will never see us again.
-Won't the winter witches come back for you?- I asked, suspicious.
-Norgrimm was in charge. We just followed his orders. They will put the blame on him. We are nobodies.- He said that with acceptance, like it was a good thing, and I felt pity for him.
-There’s no reason not to let them go- intervened Nadya, who had been finally able to calm down the dogs now that the winter wolf was dead-. Nazhena already knows of us. If we stay in Whitethrone for too long we will end up dead anyway. Letting them go changes nothing.
-That makes sense- agreed Argentea.
-We are going to let you go- Nadya informed them after we all agreed on it- There were three surviving falconers, though one of them was so badly injured that I had to heal him back to consciousness (after healing my own wounds, which weren't as serious as I had feared). The three looked at us like they had been born again until Nadya continued her speech-. With one condition: if you ever see Nazhena, tell her to enjoy her last moments, because we are coming for her.

We hadn't agreed on that part. That was all Nadya’s idea.

We finally let them leave. Argentea was especially happy about it. She tended to be quite reserved in public, but this time she expressed her concerns about what we had been doing since we got to Irrisen.

-I am getting tired of all this killing. We are not fighting a war, just killing lawful citizens of a corrupted government. The problem is with the ones who give orders, not with the ones who follow them.
-They should do something- I said-. They could rise up and fight against the witches.
-Can they?- asked Argentea.
-They could. They just need to learn that witches can be defeated, and how to do it.

Nadya spoke in a low voice, like there could be someone listening.

-There are people trying to do that. But they have to keep a low profile. My uncle, Ringeirr, is one of them.

Nadya had already talked to us about her uncle as the person who would help us enter Whitethrone without being noticed.

-This isn't a battle that some poorly armed townsfolk can win- insisted Argentea-. As soon as the Knights of Solamnia learn about the power of the Winter Witches and how desperate the situation of the Irriseni people is, they will immediately declare war against this corrupted land and free it from tyranny.
-Free it or conquer it?- I questioned- This land belongs to their inhabitants. They should have a chance to fight for it.

That was my kagonesti blood speaking. After being enslaved by our civilized cousins, who came to our lands with false promises of prosperity, kagonesti elves tended to be wary of foreigners.

-They aren't warriors- said Argentea-. They are hunters, fishermen, artisans. They would only rise up to be slaughtered.
-They can be taught- I insisted-. I am no warrior either, but I am learning.
-Your people aren't going to do better, Lady Argentea- said Nadya-. They will be lucky if they are able to win a single fight before they lose the battle to the winter.
-The knights of Southern Ergoth have fought and defeated the Dragon Overlord Frost and his eternal winter. The weather isn't an issue.

What she didn't say, and we didn’t know at that time, was how scarce the contingent of knights in Southern Ergoth was. I don't think she was even aware of it.

-They know nothing about the witches either- warned Nadya-. Any help will we welcome, though. What we don't want is to change one tyrant for another. We have already had too many tyrants here.
That resulted in a long and passionate speech from Argentea explaining the goodness of the Knights of Solamnia and how they would be eager to help Irriseni citizens, which led to a witty remark by Indi about the Knights leaving the city of Kalaman down to their own luck against the Dark Knights on a recent war. I didn't know the truth behind that statement, but it didn't help Argentea grow more fond of Indi. That could have ended up in a long, tiring discussion, if Cat hadn't intervened. My sister fully believed that making plans on a long term when we still had more urgent things in our hands was a big loss of time, especially when it led to unnecessary arguing.
-What if we leave all this nonsense for later and get moving? We are going to freeze here, and it's not like we have any way to contact the knights, or anyone else, while we're still trapped here.

Argentea grunted.

-Alright.
-Wait. There is one last thing that we should do.- As she spoke, Nadya strode towards Norgrimm’s body. She knelt by him and produced a small dagger- Cat, can you help me?

Cat approached her, with her own skinning knife in her hand. Argentea was a bit shocked about skinning an intelligent creature, but Indi immediately pointed out how the Knights of Solamnia used to craft armors out of the scales of dragons, who were among the most intelligent creatures known (I didn't understand how intelligence could make a creature more or less worthy, but I said nothing). Argentea finally capitulated, though she still wasn't pleased with the idea.

-Why so much interest in its pelt, anyway?- she asked Nadya. That was a good question.
-I once heard that winter wolves with uneven eyes are born infused with magic, and that their bodies retain the magic after their death. The rimepelts, as they are called, are said to grant shapeshifting abilities to anyone wearing one, as well as protecting them from cold. Even if we aren't keeping it, we can get good money for it in Whitethrone.

That seemed like a good reason, though I was more interested in studying the magical properties of the pelt, if it had any.

Skinning the wolf didn't take much time, and it rewarded us with an immaculate white pelt that could be easily worn as a cloak. A quick examination with magical senses revealed that it held some kind of magic, though it wasn't until we set up camp in the evening that Indi and I studied it more closely, while Nadya worked on cleaning it and make it more functional to be worn. The magic it held wasn't as impressive as we had thought, as it only allowed its user to take the shape of a winter wolf once before it lost its magic. It was still warm and comfortable, and it granted some magical protection against cold, so it wouldn't be useless at all. Cat already had the cloak that we had taken from Rokhar the necromancer before we got to Irrisen, Indi had magic to protect himself from the cold weather and Nadya (having grown up in Irrisen) knew well how to fight cold without magic. As for Argentea, quoting her almost literally, there was no way she would be wearing “that". Myself, I found the rimepelt to be pretty fancy, so I didn't complain when everybody agreed on me keeping it. It was warm and fluffy, though much more heavy than it seemed at first sight. I didn't suspect that it would make my visit to Whitethrone more interesting.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 44

Finally, after more than a week of travel, we had Whitethrone in front of us. We didn't have any more trouble during the rest of the trip, aside from a bunch of merrows who tried to charge us for crossing “their" bridge (one or two dogs would be fine) and those Indi intimidated into letting us pass by displaying his magic.

Whitethrone was the biggest city I had ever seen. Set on the border of a frozen lake and with a fairytale palace dominating the view, it looked like a dreamlike setting. But instead of heading directly towards the city, which Nadya described as “suicidal", she insisted on visiting one of the many nearby shantytowns, where her uncle was supposed to live. Those places were called “Fishcamps" by the locals, and were small, dirty and poor settlements where most of the fishing industry of the city was located. Though people lived humbly in the Fishcamps, they enjoyed more freedom that any of the citizens in the capital could even dream of, which made it an attractive place for people who, like Ringeirr, earned their lives through illegal business.

Many years ago, Nadya explained, the winter witches had taken both Ringeirr’s wife and daughter. After many years of failed attempts of rescuing them, or at least knowing what had happened to them, Ringeirr had become an expert in getting in and out of the city unnoticed. That allowed him to earn his life as a smuggler, and would also help us get into the city without being registered or interrogated.

Nadya had never been to Whitethrone or to her uncle’s house before, and therefore she didn't know where he lived, so we resolved to ask the locals about him. What seemed like an easy task proved not to be so simple, as most people looked at us from a distance and avoided getting close. The few ones that deigned to speak to us were elusive and wary, adopting a defensive attitude as soon as we asked about a man named Ringeirr Malenkov. They never had heard of him, they said. No one with that name had ever lived there, they insisted.

-People who ask too many questions or speak too much won't live long here.- One of the people we spoke to warned us. His words sounded more like advice than a threat.
-That man is my uncle- on the other hand, Nadya’s voice did sound threatening-. If you know where to find him you must tell us. It’s important.

The man we were talking to was unarmed and wore no armor but thick clothes to protect him from cold. We were a group of five, fully armed, plus some fierce-looking dogs. He was just a fisherman. I could see how his fear of us temporarily overcame the fear of whatever was preventing him from talking.

-The Fishcamp Guards arrested him for disturbing the peace.- He said in whispers, though there wasn't anyone close.
-Who are the Fishcamp Guards? Are they some kind of authority?- Asked Argentea. She used her usual tone, which could come across as intimidating to someone who didn't know her as well as we did.
-Not officially- the man answered-. They… protect us from… threats.
-Like some sort of militia?- Asked Argentea. She could be so innocent at times.
-More like a gang of thugs, I bet- guessed Cat-. So you pay them so they protect you… from themselves, right?

The panic in the face of the fisherman told me that my sister had nailed it.

-I would never say something like that.- Babbled the man, visibly nervous.
-No need to- answered Argentea, visibly upset-. Where can we find these “Fishcamp Guards”?
-They are usually patrolling the piers, that’s no secret. Anyone there can tell you who they are.- Which basically meant “please, let me go".

There was no reason to keep harassing the terrified man, so we left for the piers. As we approached, we heard fighting sounds. Someone was crying out in pain, while other voices spat curse words and insults in Skald. At this point we all had gotten used to the language, but some of the words that the attackers were using were unknown to me. I guess that it was better for me not to know.

My sister ran in the direction of the tumult without waiting for anyone else. Nadya followed, asking her to be careful, and I went after them, just in case my sister got into trouble as usual. Argentea followed us, leaving Indi in charge of the dogs and our belongings just because he had the slowest reaction time.

Soon we had a clear view of what was happening. Four humans were beating up another, who was laying on the floor defenceless. They didn't even look especially big or strong to me, they just relied on sheer numbers to seem threatening. The people at the piers pretended to be working, but they were all watching the beating with horrified faces.

Cat jumped into the fray like her life depended on it, unsheathing her kukris. She had faced (but not usually defeated) bigger and scarier men on her own. She always said that she wasn't afraid of a broken tooth for a good reason, but this time the thugs were armed with hooks and carried daggers on their belts. She risked more than a broken tooth.

-Stop it, stop it now!- She commanded, with all the respect that someone as short and slim as she can command. In the excitement of the moment she spoke in Common, so they most likely didn't understand.
-Stay away- one of the thugs said with contempt. He didn't look at her long enough to notice that she was armed- or you will get the same treatment as him.

Cat spat at their feet. At that moment, Argentea had already reached her and was ready to enter the fight. I invoked my powers, making one of them fall asleep. That was enough to get their attention.

-This is none of your business- said the same thug that had spoken before-. We are just collecting taxes.

His explanation was answered by a well placed bash from Argentea’s shield that broke his nose. My sister followed with a low hit with the grip of her blade. Maybe we didn't want to kill them, but my sister didn't seem to be against keeping him from having kids. An arrow hit the last of them on the foot.

-Where’s Ringeirr Malenkov?- cried out Nadya, assuming that these were the people we were looking for. It wasn't a farfetched guess, in my opinion. How many gangs could coexist in small settlement without killing each other?

Nadya’s question remained unanswered, as the thugs responded to our attack by defending themselves to the best of their abilities. The man they had been beating on seized his opportunity to get up and limp away while Argentea and Cat did their best to bring the gangmen down without using lethal force and Nadya aimed for the limbs. They didn't provide us with the same courtesy, but they were far from representing a serious threat. They were obviously not accustomed to fighting people who didn't back away after the first hit or beg for their lives.

After two of them were knocked down without much difficulty, I put the remaining one to sleep. Just in time for the first one to wake up with a kukri on his throat and an arrow aimed at his head.

-Where is Ringeirr Malenkov?- Repeated Nadya.
-He is in the guardhouse- the thug answered with poorly pretended calm-. Marcian got him arrested.

We guessed that Marcian must be some leader of sorts, so we didn't ask. Nadya was too worried about her uncle to pose any unnecessary questions. Ringeirr’s safety was more important than the reasons why the Fishcamps Guards had taken him.

-Where is the guardhouse?- Nadya demanded to know.

The thug seemed surprised by the question, as if the answer was common knowledge. Like we weren't evidently foreigners.

-The biggest house in the village. You can see it from here.

There was no possible confusion: only a couple of streets away, the “guardhouse" was, inarguably, the only big house in sight.

The second thug woke up too, only to find his face against the ground and Argentea’s boot pressing against his back so he couldn't stand up.

-We are going to let you go- she spoke to both-. Do yourselves a favor and stay out of our way.

Having said that, we headed towards the “guardhouse" without losing a moment. Not far from there, Indi waited patiently with the dogs, probably cursing us for leaving him behind again.
The house was a large, roughly built wooden building with the windows boarded shut. Someone had painted the word “Guardhouse" on the door with a calligraphy that was almost as bad as mine. We entered the building by the inelegant system of having Argentea knock down the door. Years of poor maintenance had made it fragile and easy to break. Still, it only broke after the third attempt, so when we got in we had already warned everyone in the house. That might have been a problem had it not been mostly empty, with only the man called Marcian and his two ogre bodyguards coming to meet us, armed and ready to battle.

Ogres are the perfect example of big, scary creatures with small brains, so they were the perfect targets for my magic. One of them fell asleep before he could even get close to us, while the other one met Nadya’s arrows. Marcian aimed his crossbow towards us but Cat and Argentea were all over him before he had a chance to shoot. He dropped the crossbow and unsheathed his rapier, visibly nervous, and commanded the ogre (who was already about to charge towards Nadya) to protect him. The ogre made a ravaging blow with his hook against my sister, who cried out in a mixture of pain and rage. She was bleeding, but she didn't step back, instead answering with two well-placed slashes behind the knees (he was too tall to aim for the throat) that almost brought him to the ground. Ogres were savage and vicious, and my sister wouldn't hold her hand to avoid killing one, especially if her survival depended on it.

Making use of the distraction that the ogre provided, Marcian attacked my sister, attempting to catch her off-guard and slide his rapier between her ribs. Before I had time to warn her, though, she crouched and dodged the hit. Argentea defended her the best she could, attacking the ogre with her sword and pushing him back, putting all her strength in a shield bash.
Putting the second ogre to sleep seemed like a waste of time, as badly wounded as he already was, so I tried my luck with the man who had attempted to backstab my sister. He didn't pose much resistance, falling asleep on the spot.

Free from Marcian’s leadership, the last ogre could have surrendered, but he chose to fight until the end and attacked Argentea one last time before Nadya’s arrows knocked him down.
I rushed to heal Cat and Argentea and stabilize the dying ogre while my sister tied the two sleeping thugs up and Argentea and Nadya watched out for incoming threats. That was unnecessary, as we later found out when exploring the house: it was empty, aside from the beaten and tied up old man that we found in a small bedroom.

-Uncle!- Nadya cried out in joy when she saw him. She feared that the thugs would kill him if they found out that someone was coming to his rescue, so finding him alive was the best news she could get. She knelt down to cut the ropes keeping him tied up.
-Nadya!- The tired voice of the old man reflected surprise- Why are you here? Are the children alright?- Nadya’s happiness seemed to evaporate with that question.- For the Gods sake, girl! What happened?
-We will have time to talk about it later- Nadya’s voice was as sharp and cold as ice-. Let’s get you out of this place.

Ringeirr gave Nadya a concerned stare but he refrained from saying anything to her.

-They must be keeping my stuff somewhere around here, if you can help me find it.- He said instead.
Of course, we agreed. He wasn't going too far without shoes or a thick coat.
-What happened to you?-Now it was Nadya who asked the question,while we searched for her uncle’s belongings-. Why did they take you?
-With all the mayhem that is going on in Whitethrone, I thought that it was time to overthrow those so-called “Fishcamp Guards”, now that the Witches are busy with their own things and won't stick their noses here. Too bad that people are so scared of Marcian’s thugs that they won't lift a finger against them- he took a quick look over by the entrance, where Marcian still laid, tied up and defeated, next to his two bodyguards, and hinted a smile-. Though now that they have proven not to be almighty, I think that things are about to change. This scum thrives on fear.
-Should we let them go?- I asked.
-Why not? There’s no point in getting your hands dirty, girl. They have screwed up too many people. They will probably have to leave the Fishcamps.

After having to leave Waldsby, I wouldn't dare doubt the power of an angry mob. We finally released Marcian and his henchmen, making sure that many people saw us as we did (which wasn't hard, we hadn't been subtle and a lot of people were already gathering around the “guardhouse"), and that Ringeirr was at our side, looking the best he could. Finding his belongings wasn't hard: everything was being kept in a closed chest in Marcian’s room, alongside some valuables that we “collected for the cause".

Having done that, we picked up Indi (who was actually among the watchers, regretting missing all the action) and allowed Ringeirr to guide us to his house. There were so many things that we needed to talk about.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 45

As we arrived at Ringeirr’s house, we told him about all we had been through lately, and he explained to us what was going on in Whitethrone, confirming what the Black Knight had already told us: Queen Elvanna had seized power from her mother Baba Yaga, taking over Whitethrone and defeating her three Riders. She had replaced Baba Yaga’s Iron Guard with her own people, the Winter Guard, and declared martial law in the city. Entering Whitethrone was still possible, but people usually had to wait for hours or even days outside the walls and be thoroughly searched for anything suspicious before being allowed to enter. Nobody knew what had become of the Witch Queen herself, but her Dancing Hut was shackled and exposed in the middle of the city so everybody knew of Elvanna’s victory over her mother. About Nazhena, Ringeirr knew nothing more than we already knew: she had been called by the Queen herself to perform an important task in Whitethrone.

It seemed that the key to finding Baba Yaga and foiling Elvanna’s plans relied on seizing control of the Dancing Hut, but getting to it wouldn't be easy. Nadya’s uncle seemed to have a clear idea about what we had to do, though.

-You will need not only to get into the city, but to get the papers that authorize you to move through it. I know the perfect man to help you. Trustworthy, yet somewhat eccentric. Mortin is the name. He lives on the border of the Howlings, which should be the best district to enter into the city unnoticed. It’s mostly inhabited by Winter Wolves, which have always been on the side of Baba Yaga and don't give a damn about Elvanna’s new policies.
-Why hasn’t Elvanna done something about them, then?- I asked.
-She has too many real threats to deal with to add potential threats to the list. Winter wolves have been clever enough to remain neutral and to be of help when specifically asked- I thought of Norgrimm-, and Elvanna has chosen not to turn them against her. After being on Baba Yaga’s side during the war, the Witch Queen rewarded them with the ability to take human form while in the Howlings, and most of them have grown attached to it, even if they consider humans to be inferior creatures.

Ringeirr gave me a long stare before continuing his speech.

-Your cloak. It is a rimepelt, right?

I nodded.

-Most winter wolves should believe that you are one of them if you are wearing it. I think it’s something about the scent, I don't know, but it should help survive the Howlings.

Summarizing: Ringeirr’s plan was hiding all our weapons and armor inside a big load of fish (Argentea complained because she believed that she would smell like fish forever after it), take it to the entrance of the Howlings, convince the Winter Wolves to let us in pretending that I was one of them and the rest of the group were my slaves (my sister and I complained because our people had suffered from slavery and it was a sensitive topic for us), and head up to meet an eccentric man called Mortin and ask him for forged identities. Even if we didn't like it unanimously, we agreed that it was a good plan. Until we asked why Mortin would trust us, and that brought into the conversation what he had in mind for Nadya.

-I will go with you- said Ringeirr-. I know Mortin and how to move around the city. You have already done enough helping them get here, Nadya, now it’s my turn. Go back with your children. Take care of them. You have a family, I have nothing to lose.

Nadya’s eyes flashed in anger while she stared at her uncle in disbelief.

-You cannot be serious! Do you think that I can really let this be? After what Nazhena has done to my family?

Ringeirr answered Nadya, holding her stare.

-It’s my family too. Allow me to do this for you. I will take your revenge. Go back with your sons. Enjoy life while you can.

Nadya was about to start crying in rage.

-I can't! I can't go back home knowing that she is still alive and I am doing nothing. I can guide them into Whitethrone as well as I have guided them all the way here. Please, don't take this from me.- Her words sounded more like a threat than like a plea, but her words were also charged with concealed doubt. Ringeirr’s offer was more tempting than she’d dare admit.
-You might die, Nadya. I am old. I am not needed. You have a family.
-You have people who depend on you too- I told Ringeirr. I didn't want to press Nadya into staying with us, but I had to be honest, and I also feared that she would blame herself forever if she quit at that point-. You are working hard to improve the lives of so many people. As harsh as it might sound, Nadya’s children are being taken care of and safe, but you can make a real change by staying here.

Now that I think of it, I am not sure if I was being objective or (most likely) I was just being selfish. The traveling group was the closest that I had ever had to a family, and I didn't want to replace Nadya with a perfect stranger. Anyway, my words had the desired effect: after some arguing, Ringeirr reluctantly agreed with me. He wouldn't mind giving up on his personal fight if it was to keep his niece safe, but after what he had started in the Fishcamps, and all his connections in Whitethrone, he was involved in too many things to leave them behind. He instructed us on how to get to Mortin’s house, to tell him that we were going on his behalf and ask him to help us to get in contact with some insurgent group called the “Heralds of Summer” that would most likely be eager to help us. Though he was reluctant to give out too much information, just in case we were caught, it was clear that he had quite a close bond with these “Heralds of Summer". Even Nadya seemed surprised to learn all that her old uncle was involved with.

We didn't want to lose any time, so we parted as soon as the fish shipment was ready, with instructions to deliver it before meeting Mortin. We still had some daylight left and we wanted to make use of it to get into Mortin’s house. With all our armor and weapons concealed inside a fish cart, we got to the crack in the walls that led into the Howlings by mid afternoon. As we approached, a tall figure came out of a rudimentary watch house built next to the entrance. She looked like a human, but there was something in her icy blue eyes and her physical presence that gave her a feral bearing. She stood in front of the crack with her arms crossed and a challenging stare, allowing us to approach. As tall as Indi and with a great axe on her back, she didn't have reasons to fear a group of unarmed fishmongers.
(Art (c) by Paizo Publishing)

-Want in?- She approached me with an overconfident smile, sniffing the air around me while completely ignoring the others - First you will have to deal with me, Greta. I don't think I have seen you before.
-It is our first time at Whitethrone.- I said in my usual soft tone. I tried to show the attitude that someone would expect from a winter wolf, but I found Greta rather intimidating. I was starting to think that Nadya or Argentea should be wearing the rimepelt.
-Strangers, huh?- Greta gave me an top-to-bottom stare- I was told that you weren't from here by your looks. That hair…- Later, I found out that all the winter wolves in Whitethrone shared Greta’s snow white hair- You have beautiful eyes, though. If you weren't so scrawny…

Being examined like a piece of meat made me very nervous. I needed to get rid of Greta as soon as possible.

-We… I have some business to take care of in the city.
-What are you dealing with?- she sniffed the air again- Fish? Or slaves?

For the very first time Greta gave signs of noticing the presence of the rest of the group.

-You can make good money out of these two- she pointed towards Argentea and Indi-. They have a strong build, good for working. I am not sure about the small one, though. She’s fierce. I can tell she’d attempt to gouge out my eyes with her bare hands if you allowed her. I am not sure anyone would value that in a slave.
-I am not a…- Cat started to say, upset at Greta’s accurate analysis.
-Cat!- I said to interrupt her, more amused than angry.
-Maybe you should get rid of her. She seems like trouble.
-No, I… I won't do that! She is my… Well… I like her!

Greta didn't seem less amused than I was. She looked at me with curiosity.

-You are a weird one, you know? Showing appreciation for your slaves could be taken for a sign of weakness, so if you want some advice, don't go saying that aloud while in the Howlings.

She smiled at me, and it was somehow a friendly and predatory gesture at the same time.

-I’ll take it into consideration- I said, feeling more and more tense-. Can we go in?
-You have not even introduced yourself. I like to know the name of the people I let in.
-Kileanna. The name is Kileanna.

“Please, stop it and let us in" I thought. I couldn't help but feeling that she was playing with me.

-Alright, Kileanna. I'm sure you understand that I need to examine the contents of this cart before I can allow you to pass- She explained that carefully, like one would have done with a child. When she noticed the fear in my eyes, she gave me an open smile and, approaching me more than felt appropriate, she spoke to me in a private voice-. Or maybe I can just take your word that this is only fish, let you pass, and you could thank me somehow later.
-So you are asking me to share my profit with you?- I asked. Her attitude was so suspicious.
-That could be a way, yes. Now I am on watch, but tomorrow I will be on a leave all day. You can visit me at my house in the Howlings at anytime and we can discuss it privately.
-Yes, why not?- I found myself saying. We weren't staying for long in Whitethrone. I didn't even have to appear at the meeting. Greta seemed to trust me to find her appealing enough to come back, but if I chose not to, there wasn’t much that she could do. If agreeing to go on a date with a winter wolf was the best I could do to end this awkward situation, I would agree.

Greta finally let us pass, after giving us some directions on how to locate her the day after. As we left her behind, I was able to breathe again.

-You are aware that she is a winter wolf, right?- Asked Argentea.
-Yes.- I answered.
-And that she believes you to be another.
-Yes.
-And that you aren't actually a winter wolf.- Intervened Cat.
- Yes, why?
-She was flirting with you! You must have noticed!- Argentea gave me an incredulous stare.
-No! … Maybe.

I was terrible at judging when someone was flirting or just wanted something from me. I believe that Greta was a bit of both.

-You aren't considering meeting with her privately, are you?- Asked Cat, concerned.
-I just wanted her to let us pass. I don't have to go.
-Fine.- Said Argentea.
-But…- everybody but Indi looked at me as if I was crazy- Maybe I could get some information out of her. Maybe I should go.
-She’s a winter wolf!- Argentea reminded me.
-She doesn't seem that bad. I think I can handle her.

Indi had been silent the whole time, so I didn't know what to expect from him when he spoke.

-I agree with her. She seems rather nice. She probably wants to have a good time or alternatively get some profit. She doesn't seem like another Sertane to me, so go with it, I say.

I would be more grateful to Indi if he didn't bring back the memory of Volan Sertane. I still felt embarrassed for messing up so badly by agreeing to a private interrogation from him.

While we spoke, we walked through the Howlings, following Ringeirr’s directions by heart. There were some people on the streets, but we didn't seem to catch much attention. Most of the locals were easily distinguishable as winter wolves: tall, with a wide frame, fair skin, white hair and blue eyes, all were cut from the same cloth. Many wore fancy clothes and jewelry, the kind of ornaments that their natural shape wouldn't allow them to wear. The few humans that we encountered were easy to tell apart from them: with much less impressive features and almost unanimously worse groomed, some wore slave collars or were even carried on leashes.

Though we were all starting to feel sick and powerless about the situation, it was Cat who was having the hardest time holding back and not starting a fight that would do no good to anyone. We couldn't end slavery by just beating a couple of slavers, and that would surely get us in serious trouble. Cat knew it, and limited her hostility to a bunch of killer stares. Argentea constantly mumbled about bringing the Knights and freeing the land. Every new thing we learned about Irrisen seemed to be another proof of how corrupt the region was and of how much they needed the Knights of Solamnia.

Meanwhile Nadya, to which the situation in the Howlings was new but not unknown, was the one who kept her on her shoulders and remained watchful, being the only one who noticed that there was someone following us from over the rooftops.

-Don't look up or back- she commanded-. There are two of them at least. I believe that they are waiting for us to get to a narrow alley to strike an ambush.

That didn't seem like something that a winter wolf would do. They would just take what they wanted out of sheer force.

-What are they?- I asked while we kept walking, as if everything was fine.

Nadya pretended to arrange the fish while she looked back. At the same time she picked up something from the cart, using her cloak to conceal it. Then we continued our march.

-Goblins.- She informed us.
Goblins were usually cowards and tended to surrender quickly if confronted, but starting a fight in the middle of the street might draw unwanted attention.
-Let’s give them what they want.- I suggested, pointing with my head to a nearby alley. Nadya nodded, and unwrapped the package that she had picked up from the cart. Inside there was her bow, a handful of arrows, Cat’s kukris, and Argentea’s sword. Indi and I needed no weapons and Argentea would have to do without her shield.
-Are you sure that this is a good idea?- Mustered Argentea- If they take cover and attack from above
-Leave it to us.- Indi grinned, taking the words out of my mouth.

We had no more time for talking or discussing strategies, as something exploded right at our feet with a sound of crashing glass, a blast of fire, and a smell of sulfur, right as Indi finished speaking. We weren't caught off-guard, though, and the explosion didn't hurt anyone seriously: only Nadya and Cat, who were closer to the cart, got a few superficial burns.
I looked up to meet the eyes of a small, green creature holding another flask of flammable liquids. Another three goblins, armed with bows, stood in the rooftops of the buildings near the alley.
(Art (c) by Paizo Publishing)

-Leave the fish cart, longshanks!- Yelled the goblin leader- Run! Get out of here.
-No, you come down here.- I pointed at him as I invoked my slumbering magic. He fell asleep without much opposition, falling from the rooftop (which was only a few heads above us) to the street. He woke up on impact, only to see Cat and Argentea charging towards him.
The other goblins panicked and started firing arrows, calling their leader’s name desperately.
-Grindtooth, don't worry, we will avenge you!- said one of them, making it clear that he already considered his leader dead.

Grindtooth tried to defend himself, but he wasn't a good melee fighter and he was outnumbered. His fellow goblins weren't of much help either with their terrible aim. They constantly missed their shots while, despite the disadvantage of her position, Nadya managed to hurt the leg of one of them and knock him to the ground. Summoning his nature powers, Indi called a ray of lightning that came down from the clear sky and hit another goblin.

Things weren't running smoothly for Grindtooth, but he didn't give up in his intent to claim the cart as his until a well placed hit on the scruff from Cat knocked him down. Again, Grindtooth’s cronies started calling out his name desperately, but when they got no answer, they just ran away and vanished into the streets, leaving their leader behind.

-Will they come back for us?- Asked Argentea.
-I wouldn't worry- shrugged Cat-. Goblins are smarter than most people. They won't risk their lives on a lost cause, when they could be seeking a new and easier prey. They misjudged us and yet they survived. They have nothing to grief.

Argentea listened to Cat as if all was new to her and made little sense. It is hard to get into the mindset of a survivor when you have never had to be one.

-Should we leave this one here?- I asked, pointing at Grindtooth, who still laid unconscious next to us- Winter wolves might devour him or something worse.

Again, Cat gave it no importance. She believed that his friends would come back for him as soon as we were gone, but I still feared that if he was found by someone else it could cause us some trouble. In the end, I used my healing powers to get him back into consciousness and we allowed him to get away, trusting that a bandit wouldn't call out any authorities for help. We were already about to reach our first destination where we were going to get rid of the cart. Until now, we had managed to keep a low profile and I didn't want that to change because someone found out an unconscious goblin and decided to investigate.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 46

We had already reached our destination when we spotted a hooded man in the distance. He was slim and not very tall (or maybe he looked shorter because he was slightly hunched), which gave him an elven-like build. Though we could only see his back, we saw a ray of sunlight reflected on his face as he turned around, like he was wearing a crystal mask or something similar. Nadya’s eyes opened wide out of fear, though the man didn't show any signs of noticing our presence.

-That has to be a Mirror Man. I have never seen one in person.
-What is that?- Asked Cat nervously.

The hooded man started walking towards our position.

-Later- replied Nadya-. Now, as I said with the crows: don't let it become aware of you.

The Mirror Man didn't appear threatening at first sight and didn't seem to be coming for us, just walking in our direction, but we had learned to trust Nadya’s advice and to mistrust anything with “mirror" in the name. We walked back to a safe distance and waited for the hunched man to leave the place before approaching again.

-They are the spies of the Winter Witches in Whitethrone- Nadya explained before anyone asked-. They are said to be able to speak to the witches through magic and I am sure that they can also see through them. They are all over the city and have a reputation of being able to see everything.
Indi exhaled a deep breath.
-Thank Zeboim that it’s just a reputation!- He said with a relieved smile. Argentea didn't like the mention to Indi’s goddess but she didn't say anything this time.
After making sure that there were no Mirror Men or other observers around, we finally got close to the house that Ringeirr had directed us to and knocked at the door. A voice from inside asked us who we were and where Ringeirr was. They weren't expecting the shipment until the next day and that made them suspicious. After some questions, they deemed us trustworthy and opened the door. A whole family (mother, father and many children) got out and dragged the cart inside the house, thanking us repeatedly. It was a lot of fish for a single family, but they would later distribute the food among other people, according to what Ringeirr had told us.

Without the cart to hide our belongings we had to carry everything ourselves, which made the last part of our infiltration more risky. Even if we weren't far from Mortin’s house, now we had to be more wary than ever.

That caused me to boggle exaggeratedly when a a panicking man ran into us. He barely noticed us and wouldn't have even ceased to run if my sister hadn't asked him to calm down and tell us what was going on. That was when he finally paid attention, looking at us with a pleading stare. He panted twice before being able to speak.

-My master is...in a rage!- He finally managed to say in a suffocated voice.

We understood what he meant before we had a chance to ask, as a massive white wolf ran into us in the same fashion as the man before him. He ignored us, trying to reach the fugitive slave.
We were in an open area and resorting to violence might have been a terrible idea, but if we didn't intervene the man would be slain right in front of our eyes.

-What’s the matter with your slave?- I asked, hoping that my impersonation of a winter wolf was enough to catch his attention and that doing so didn't end with him trying to rip my throat out. He turned around to face me, visibly bothered by my intrusion, but as he looked me in the eye his attitude changed. When he spoke, he did it as one would address someone of a higher rank or social position. It had to be my eyes.
-He dared to question how I manage my affairs. I am sure you understand. Sometimes you can’t just break that defiant streak and they are good for nothing but a bit of sport.
The words of the winter wolf raised so many alarms that I could barely keep my calm facade. I couldn't help but remember Greta telling me that no one would be interested in a slave like Cat.
-I didn't intend to…- The slave started saying, but Indi made him shut up with a hiss. We didn't want to bring his master's attention back to him.
-I am sure he believed that he was being helpful- I said. Then I addressed the slave-. Didn't you?
The slave quickly nodded.
-Humans aren't like us- I tried to get myself in the mindset of a winter wolf: superior, dominant, arrogant-. They have a harder time understanding. When you just punish them, they won't understand what they have done wrong. Sometimes you need to be patient and sit down and explain things to them.

The winter wolf grunted in disgust.

-Why should I bother?
-Because then you’ll end up spending big money on a slave that isn't good for anything but a bit of sport. A bit of patience and kindness often give better results.
He looked at the group. He probably thought that I must know something about handling slaves if I had so many. Fortunately he didn't notice the hidden weapons because he could have started to question some things.
-How do you get them to respect you?- He asked.
-You don't need to show them who is in charge all the time. They already know- I pointed to the slave-. Look at his eyes- he seemed terrified-. Don't you think he already knows?

The winter wolf grunted again.

-I will let it be for this time. Humans are really stupid, aren't they?- Then he addressed the slave- Let’s go back home.

The slave obeyed, still terrified, and both left together. I wasn't sure if the wolf would change his mind, but I hoped that I had at least given him something to think about.
As soon as they were gone, my sister’s rage burst.

-We should have beaten the crap out of him! That piece of garbage! He will change his mind! He will hurt him again! He’d be better dead!

She wasn't angry at me (I doubt that Cat had that capacity). She hadn’t lifted a finger against him, because she knew the consequences it could have had. Her rage was addressed towards the whole system that allowed the winter wolves to treat people like that.

-We could have bought him and then released him.- Said Argentea, who wasn't having a better time than Cat. She was just better at concealing her emotions.
-We are not slave dealers- I protested-. I am not paying for him to get a brand new slave that will be treated like the old one.
-Yes, that would be paying to wash our consciences- Indi agreed-. If I ever have the urge to do that I’ll go to a temple of Zeboim and pay for an Atonement spell. At least the money would be spent on a better place. As for killing the master: have you thought about what would happen to all the slaves that he might have now? Maybe they would kill them all if they cannot find a new home for them. That’s what people do with stray dogs, isn't it? We have done the best thing: give him a reason to change and an opportunity to do it.

I looked at Indi. He had always been the pragmatic one, the one who was able to take the most ruthless decisions. And lately, I had found him agreeing with me more often than not. What did that mean? I was sure that I had taken the best decision… for the group. But, had I condemned an innocent man in the process? That wasn't something that I really wanted to think about at the time.
The sun had already set, but we had finally reached Mortin’s house. No more winter wolves in our way, no more goblins. A bald middle aged human who wasn't much taller than me opened the door warily and, after we introduced ourselves, let us in. The house was an average size for human standards, but it was so cluttered with books, writing materials and curious items that it looked smaller than it actually was. The main room was lit by a fireplace that made it a warm, welcoming place.

-You are the first two elves that I have ever seen in Irrisen- Mortin said with genuine interest in a perfect, accentless Common-. Kagonesti, am I right?
-Yes!- Cat nodded proudly.

It was obvious that Mortin wasn't native from Irrisen, though we didn't inquire more at that point, as our host was more interested in determining what kind of false identities would suit us better. His first suggestion was that we impersonate a group of slaves. The papers, he said, would be easy to forge and we wouldn't attract much attention. This was received by a choir of complaints from Cat and Argentea, who “no way" would be passing as slaves again. The second option was better accepted: there was a group of young eccentric Jadwiga nobles who delighted in rebelling against their elders by dressing, talking and behaving in the most bizarre ways. Those nobles, called the stilyagi, were considered childish and immature but inoffensive among the other Jadwiga, and their oddities were tolerated in most cases. As only Nadya believed the slave option to be safer, Mortin agreed on forging some papers that identified us as stilyagi, though it would take him some time. As he got into it, he asked us about our stories and instructed us on how to reunite with the Heralds of Summer in the local thermal baths. I didn't pay a lot of attention, as I was fascinated by the huge collection of books that Mortin had, and just reading all the titles made my imagination get carried away. As the conversation derived into selling and buying supplies my mind just wandered away.

I was brought back to reality later, when I caught a random comment in the conversation.

-I have been monitoring the Winter Witches for a few years now- Mortin was saying-. I hope I can come up with some satisfying results to share with the High Sorcery in a near future.
-Are you a wizard?- I asked, jumping abruptly into the conversation.
-Yes… Yes, I am.- Answered Mortin, somewhat intimidated by my overly enthusiastic reaction to his words.
-I wish I had the chance to study magic. Do you think they would take me in? I can barely understand my own magic, how it works, it is so frustrating. But you, the wizards, really know how magic works, don't you?

As I spoke, I searched my backpack under Mortin’s confused stare. I didn't even give him time to reply before I found Rokhar’s spellbook and I waved it in front of his face.

-I… I have this book, I got it from a necromancer and I have been trying to study it, but it doesn't make any sense at all. It is full of diagrams, and graphics and I can't even decipher the language it is written in. I thought that Nina could make use of it but the book isn't magic itself, it just explains how to make the magic work but… it doesn't work.
-Wait, slow down- I didn't mean to overwhelm Mortin, but it seemed like I had-. I get that you are a witch?
-I… guess so?- People hadn't ceased to call me that since we had got to Irrisen.
-I am not even sure that the magic from the High Sorcery and yours comes from the same source- explained Mortin-. From what I know, witches get their knowledge from some mysterious entities that they call “patrons”. What they are, gods or something else, and whether they are stealing magic from the Moons or just granting their own by mimicking them escapes me. Maybe you could shed some light into that matter.

I shrugged.

-My… “patron"... I call it Eternity. It is Past, Present and Future. It exists in all moments at once. It teaches me. I learn. That’s all I know. I hoped that the High Sorcery could help me with that.
-Well, that I cannot doesn't mean that much more experienced wizards cannot. We could benefit from your knowledge to learn more about witches and help you to understand how magic works.
I smiled. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. I felt comfortable in Mortin’s company. He was so intelligent and knowledgeable. What I didn't notice was that no one else shared my thoughts. Indi found most wizards uptight and snotty, Nadya believed that they were too similar to witches, Argentea mistrusted them as much as all Solamnics did and Cat didn't want to hear me talking about joining a sect of power-hungry wizards.

Mortin and I talked about magic and witchcraft for a long time while he worked on forging papers for us. His calligraphy was elegant and fluid, quite unlike my messy handwriting, which made me a little jealous. I wondered how much better my life could have been had I been able to study from a young age, instead of having to learn everything on my own or from a semi-illiterate sister and a mysterious owl-like messenger. Both did their best, but I didn't feel like it was enough.

In the end, I let Mortin keep Rokhar’s spellbook, as I had no direct use for it, and in exchange he agreed on scribing some scrolls that I could teach to Nina. After we got our papers, we agreed to meet him the next day in the evening to get the scrolls and some pieces of gear that the others had asked him to get.

-Do you really want to join the High Sorcery?- Asked Argentea as we left.
-Yes, if they would accept me.- I answered. Cat sighed, visibly disgusted.
-My cousin, Arthur, could help. We lost some contact since he became a wizard but I am sure that he would help you if I asked him to.
-Would you do that?- I asked- Thank you! Thank you so much!
-If that doesn't work, my friend is a Black Robe- said Indi- Maybe you’d fit better with her.
-W-what do you mean?- I asked, shocked. Black robed wizards learned their spells from Nuitari, the black moon, lord of secrets and dark magic.
-Most of your magic seems to imply curses or mind games. Black Robes specialise on that.
-And they are evil too.- Protested Argentea before I said anything.

Meanwhile, Cat kept staring at us with a grumpy expression. But before she could jump into the conversation or Argentea could find a reason to call Indi “Evil Druid", we noticed the two hooded figures standing in our way. It was the first time that we got a clear view of the Mirror Men, and they were much more intimidating from a closer distance. They wore round mirrors covering their faces, making their facial features indistinguishable. The rest of their body was fully covered in a long hooded cloak, but as one of them lifted a hand in our direction we noticed its sickly pale skin and necrotic flesh.

We stared at them in terror, as they stayed there, immobile, one of them with its hand extended towards us in a silent demand.

-I believe that they are asking for our papers.- Guessed Nadya after a few seconds.
One by one, we gave our newly forged papers to the Mirror Men and, one by one, they examined them and gave them back. Only when they were done with the last, they moved aside and let us pass. As we walked away, I heard an emotionless voice in my head: “Public dancing remains strictly prohibited".

I looked behind me to the Mirror Men, who remained motionless as we left, and then at the rest of the group.

-Did you hear that?- I asked, shocked.

Everyone nodded, looking at least as disturbed as me. I frowned.

-When we are done, I will come back and dance in the middle of the street.

Maybe I would but, for now, obeying the rules, no matter how ridiculous they seemed, and keeping a low profile would be a good idea if we wanted to remain relatively safe.

[Kileanna]

CHAPTER 47

As we got nearer to our final destination, where we would meet the Heralds of Summer, we entered a wealthy district full of luxurious mansions and people wearing lavish clothes. I couldn't help but forget about the tyranny of the witches for a while and admire the magnificence of the place. The sensation didn't last long, as I soon realized that all the eyes seemed to be on us. The word “stilyagi” was repeated in whispers, sometimes accompanied with chuckles, sometimes said in disappointment. Knowing that they weren't taking us seriously should have comforted me, but it only increased my sensation of not belonging. My sister and Nadya seemed just as uncomfortable as me: Nadya didn't like drawing so much attention and Cat hated being looked at every time we walked into a new town like we were some kind of oddity. Argentea, in the other hand, walked around like she owned the place, not paying attention to stares or whispers. Only Indi seemed to actually enjoy all the attention. One might think that he felt flattered.

I felt relieved when we finally reached the bath house. After some quick interrogation to prove that we weren't spies for the Winter Witches, we were led towards a set of stairs going down to a tunnel network that seemed to connect many nearby houses. In the center was a small underground shrine of Habbakkuk, where we met Solveig Ayrdahl, leader of both the shrine and the cell of the Heralds of Summer in Whitethrone. Aside from her, all the other people in the shrine didn't look like combatants but rather refugees or assistants. I realized how much trust she was putting into us by receiving us there, unprotected.

After introducing ourselves we told her the story about how and why we came to Whitethrone. She wasn't especially concerned about the absence of Baba Yaga, considering it a good opportunity for a change in Irrisen, but she was alarmed when we mentioned Elvanna’s plans of freezing our continent. As a follower of Habbakkuk, one of the main gods of nature, she couldn't allow that to happen, even if it didn't affect her or the Heralds directly. She was eager to help us with our mission, though I had the sensation from the beginning, that her intentions weren't completely selfless.

-As you probably know- she explained to us-, Queen Elvanna managed to seize control of Baba Yaga’s Dancing Hut and shackle it in the Square Market so everybody can attest her victory over her mother.
-So the hut was arrested for public dancing?- Asked Indi.
-Shut up.- Commanded Argentea trying not to burst into laughter. I chuckled. Solveig smiled as she kept talking, pretending not hearing Indi’s comment.
-The strangest thing, the night after Elvanna seized the hut, a whole forest sprouted around it. It’s said to be full of strange creatures and to grow even bigger every time someone tries to cut it down.
-A forest?- Asked Nadya- Is that the power of the Dancing Hut?

Solveig shrugged.

-Honestly, I don't know, but some powerful magic must be involved. Right now, the commander of the Winter Guard, the witch Nazhena Vasiliovna,- Nadya’s eyes flashed in hate and anticipation when she heard that name- has restricted the access to the Square Market and set her people to watch over it. There’s no way to get to the hut right now without facing an army.

-Maybe it’s time for the oppressed people of Whitethrone to rise up and fight for themselves- Said Nadya-. It’s the right moment. Elvanna’s troops are distracted. And weakened.
-And what do you intend to do?- protested Argentea- Send them to die? They aren't fighters!
-I am afraid that you are right- Solveig said-. They aren't prepared. The remains of the Iron Guard, the military that Elvanna replaced for her Winter Guard, still linger around. They are afraid of showing up, but if we give them a reason to believe that they can win, I may be able to convince them to strike an attack against the Winter Guard.
-Will be they able to defeat them?- Asked Cat.
-No way- Solveig said with a grave voice-, but they will provide a distraction that you can use to sneak into the forest and claim the Hut.
-Sounds like a plan.- Argentea nodded.
-I still need to give the Iron Guard a reason to believe that they can win.- Added Solveig.
-And it seems like you already have something in mind, am I wrong?- Indi smirked at the priestess.
-I do- Solveig answered-. The white dragon, Logrivich. He is one of the commanders of the Winter Guard, and while he keeps watching over Whitethrone from the clock tower, nobody is going to risk striking an organised attack.

I could understand why. More often than not, dragons cared little about collateral damage, and their breath weapons could cause a huge devastation to a small contingent.

-You intend us to kill a dragon?- Asked Argentea, shocked- That is far beyond our capabilities.
That surprised me, coming from the overconfident Argentea.
-Maybe- I said-. Can it cast spells?

Younger dragons didn't manifest their innate magic yet, so that allowed me to guess Logrivich’s age and the real danger he posed.

-Not that I know.- Solveig was a bit confused by my question.
-Nothing to fear, then- I smiled with pretend confidence-. That’s not a dragon, but an overgrown lizard.
-How so?- Asked Argentea, intrigued.
-Magic is what makes dragons formidable opponents. Without it, he will have to get close, and once he does, he is dead.
-What about the icy breath?- Asked Nadya.
-No problem. Indi can protect us from cold in advance and everytime he exhales his breath on us we will laugh at him.
-You will.- Joked Indi.
-Most likely.
-It seems like you have a plan- intervened Solveig with an encouraging voice-. But remember that he has many servants in the tower, so it won't just be the dragons, and…- She looked at us, like pondering whether she should say something or not.
-What?- Asked Nadya.
-There’s something more- she said at last-. It has come to my ears that the dragon is keeping a prisoner. Her name is Bella Belvorica, and she’s just an artist, an opera singer. I believe that she is relatively safe as long as he keeps enjoying her music, but I am worried about what could happen in the middle of a fight. Please, be careful with collateral damage and try to bring her here unharmed. I will take care of the rest.

It seemed to me that Solveig was actually more concerned about this last part of her request than anything else, but I said nothing. I just wondered why she was hiding that this woman was important. I couldn't help but have the sensation that Solveig was using us for her own goals, but I guess that was what collaborating meant. We would most likely not be helping her if we didn't need her to reach the Dancing Hut.

Solveig gave us some healing potions and a couple of gnomish fireworks that, once activated, would rise into the sky releasing an explosion of light. She instructed us to use them after we were done with the dragon to give a signal to the Iron Guard to begin their attack. After that, the priestess led us to our rooms so we could have some rest for the night. The next day we would have to get up early to begin the preparations before getting into the dragon’s tower. Though I really wanted to bathe and relax for a while in the thermal baths, everybody agreed that the risk of bringing unwanted attention among the Jadwigas was too big, so I retired to my room, a bit annoyed, and in the end I decided to visit Argentea in hers. It had been some days since we had spent some time together and I was starting to miss her.

After a full night of rest, I woke up with Nina pecking my ear. That meant that it was time to get my spells ready for the day. Despite having called Logrivich an overgrown lizard,I was still concerned about our ability to fight a cunning flying enemy. If he didn't choose to confront us directly, only Indi was able to fly by shifting into a flying animal, so we might not be even able to approach him. Our spells and Nadya’s arrows had a limited range, and Argentea and Cat weren't that good with their bows. I knew of the existence of magic items that could grant us magic flight, but I was unsure if we would be able to find them in Whitethrone (especially with the Square Market turned into a forest) or even be able to afford them. But Nina (or most probably, Eternity) was as thoughtful as ever. In a playful and somewhat mysterious voice, she told me that I was ready to learn the secrets of magic flight and revealed me the incantations to make my body light as a feather. That wouldn't be of much help to the rest of the group, but it was a beginning.

As I joined the rest of the group and Solveig to have breakfast, I told them my concerns about magic flight. Though she didn't like magic a lot, Argentea hated the idea of being useless during a fight even more, so she agreed on looking for a way to fly. Everyone else liked the idea, and Cat even believed that flying seemed like fun.

Solveig recommended we talk to Mortin again, as he had a lot of connections plus a big collection of magic items of his own.

With most of the planning done, the time came for me to share Baba Yaga’s mark with the rest of the group members. It was a hard choice, because I knew that the one who didn't bear the mark would be left behind. As in the Pale Tower, we were afraid that anyone unprotected could fall victim to some powerful Jadwiga’s magic. Being the one with the flight and the magic, Indi couldn't be left behind, nor could Nadya and her deadly bow. That left me to choose between Cat and Argentea, but the decision wasn't hard: with her shield and armor, Argentea was much more likely to survive a direct confrontation with Logrivich, while I feared that the dragon could tear my sister to pieces without Argentea there to watch her back. Was I overestimating Argentea? Was I underestimating Cat? I didn't care if I was, with my dreams still too recent in my mind, I didn't want the death of my sister on my conscience.

Cat wasn't glad, but she did her best to understand. After telling me a hundred times to be extremely cautious and Argentea a hundred more to take care of me, she finally agreed to be left out. I had the sensation that I was the most useless to fight a dragon: like elves, sleep magic doesn't work on them, and I wasn't good neither on attack magic nor on defensive spells. Healing spells were fine, but Indi could take charge of them. But I had no choice. It was me who bore the damned Baba Yaga’s mark, and I couldn't pass it to anyone else. At least I had learned some new helpful spells that might be useful for the group.

Plans done, mark placed, now only getting supplies for our incursion left, but as we headed out of the shrine of the heralds, I got a new idea.

-I think I am going to attend my… date with Greta.- I said shyly.
-Are you insane? Why?- Argentea said in a tone of voice that was way too loud. Was she jealous? I didn't really think so, but the irrational fear of losing her because she believed I had some sort of interest in Greta rose in my mind.
-I… She is from here… She might know things. I just want to get some information from her. Winter Wolves don't like Elvanna, right? She might even be on our side.
-And she is pretty.- Joked Indi.
-No! I mean… I just want information!
-But if something else happens…- Indi continued picking on me. He didn't intend to be mean, but my face must be already beof the color of my hair.
-No!- I repeated.
-Jealous, Indi?- Intervened Nadya, watching me suffer- Would you like to go in her place?

I wanted to hug Nadya. I muttered a silent “thank you" to her.

-I am only picking on her a little bit- Indi excused himself-. You know me.
-Unfortunately for you, we all already know you, Evil Druid.- Said Argentea.
-Maybe not enough.- He smirked.
-Maybe too much.- Finished Argentea.

In the end, everybody reluctantly agreed on me meeting up with Greta, though Cat and Argentea insisted on accompanying me and waiting outside, just in case I got into trouble. Meanwhile, Indi and Nadya would meet back with Mortin and go shopping for the gear and supplies we needed.

The Howlings didn't seem more welcoming than the last day, but at least Greta lived close to the district limits. Her house looked much alike most human houses, with no special features. Greta opened the door in her human shape and greeted me cheerfully. Her face revealed disappointment when she noticed that I wasn't alone, though.

-Why did you bring your slaves?- She protested- Don't you trust me?
-I barely know you.- I answered.
-Clever girl!- She laughed- But I promise that you won't be needing them. Come in.

I followed her, intrigued and scared at the same time. She led me to a small but comfortable living room and offered me a seat.

-Honestly, I didn't expect you to come- she said, sitting in front of me, staring at me with her cold blue eyes-. I had the feeling that I had intimidated you somehow.
-I considered not coming.- I confessed.
-What made you change your mind?
-I am curious about you.
-Really?- Greta gave me a big predatory grin. She was scary- I am here. You can satisfy your curiosity if you wish.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out of it. Greta’s bluntness disarmed me.

-Nothing?- She finally said. I must be the worst at extracting information- Then allow me to ask first. Want a snack? A cup of hot tea? Anything?
-A cup of tea will be fine.- I would have never guessed that winter wolves could appreciate tea, especially hot tea.
-You can speak! Good!

Greta stood up and poured two cups of tea. Which meant that she already had some tea prepared. For some reason, the idea of a winter wolf drinking tea alone seemed even stranger to me than two winter wolves sharing a cup of tea.

-So where do you come from?- Greta asked, taking a seat again.
-The North.- I answered vaguely, wishing that she didn't inquire further. I didn't have a vast knowledge about Irriseni geography.
-That explains your strange features. Are all winter wolves in the North like you?

I hinted a nervous smile.

-I am sort of an oddity, I guess.
-A special snowflake, huh? I like that- her smile became even wider-. Are they like me?
-I haven’t met anyone like you before, that is for sure.- I didn't meant it as a compliment, but she seemed flattered.
-That must mean that I am unique. Tell me, do you like it?
-The tea? It is good.
-The Howlings!- She laughed- Walking on two feet, having hands, wielding weapons, and why not? Sipping tea. It must be strange for a foreigner.
-I love it. I came here just for the tea.- I joked. I was starting to relax. Greta’s personality was overwhelming, but once I started to get used to it, I found her to be rather friendly.

Greta smiled at me. This time she looked more sincere, less predatory.

-You will get used to it and soon you won't understand how you could live without it until now. Sure your true form is useful for hunting and fighting but, hey, nothing that a great-axe cannot fix and for everything else… thumbs. You gotta love thumbs.

I imagined my life without hands.

-I can understand why you like the Howlings so much. Baba Yaga…
-Gave us a tricky gift- Greta completed my phrase-. By making it restricted to this district, she made sure that we gathered here, ready for her to use. Don't get me wrong, I am still grateful to her, but I have always wanted to travel and I feel that I have grown too attached to this shape to leave.
-Why don't you use magic?- I asked.
-Do I look like a witch to you?
-Do I?
-With your eyes? You do.
-You are right. And I think that crafting an item that allows you to keep your human shape out of the Howlings should be an easy task.
-Really?- Greta’s eyes shone in excitement.

I had some ideas. There was a rather common spell that could be used to take the shape of any humanoid creature. It didn't allow me to imitate specific people, so I had never considered it very useful, but maybe I could get a scroll for that spell from Mortin. Then I just needed to figure out how to imbue it on an item for Greta. It would require some research but I was pretty sure that I could do it.

-Really- I nodded after thinking for a while-. I can do it.

Greta looked at me suspiciously.

-What’s the trick? Those things are expensive.

Suddenly I realized that I had just agreed on crafting a magic item for Greta. I had gotten so carried away in my chain of thought that I had accidentally implied that I was going to do it. Truth be told, I was too excited about trying.

-No tricks. But it might take me a while. Maybe a couple of weeks, or even more. We won't be staying here for so long.
-I am going with you.

That caught me off-guard.

-You don't even know what we are doing here!
-Something completely unrelated to selling fish, that is for sure- Greta shrugged-. I don't really care. Whatever you are involved in, count me in.

I realized that Greta was trying to show gratitude though she wasn't used to it.

-It might be dangerous.- I told her.
-Fine. I am bored.

That answer made me smile.

-Then I will ask the others and, if they are fine with it, you can come with us.

She gave me an intrigued look.

-You ask your humans for advice?
-We work as a group.
-You are really strange.

To that point, I no longer cared a lot about impersonating a believable winter wolf. If Greta was about to join us, I needed to know that she wouldn't have a problem with our group dynamics. Fortunately, she didn't seem like the judgemental type.

Be it because she had lost interest in me, be it because she was too excited about getting a permanent human form, she didn't attempt to flirt with me again during our meeting, which I felt relieving. After emptying the teapot, I told her that I would come back with an answer before we had to leave Whitethrone, and I left. My sister and Argentea were patiently waiting outside.

-Why did you delay so much?- Asked Argentea- We were starting to think that she had eaten you?

Cat chuckled.

-I told you not to worry! See? She is fine!- Regardless of her words, I sensed relief in my sister’s voice- How did it go?

I shrugged.

-Fine… I guess. She wants to come with us.
-Why?- Argentea seemed upset.
-I told her I could find a way for her to keep her human form out of the Howlings.
-You barely know her! Why?- Repeated Argentea.
-She is rather nice, once you know her better. And trying to craft a magic item sounds like fun.
My sister raised an eyebrow.
-I am not sure that “fun" is the word.
-I already have this Rimepelt, that grants some shapeshifting abilities. I believe that I can use my magic to alter the enchantment and make it work the opposite way, granting a winter wolf the ability to appear human for an unlimited time. It can’t be so hard.

Judging by their faces, my explanation didn't help to make the process seem like fun.

-Let’s go to Mortin’s- I added, trying to get away from their non-amused looks-. If we are lucky we might find the others there.

The others were out, doing some shopping on their own, but that allowed me some time to share my ideas with the wizard and spend some time learning new spells, while Cat and Argentea also went out for some shopping. We agreed on meeting at mid afternoon to make last minute preparations and assault the clock tower. One part of me believed that I was being too optimistic about being able to defeat a dragon, and that we might be wasting the last hours of our lives shopping and studying, but I forced those thoughts away. We had a tough task ahead, and I couldn't allow negative thoughts to bring me down now.

[John Mechalas]

Dotting. This is good stuff.

[Kileanna]

I quit updating this because of my inactivity on these forums and that I didn't perceive a lot of interest, plus DeviantArt allowed me to add illustrations and edit the chapters after being published.

If anyone is interested in reading the new chapters, you can keep up to date here:

Chapter 48

I have published up to chapter 57 already!

If you have any interest in me keeping you up to date with the newest chapters I publish, make me know, and I will post the link to them here.

Thanks for your interest!