Ivy paused in her advance along the well-maintained dirt road she had been traveling for the last couple of days to tighten her coat around her shoulders. A biting wind cut right through the heavy fur garments that she had bought almost a week ago. That had been when she had realized just how cold it could get this far north. It especially grated at her right arm, which had never truly recovered after she had broken it that night in the cathedral. The cold only made it stiffer than usual. Even the dirt beneath her feet was frozen, crunching with an audible pop at every step she took.

At least she was almost done with the journey. She had paused not only to savor a bit of warmth, but also to take in the sight before her. It was almost unbelievable. When she had first heard talk of the “Free City of Rhune,” she had expected a dinky little village at the edge of nowhere. The more she had heard about it, the more it had sounded like a myth that probably didn’t exist.

But now, standing before it, the tales did not do it justice. Atrican was a crucial port backed by the Altisseran crown’s coffers, yet the walls of Rhune dwarfed that of Atrican’s. It was like the city was built more as a great fortress to defend against a relentless foe, yet Ivy could not imagine anyone invading this frozen wasteland.

And that wasn’t the only thing about Rhune that had her gawking. The city was absolutely massive. Its walls stretched as far as the eye could see, its buildings reaching higher into the sky than Virian’s palace spires.

As she stood there staring in wonder, a single snowflake fell from the sky, leaving a wet kiss on her cheek. At first, she flinched at the chill of the thing. Yet, discomfort soon turned into something else entirely. A moment later, the endless gray expanse above her released everything at once. The world was transformed into a flurry of countless little specks of ice, each individually twirling in the wind as they fell all around her.

Ivy couldn’t help but smile. Giggle, even. Not once in her life until now had she seen snow. She spun in a circle, holding out her hands and watched as the snowflakes melted, disappearing into the thick hide of her gloves. The discomfort of the cold had completely left her mind as she admired the natural wonder. In mere moments, the whole landscape was coated in a sheet of white. The powder clung to everything, be it tree, shrub, or Ivy herself. It was…so pretty.

The only thing that brought her out of her stupor was the passing of another traveler rushing past her. She almost called for her power, reaching for her dagger strapped to her hip. She hadn’t noticed anyone on the road since she had left the last town where she had procured her winter clothes. This guy had just come out of nowhere it seemed.

He turned back and waved.

“Ho there little miss,” he called out, “best to get out of this storm before you freeze! Rhune’s just up ahead!”

And then he turned back, resuming his quick pace. For some reason, Ivy did not like the man. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him, though. He wore a thick cloak that obscured his figure and much of his face and a pack of supplies, but not much else distinguished him. Still, she couldn’t break the notion that she had seen him before. And not just once. Though she was also certain that she did not know the man.

She shrugged. A problem for another time. For he was right. However pretty the snowstorm may be, it was also freezing her to the bone. Like the strange traveler, she resumed her trek at a run, the snowflakes battering the exposed skin of her face as she hurried along.

It took maybe a minute to reach the gates of Rhune where a trio of…fur bundles awaited her. She couldn’t think of the guardsmen as anything else. Nothing but their eyes were peeking out from the absolute coverage of fur each man wore from head to toe.

Browns and whites and grays were all mixed together in a patchwork pattern that belied an artificial construction or she might have otherwise thought them to be bears or something. Each also held a thick-bladed polearm, resting on their shoulders. Of the traveler that had passed her, there was no sign.

“Welcome to Rhune, miss,” the largest of the three said, his dark brown eyes the only other thing telling him apart from the other two of grayish color.

“Uhm, yes,” Ivy said, “hello. You look…warm.”

The man laughed.

“I assure you I am not. Drew the short stick this week I’m afraid.” He looked her up and down. “May I ask your business in Rhune?”

That was actually a good question. For something like a year Ivy had just wandered the country with a vague goal in mind: find other witches. And help them should they need it. So far she had utterly failed in that task. She had not discovered a single one.

And then she had heard about the “Free City of Rhune” in a tavern one day by accident. The man had said it was the greatest city in the world, and governed by the “immortal queen.” Further research had proven such claims to be little more than legend, but still. She had to see the place at least. And having done so now, just maybe…

“I’m…not sure,” she said.

One of the guardsman’s fellows chuckled at her answer, and she shot him a look.

“Oh don’t mind him,” the first man said, “we just get that one a lot. Lots of folk come to our city looking for a new place to start over. The ones that answer like you did usually end up stayin’ for good.”

Ivy could guarantee that wouldn’t be the case for her, but smiled anyway.

“I see,” she said.

The guardsman nodded to her belt.

“You have a weapon there.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. Rhune does not restrict its occupants in many ways. But,” he paused, gripping his weapon a little tighter, “just because we call ourselves the “Free City” doesn’t mean we don’t have no laws, you hear?”

Ivy rolled her eyes. She had no intention of causing a fuss for now, but what could these bundles of fluff do to stop her from doing whatever she wanted?

“Of course,” she said.

“Well, good.” He nodded again, somehow pleased with himself. “The rumors spread far, and we get all kinds showing up at our gates. I have to say it, no matter how much I doubt a cute little thing like you could even hurt a fly.”

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Oh, if he only knew. She smiled again, and she thought she could see in his eyes that he returned the expression.

“Thank you,” she said and took a step forward, but he stopped her with a raised hand.

“One more thing miss.”

“Yes?”

His gaze suddenly hardened, and his tone dropped any of the friendliness it held before.

“You got your beliefs? Keep them to yourself. You know what I mean?”

No, not really.

“Huh?” she said.

“I mean believe what you need to, but don’t go preachin’”

What was this guy talking about? Did he mean…

“Are you saying Rhune has no churches?” she asked.

“That’s right. And it’s gonna stay that way.”

Ivy stood there frozen not from the cold, but shock. Of all the things she didn’t expect of Rhune, that had to be the most unbelievable. The church was everywhere. Why not here? It only reinforced the legend she had heard that day in the tavern.

“That’s fine with me,” she said, and the man stepped aside, letting her pass.

“Welcome to Rhune,” he said, repeating his first words to her.

She followed the all-but-disappeared road beneath the sheet of crystalline white up to and under the gatehouse, where several more guards were milling about her. Underneath the massive archway carved into the great wall, stood a smaller portal carved into the inner side of the stone. A few more men within the garrison sat around a fire chatting with each other. They all seemed to notice her and some greeted her with a nod, but none bothered to harry her.

Once she emerged out the other side of the wall, the city in all its splendor was laid out before her. Under the curtain of snow, it was unlike anything she had seen before. She hadn’t quite had the childhood where her mother had read storybooks to her at night, but she imagined this had to be what was inside them. The moment she had stepped inside the walls, Rhune had become some kind of winter fantasy land.

She continued forward aimlessly, watching men and women pass her by as though they had seen the snow-covered buildings a thousand times before, which of course they had. But still, it held Ivy’s wonder as she traversed the mostly militaristic section of the city near the gate.

Or at least that’s what she thought she was seeing around her. Everyone was so covered in furs that it was impossible to tell. There were no children around for one thing. Many also wore weapons of some kind, and once she passed a snow-caked yard where several soldiers were sparring.

Eventually, she stopped and turned her head back the way she had come, and flinched at what she saw. The gatehouse and walls were no longer visible at all despite the feeling that she had not been walking for very long. The strength of the storm had put a white haze over her vision, and she found that it wasn’t only the walls, but just ten paces in any direction became obscured into a white void.

She also realized that the street she was on was empty—at least as far as she could see. For a moment, her head spun, a fear gripping her mind. She was all alone in a strange city, caught in a blizzard with nowhere to go. Her awestruck daze vanished, and she was reminded once again of her situation by dull stinging in her ears and nose. The traveler had been right. She needed to get out of the storm.

She had her power and witch world to escape with if necessary, but that would be a last resort. There was no telling if the guardsman at the gate had been telling the full truth. There might be a hidden paladin right around the corner. It felt strange hiding her power when she had used it so freely in Atrican, but she didn’t want to risk exposing herself quite yet.

And then she saw it. A glimpse of a black cloak against the white of the storm. It disappeared less than a second later. Yet she knew. She couldn’t say how or why she knew, and the tiny bit she did see had no discernible features, but she knew.

It was the traveler. Was he following her? It had to be. But that seemed impossible given the weather. She looked down at her feet, and her boots sunk a good inch or more into the packed powder beneath. Ah.

She decided to test her theory, and began walking again, the cold only getting worse. But she could handle much more than this. This level of pain was nothing.

After a few minutes of strolling forward, she turned left down a side road. Buildings rose above on either side of her, creating a rather narrow alleyway. She kept her steady pace, only looking back after another good minute or two. Once again, she saw the flicker of a black cape.

She kept on, turning at random, periodically checking on her stalker. It wasn’t every time she looked, but no matter where she went, he always showed up eventually. But never did she catch more than a glimpse of him. She considered calling out to confront him, but thought of a better idea.

Continuing her aimless journey, she made four left turns in a row and waited right after the last to catch him. She crouched, hunkered down in the snow that was now above her ankles and prepped a hand on her dagger. She felt the iciness of the metal through her glove.

She waited. And waited. And waited more still. No one ever came. Had she been wrong all this time? It couldn’t have only been her imagination. Was the storm playing tricks on her?

When she stood, she realized that the snow had sunk into her boots and she could barely feel her feet anymore. The hand gripped around her weapon was also quickly losing its strength. No, her whole body was. She was shivering uncontrollably, the snow having melted against what little warmth she had left, wetting her clothes.

How had she not noticed it before? She had been so focused on the intentions of the traveler, the effects of the cold had been pushed back in her mind. There wasn’t really a pain anymore, only a numb weakness. She could deal with pain, but the loss of faculties was a different thing entirely.

Stumbling forward, she had to catch herself with both hands against the nearest building to avoid tripping over the dead weights that were her feet. She tried to work some life into them by wiggly her toes only to find that she simply could not. How in the hell had she made it this far?

There was only one thing left to do, paladins be damned. Ivy called on the dark power swirling in her heart, and the mute world of the demons engulfed her vision. Immediately, the cold vanished, but in its place was not warmth. Instead, it was more like…nothing. She had never noticed it before because of Atrican’s temperate climate and the transition being basically unnoticeable. But the witch world appeared to have no concept of hot or cold.

Which, she supposed, was good and bad. She wouldn’t recover at all, but wouldn’t get worse either. Unless she was already past the point where she’d get worse regardless without warmth. It certainly felt that way.

She spotted a nearby doorway in the mess of shapes and lines that made up the witch world. With a half lunge, half-tripping falter, she let the path of the witch world take her to whatever building it might be. She’d deal with whatever was inside later.

Letting go of her power right before the door—she liked to avoid appearing in front of whoever might be inside for now—she pushed it open with numb hands. Immediately she was greeted with a blast of warm air and the raucous conversation of what could only be an inn or tavern. A flickering source of orange light belied a fire somewhere. She had to reach it, but…

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed against the hardwood floor. She rolled over to her back and closed her eyes. She hated to place herself at the mercy of whoever was present, but she just had nothing left in her.

“Ho there!” a voice called out.

A…familiar voice. She had heard it just today. Footsteps pounded against the floor, sending vibrations through her body. When she reopened her eyes, a man was looking down at her. He was maybe several years older than her, and actually had a pretty nice face if she was judging. His clean-shaven strong jaw and dark, severe features reminded him of a younger Armond. If the older man still had any hair, that was.

“It seems you’ve found somewhere warm and dry,” the traveler said, “and just in time I might add.”

She wanted to say, “yeah, no thanks to you,” but her lips weren’t even working, save for shivering, her teeth chattering against each other.

“Some of you lads come help me get her to fire,” he called out.

This was impossible. How had he pulled this off? He somehow managed to get here before her, knowing she’d show up? Who was this? She narrowed her eyes at him, studying the face. She had definitely seen him before somewhere now that she could see past his cloak.

A pair of hands slunk under her armpits and another grabbed her legs. She’d probably cry out at the indignity of it if not for the pain of her slowly thawing body, but she just kept her focus on the traveler.

She’d find out exactly who he was, and what he wanted with her.