My sweet, slutty Mya,

I want to start by letting you know that the rumors of my gruesome demise have been grossly exaggerated although I will be saving money on shoes from now on. Let Julian know that he still has a father, and I will drop by for a visit when I have put myself back together. If you need a break from the little furball, I can take him for a while. It’s getting too quiet in these parts and Cassio needs to remember what fear looks like.

Also be a dear and slap Camilla on the ass for me when you see her and let her know I sent you. I do miss that dirty, dirty hoe.

But enough fun and games. There is a problem at the Stone Steps. After some investigation it looks like there is a vampire infestation that needs exterminating. Normally Cassio and I would handle it personally but we’re still recovering from the Pietro business, so I leave this in your and Camilla’s capable hands. I know what you can do with your hands, you filthy girl. You can write your own cheque when this bloody business has been cleared up.

Be safe and let Julian know I love him. Blessing of the Wild upon you both.

Sincerely yours,

Boom-Boom the Clown

PS. Expect extra support this month.

Mya let out a sigh of relief when she finished the letter and ran her finger through the smooth, black fur of the fox child sleeping on her lap. Julian purred softly under his mother’s touch.

“Your idiot of a father is still alive and loves you.” Mya said.

The fox child opened his eyes that were blue as polished diamonds and yawned. The child had inherited his father’s eyes.

“Sometimes I think I am just waiting for the day he doesn’t come back.” Mya said.

Julian tried snuggling closer to her and continue sleeping but there was work to do.

“Enough nappy time. I am not spending half the night chasing you around the house to tucker you out.” Mya said.

Julian growled in protest and followed her grumpily when Mya left her room and headed to Camilla’s study. The Crow House moved around her like an ever-shifting maze to make her journey to her master as fast as possible. The door to Camilla’s study was carved from wyrd trees and decorated with silver carvings of the stars and the moon. The only guidance they had in a dark world. She knocked softly at the door while Julian started clawing at it.

“Come in.”

The door opened without her touching its handle and she found Camilla hunched over her desk in a room where the walls were lined with organs and other horrors floating in glass jars filled with preserving fluids. Her familiar, a blue jay, named Blue pretended to sleep in his cage and Julian’s tail began to wag when he saw the bird.

“Try it and die, furball.” Blue muttered while hiding her head under her wing.

Camilla didn’t take her eyes off her work even when Julian started nibbling at the hem of her dress and Mya pulled the fox boy away before he could do real harm. Mya’s eyes widened ever so slightly when she saw what Camilla was working on.

“May I ask what this is about?” Mya said.

“I am trying to understand life.” Camilla said.

The rabbit Camilla was dissecting was in such a deep slumber that you could have mistaken it for dead, but Mya could see its heart beating in its open chest.

“Are you going to put those organs back in?” Mya said.

“Not these organs.” Camilla said while she pulled something else out of the rabbit’s innards.

The tree bark that covered her hands cracked and snapped when she moved her fingers. Mya knew it was painful, but Camilla had lived with the pain for so long it had become a part of her and no longer had any sway over her.

“Do you need help?” Mya asked.

“With the needle work.” Camilla said.

“Sometimes you ladies scare me.” Blue said from her cage.

Once Camilla was sure she had removed as many organs as she could, she took out a box filled with ice… and a different set of organs that she used to replace what she had taken from the rabbit. Then Mya sew the rabbit shut and left it to sleep on the desk.

“Do you think it will survive?” Mya said.

“No but its death will teach me much.” Camilla said and walked over to a bowl filled with clear water: “The next one might live. If you want to save lives, you can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.”

When she placed her hands in the water, there was a flicker of pain on her face and the water turned a sickly shade of brown from the sap leaking from the cracks in her bark skin. Julian whined in sympathy and rubbed his body against Camilla’s leg who smiled wearily.

“I am okay.” Camilla lied to the fox child.

Once Camilla was done washing her hands, Mya dried her master’s skin carefully with a soft towel and then wrapped bandages around her hands… and she saw that the bark had spread again. It wouldn’t be long before it reached to her shoulders and after that… eventually… the curse would take all of her.

“How is Sal?” Camilla said while pulling long gloves over hands.

“A little worse for the wear but alive.” Mya said.

“Men like that live to a hundred simply out of spite.” Blue said.

Camilla shrugged and made sure the passed-out rabbit hadn’t passed on.

“I can’t regrow limbs or reattach them if that is what he is after.” Camilla said and petted the sleeping rabbit: “At least not yet.”

“No. He believes that the Stone Steps are infected with vampires. He was hoping for us to handle it.” Mya said.

Camilla touched the ruby around her neck.

“Really? That’s Osetaria’s territory. I hope he doesn’t expect me to do this for free.” Camilla said.

“He said we can name our price.” Mya said.

“Generous.” Camilla said and clasped her hands while she thought things over.

Mya waited patiently and even Julian knew better than to disturb Camilla when she was lost in thought. The wheels that had been polished over five centuries of life turned when she planned. Camilla’s brain was an anvil, and her experience was the hammer that would create plans out of nothing. Finally, she spoke.

“Blue?”

“Yes, mistress?” Blue said.

“Fly to Leoden and tell Eduardo that I require assistance.” Camilla said.

“It shall be done, mistress.” Blue said.

Julian’s tail began wagging when Camilla opened the door to Blue’s cage, and he tried to reach the blue jay by jumping but Blue managed to fly out of a window safely.

“You play too roughly with her.” Camilla said to Julian.

Julian just barked mischievously like he didn’t know what the problem was.

“You require assistance?” Mya said and crossed her arms: “Is my help not needed?”

“You are coming too. Eduardo offers different kind of assistance. The Stone Steps are Osetaria’s territory. He will make sure that we can work undisturbed.”

“Really? Who is he?”

“A former student of Scholomance. He is a senior pupil of mine, so I expect you to treat him with respect.” Camilla said.

“I will.”

“Good girl.” Camilla said and sat down in an armchair: “Wait for Blue’s return. When we have word from Eduardo, we will travel to the Stone Steps. I will rest for a bit and wait for my patient to die.”

“Yes, master.”

Mya bowed at Camilla before leaving her to rest with Julian in tow. There was always something to do in the Crow House and it was easy to keep yourself busy. She mopped the floors, prepared dinner, and squeezed in playtime with Julian between her chores. When she had been a child, she had sworn that she would play with her children instead of working them to the bone. She would be better than Wool Haven and Mya kept her promises.

It took three days for Blue to return.

The long flight had worn her out and she collapsed in Mya’s hands the moment she flew in through the open window. She felt so small and fragile in her hands and Mya was always terrified that Julian would break her by playing too roughly.

“Welcome back.” Mya said.

Blue simply huffed and wheezed in response.

“… take me… to the mistress.”

Camilla sat in her study like a queen watching over her court when Mya entered with Blue. The rabbit was still alive on her desk. Still asleep. Mya placed Blue gently on Camilla’s lap and the witch stroked her familiar’s feathers softly.

“Welcome back, old friend.” Camilla said.

“… working me to the bone like this… you’re an awful friend.” Blue wheezed.

“So I have been told.” Camilla said: “Did you find Eduardo?”

“… he… didn’t make it easy. He lives far from the sky… but I did. He said he will meet you at the Stone Steps and that he will make… preparations.” Blue said.

“Thank you, Blue. Rest now.” Camilla said and laid Blue down in her cage before pouring her birdfeed and fresh water: “Mya?”

“Yes, mistress?”

“I will leave it to you to see that the house takes us where we need to go. We wouldn’t want to keep Eduardo waiting.”

“Understood, mistress.”

Mya headed to the porch and nailed a map of Garuccia to the wall. She could feel the house quiver when nails entered the wood. She studied the map for a moment before finding the Stone Steps on it and drew a circle around it.

“I need you to take us here.” Mya said.

The Crow House stood still for a moment and then it began shaking. Julian let out a scared yip and rushed back inside where he felt safe while Mya grabbed on to porch beams. When she had seen the Crow House for the first time, she had thought the house’s roof had been covered in black feathers. It was only when Camilla had needed them to travel, had she learned the truth.

The Crow House had wings.

The Crow House spread its mighty wings that normally covered the roof like some giant bird of prey, and they took flight. Mya clung tightly to the beam, but she couldn’t stop herself from grinning like a maniac when she saw the ground disappear under treetops. It was moments like these that even an orphan girl could hold the world in the palm of her hands. Even a human could see the world through the eyes of a god. Inside Julian was barking and jumping until Mya had seen enough and returned inside.

“Sorry for scaring you.” Mya said and picked Julian up, stroking his fur until he calmed down.

Once Julian was no longer scared stiff, Mya began working on the necessary rune to open the Portal System. Over her long-life Camilla had planted plenty of Anchors to Garuccia and Osetaria so she would only need to use a Key to open herself a door. Mya studied the map to see which Anchor was closest to the Stone Steps and then copied a rune matching the Anchor’s on a bare wall.

The effect was immediate.

A door between worlds swung open and the Crow House flew through the cold and darkness that lurked in the space between reality. The Void. A kingdom of shapeless, primordial monsters that not only wished for light and life to perish but that they had never existed.

And those monsters knew they were there.

Julian started growling when he sensed the hunger of hunters greater than himself, and Mya picked him up to calm him down. If something could break through the defenses of the Crow House, Julian would not be able to do anything about it.

Mya let out sigh of relief when they broke through the nothingness between worlds.

Entering Garuccia activated another set of glyphs that made the Crow House appear like a flock of birds to anyone who looked up. Then she turned over a great hourglass and watched as the sand started dripping down. Unlike the Wyrding, magic was a finite resource in Garuccia. They only had the magic they had brought with themselves, and they would need to return before it ran out. The hourglass would show them how much time they had left.

“Let’s get something to eat.” Mya said.

The Crow House soared through the night towards their destination and Mya prepared them dinner. Camilla left her study when dinner was served and nodded approvingly at the sight of stew. She was less approving of Julian eating on the floor in his fox form.

“You would think that a skin-changer would sometimes use his human form.” Camilla said.

“He will when he is ready.” Mya said.

“And when will that be?” Camilla asked.

“I don’t know.”

Camilla tapped the table impatiently.

“Maybe the boy’s father should teach him.” Camilla said.

“I am not sending Julian to Garuccia.” Mya said.

“I am not saying Julian should go to his father. I am saying that Sal should come to his son. Sons may owe things to their fathers, but fathers also owe certain things to their sons.”

Julian’s tail started wagging when he heard Sal’s name and Mya was sorry to squash his hope that Sal would drop by.

“He will come. Your father has not forgotten about you.” Mya said before looking at Camilla: “Mistress, I say this with all due respect. You are my master, but I am Julian’s mother. This is the arrangement Sal and I decided on and one we are pleased with for now.”

Camilla was quiet for a moment and then nodded.

“I never thought that scrawny girl who came here would talk back to me. But you are right. I overstepped. My apologies.” Camilla said.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” Mya said.

After dinner they played cards and enjoyed a glass of cognac while Julian fell asleep at her feet. The cognac helped soothing her own worries about Julian. What if he was never ready? What if he would spend the rest of his days as a fox? Camilla had suggested once that maybe a firmer hand was needed in rearing Julian, but the mere thought tied Mya’s heart to knots. She had experienced firsthand what being raised with a firm hand did to you and she never wanted Julian to go through that. Once she had hoped that Sal would have had answers, but he hadn’t been born a skin-changer and his own nature could be as much a mystery to him as it was to Mya.

“Goodnight, Mya.” Camilla said when the game and cognac were done: “And goodnight to you, Julian.”

“Goodnight, master.” Mya said.

She carried Julian to bed and was careful not to wake him up when she laid down next to him. Sleep was uneasy that night as she dreamt of her girlhood but this time the people who had used her as a servant or a slave had blood on their teeth and nails, and they wouldn’t stop tearing chunks off her. Even when she didn’t have enough meat on her bones to stand, she couldn’t stop serving them. When she tried to hide, the villagers would hunt her down and claw the doors and windows of whatever shack she had hid in. They always wanted more. Always more. Until there was nothing left, and she was deemed useless and forgotten. She woke up in a cold sweat and was grateful that the sun was rising so she could get up and not risk anymore nightmares.

Which was when she discovered that Julian was gone.

“Julian?”

Panic began to mount until she heard whining under the bed and found Julian hiding under it, his tail tugged between his legs. Mya sighed in relief and held out her hand.

“Come now. There is nothing to be afraid. You’re the son of a god. What could possibly scare you?”

It took some coaxing, but she finally managed to get him to come out and carried him to the kitchen. The Crow House had brought them to the Stone Steps and after a night of flying, Mya could feel the house snoring ever so lightly. She served breakfast for herself, Camilla, and Julian although none of them had much of an appetite. Camilla sipped her coffee unhappily.

“I could hear vermin clawing at my windows last night.” Camilla said.

“I heard something too. In my dreams.” Mya said and glanced at her son: “So did Julian.”

Camilla nodded and finished her coffee.

“The problem might be worse than our friend anticipated.” Camilla said.

When they stepped out of the Crow House, they were greeted by the Teeth. The mountain range separating Garuccia and Osetaria was the greatest wall ever crafted by nature. Its peaks scraped the heavens and eternal winter reigned there. Any fool who tried to conquer them found out quickly why the mountain range was called the Teeth when they were chewed up and devoured. The mountains were like bloodthirsty gods demanding human sacrifice who took the lives of the brave. There were only five passageways in it that you could use to pass. The Five Steps. The Stone Steps were one of the newest roads through the Teeth and that had given them a reputation as a weak link which meant that they had seen more battles than any of the other Steps.

The last battle of the Twelve-Year-War had been fought here and even after twenty years the scars lingered.

The ground was pockmarked and grey without any hope of anything growing there. The war had killed the land itself and left behind a festering wound that would not heal. Inside the mountain range, the Stonefort was manned by Osetarian forces, and they kept watch over a dead land. Ready to repel any invasion that came from Garuccia.

Julian growled at the dead place.

“I know, Julian. I know.” Camilla said: “This is a rotten spot.”

If ghouls lived anywhere, it would be here. Places of death and decay always called to the undead and their presence prevented life from sprouting anew. Having to guard a place like this was such a harsh punishment that she even pitied the Osetarians who were garrisoned here. Staying here would drain you until only a husk remained, and she doubted there was much left of the soldiers serving here once their term was over.

“Mistress.”

Blue flew out from an open window and landed on Camilla’s shoulder. Julian’s tail started wagging when he saw Blue and he started jumping around Camilla to get at her.

“Good morning, Blue. I trust you slept well.” Camilla said.

“I had dreams of being eaten alive.” Blue complained.

“Didn’t we all.” Camilla said and stroked Blue’s head gently: “I must ask you another favor. Fly around and try to find Eduardo.”

“Does my torment ever end?” Blue sighed before taking flight.

The day was cold, and Mya kept herself warm by playing with Julian. Even this barren place felt gentler and kinder when she was with her son. Camilla smiled faintly while she watched them play but always kept one eye on the Stone Steps like it was a dangerous beast that you could never let your guard down around.

When Blue returned, she wasn’t alone, and Mya spotted two figures walking across the ruined land towards them.

Broader of the two wore a wide brimmed hat, thick coat, and heavy boots to protect him from the weather and unwelcoming terrain. At first glance she thought he was a heavily tanned younger man but when he got closer, she realized he was from the Spring Islands and his beard had turned grey although his long dreadlocks were still black. The lines on his face turned deeper when he smiled. The younger man accompanying him was equally mysterious. He wore a hooded greatcoat the color of early morning mist. He was a few years older than Mya and a cut taller than average with broad shoulders and lean waist. His thick, curly hair was brown and reached down his shoulders. His stubble couldn’t quite be called a beard and underneath it he was the most blandly handsome Mya had ever met. Pleasant to look at in the moment but you would forget about him the second he left. On his back he carried a fiddle. The two men made the birthmark on Mya’s cheek itch, and she wished she had a mask to hide it. A wish she ignored. The little girl who was ashamed for existing was long gone.

“Morning, ladies. Blessing of the Mountain upon you.” The dark-skinned man said.

“And blessing of the Mountain upon you as well, Eduardo.” Camilla said and looked at the fiddler: “Is he one of your mice?”

“No. This one is a free agent.” Eduardo said and looked at the young man: “Noel, was it?”

“Noel the Fiddler.” The young man said and bowed his head: “Blessing of Osetaria upon you all.”

Mya’s eyes widened when she realized Noel was an Osetarian and even Camilla was taken aback. Julian was blind to their shock and sniffed his new friends to get their measure.

“I wasn’t expecting to meet an Osetarian this side of the Teeth.” Camilla said.

“I am acting as a liaison between you and Stonefort.” Noel said and looked around at the dead lands: “They have agreed to give you free hands to do what you need to do.”

“I had to pull a few favors with my friends in Osetaria.” Eduardo said: “I was shocked that I got a response so quickly.”

“No one wants ghouls on their lands.” Noel said and looked at Mya: “I don’t believe I ever got the lady’s name.”

Camilla put her hand on Mya’s shoulder: “This is my apprentice Mya and her son Julian.”

Eduardo and Noel stared at Julian surprised, unsure if this was a joke. Then Eduardo looked at the fox child’s deep, blue eyes.

“Is that a skin-changer?” Eduardo said.

“Julian’s a pain in the ass.” Blue muttered while perched on Camilla’s shoulder.

“That he is.” Camilla said and looked at Noel: “Why would Stonefort send a fiddler instead of soldier to greet us?”

“Osetarian soldiers this side of the Teeth could be seen as an act of aggression. No one wants another war.” Noel said.

“I hope you are right. Blue, you stay. Eduardo, Mya, fiddler, scout the area while I make preparations and be sure to be back before it gets dark.” Camilla said and looked at the sky: “I don’t trust the sun here.”

Usually, Julian was excited to go running outside and even more so if he could do it with new friends, but the Stone Steps made him stick close to his mother and he never dared to venture far. Mya shared his unease, but she wasn’t worried about ghouls nearly as much as Noel. Eduardo by contrast didn’t seem the least bit bothered and chatted up the fiddler like he was a grandson who didn’t visit often enough.

“You took a talking bird and a skin-changer kit surprisingly well.” Eduardo said.

“I have been to the other side of the Wyrd Stones. I have dealt with the fae before.” Noel said.

Eduardo nodded before glancing at Mya.

“Is everything okay?” Eduardo said while they walked: “Your eyes keep wandering.”

“I’m just…” Mya sighed: “… wondering if my father is here somewhere.”

“He was a veteran?” Eduardo said.

“A casualty.”

Mya felt a sharp pain in her soul when she realized that if her father had taken part in the Final Push, he might not be dead after all but reborn into eternal, blood-soaked night. Noel looked… embarrassed or shocked which was the least he could do.

“I am sorry to hear that.” Eduardo said.

“I never knew him. Or my mother. She left soon. She couldn’t handle being a widow. Or this.” Mya said and rubbed the birthmark on her face.

“I am glad you didn’t repeat her mistakes.” Eduardo said and smiled at Julian: “Is the boy’s father still around?”

“He is.” Mya sighed: “But we walk different Paths right now. I’d rather be a witch than his woman in Garuccia and… well, Julian is safer here with me than with him. Maybe one day our Paths will meet again.”

“Garuccia is a bad place for children.” Eduardo said before smiling: “Who is the father?”

“Fewer who know the better.” Mya said.

“I understand. I deal in secrets too.”

Noel cleared his throat and couldn’t quite look her in the eyes.

“I am sorry for your loss.” Noel said.

Mya glared at him and then looked around the killing field where the Final Push had taken place. Even if her father hadn’t perished here, many other fathers had. Brothers. Sons. Husbands.

“As you should be. It was you people who killed him.”

Noel’s friendly smile was replaced by an angry scowl.

“And how many of my countrymen did you kill?” Noel said and pointed at the dead lands: “You think it’s only Garuccians buried here? You think you’re the only one who lost people?”

“Our king was assassinated.” Mya hissed.

“By your own people.” Eduardo said, his face growing red.

Julian’s fur was standing up and he had borne his fangs at Julian, ready to bite but before he could do that, Eduardo stuck his palms together.

“Children, children. I would like to remind you that we are here to deal with the undead and not restart the Twelve-Year-War.” Eduardo said and looked at Mya: “I am your fellow apprentice of Camilla, and you are shaming our mistress. Noel has been nothing but helpful and does not deserve this abuse.”

Mya tried to think of something to say but nothing came to mind. She looked at Julian and wondered what kind of example she was being right now. Did she really want to teach her son to take his anger out on someone for a battle he had not even been there for?

“… I am sorry, Noel.” Mya said: “That was uncalled for.”

“I am sorry too.” Noel said: “I should not have lost my temper like that.”

Mya accepted his apology as gracefully as she could before looking him in the eyes.

“What do you mean our king was killed by our own people?”

“You didn’t know?” Noel said.

“History has a nasty habit of becoming fantasy as its retold.” Eduardo said and looked at the Stone Steps: “And you’d be surprised what Garuccians can choose not to know. Yes. Our king was assassinated. And not just him. That cunt Aldo Herin too. The founder of the Guild of Fire. The chief architect of the Black Saturday when the entire Communist Party was routed and murdered. The grenade that killed the king blew off Aldo’s lower half. Legs, cock, and balls all gone. He lingered for days.”

Eduardo couldn’t quite suppress the smile in his voice when he spoke of Aldo Herin’s gruesome demise.

“Everyone thought it was the Osetarians.” Eduardo went on: “But now we know it was one of our own. Who was it? That I don’t know.”

“And then some bar owner shot the Osetarian ambassador in front of his hotel. The next day the war started.” Noel said.

“You’re surprisingly knowledgeable about history for a fiddler.” Eduardo said.

“Wonders of Osetarian education.” Noel said.

Eduardo flicked away his cigarette and looked around.

“You said your father might be buried here, Mya? Then he might lie next to my son. Esteban was a fool who thought fighting in a worthless war would make him a hero and what became of him? Just another corpse in an unmarked grave. If losing a father is a tragedy, what do you call it when a father has to bury his child?” Eduardo said with a quivering voice and turned to look at Mya: “Do you know what this place is? It’s a garden from which many future wars will sprout. The dead here will be used as a justification for the wars of tomorrow. When your son is shipped off to fight will you feel like we scored one over the Osetarians?”

Eduardo’s hands were trembling and there were tears in his eyes. Without even thinking about it, Mya picked Julian up and the fox child licked her cheek. The thought of him in a uniform made her sick to her stomach.

“… I am sorry.” Mya said: “… I didn’t know.”

Eduardo sighed and wiped his eyes before forcing himself to calm down.

“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Eduardo said.

“I… didn’t know either.” Noel said: “No one should lose their family like that.”

Julian hopped out of Mya’s arms and leaned against Eduardo’s leg. Despite how fit and strong he was, Eduardo suddenly looked like a tired old man who was happy to see his grandchild.

“I didn’t mean to scare you either.” Eduardo said and scratched the back of Julian’s head.

“He likes you.” Mya said.

“And I like him well enough. Foxes always smells weakness.” Eduardo said.

Julian just yipped in response and Mya kneeled to pet him.

“Master Eduardo, do you really think there will be another war?” Noel asked.

“I do. War has a nasty habit of becoming its own justification. Young men love to fight, and old men love to see them fight.”

“And mothers are left behind to pray that the gods will spare their sons.” Mya said.

“I never had much stomach for war.” Noel said.

“If only there were more young men like you.” Eduardo said.

They kept walking in silence and Mya wondered if they were walking over bones. Eventually her eyes wandered over Eduardo’s lined face and grey beard.

“Master said you studied in Scholomance. Sorry if I seem rude but why are you so old?”

“I was wondering about that myself.” Noel said: “I thought magic extended your youth.”

Eduardo’s warm smiled couldn’t quite hide an old pain.

“I left early. Too early. Garuccia was in turmoil. The Communist Party was making waves and…” Eduardo said before sighing: “A friend of mine became a warlock.”

“… what?”

“He was always too curious for his own good and he made a deal that was too good to be true. It soured my appetite for magic.” Eduardo said and kicked a stone on the road: “In the end I lost my friend, my place in Scholomance and even the Communist Party. The Guild of Fire butchered us and drove us underground. Like rats.”

Eduardo pulled out another cigarette and offered one to Mya who just shook her head. Eduardo simply shrugged and smoked with Noel while Julian sneered at the stench of tobacco.

“Still, we endure.” Eduardo said: “And I have made connections over my life.”

“Even on Osetaria.” Noel said: “We were shocked when your word reached us.”

“You just need to know where to squeeze.” Eduardo said.

“You must have been desperate to accept help from Garuccia.” Mya said.

“The undead is everyone’s problem.” Noel said and looked towards the Stonefort: “And House Berg’s new lord is a reasonable sort. Perhaps we have so many problems because we create false enemies so we can ignore the real ones.”

“You seem to know a lot about lords.” Eduardo said.

Noel just smiled and tapped his fiddle.

“Again, wonders of Osetarian education.”

“We would love to hear you play sometime.” Eduardo said.

“It would be my pleasure.”

There was the flapping of wings and Blue landed on Mya’s shoulder. The bluejay looked surprised when she saw they had been crying but decided to ignore it.

“Mistress needs you to return.”

The found Camilla bent over a rock and studying a map of the Stone Steps. In her hand she held a small glass jar that held two long, sharp, gnarly fangs inside it. The glass jar had been tied to a string and like magic it was being pulled to a specific spot on the map.

“Mistress?” Mya said.

“Hush. I am scrying.” Camilla said.

She pulled back the fangs caged in glass and let them be pulled towards the map again and again until she was satisfied. She rolled the string around the glass jar and hid it inside one of the many hidden pockets in her red and grey dress.

“I have located the biggest concentration of ghouls in this hellhole.” Camilla said.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Those fangs…” Eduardo said.

“These?” Camilla said and took out the glass jar again: “Pulled out of the skull of Pietro Capello. Daring Ant of the Hillside Tribe kept his skull. It was hers by right for dealing the killing blow, but she agreed to sell me the fangs.”

Eduardo pinched the bridge of his nose.

“God… I tried so long to infiltrate his household. I didn’t know he was a vampire and… I lost so many.”

“He is dead now.” Camilla said.

Mya wasn’t so sure. Even when enclosed in a glass jar, the fangs looked sharp… and ready to bite. She glanced at Noel who seemed to share her worries and Julian… he just growled at the fangs that had maimed his father like the spirit of Pietro Capello still lingered in them.

“This is the place the leech became a vampire. It is time to cut out the cancer tainting this place.” Camilla said and looked at Noel: “What are the Stonefort’s preparations?”

“They know better than to send out patrols at night. Bad things happen then. You have all the time you need.” Noel said and then looked at Julian and Mya: “Are you sure this is safe for the lady and the child? I could escort them to Stonefort. They would be safe there.”

“Mya is a witch.” Camilla said like it explained everything: “And Julian is safe in the Crow House. Which leaves you.”

“What about me?” Noel said.

“Stonefort sent you as an envoy. That makes you my guest and I take sacred hospitality seriously. You have done all I require of you. Protection of the Crow House is yours or you can return to Stonefort. The choice is yours.”

Noel smiled and shook his head.

“That I cannot do. What kind of a man would hide when lady adventurers and an older man are brave enough to stay? I could never face my family again.” Noel said.

“I cannot guarantee your safety.” Camilla said.

“I am a gentleman adventurer too.” Noel said.

“So be it. We will cross this sword bridge tonight and I expect you to keep making yourself useful.” Camilla said and placed a piece of paper with a rune drawn on it on top of the stone: “You three will copy this as many times as you can. We will need at least a hundred. Hundred functional one. Eduardo will watch over your work.”

Eduardo picked up the rune and studied it.

“It has been a long time since I’ve had to replicate someone else’s work.”

Mya looked at Camilla’s hands and could see sap soaking through the black gloves and her fingers shaking. She couldn’t imagine how painful it had to be to draw even this… or how painful it was that she could no longer trust her hands to do witching work… and that her condition would only get worse.

“I have prepared the tools.” Camilla said and pointed at small brushes and ink lying next to the stone: “Use rocks as a canvas.”

“What about you?” Noel asked.

Camilla had a face that was carved from wood and her expressions were a book written in a dead language, but Mya had learned to decipher them all the same. Her mouth was a hard line to stop a whine of pain from getting through and squinting was the only thing preventing tears from falling down her cheeks.

“I must think and meditate.” Camilla said.

When Camilla headed back towards the Crow House, Julian tried to follow her, but Mya pulled him back. Julian whined sadly but obeyed his mother and stayed put. Mya picked up a brush and got to work. Her studies had begun by copying runes and now her hands worked without any input from her mind. Eduardo might have been rusty, but he got the hang of it quickly.

It was Noel who surprised her.

The fiddler’s hands moved gracefully like an artist’s and even though he had to keep looking at the rune Camilla ad drawn for a model, he could replicate it perfectly.

“You have fine handwriting.” Eduardo said.

“Wonders of Osetarian education.” Noel said and studied his work: “I just hope I am doing this right.”

Mya snorted.

“Don’t worry. If you mess up, the worst thing that will happen is that we all die.”

“I will keep that in mind.” Noel said.

Julian tried to be patient while they worked but eventually the boredom got too much for him and he began nibbling at their clothes to get them to play with him.

“Noel, distract the little monster for a moment, will you?” Eduardo said before looking at Mya: “Assuming his mother permits it.”

“I do. Noel, could you play with Julian for a while?” Mya said.

Noel just smiled.

“It would be my pleasure. Come, my little furry friend.” Noel said.

Mya watched Noel chase after Julian who was barking happily before looking at Eduardo.

“What do you think of Noel?”

“A very nice young man who is definitely nothing more than a fiddler.” Eduardo said before lighting a cigarette: “Real talk. He is a knight or a lord.”

“A lord?” Mya said surprised.

From her experience lords were soft and cowardly. Noel was lean and fit, and she could sense quiet resolve and strength in him. A man like that might seem soft until you remembered the ocean was soft too and a ferocious enemy when angered.

“Lords with backbones are no strangers to dressing up as commoners. There is a boxer in Leoden called the Red Flame. Famous for hiding his face with a crimson mask. Some say he is disfigured but the mask just hides the fact that he is viscount Cassio de Rossi. Then there is Orrin. A humble map maker. And a mask for earl Prospero de Ferro.”

Eduardo put down the stone he had been working on and blew out smoke.

“I suppose Camilla’s condition is worsening.”

Mya was so used to thinking that her, Julian, and Camilla were the only people in the world with Sal as an infrequent visitor. It was a shock to remember that Camilla had had a life before meeting her and people who also knew her secrets. Unlike her. What kind of a life did she have before arrived found her way to the Crow House? One hardly worth living.

“The sickness is spreading.” Mya said.

“I was afraid of that.” Eduardo said.

“Can I ask you something?” Mya said.

“I don’t know how she contracted the Wendigo Sickness if that’s what you’re asking. Some say it was an accident. Others claim she did it on purpose to live forever.” Eduardo said.

“I was more curious on why she left Scholomance. Wasn’t she married to the founder?” Mya said.

“She wasn’t just married to the Dark One. She was the other founder. Scholomance would not be what it is now without her.”

“Did the Dark One know?” Mya asked.

“He must have. Scholomance is his Domain. He knew and helped keep it a secret but that’s the problem with secrets more than one person knows. They don’t stay secrets for long.” Eduardo said and lit a cigarette: “When the truth came out, the Dark One only had two options. Banish her… or kill her. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you this herself.”

“You know how she can be.” Mya said.

“She likes keeping people in the dark.” Eduardo said and blew out a smoke ring: “Once I thought it was all a test. To see if we could figure things out ourselves. Path of adversity births knowledge and all that. But now… I worry that she has grown aloof. It tends to happen to immortals.”

“I know.” Mya said sadly.

She had seen it with Camilla… and she had experienced it with Sal. They both had sides they would not let others see. Secrets they would not share. She wondered if anyone would ever truly know them. If they even wanted others to truly know them… or if they could be known.

When Noel returned, he was carrying the tuckered-out Julian in his arms.

“Why the long faces?” Noel asked.

“Old men and single mothers have much to be sad about.” Eduardo said.

Mya took Julian back and when she found him a soft spot, he fell asleep immediately.

“Thank you for looking after him.” Mya said.

“My pleasure. The boy can run.” Noel said.

The sun set fast this close to winter. It was the time when the Queen of Cold and Darkness had the tightest grip of their world. Camilla didn’t return before twilight when the shadows grew long. She held the sleeping rabbit in her hands and petted its head absentmindedly. Julian perked up at the sight of the rabbit but dared not to try and steal what Camilla had claimed for herself.

“Is it done?” Camilla asked.

“Yes, mistress. We painted and placed the runes as you instructed.” Mya said.

“Good.” Camilla said: “Stay close to me. I will need all your help to cast the spell. This place drains me of magic far too quickly. Noel can watch and stay out of the way.”

“As you wish, mistress.” Eduardo said.

“Understood.” Noel said.

Camilla nodded and then looked at Julian.

“You need to go back inside.” Camilla said.

Julian howled in defiance but one long look from Camilla made him reconsider his position and he rushed inside the Crow House with his tail between his legs.

“Last chance to back down.” Camilla said to Noel.

“I am right where I want to be.” Noel said.

Once the fox child had been rushed to safety, Camilla took a knife and slit the rabbit’s throat without flinching. Whatever potion had lulled the rabbit to sleep that even surgery couldn’t disturb kept it slumbering while its blood spilled to the ground.

“Blessing of the Mountain upon your final journey.” Camilla said to the rabbit.

When the sun disappeared and the night took hold, the ground sucked up the blood greedily.

“Never seen blood act like that.” Eduardo said.

Mya didn’t respond. She could feel something move under the earth. Something hungry aroused by the smell of blood. And there were many of them. So many competing for a few drops of blood and sensing there was more. Something warm and fresh just waiting to be cut open and drank dry.

“… good God.” Noel gasped.

“Both of you, stay behind me.” Eduardo said.

Mya was fond of the old man but when Eduardo stepped instinctively between her and the ghouls, she knew she could love him. It wasn’t a conscious act but something deeper. An instinctive need to protect. Sal had it too. A sign that under a myriad of flaws was a good heart.

“Have no fear.” Camilla said: “You are with me.”

Just by saying it, Camilla made it so. The ghouls dared not approach them and Mya knew they could sense it. The Wendigo Sickness that had allowed Camilla to linger for centuries beyond human lifespan at the expense of turning her into a monster more damned than a vampire. The ghouls might have been ravenous but for the moment their fear overpowered their hunger.

“You were brave men once.” Camilla said while looking every ghoul that surrounded them in the eye: “You did not deserve this fate. It is time to put an end to this long nightmare. Blessing of the Mountain upon your final journey.”

Camilla extended her hands and Mya took her right one while Eduardo gripped her left. Even through the thick leather gloves, Mya could feel the sharp, hard bark growing on her skin. The gloves were wet where the bark had cracked when she had curled her fingers and the sap had started bleeding out. When they touched Camilla’s hands, they allowed the magic they had brought with them from the Wyrding to flow into Camilla and she used it to fuel the spell they had prepared during the day. The runes that would open the Portal System activated all at once around the Stone Steps and connected them to a place where the sun was still shining. The golden rays pierced the ghouls’ flesh like yellow arrows, and they didn’t even have time to screech when the sun set them ablaze.

“Eduardo, do not let them escape.” Camilla ordered.

“Yes, master.” Eduardo said.

Mya had never seen magic like it. Eduardo’s shadow was a living thing that obeyed him. It transformed into a many-tentacled beast like a deep sea octopus and grabbed the ghouls that had been trying to dig underground and dragged them back into the light. Then his shadow turned into a spider’s web that trapped all the ghouls that were still left. The ghouls were old and dry and once the fire took them, it burned them fast. The stench of rotting wood burning filled the night. Noel stared eyes wide at the spectacle like a dog witnessing a card trick when the night turned into day and cleansed the lands of an ancient affliction. When the spell finally burned out, nothing remained of the ghouls aside from bones resting on a mount of ash.

“Blessing of the Mountain upon your final journey.” Mya whispered under her breath while wondering if her father or Eduardo’s son were burned to ash tonight.

Eduardo reached for his pocket with shivering hands and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and calmed down ever so slightly after inhaling the smoke. Noel accepted one too and Mya wondered for a moment if she should partake before deciding against it. Julian could not bear be close to her if she smoked.

“You think that was all of them?” Eduardo said.

“We do not know until dawn.” Camilla said and handed Mya a knife: “We need fresh bait. See to it, Mya, and brace yourselves. It will be a long night.”

“I’ll do it.” Noel said and offerred to take the knife: “I should make myself useful too.”

“Very well.” Camilla said.

Camilla never exaggerated the difficulty of a task, and the night was long and arduous. Noel nicked a vein in his wrist to spill blood and they spent the dark hours walking around the dead lands and luring out ghouls with promises of fresh blood. The monsters must have sensed the death of their kin but they had long since become slaves to their hunger and could not resist it. Or maybe there was still a glimmer or humanity in them and they could feel a way out of the nightmare their existence had become.

Whatever it was, Mya pitied them.

Blood summonned the ghouls to the surface and Eduardo’s shadow trapped them there while the spell powered by Camilla and Mya reduced them to ash. Nothing in her training had prepared her to keep a spell running this long and Mya was not sure if she could power it all night. During moments of weakness she thought of Cobbler’s Hold. She had survived in that place for years. She could hold on for a ten minutes longer and if she could hold out for ten minutes, she could hold out for an hour. Eventually all those hours would add up to a single night. What was a single night next to fourteen years in Cobbler’s Hold?

The night seemed to go on forever but no matter how long the darkness was, dawn would eventually break.

As the sun rose, Camilla beckoned Eduardo closer and with a sigh he offered Camilla a cigarette and lit it for her. Instead of a smoke ring Camilla blew out a flock of grey birds that dissipated quickly before she thanking him. Despite all her youth and strength, Mya was too exhausted to stand, and she would have fallen over if Noel hadn’t caught her. The fiddler looked pale and gaunt like a single night of ghoul hunting had aged him ten years.

“Thank you.” Mya said.

“My pleasure.” Noel responded.

Noel helped her sit down and Mya looked at Eduardo.

“Never seen magic like that.” Mya said.

“I have always been good with shadows.” Eduardo said.

Before Mya could ask him to teach her, she heard fast approaching yapping and saw Julian running towards her and with a single bounce, the fox child hopped on her lap.

“Didn’t we order you to stay in the house?” Mya complained and hugged Julian: “Running off like that will get you in trouble one day.”

Camilla was about to say something when she turned to look towards Stonefort and when Mya followed her gaze, she could see a dust cloud raised by horses. Soldiers on horseback were fast approaching them and even from here Mya could tell they weren’t Garuccian soldiers.

“This better not be a trap, fiddler.” Camilla said while sucking on her cigarette: “I am not too tired to fight.”

“No trap, I assure you, lady Camilla.” Noel said.

There were twenty soldiers dressed in grey uniforms approaching them. All of them were armed with sabers and rifles and a banner of a mountain on a field of blue adorned their uniforms. All the soldiers stared at Eduardo with naked curiosity and Mya wondered if they had ever seen someone from the Spring Islands before. They were led by a man who was so muscular he looked fat at a first glance. He couldn’t have been older than thirty, but he was already completely bald. His shaved head looked like a smooth stone, and he had blonde eyebrows above blue eyes. Unlike the common soldiers, he wore a yellow belt. He hopped off his horse shockingly nimbly for such a broad man and looked at them while rubbing his bare head.

“Fiddler.” The bald man finally said.

“Lord Berg.” Noel said.

Any doubts she had about Noel being more being more than he seemed vanished when she saw a lord bow his head to a fiddler who was no mere fiddler.

“We saw quite a light show from the castle last night.” Lord Berg said while examining the ghoul remains: “Is it done?”

“No more ghouls.” Noel said: “You can thank them. This is Camilla the Crow, a grandmaster of her craft. Master Eduardo is the one who arranged all this. The brave young lady is Mya and deserves all the consideration of a nobleborn lady. As does the skin-changer Julian.”

“Are you forgetting someone?” Blue chirped and landed on lord Berg’s shoulder: “I was an elf princess before a curse turned me into a bird. Only a kiss can set me free.”

“Her only curse is a perverse lust for human men.” Camilla said.

“I… see.” Lord Berg said slowly.

Noel chuckled to himself and then put his hand on lord Berg’s shoulder.

“Everyone, this is lord Otto von Berg. Lord of Steelfort and a high lord of Osetaria.” Noel said.

When lord Berg stepped before Camilla, Mya realized he wasn’t as tall as she thought but his bulk made him feel massive.

“I owe you all a great deal for ridding my lands of this pestilence. The hospitality of Stonefort is yours for as long as you wish to enjoy it.” Lord Berg said.

Camilla feigned to think of the offer for a moment before nodding.

“We graciously accept your invitation and hospitality. Blessing of the Mountain upon you, lord Berg.” Camilla said.

“Mountain? Oh, I like that. Blessing of the Balefire upon you as well, grandmaster Camilla.” Lord Berg said: “I have prepared carriages for you. I assume after the night you’ve had; you are all sick of walking.”

“Carriages do sound lovely.” Camilla said.

Two carriages had been prepared and Camilla took one with Eduardo while Mya climbed in with Noel and Julian. There was a bottle of wine inside resting in a bucket of ice. After sitting down, Noel yawned, stretched his back, and then poured them glasses of wine. Julian stared at the wine bottle intently, but Noel was careful he didn’t catch a drop.

“Did that lord… just admit that he worships the Balefire?” Mya said when Noel handed her a glass.

“Does that surprise you?”

“Worshipping the Paths is outlawed in Garuccia.”

“Christianity never got the same foothold in Osetaria as it did in Garuccia. Many worship a Path. Some the cross. Plenty do both.”

“I didn’t know that.” Mya said.

“Our countries aren’t as different as you think. The first Iron King learned everything he knew about ruling by studying King Eld. Some even say that makes King Eld the true founder of Osetaria.”

“He must have thought highly of King Eld.” Mya said before snorting: “Too bad that consideration did not extend to Darius Eld.”

Julian raised his head and looked at them expectantly.

“Oh? Would you like to hear the story?” Noel asked.

“I don’t think he’s old enough for the gnarly details.” Mya said.

“How old is he?”

“Three.”

“I loved bloody stories at that age.” Noel said and sipped his wine: “Besides, could a story scare him after the night we had?”

“Fine but if he gets scared, I am putting a stop to it.”

“Acceptable.” Noel said and poured himself more wine: “It all happened nine-hundred years ago when Garuccia was still a young nation and ruled by King Eld’s grandson Darius. He was an ambitious man and it just so happened that on the other side of the Teeth lived the northern lords he thought were ripe for conquering. So he led his army through the passage that would be known as the Bone Steps soon enough.”

Mya had heard this story plenty of times as a child, but it had always been framed as a tragedy. A dashing young king bested through treachery by the underhanded Osetarians. The way Noel told it made it sound like a heroic deed of underdogs pushing back a vile despot.

“Little did he know that Jormund, the first Iron King had predicted an invasion and had spent the last ten years uniting the many chieftains to his rule. Under his watch marauding warriors had been transformed into a deadly army. An army that knew the land. When Darius invaded, Jormund let the harsh weather and terrain whittle down his army before he crushed it in a decisive battle.” Noel said.

Julian was so enraptured by the tale that Mya worried he might turn into an Osetarian.

“Once the battle was over, Jormund made sure that Garuccia would never again bother him by blinding Darius’s entire army. The king included. Only the king’s squire got to keep his eyes so he could lead the blinded army back to Garuccia through the newly christened Bone Steps that had been decorated with the skulls of killed enemies.” Noel said.

“Helluva way to start relations between countries.” Mya said.

“The past is a gruesome place and too often our lives are dictated by the enormities committed by our ancestors.” Noel said and emptied his glass: “Mya… I just wanted to say I am sorry for how I acted yesterday. It was unbecoming of me.”

Mya shook her head.

“I was being a bitch.”

“Not the word I would use. Julian’s father is fool for ignoring you.” Noel said before smiling: “Forgive me if that sounded too flirtatious. I am just stating the obvious.”

Julian paid them no heed and pressed his snout against the carriage window and started panting out of excitement. When Mya looked outside, breath was trapped in her throat. The Teeth were an impenetrable wall, and the Stone Steps were of the few passages through it. Over the centuries the Osetarians had improved on the Teeth’s natural defenses and even beautified them. Stone giants had been carved into the wall of rock that rose on both sides of the carriage and above them she spotted roads were soldiers could keep an eye on the passage and rain down arrows and boiling oil on any army that would try to break through.

Not that she could picture an army getting this far.

The passage the carriages were taking them were perhaps three hundred feet wide and the road was cut up by powerful gates designed to repel armies. Even if the enemy broke through, they would just find another gate waiting for them. And another. And another. Eventually the would-be conqueror would find there were more gates between them and their goal then they had soldiers.

“What are those?” Mya said and pointed and great steel doors on the side of the mountain.

“The last trump card. There is a great underground rived running under the mountain range. Should Garuccians ever be able to break through, we would only have to open the doors to flood the Stone Steps.” Noel said with some pride: “Stone Steps is the only one of the Steps that can rival Steelfort in defenses and that was built mostly by giants.”

Stonefort had certainly earned its name.

“Is that underground river used to keep the castle stocked?” Mya asked.

“It is but there are also roads. Never be too reliant on a single lifeline.” Noel said.

The carriage had to pass four gates of increasing size and strength before Mya saw the Stonefort. It lived up to its name. The castle was carved to the side of the Teeth and great towers had been erected so no one could come or go through the Stone Steps without the castle’s say so. The face of the castle resembled a knight’s helmet and had been sprinkled by windows and arrow slits. The final defense around the castle was a fearsome ringfort that would break any army that had made it this far.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Noel said.

“… it really is.” Mya said.

When they drove past the ringfort, Mya could see soldiers training in the yard. Some of them waved at them as they passed by and Mya waved back. There were great mounds of sand for target practice and Mya could spot teeth mixed in the gravel when a squire had gotten careless. Servants were waiting for them in the front yard past the training grounds and they were ushered inside by the servants and inside the castle Mya saw a labyrinth of passages and tunnels. The staircases were narrow and spiraling, making them a hell to fight in. Any would-be invaders would have to fight while climbing up those treacherous stairs. A competent fighter could defend a staircase like that against a hundred men if he had the higher ground.

The passageways were no more trustworthy.

Moving through the castle had been designed with defense in mind and the tunnels running through the mountain were narrow and barely tall enough for a man to stand upright. When she looked up, she saw iron doors that were ready to fall like a guillotine and turn the tunnel into a death trap. There were also small holes in the walls that made Mya suspect that other tunnels ran in parallel to it. The holes were just big enough for a spear to skewer a trapped enemy.

“Don’t worry. The rest of the castle is friendlier.” Noel said.

The fiddler was no liar. Like any other castle, Stonefort had libraries and grand halls for dances and entertainment. There were also gardens and stables. Somehow an entire world had been fitted within the castle walls. Then she noticed a great painting of a cruel looking man with pale blonde hair and well-groomed chin beard. His features were hard and gaunt and his eyes the color of glaciers. The thick lips would have been sensual if they hadn’t been twisted into a rictus of madness. She didn’t think much of the painting at first but then Julian started growling at it.

“Who is that?” Mya said while she picked up the growling fox child.

“Kerrikon von Berg. The first lord of Stonefort.” Noel said and scratched Julian’s head: “You okay, boy?”

In response Julian barked at the painting and tried to wriggle free of Mya’s embrace so he could claw at it.

“It’s okay, Julian. It’s okay.” Mya said and kissed the top of his head: “I’m here.”

Noel glanced at the painting one more time.

“You should ask Otto about Kerrikon. He knows the most about him.”

The room My was taken was spacious and she could picture highborn ladies staying there. The bedframe was made of brass and the mattress was soft as a summer grass. The windows were diamond shaped and the wooden cabinet looked like a work of art. It even had its own lavatory carved from white marble with a bathtub. The different kinds of soaps smelled of candy and flowers.

“Take the day to rest. You just need to turn the handle to fill the bath.” Noel said and bowed his head to her: “There will be a celebration tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Mya said.

“So am I, my lady witch.” Noel said.

Despite winter drawing closer and her room being carved to the side of a mountain with no fireplace, she felt warm. When she pressed her ear against the wall, she could hear the rush of water and deduced that the Stonefort had copied the design of the Blacksmith King Alberich. Alberich had forged Father Justice that King Eld had used to slay Girusai, but many believed his greatest accomplishment had been creating a system of tubes that pumped hot water throughout castles to keep them warm even during the heart of winter.

“Looks like were living the highlife for a while.” Mya said to Julian.

She ran them a hot bath and dropped her dress on the floor before climbing in the warm water with Julian. A gasp escaped her lips when the heat engulfed her, and she could every knot and crank in her back untying. For a moment she just lied there and soaked in the warm water but with Julian relaxation never lasted long. The fox child was already getting anxious, so she washed the dirt and blood off them and let the evidence be sucked down the drain. Julian shook himself dry and Mya wiped herself down with towels before they climbed in bed and slept until two servants came to help her dress for the celebration. One of the servants cooed over Julian while the other one tightened a corset around Mya to help her fit in the dress that had been prepared for her. The corset was designed not only to pull back her stomach but also push out her breasts and she had no doubt that Sal would have enjoyed seeing her in it. The dress she wore was white as pearls or grey as a morning mist and decorated with precious stones mined from the heart of the mountain.

“It’s beautiful.” Mya said.

“Lord Berg ordered to get you the best we have.” The serving girl said and then looked at her shyly: “Are you really a witch?”

“I am.” Mya said with some pride.

“Then…” The serving girl said: “… is that… the mark of the devil?”

Once upon a time a comment of her birthmark would have turned her into a stuttering mess, and she would have fled the room. Now she just smiled.

“No. Just unfortunate.” Mya said.

“Is Julian really your son?” The other serving girl asked: “Was his father some kind of a demon?”

“No. A god. Prince of his people.” Mya said and couldn’t help but chuckle at the serving girls faces when they realized she had fucked a god.

“Was he a fox too?” The serving girl asked.

“No. He used his human form.” Mya said.

Most of the time, she thought.

Once she was dressed, she was led to the great hall where grand feasts were held. The walls were lined with banners of House Berg, but she also spotted a banner of a steel crown on a field of snow. The banner of House Gustaf, the royal house of Osetaria. The Kings and Queens of Iron.

It was dizzying to think that kings had dined here.

That she would be sitting in a table that royalty and nobles had used. Her… the last and the least of Wool Haven. She who had been willing to sacrifice herself for someone who had no love for her. The ugly, abused little girl for whose sacrifice no one had shed any tears.

And now she sat in an elevated table with the lord commander of Stonefort… and the son of a god sat on her lap. Her son and a god’s.

To celebrate their victory the servants had filled the dining table with cheeses, cold meats, berries, and fruits while pork roasts were grilled in the grand hall’s many fireplaces. To wash it all down, they were presented with bottles of wine, beer, cider, brandy, and vodka. Lord Berg sat at the head of the table with his wife by her side, a tall, elegant lady with fine features and brown hair. Camilla sat on the lord’s right side while Eduardo was seated next to his wife. Noel sat with Mya and Julian at the edge of the table.

“Welcome, my friends.” Lord Berg said when they were all seated: “This is my wife, Elsa von Berg.”

Lady Berg smiled at them.

“Welcome to Stonefort, my brave heroes.”

“We thank you for your hospitality.” Camilla said and looked around: “Usually the servants would be welcomed to such a grand feast.”

“Normally.” Lord Berg agreed: “But it’s safer for everyone if your presence remains a secret.”

When servants filled their glasses with wine, Mya had to keep Julian away before he could catch even a drop in his greedy mouth. She had a gnawing suspicion that Julian had inherited his father’s love for drink, and she was going to keep him dry as long as she could.

“Lord Berg, lady Mya had some questions about your castle.” Noel said.

Lord Berg seemed bemused by Noel’s tone and turned to look at Mya.

“What kind of questions?”

“I saw a portrait of Kerrikon, and I was curious what kind of a man he was, my lord.” Mya said.

Lord Berg seemed to be taken aback by the question but regained his composure quickly.

“Kerrikon was a great architect but also a mad man. Stonefort is older than Osetaria. It stood here before Girusai and survived his flames. Kerrikon restored it but he was obsessed with its original purpose.” Lord Berg said.

“Original purpose?” Mya asked.

“Scholars believe that Stonefort was a place of worship during the Age of Wonder.” Lady Berg said.

“Did he find it, my lord?” Mya asked.

“Yes. Stonefort used to be a place of worship of the cold people who lived at the peaks of the Teeth.”

Camilla tapped the table with her long nails.

“You should be very careful, lord Berg. Somethings are better left forgotten.”

“Then is it safe for us to keep going?” Lady Berg asked Camilla.

“I will be sure to let you know.” Camilla said.

Lord Berg nodded in agreement.

“To make a long story short, there are two endings to Kerrikon’s tale. Either he went looking for his cold people and froze to death. Or found them and returned as a monster, forever bound to the deepest oubliettes of Stonefort.”

“What made you curious of this Kerrikon?” Camilla asked.

Mya pulled Julian closer.

“Julian saw his painting and reacted… poorly.” Mya said.

“It is an ugly painting.” Lord Berg agreed: “People have gone missing near it. They just vanish. I have tried taking the painting down and storing it, but it just made the problem worse. All the exorcists and sorcerers I hired to have a look at it found nothing.”

Eduardo smiled at Camilla.

“Perhaps we should have a look at it later, master.”

“Perhaps.” Camilla said.

“That would be excellent but if we are going to discuss the past, I would like to hear about yours.” Lady Berg said while looking at Camilla: “Pardon me for bringing up a lady’s age but you were the Baron’s contemporary. Do you have any tales or insight to share?”

“I would be curious to hear this too. Call it payment for my help.” Eduardo said.

Camilla shot Eduardo a look that would have hushed a crying baby.

“Your payment is a job well done.” Camilla said sharply.

Eduardo and Mya looked at her shocked until Camilla’s stern glare melted into a smile and she chuckled.

“That was a joke.” Camilla said and had a sip of vodka: “A story? Fine. I was a child during the Baron’s war, but my husband was in the thick of it.”

“Your husband?” Lady Berg asked.

“The Dark One. A demon cast out of Gehenna.” Camilla said.

Her mentor’s words were like a gust of cold wind in the room that made lord and lady Berg shiver, but they couldn’t hide how intrigued they were. Camilla stared long at her vodka like she could see some unspoken truth in the strong spirits.

“He almost found himself on the wrong side of it too.” Camilla said finally.

“Oh?” Lady Berg said, intrigued.

Eduardo, Mya, and Noel leaned in closer to listen and the lord and lady no longer looked like nobles but children around a campfire.

“Oh, yes. He was an apprentice of Drystania. The most powerful sorcerer of her day. A close relation to the Wyrd Queen and part of the rebellion that rose against Girusai.” Camilla said.

“Why would someone like that help the Baron?” Mya asked.

“They were friends. She even tutored both his daughters and…” Camilla said before rolling her eyes contemptuously: “She took the Baron’s fool as her lover.”

The wine was caught in Mya’s throat, and she had a coughing fit that made Julian look at her worried.

“… what?” Mya was finally able to say.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” Camilla said.

“The witch fucked the clown.” Eduardo said while pouring them more wine.

Mya covered Julian’s ears.

“Don’t use curse words in front of my baby.” Mya said.

Lord Berg laughed nervously.

“Don’t be too harsh on Hilbert the Hilarious. He is a very popular folk hero. The star of many children’s books.” Lord Berg said.

“I grew up reading of his exploits.” Lady Berg said before leaning closer to Camilla: “Then what happened?”

“What else is there to say? The most powerful witch who ever lived debased herself with a fool. Even when Hilbert became a master vampire, she stayed with him.” Camilla said and her face grew dark: “Sometimes I wonder if my husband picked the right side after all. Maybe the rule of a vampire would have been better than the Terror of the Red Swan. Firebird would never have tolerated Ginevre’s schemes.”

“Yes. I’ve studied your country’s history.” Lord Berg said: “What the Red Swan did was… monstrous.”

“How did you survive the Terror of the Red Swan?” Noel asked.

Camilla raised her glass, and a servant poured her more vodka.

“Barely. Most of my coven was lost. Only I, Jessica and Tion survived. Both of them left soon after for Domdaniel.” Camilla said.

“Jessica?” Eduardo said: “Agatha told me that Jessica was the Grey Mother’s real name.”

“Sounds like my fellow apprentice has made it far in Domdaniel.” Camilla said.

“Who is Agatha?” Noel asked.

“She was… a friend.” Eduardo said sadly: “There were three of us. Me, Agatha and…”

Eduardo fell quiet and shook his head.

“Our friend is gone now while me and Agatha were left to mourn. We got close and had twins, but love born from loss rarely lasts. Now our Esteban is gone, and Isabella loathes me and she still looks kindly upon me compared to my grandson.”

Lord Berg nodded solemnly.

“Noel told me what happened to your son. I am sorry for your loss. Blessing of the Balefire upon his final journey. I lost family in the war too and have no wish to see a new one erupt.”

“Thank you, lord Berg.” Eduardo said.

They kept talking but Mya could no longer keep focus. The tale of Hilbert and Drystania kept echoing in her mind. Mya could feel a tingling between her legs just thinking about it. Drystania inviting a fool to her bedchamber… opening her door and legs to him… riding him raw… it brought back memories of the night Sal had fathered Julian… or maybe his seed had taken root in the days afterwards… when their walks led inevitably to coupling under the wyrd trees.

“Are you okay?” Noel asked.

“Huh?” Mya said when she was pulled out of her fantasies.

“You look flushed.” Noel said.

“Just too much wine.” Mya said and got up: “I think it’s time for me and Julian to head to bed.”

Mya bowed her head to the lord and lady of Stonefort.

“Thank you for your hospitality, my most gracious hosts. Blessing of the Mountain upon your evening.” Mya said.

Lord Berg raised his wine glass.

“And blessing of the Balefire upon your dreams.”

Blue looked up from her birdfeed and if she’d had lips, Mya knew she would have been grinning.

“And maybe dream of the time Julian’s father made you a mother.”

“Shut up, Blue.” Mya said.

Camilla poured herself another vodka and raised it in salute.

“Sweet dreams, my apprentice.”

“Sweet dreams, mistress. You too, Eduardo.” Mya said.

“Just be gentle with me tomorrow out of respect for my hangover.” Eduardo said.

“Sweet dreams, our dear guest.” Lord Berg said.

Noel wiped his mouth before getting up.

“Let me escort you.” Noel said before smiling: “This place can be a maze.”

“That it can.” Lord Berg agreed: “I am sure the lady would feel safer around you.”

Noel lit their way with a lantern and Julian walked happily between them. The wine made her bold and aching.

“Who are you?” Mya asked.

Noel chuckled.

“Have you drunk so much that you’ve forgotten me?”

“I know you’re not a fiddler. I don’t even think your name is Noel.” Mya said.

Noel sighed.

“I guess it was fairly obvious.”

“Will you tell me who you really are?” Mya asked.

Noel hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

“I am sorry, Mya.”

“We all have our secrets.” Mya said before looking at a familiar door: “I guess this is where you leave me.”

“Not if you don’t want me to go.” Noel said.

“Could I invite in someone whose name I don’t even know?” Mya asked.

“I suppose not.” Noel said and kissed her hand: “Sweet dreams, Mya the Witch.”

“Goodnight, Noel the Fiddler.”

With some regret Mya retired alone in her bedchambers. Julian had tired himself out with all the excitement of the day and Mya only needed to lay him on the bed to make him pass out. Mya could only envy how easily Julian found sleep. Despite the long day and drink, the story of Drystania and her fool wouldn’t leave her alone. A powerful witch taking a fool as a lover and the two of them mating like beasts. It was like someone had lived through the same thing she had. Only more… intensely. When she could no longer take it, Mya was careful not to wake up Julian before she got out of bed and pulled out a wooden coin from her skirt with a rune drawn into it. The first gift Camilla had ever given her. A Key connected to an Anchor in the Crow House. Her last life line. When Camilla had given it to her, she had instructed her to only use it when she was caught in a mess, she couldn’t think of fight her way out. It would immediately transport her home. To safety. But it only had enough magic to be used once so she had to be very careful when to activate it.

Her final trump card… it would have been the height of recklessness just to use it to quench the burning in her groin.

Mya thought about it, then activated the rune and stepped through the portal that formed, into the Crow House. The house welcomed her like a friendly dog that had not seen her in fifteen minutes and opened itself to her. The Crow House contained near infinite space with endless rooms and one of them was reserved for Sal when he visited despite everyone in the Crow House knowing he did not sleep there. Camilla had made no comments when Mya had asked for a bed large enough for two in her room and had just provided one. But the room prepared for Sal had other uses if she ever needed some privacy. After locking the door to Sal’s room, Mya let her nightgown fall to the floor and she took one of Sal’s spare shirts from the small wardrobe.

Sal’s smell still lingered on it.

She fell on the bed and inhaled Sal’s scent deeply while massaging her breasts. Had Hilbert caressed Drystania like this? In her fantasies her face replaced Drystania’s while Sal took the place of Hilbert. She was a witch at the height of her power and beauty and this time it was Sal’s turn to answer her beck and call. Her fool couldn’t return fast enough. Maybe it was time Julian had a younger sibling. Why did that clown have to stay away for such a long time? Fooling with those pretty city girls and boys who didn’t know a thing about killing ghouls? Would any of them dare to strip naked in the outdoors like she had? Like she knew that Drystania had done with Hilbert. The great and powerful Drystania had allowed Hilbert to press her down and take her in the warm afternoon sun. Had she offered every part of herself and had Hilbert been to every hole? Had they kept going until both of them had been sore for days? If they had stayed together even after Hilbert had become a master vampire, had Drystania offered herself to him in his true form? When a human shape proved too limiting and Hilbert or Sal could only unleash all of themselves when they took the shape of giant beasts? Would any other lover dare to go that far? Drystania and her had. How many lovers could claim to have offered themselves so completely? Did any other lovers know each other so fully?

Once she was finished, Mya lied on the bed, delirious and out of breath.

It took a good long while for her to collect herself and when her legs were strong enough to carry her again, she dried herself with a towel and put Sal’s shirt back in the wardrobe. When she was sure she was presentable again, she returned back to her guestroom through the still open portal, certain she could sleep now. When the portal closed behind her, a steel needle pierced Mya’s chest.

“Julian?”

The bed was empty, and a nightmare hadn’t made Julian crawl under the bed either. Mya lit a candle and checked the room one more time.

“Julian? If you’re playing, come out. This isn’t funny.”

Julian was a rowdy rogue like his father but also had his kind heart. The fear in her voice would normally have made her come running out of his hiding place but not this time. She was alone.

“Noel!”

Noel’s guestroom was right opposite of hers and she started hitting it hard enough that her fist almost went through the thick oak. Noel opened the door still half-asleep, his thick hair looking like a bird’s nest.

“… Mya? What’s wrong?” Noel said while rubbing his eyes: “… what time is it?”

“Julian’s gone!”

All drowsiness burned off Noel and he looked alert like a hunting snow leopard. He simply nodded and put his hand on her shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze.

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry. He couldn’t have gone far.”

While Noel got dressed, Mya cursed her stupidity. How could she have left Julian alone in this place?! Even if this wasn’t an Osetarian stronghold, she could feel something… foul in the air here. The Teeth belonged more to the Wyrding than the world of men and the ghouls had been living here for a long time. Too long. Some of the dark power that gave them life had seeped into the ground itself. And she had left Julian alone in this place to play with herself!

“I’m ready.” Noel said.

Noel had put on a shirt and trousers… and a saber hung from his belt.

“If anyone here has hurt him…” Mya said.

“Julian has nothing to fear from the people of this castle. They follow the Balefire. They know the importance of sacred hospitality.” Noel said.

Mya just nodded, not saying that if anyone in the castle had hurt Julian, she would never forgive herself. For leaving her baby alone. Sal would do worse. The fool would summon His Dreadful Highness and his warwolves to raze Stonefort to the ground. Consequences be damned.

“Let’s go. I have a feeling where he might have gone.” Noel said.

Stonefort was dark and silent. In celebration of the threat of the ghouls passing, the denizens had reached too deep into their cups and were now sleeping off their drinks. The few guards who were awake, had to use their rifles as canes to stay upright.

But there was something else about the silence in the castle.

Like some great beast was lurking in there and every living soul was playing dead so it would pass them by. Noel might not have been a practitioner of the arts, but he could feel it too. The witching hour was upon them.

And it was pulling them towards the portrait of Kerrikon.

The painting of the long-dead lord of Stonefort seemed harsher in lantern light and he looked down on them like a cheap man would at beggars who knocked on his door. Mya kneeled before the painting… and could see fresh claw marks on the frames.

“He has been here.” Mya said.

“Then where is now?” Noel said and looked around: “Julian?!”

While Noel called for her son, Mya stared at the portrait… and it seemed like Kerrikon was sneering at him. Like this was all a joke only he understood. Like she was a fool. Mya glared back at the painting and then something made her reach out to Kerrikon like she was planning to pull his nose… and her hand went through the painting like it was water. Mya gasped and pulled back her hand that was tingling with cold.

“Mya?” Noel said while turning to look at her.

Mya didn’t answer and stared at the portrait. The canvas was whole without a mark on it. She plunged her hand back in and Noel’s eyes widened. It was like dipping her skin in freezing water. Then she stepped through the canvas and the cold burned her to the very core. There was only darkness on the other side and in there lived things without eyes.

“Mya?!”

Noel came crashing through the canvas after her and eyeless vermin screeched in horror when light invaded their dark kingdom. They skittered away and crawled through cracks in the walls to flee the light that burned their pale skin. The mere sight of them made Noel reach for his saber while his crawled from revulsion.

“… what were those things?” Noel said.

“Nothing that can approach the light.” Mya said while studying the ground.

“We should go back.” Noel said and looked back at the portal they had come through: “Get more people to help us search this place.”

Mya’s hands clenched into fists when she found Julian’s footprints in the ground.

“Go back if you wish. Julian is here and I am not leaving him alone. Especially when I don’t know when that portal might close.”

Noel hesitated for a moment and looked at the path to safety and in the dark corridors where a child was lost.

“I wouldn’t be much of a man if I let you go alone.” Noel said.

Mya had never thought she would be glad to have an Osetarian watching her back.

“Thank you.”

The path before them was long and dark and the lanterns they carried seemed insufficient to keep the dark at bay. It was like an infection creeping up on them and she could feel there were more things in the darkness leering at them.

And it was cold.

The kind of cold that could cut through the thickest coat, seeped into your bones, made your teeth ache, and turned your fingers numb. Noel’s teeth were clattering, and Mya could see her breath in the freezing air. Not even the thought of being the first living person here in centuries could ease the dull, freezing ache. But the thought of Julian being alone and cold made her push forward.

“It feels like I’m crossing the Wyrd Stones.” Noel said: “Like I am walking through the Void.”

“And you can feel the Queen of Cold and Dark looking at you?” Mya said.

“… yes.”

“I feel the same.” Mya said.

“Then I’m glad to be here with you.”

Mya could feel a sudden weight on her shoulders when she realized she was the authority here. Noel might have visited the Wyrding, but it was not his home. They were on her terrain now. A place where even the mightiest human warrior would look at her for guidance.

“We’ll find Julian and be gone.” Mya said.

Finally, the pathway gave way to a great underground labyrinth and Mya saw a temple built at the center of it. It was covered in soot and twisted by flames, but it still stood. Proudly. Defiantly. She couldn’t see any brickwork. It was like someone had willed the stone to grow into the shape of a temple.

And inside it she could hear ferocious barking.

“Julian!”

They rushed inside the labyrinth where the cold hit them like a physical force. Eternal winter lived in the stones that made up the labyrinth. Cold that not even the brightest flame could warm. The tips of her fingers were already aching like someone was pushing needles under her nails.

“Why would anyone build something like this?” Noel asked.

“My master told me that during the Age of Wonder people would build labyrinths to trap their gods. So they would always know where they were. So they could worship them at their leisure.” Mya said.

“Or maybe they wanted to just keep themselves safe from whatever lived here.” Noel said.

“Maybe.” Mya admitted.

“If this thing was designed to hold a god, how are we supposed to get out of here?”

“Just keep your left hand on the wall. It will lead us to the center eventually and after that out of here.” Mya said.

Noel did as she advised and Mya worried if they would have fingers after getting out of here. It was so cold. Cold enough to make you forget about time. There was only the dull pain gnawing at your throat. It was only when they heard the roar echoing through the labyrinth that they forgot about the cold. Mya clung to Noel who drew his saber while the bestial roar filled out the labyrinth and then petered out. They stood still for a long time holding each other until the roar had quelled like a nightmare in daylight. The labyrinth might have stood forgotten for a millennium, but its monsters were not dead and the horrors they had inflicted had never been properly laid to rest.

She could feel them even now.

The veils of the terrified dead who had relived their final moments in this horrible place for centuries. They had been forced here into the labyrinth. Boys and girls. Chosen to be sacrificed for their beauty and potential. To make the world or the poorer by their deaths. Great doors had been closed behind them and they had been plunged into a frozen hell where darkness would devour them. They had died here. Cold. Alone. Terrified.

“Do you feel that?” Noel asked: “It’s like someone is crying inside my mind.”

“I do.” Mya said.

Even if Noel was no mage, the ruin in this place was so strong that even he could taste it. It must have been so much worse for Julian. The eternal enemy of his kind had been lurking here and it had dragged him here.

Wait for me, Julian, Mya thought.

Finally, they arrived at the temple in the middle of the labyrinth and Mya saw a statue that reached to the ceiling. It depicted a monstrosity she could only describe as a cancer on the world. Its long tentacles were grasping greedily, and its many eyes guarded its place of worship jealously. The many tendrils looked sharp as claws and anyone they embraced would be cut into ribbons.

And Julian was barking at it.

The fox child had tried to make himself look powerful and ferocious while he challenged the image of god, but his tail was firmly between his legs and tears were running down his furry cheeks. Mya rushed to him and scooped him up, holding him close to her chest and sharing her warmth with him.

“You silly boy. Why would you come to this terrible place?” Mya said while holding Julian close.

Noel stared horrified at the statue and gripped his saber to stop his hands from shaking.

“… good God… what is that?” Noel whispered.

“The Queen of Cold and Darkness.” Mya said: “We need to leave this place. Now.”

And when they got out, she would tell lord Berg to tear this place down, seal the entrance shut, and cut out the tongues of anyone who dared to usher a word of what they had seen. Just mentioning the Queen’s name gave her power… a foothold in their world… and the first people living in the Teeth had worshipped her.

“Wait.” Noel said and pointed at the statue: “What is that?”

Noel raised his lantern and Mya could see something resting under the Queen’s horrifying form. It was another statue. Much smaller. Carved in the shape of a man in meditative state. The body was smooth and hairless but so lifelike it seemed to be almost alive. When she looked at it… she felt… like she should… get closer…

Julian began barking louder and broke the spell that had been cast on her… but it didn’t break Noel’s trance.

Noel looked lost and guided by invisible strings when he approached the statue and Mya yanked him back. The pull was strong enough for Noel to fight her, but Mya was stronger than she looked and slapped some sense into him. The sudden, sharp pain made Noel come back to his senses.

“… Mya… what?”

“I called to you.”

The statue of a man that was no statue opened its crimson eyes and they glowed in the shadow of his god. Dust and dirt shook off him when he stood up and the skin was so pale that it almost shined in the darkness.

“Like I called to that beast. My voice was weak, but I could still reach the skin-changer… the unclean beast with unclean blood. But you… you are young and human… I knew you would follow him.”

The voice was raspy like the creaking of a coffin and the creature radiated cold like it was a foul smell.

“… Jesus…” Noel gasped.

Mya hugged Juian tighter.

“… don’t worry, Julian… we are going home.” Mya whispered.

The creature cackled.

“Home? How lucky you are to have a home to return to.”

“… who are you?” Noel said.

The creature looked at the statue of the Queen adoringly and caressed the cold, stone tentacles.

“I don’t remember. I no longer care. I have stayed in the shadow of my mother for so long. Wandering in the dreams she shows me. Listening to her whispers. I must have had a name once, but I no longer remember it. I must have had lands, but I could no longer find them. Only my hunger is real now.”

Mya pulled Noel’s sleeve and started backing away slowly to the entrance.

“We mean you no harm. I don’t know what happened to you, but I know people who can help you. I do solemnly swear by the Mountain.”

“Help me?” The creature said and laughed bitterly: “Who would trust the word of a witch that lies with animals?! Look what your kind has done to me!”

The creature stepped into the lantern’s light and only her long tutelage with Camilla stopped her from vomiting. The creature looked like a corpse left in the freezing cold over winter, only to be dug out when spring came. The cold had burned it black and shriveled it. Its nose, ears, lips, and genitals had been claimed by the freezing temperatures leaving the creature with a grotesque, permanent grin.

“See what has been done to me!”

The creature jumped at her, and Mya dropped Julian out of reflex to get him out of harm’s way. The monster’s touch was freezing like she was being dragged under a frozen lake. She could only scream when a numbness that robbed all her strength took over her. Noel tried to slash as the creature with his saber but when steel touched the blackened skin, the sword shattered in his hands. Noel stumbled backwards holding his bleeding hands while the creature tried to sink his teeth into Mya’s throat.

“Look at me!” The creature howled.

She couldn’t look away fast and when her eyes met the creature’s, all strength left her spirit just like it had left her body. She fell back limply and bared her throat for the creature’s teeth. Its breath stank of slow, cold death and she could only hope it was over fast.

The creature screamed from pain when Julian sank his fangs in its ankle.

Pain made the creature forget all about her and turn to look at Julian who was still hanging onto its leg by his fangs. The creature screamed from pain and fury.

“How dare you?!”

The creature started hitting Julian to make him let go but Julian’s fangs were in deep, and pain would not make him let go. Noel was yelling at the creature to stop hurting Julian, but monsters were monsters because they did not care who they hurt. When Noel tried to punch the creature, a single look from the creature made him fall to his knees.

But a distraction was all that Mya needed.

Someone was hurting her son… just the way she had been hurt… the way she had sworn no one would ever hurt Julian… not when she was there… and she kept the promises she made to herself. Her wrath was hot and precise. Hot enough to restore feeling into her stiff fingers when she stood up. The creature was blind to her while it was still attacking Julian and Mya grabbed its head.

Then she pulled and twisted it.

Centuries of freezing cold might have cursed the creature with a piece of the Queen’s power, but power never came for free. The creature was cold and sharp as ice, but ice was so very brittle. If you didn’t fear freeze burns, you could hold it and break it.

“Look at me!” The creature screamed.

“You look at me, you bastard!” Mya screamed back at it.

When their eyes met, she did not fall under the creature’s thrall. Instead, it saw itself through her eyes. A dark, shriveled corpse with the heart of a coward who had beaten a child coming to his mother’s defense. A coward with dark powers was still a coward and what could a coward hope to do against a mother’s wrath? Mya tore the creature’s head off its shoulders and threw it at the statue of its god, piercing it in the many sharp tentacles. With the creature dead, the strength that had allowed her to move abandoned her, and she fell on her knees. She was so cold… so terribly cold…

“… mom?”

Julian limped to her and started licking her hand. Mya tried to scratch her head to let him know she was alright, but the cold had left her paralyzed. She could barely breathe. It was like her lungs were carved from ice.

“Mya!”

A smile was all she could do when she saw Noel kneeling next to her. He looked at her horrified and then picked up. Falling into nothingness in his arms was a small blessing.

Or so she thought.

Not even oblivion could protect her from the cold that ate away at her. Even the coldest winters at Wool Haven had not frozen her to her very soul. There had been animals she could hug for warmth but here… in the abyss… she was alone. Alone and cold.

“Mya.”

The voice was distant but, in the abyss, where there were no other sounds, it could have been a bullhorn.

“Come back to me, my apprentice.”

Not knowing what else to do, she followed the voice out of the abyss and into the light. The pain jumped her immediately when she opened her eyes. Her fingers were on fire, and it felt like bees had stung her nose and ears. Camilla was sitting by her bed in the guestroom in Stonefort, looking exhausted but still alert.

“… mistress?”

Her hands were bandaged and there was foul smelling ointment on her nose and ears.

“You’re lucky Noel was there. If he had gotten you to me just a bit later, you would have lost your fingers, nose, and ears.” Camilla said while stuffing her pipe: “The cold is vicious like that.”

“… Julian… is he…?”

“Where do you think he is?” Camilla said and nodded at the fox child sleeping by her feet: “He has been doing his best to keep you warm this entire time.”

Mya let out a wet sigh of relief and petted Julian’s fur while he slept.

“… the temple…” Mya said.

“Is being dealt with. Eduardo is keeping the place safe while the lord’s men go to work on it with dynamite.” Camilla said.

Mya let out a relieved sigh. The world felt a bit more whole with that awful place gone and she reached out to pet the sleeping Julian.

“I… didn’t think that anyone would worship the Queen of Cold and Darkness.”

“And if you’re wise, you will forget everything you saw. Just the memory of places like that can be dangerous.” Camilla said while smoking her pipe: “You should have come to and not venture in there alone.”

“… Julian was there.” Mya said.

“Yes, he was.” Camilla said and sighed: “You should have come to me, but I don’t blame you for going in alone.”

“Noel was there.”

“I suppose he was.” Camilla said and gave her a puzzled look: “I am more surprised why you didn’t use the rune I gave you. You could have taken everyone to safety with a word.”

“I… lost it in the tussle. Everything happened so fast.” Mya lied.

“A pity. I will have to make you a new one.” Camilla said.

Mya stared at her bandaged hands. Her fingers ached but at least she could feel them and move them.

“The creature in there… what was it? A vampire?”

“Something else that you should forget. There are undead more dangerous than vampires in the world.” Camilla said and put her hand on Mya’s shoulder: “Get some more rest. I will be close if you need anything.”

She had been out for what felt like days but couldn’t resist the pull of sleep. Maybe she would hurt less when she woke up, but she found that dreams offered little respite. The creature kept hunting her in her nightmares and this time when Julian came to her rescue… the creature hit him too hard… hard enough to break something.

“… Julian…”

Mya struggled herself awake… only to find Julian gone.

But not far.

Someone was sitting on the great armchair by her bed and Julian was sleeping on their lap.

“… Camilla?” Mya said.

“Sorry to disappoint.” The figure said and lit a candle.

In the candlelight Mya saw a tall woman dressed in a red cape that had been decorated with a wolf pelt. Under the red cape she wore a leather waistcoat and, on her belt, hung a saber. Her skin was dark like someone’s who came from the Spring Islands, and she had strong, well-sculpted features that made her look more handsome than beautiful. She was tall and slender with broad shoulders and muscular arms well-suited for wielding a sword. The only sign of age on her was her was her hair that was grey as silver.

“… who…” Mya began.

The woman smiled and her green eyes were so deep you could drown in them.

“Don’t be afraid. I solemnly do swear that I mean you no harm.” The woman said while petting the sleeping Julian’s fur: “I just wanted to have a look at you. The witch who returned alive from a temple of Cold and Dark.”

The woman looked at Julian and chuckled.

“Then again, I suppose you are used to handling beasts. Who might this brave boy’s father be?”

“None of your business.” Mya said.

Her fingers were too stiff to draw runes… and she was afraid she had stayed too long on the wrong side of the Wyrd Stones to have any magic left in her.

“A love that dares not speak its name? You should not hide it. My mate was already a father twice over when he was your age.” The woman said and smiled at her sadly: “You should never take the time you have for granted. Especially when you live with a wendigo.”

Mya’s eyes narrowed.

“Camilla controls the beast.”

“Does she? It looks to me like she has dedicated her entire life to keeping it in a cage at the expense of everything else. I have heard that the Dark One is still heartbroken over her.” The woman said and leaned her chin against her hand: “Mya, do you know how wendigos came to be?”

“No.”

“They were skin-changers once. Until they turned their backs on the Wild and began to worship the Path we do not speak of. It turned them into abominations. Foul mockeries of what they had once been. They were hunted down and killed of course but how do you kill a hunger that can never be sated? Camilla might have more in common with poor, mad Kerrikon than she would like to admit.”

“… what is the Path we do not speak of?”

“I could tell you, but I would have to kill you. Knowledge breeds power and the more people know of this Path, the more power it has. It is in everyone’s best interest that this Path remains the nightmare it pretends to be.”

Before the woman could say anything else, the shadows in the room turned into grasping tentacles that curled around the woman’s limbs, binding her. Julian woke up from the commotion and yelped before jumping to Mya’s arms.

“I got her.” Eduardo said while entering the room.

“So it would seem.” The woman said without a trace of fear.

Camilla entered the room after Eduardo and her usually calm demeanor had been replaced by storm clouds.

“You!”

The woman turned around to look at Camilla and smiled at her like she was looking at an old friend.

“Hello, Camilla.”

Mya had never seen Camilla move so fast and when she did… it was terrifying. Suddenly Camilla was standing between her, and the woman and despite being unarmed, she looked more dangerous than any army.

“How dare you come here?” Camilla hissed.

“I go where I please, and I did solemnly swear not to cause a ruckus.” The woman said.

“A sentiment I do not share.” Camilla said and the air started sizzling around her.

“You would duel me here? In front of your pupils?” The woman said, sounding more impressed than mortified.

“I met your servant and Mya almost died for it.” Camilla said.

“And for that I am sorry. I truly am. Vincent might not be my creature, but he is my responsibility. I underestimated his monomania and the troubles it has caused. Which is why I arrived here personally to make amends.”

“… Vincent?” Eduardo said.

“We share friends, Eduardo.” The woman said.

Camilla calmed down ever so slightly and regarded the woman coolly.

“Fine. Say your piece.”

“Do you ever think about the Red Swan?” The woman asked.

Camilla’s eyes narrowed again.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just making small talk. Does it bother you? I mean really bother you that even in death she won? Her teachings still shape the world while the wisdom of your coven is lost. Her bloodline lives while your friends and family rot unavenged.”

Mya shivered when the air around Camilla turned freezing. The witch bared her teeth and every muscle in her jaw became visible.

“It must sting when that is everything loyalty to that impotent Wyrd King has won you. Being forced to watch while fools and traitors piss on everything your coven built. Being denied the influence that should have been yours by right.”

Then the woman’s eyes fell on Eduardo.

“And you my dear Ratking. How long do you think you’ll be able to keep the charade going? That you are a revolutionary and not just an old man who had picked a foe he can never hope to beat? When will your court realize that you will never give them justice?”

The woman stood up and the shadows binding her snapped like the chains had been made of paper. Despite being tall, her height did not match Camilla’s, but she still seemed to be towering over her.

“You two want justice? You want change? Perhaps it is time to serve a new king.” The woman said.

“You would have us turn traitor?” Camilla said.

“Traitor? The covenant has been broken. A weak king is no king. Just an obstacle a true monarch disposes before taking the throne that is rightfully his. And when he does? He will reward those who helped him get there.”

“And punishes those who didn’t?” Camilla said.

“No. A true king is merciful but no fool. Fence sitters will not be punished but they should not expect a reward either. A chance to shape the world.” The woman said and stepped closer: “You may be the last human who saw the Terror of the Red Swan herself. This will be your last chance to avenge the dead or be forever haunted by your cowardice.”

The woman did not give Camilla time to answer and just headed for the door.

“Think about it. A kingdom where Eduardo doesn’t have to play the Ratking or Mya doesn’t have to hide her son.” The woman said and smiled at them: “It was a pleasure meeting all of you.”

They did not speak of what the woman had said. Not that night. Camilla and Eduardo might have done a good job to hide it, but she could feel how shocked they were. The woman’s words had cut them deeper than any sword, so they snuck back to their rooms to lick their wounds.

The next day Noel came to meet her.

“How are you feeling?” Noel asked.

“I won’t lose my fingers or nose. Or ears.” Mya said and smiled: “Thanks to you, I hear.”

Julian jumped off the bed to greet Noel and started jumping around him excitedly.

“Good to see you too, Julian.” Noel said before sitting on the armchair the woman had been using the previous night.

Julian hopped on his lap and Noel started petting him absentmindedly.

“That… place has been dealt with. Some dynamite and brickwork made sure that it will become just a bad dream.” Noel said.

“That’s good. Some things should be forgotten.” Mya said.

“Too many things are.” Noel said and glanced at her: “I hear you are returning to the Wyrding.”

“Once worst of the frostbite passes.” Mya said.

“I was thinking that before you go you could visit Vashurst.” Noel said.

“The capital city of Osetaria?” Mya said: “Now… why would we do that?”

“Because a friend invites you?” Noel suggested.

Mya thought about it and then shook her head.

“I need to return to my studies and replenish my magic.”

“I was worried about that.” Noel said and took something from his pocket: “I guess this will have to do.”

Noel offered her a small gift wrapped in red paper. After a moment of hesitation, Mya accepted it and opened it. Tearing off wrappers with bandaged hands was a challenge but one she welcomed. Inside it was a necklace shaped like an arrowhead. Mya stared at it shocked and tried not to blush.

“Is this silver? Or steel?” Mya asked.

“Something far more precious. Adamant. The same metal Father Justice was forged from.” Noel said.

“… a royal gift.” Mya said.

Noel smiled.

“Nothing less than the lady deserves.” Noel said and kissed her bandaged hand: “If your travels ever take you to Osetaria, visit Vashurst. I will find you there.”

Mya nodded and put on the necklace.

“If you ever visit the Wyrding, the Crow House always has a spare bed.” Mya said: “I will find you there.”