It has been a few weeks since we last saw Deathbreeze or Crile. I knew Laira was getting an update once in a while. To my understanding, everything is going more or less smoothly on their end. Meanwhile, the two of us are struggling to gather the information essential to Deathbreeze. So far, we have only one soul eager to aid with the mission. A warrior. Close combat. Together with Laira, Deathbreeze, Crile and myself – we have five. About a half, huh…

“Hey.” I feel a gentle touch on my stiff shoulders'.

“Hey, yourself.” I look at Laira.

“Maybe we should take a break. There’s still time.” Her voice makes me forget what I was fussing about in my head a moment ago.

“That’d be nice.”

“But?” Laira sits on the table. I smile.

“You know me so well.” I take her hand. “But I would like to give Deathbreeze more than just one volunteer when they get back. I owe her that much.”

“Owe her?” Laira looks a bit confused. Oh right.

“I never told you, did I?”

Laira shakes her head. “Told me what?”

“It happened ten years ago. I was half dead when Deathbreeze saved my life.”

“What?” I see the horror creep in on Laira’s face.

“It’s a long story.” I look away. “I didn’t say anything about it ‘cause it’s not something I like talking about. I’m sorry.”

Laira takes a deep breath. “It’s ok. I understand. If you don’t want to talk about it – it’s fine. I won’t force you.” She gives me a warm, loving smile.

“Perhaps this would be a good time to let go of the haunting past.” I kiss her hand.

“I’m listening.” Laira puts her face into her palms and rests her elbows on the knees, finishing it off with a very attentive expression in her eyes. I laugh.

“It happened on the Scarlet Sapphire Woods Island.” I see the first question appear in Laira’s yellow eyes.

“Right, I guess I should start at the very beginning.” Memories slowly resurface from the depths of my mind. I feel cold.

"I was traveling with some other mages at the time. There were seven of us. Three girls and four guys. We left our home to go on a journey to become the very best of the Royal Army. Eventually, we made it to the Snake Port. We found a ship that was supposed to take us straight to Araneum.” I hesitate. Images of my friends smiling faces stir my mind. It feels hard to speak.

“I’m right here.” Laira puts her hand on mine. I nod.

“But we ended up on the wrong ship.” I continue. "Once we realized it, it was too late. Before I knew what was going on, my friends got slaughtered. The Odions didn’t just cut or maim them. They made sure to make it as painful as possible... They tore off limbs, ripped the bodies apart, raped the girls and enjoyed every moment of our suffering… I got injured and fell overboard. I thought I was dead for sure. But in the end, I guess I was the lucky one." I take a breath.

“Somehow I got washed up on the shores of the Scarlet Sapphire Woods. The burning red color of the tree tops and the cold blue of the ground made it a pretty easy guess to where it was that I ended up at.” I pause. “Having no other knowledge of the island I began walking. I figured maybe there was someone who could help me. That, and I was sick of the sight of the water anyway.” I hear Laira giggle. I smile.

“So, I walked. I was to the point of passing out when I decided to take a break and tend to my injury which, by a miracle, I managed to freeze over the moment it got cut, I think I saw my friend cast a spell right before I fell over... That was the only reason I survived. It was at that moment when I heard a voice call out.”

"The hell a corpse like you is doing here?" I try to make it sound like Deathbreeze, but Laira’s burst of laughter tells me I failed miserably.

“I’m sorry.” She says laughing.

“Anyway.” I clear my throat and go on with my story. “I had no idea which way the voice came from so I stuttered in the middle of the meadow. It was at that moment I felt a pebble hit me in the head.” We both giggle that time.

“Geez. I’m sorry about that.” Laira pats the top of my head.

“It’s ok... So. After getting hit in the head with a tiny rock, I turned to run, but then Deathbreeze called out to me again. I won't kill you. She told me. I stopped and turned round to see her. You lost? She asked again. But I didn't even make a sound. I guess she gave up on trying to communicate with me, ‘cause I saw her turn and walk away. That was when I asked her to help me. She came back. I opened my cloak to show her my wound. The ice was almost gone. Deathbreeze didn’t even bat an eyelash. Sit. She barked at me. And I immediately dropped to the ground. That was when I saw Emerald emerge from the woods.” I pause.

“The image of the majestic creature haunted me for years. I guess, I backed away without even realizing it. Because I heard Deathbreeze tell me not to move anymore or I’ll end up something’s breakfast. I wasn’t going to argue there. So, I sat still. She told me to lay down. I carefully flattened myself to the ground. I saw Deathbreeze rustle through her bags. She took a bottle out. I need to clean the wound before treating it. Even if you had it frozen, I need to be sure it’s not infected. She said. I barely nodded. She treated me. I felt a bit of stinging on my left side and thought that will be it.”

“It makes sense now. “ Laira runs her fingers down my side where the patch of the criss-crossed patterned scar was hiding underneath the clothes. “Vines.”

I nod. “Yeah. She casted the Vine spell to close up the wound. It took her hours. I remember how Emerald got something out of Deathbreeze’s bag and held it to her. I remember hearing chewing noises. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now when I think about it, I guess it was a mana fruit or something.”

“Probably. You said she was casting for hours, so her not being a Ravo would have required to use up more mana, for the healing to be successful than you would normally, that also explains the extended time it took her to heal you.”

“I guess so.” I look at my girl. “I thanked her when she finished. That was when she told me her name was Deathbreeze. I asked her what she wanted in return for saving my life. A favor. She said.” I pause again.

“It was a fair bargain I got that day. She must’ve figured I had no valuables with me to pay her for the healing, so she asked for one other thing that would be meaningful enough, but would not tie me down completely. I had a feeling I would probably never see her again, so I didn’t think it mattered. She didn’t ask for gold. And if she wanted to kill me, she could have left me to die there in the first place...”

“Was that all?” Laira asks me.

“No. I gave her some mana rejuvenation tea that I kept in a flask. It tasted terrible, since the cheap kind of herbs were the only ones I could get at the Snake Port. But I had no other way of thanking her. So, I gave her the whole thing. I saw how disgusting it was for her, but she drained the whole thing without saying anything.” I smile again. Strangely, I feel a bit lighter as I tell Laira my story. Of course, I save the gruesome details to myself… Yet, still…

“Deathbreeze asked me how I got injured. I told her. She didn’t say anything to that. I asked her about Emerald to change the subject. I think Deathbreeze was trying to lighten the mood ‘cause when I asked her what Emerald was, she said: my ride.” I see Laira smile.

“Sounds like her.”

“Yeah. I tried asking how she came to have Emerald, but she never answered me. So, I did the next smart thing I could come up with. I got up and bowed making it clear I was honored to make an acquaintance of such a legendary beast.” Laira’s face acquired a surprised look on it. “And Deathbreeze too.” I add quickly. Laira gives me push on the shoulder. We laugh.

“Eventually, Deathbreeze asked me for my name. Marcus. Marcus Tallen. I told her. Nice to meet you. She said. Likewise. I answered, and we both fell silent again. Moments passed, suddenly I heard her tell me that I should make camp and try to regain as much energy as possible, before traveling again. I knew what she meant. Without a mount to carry me, I was already in more danger, plus being half dead wasn’t doing me any favors either. I sat there thinking about it. I had made up my mind to ask Deathbreeze to help me out again, when she told me to get on Emerald. Which threw me off completely. But it all made sense later.”

“Did something happen?” Laira seems worried.

“Yeah. Apparently, Emerald sensed someone coming. We didn’t know if we were in any danger or not, but Deathbreeze decided not to take any chances. She told me to get on Emerald and so I did. Seconds later she put a cloak around me. And warned me not to tap into the overwhelming power. I had no clue what she was talking about at the time, but I did not have to wait long to find out.”

“She must’ve given you a high-level artifact. She must’ve known you were too weak to handle that kind of power so she warned you.” Laira’s doing the calculations in her head. “I just can’t see why she would choose to put your life at risk like that.”

“It’ll all be clear in a second.” I take her hand again. “Deathbreeze kept taking things out of her bags. And put them on Emerald. A necklace. A stone. A ring for her tail. And a bracelet for Emerald’s right paw. What I saw next was scary and beautiful at the same time. In a blink of an eye Emerald’s body was enticed in armor.”

“They were Emerald’s Anchors. Makes sense that Breeze would have those with her. Only Emerald could use them. Unless she was planning on selling them like trinkets, it probably was a good idea to hold on to them.” Laira’s catching on fast. “But I seriously doubt she was ever going to sell Emerald’s or her own Anchors.”

“Right?” We both smile. Anchors are magical armor and trinkets that are fused with the caster's mana. That way only that caster can use them. Anchors also serve as a Last Resort for mana. Since they have mana flowing through them, the caster can tap into it to get a boost for their spells or they can use it as a Last Life Resort. As long as the caster's body is intact and has some mana flowing - they are unable to die. The armor serves as a life line. Hence the name - Anchors. They keep you grounded to the world of the living...

I continue. “After that Emerald dashed off into the woods. Deathbreeze fell behind. I was quite impressed how Emerald was maneuvering through the woods with such ease. But then again, it was Emerald. She got us up on this hill and positioned herself in this - threatening look - I don’t know how to explain it.” I glance at Laira.

She’s gazing down at her feet. “I get it!” She exclaims. “You were a distraction.”

“You mean she used me as bait?” I raise my eyebrows.

“No! I mean you and Emerald were supposed to scare off whoever it was that was coming your way. Breeze probably fell behind to act as backup in case of a fight.”

“You two really were close.” I look at Laira. She never stops to amaze me. I see her blush a little. Cute.

“I remember how one time the three of them, Breeze, Crile and lady Starlight, tried to pull something like that off when I was a child still. When I heard you say she fell behind it all clicked in my mind. That’s all.” Something felt nostalgic to Laira about it. Her eyes give it away.

“And you’re right. As usual. Only back then I thought it was a stupid plan and made sure Deathbreeze knew about it later.”

“And you survived?” Laira’s mocking me.

“What can I say, I guess she took pity on me.” I shrug my shoulders. “Soon enough, I saw the three Odions emerge from the woods. Once they saw Emerald and I, they did stop for a bit. But I guess I wasn’t looking scary enough, ‘cause instead of backing away they reached for their weapons. As soon as they charged up hill Emerald made a run for it towards the trees and I saw a giant wolf creature pass us and go for the Odions. It was Deathbreeze.”

“She fought them?”

I nod. “I wanted to help out, but the power from the cloak was eating me up. So much so that I fell to the ground as Emerald carried me away. She pulled the cloak off me. I was back to normal in a few minutes. I ran back to see how the fight was going. I was determined to help, but Emerald held me back. I realized arguing with a prehistoric saber was out of the question, so I stayed hidden, but enough to see Deathbreeze fight.”

“Was she winning?” Laira asks quietly.

I laugh. “Of course. I saw the three men charge at her, but she dodged every single one of their attacks so effortlessly, it was breathtaking to watch. Then she leaped into the air and landed on one of the guys. She sank her jaws into the man’s shoulder and his axe fell to the ground. Another idiot tried to get Deathbreeze with his hammer, but she rammed him with her side, sending him flying downhill.” Laira giggles.

“The last man standing had his sword in both hands and he looked like he was ready to charge her. I guess Deathbreeze was hoping for it because she didn’t even try to dodge him as he ran straight for her. Instead, she rose on her hind legs and crashed down on him. The idiot didn’t just loose his weapon. I bet most of his bones got broken too. For some reason, seeing her fight the Odions like that roused something inside of me. I felt my thirst for blood rising. I wanted the three men to suffer. To bleed. I wanted Deathbreeze to rip them apart. To hear them scream for mercy. I wanted to see them draw their last breaths… I guess I just wanted to feel a slice of sweet revenge. No matter how insignificant.” I pause. “Does that make me a horrible person?” I gaze at Laira.

“No, Marcus. No.” She sits down in my lap and hugs me. I wrap my arms around her waist.

“Thank you.”

“So, what happened then?” She asks carefully.

“Well. The first guy was back on his feet with his axe in his left hand. But as soon as Deathbreeze showed him her fangs stained with all that blood he dropped to his knees.”

“A wise choice.” Laira chuckles.

“Yeah. I guess the three idiots got the basic idea of the situation they were in and decided to back down. It didn’t take long for Deathbreeze to find us. Of course, as soon as she shifted back, I told her how stupid that was. But she just smiled. And explained what was her true plan. And it was just as you said, Laira.” I pause. “Oh, that’s right!” I laugh.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What is it?” Laira looks at me.

“I remembered how Deathbreeze was trying to get the blood off her. She spent a solid ten minutes cursing and wiping the blood off her mouth with a wet cloth.”

Laira laughs. “Yeah, I can see that happening.”

“Yes. And that was it, really. We set up camp, Deathbreeze gave me some directions and tips on how to get to Crepitus, and from there I could have gotten anywhere. She told me to embrace the pain of losing my friends and make them proud, just not to get myself killed in the process...” I haven’t thought about it in a while.

“Strange how she would tell you that when really she was running away herself…” Sadness rolls over Laira’s face.

“It’s a lot easier to help another than yourself.”

“I guess, but she didn’t even give the chance to… I’m sorry” Laira shakes her head. “So, what happened in the end?”

“Nothing. When I woke up the next morning she and Emerald had left. But she did leave me some medicine in a tiny bottle. It was labeled “In case of death” – I figured that was a warning not to waste it.”

Laira laughs. I like making her laugh.

“Thank you.” I tell her.

“For what?”

“For listening. Everytime I would think about what happened back then, I would only feel pain… The story was a reminder how I lost my friends only, never how I met Deathbreeze and Emerald. As I was telling it to you now, I felt lighter and lighter the more I shared… Thank you for that. I miss my friends’ still, but it’s not as painful to think about what happened as it used to be... All thanks to you.” I pull her to me and give her a soft kiss.

“Anytime.” She whispers and kisses me back.

    I try to fend off an army of bugs as Breeze drags me through the swamps. I never questioned her methods before, but my patience has run out.

“Oh, for the love of, Breeze! Where the Hell are we going? We’ve been riding like this for a week.”

“Nightmare Island.”

I must’ve heard it wrong. “What for?”

She doesn’t answer. Figures. Only Breeze can find meaning in going to the furthest and scariest islands of the continent. Rumor has it, the island is desolate. Or at least that no human-like-creatures live on it. People call it the Nightmare Island because only monsters, allegedly, live there. I wonder. I have known Breeze for the better half of my life. She had good instincts, sharp senses, and remarkable reflexes, and always kept an open mind. It was impossible to predict her next move… On the other hand – she was the most stubborn and reckless person I have ever known. Yet I have to question, if there is truly something on the Nightmare Island that we can use, or is it some kind of her “Temper tantrums’”… I sigh. I guess I have no choice, but to wait and see what happens next. And feed the bugs at the same time. Hours go by. We’ve been alone ever since we stepped off the ship. In fact. Breeze was the one who demanded I be the one to accompany her. Well. No. I can’t really say she did it because she wanted to…

“Where do you think you’re going?” I heard the captain speak. I turned to see what it’s about. Breeze had just disembarked the ship. Oh boy.

“To fulfill my reason for coming here. Problem?” She answered.

“Yes. You’re not going anywhere alone.”

“Are you worried about me, Captain? How cute.” I heard the mockery in her voice.

“Tch.” The captain snarled. I looked around. The crew tried their best not to laugh. They were having a difficult time. I could tell.

“You will take one of the guards’ with you. That’s an order.” An order?

“Fine.” She agreed?! “Then I shall take Crile Shadowkill as my escort.” Me?!

“No.” The captain was against it.

“Yes.” Breeze got into her warrior mode. “If you want to send someone to babysit me, then at least have the brains to send someone who can handle themselves in a fight. I refuse to let you get in the way of my plans by giving me an inexperienced nuisance as a chaperone.” Wow. That was harsh. For the crew, I mean. The Captain thought about it. Accepting her terms meant his status as the ship’s Captain would take a hit. But if he refused… That meant he’d take a hit from Breeze. Either way it wasn’t anything he’d enjoy. The captain was silent for too long.

“Agreed.” I stepped forward. The captain looked at me.

“So be it.” He snarled at me and walked away scowling.

“Five minutes.” Breeze shouted to me. I nodded.

And that was how we ended up away from the ship. When I think about it – I was the logical choice. Out of all the members of the crew, Breeze had quite the knowledge, of the extent of my skills. I figured it wouldn’t be an easy task, whatever it was she had planned. So, having a combat-able escort by her side was a better choice. On top of it all. As much as she hated it – I was the only one close enough to someone she could trust. I wanted to believe there was another reason, but given the fact she barely spoke five words to me in a week… Yeah.

“Well make camp here.” I hear Breeze call out to me.

“There’s plenty of daylight left.”

“From this point on, I will move on my own. I should be back in three days. Tops. If not – go back without me. I will leave at nightfall. So, I would prefer to have some time to rest till then. And if you think the conditions of the situation are negotiable – you can go back to the ship right now.” She’s as cold as ever.

“Very well.” I agree. We set up camp in a cave and she goes to sleep. I sit there keeping the fire going while Breeze rests. Once darkness falls, I will have to kill the light. Means I’d be freezing to death. Not my first time, though. But that does not mean I enjoy it either… I leave the fire going and make sure we aren’t visible from the outside. I even drag the horses inside the cave. Set up my comfy little corner just a little further away into the cave. I see Breeze get up.

“Did I wake you?”

“There is a stream nearby. Twenty maybe thirty yards to the left from here. You should be able to get the water for the horses from there. However, the stream is quite weak.” She tells me changing her armor.

“I take it you’ve been here before.” I take a few more water bags. She doesn’t answer me. I see her leave her knives.

“If you die here, I’ll leave your corpse behind.” I hear Breeze speak as I walk away. Is she worried about me?

“Fair enough.” I nod. When I got back – Breeze was already gone…

    “How much do you know about Deathbreeze?” Laira asks me all of a sudden.

“Not much. I know she’s a bad ass. A good friend and even a better fighter. Why?”

“Do you know who Gazaria Sturdust is?” Laira asks me again.

“Stardust?” I take a moment…” Isn’t that the royal family who rules Noxanda?” I ask her.

“It is.” She goes silent for a second. “Deathbreeze Skyrider and Gazaria Stardust are one and the same.”

“Oh, I see.” Wait, what? “What do you mean one and the same? As in Death is.. But how? Why?” I stutter.

“You’re not a Noxian, so there’s no surprise you don’t know, but she is the rightful ruler of the land. Except she doesn’t want to be. Therefore, she hides under a fake name and avoids talking about her family.”

“But why? Wait, why are you telling me all this? Shouldn’t Breeze be the one?” I’m confused.

“I suppose, but… Breeze reached out to me and asked me to clue you in...” She seems somewhat anxious about it.

“Laira, is everything ok?” I put the scrolls down and go over to her.

“Yeah, it’s just um, I don’t really know.” She laughs nervously. “I never seem to know what Breeze is thinking…”

“Oh, well, I’m pretty sure nobody has the answer to that.” I smile at her. “Did she tell you anything specific I need to know or?”

“Anything and everything” – that was all Breeze told me.” Laira shrugs her shoulders.

“Ok…” I think about it. “You said that Breeze is the rightful heir to the throne of Noxanda.”

“Yes.” Laira nods.

“To my knowledge there has always been a Queen only that ruled your land? I don’t recall a King?”

“Well, that’s because King Wykren died right before Breeze was born. He was the first one to receive such a title, sadly, his reign did not last long. So, to the outside world – nothing changed, but to us, it was a great loss.” She pauses. “It can be a curse sometimes, being able to remember events for so long…”

“What happened?” I sit her down and take a seat next to her myself.

“Sir Wykren, the Bladed Wind, that was what people called him. Apparently, nobody could match his skill and talent when it came to fighting with swords or axes. Legend says, his movements replicated a tornado with blades.”

“Wow, he sounds tough to kill.” Bladed Wind… “So how then?”

“The story goes, that Sir Wykren and his men were ambushed. A horde of bandits slew them all. People say that it took for the bandits a total of three days, to finally wear sir Wykren down, before they decapitated him. Sadly, the reinforcements that lady Devona sent out after them did not make it there in time. Breeze was born a week after the funeral. As much as it was supposed to be a joyous occasion for our people…” Even though Laira wasn’t there when it happened, it's difficult talking about it all either way. I can tell…

“Take your time.” I put my hand over her shoulders.

“Oh, no, I’m fine. It’s just that I may have been little when my parents died, but Breeze didn’t even get a chance to know her father. I never thought about it, but I guess if it were me, I’d feel robbed…”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I at least have some memories of my family to cherish, but Breeze only has stories that either her mother told her about her father or Emerald. It’s like she can only try to imagine what it’s like…” She shakes her head. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s ok, yeah, I can understand what you mean.” I think about it. “It kinda makes sense why Breeze is so good at fighting.”

“How so?” She turns to me.

“It brings her closer to her late father.”

Laira takes a moment to answer that. “Yeah.”

“So, is that all to the story?”

“No.” Laira sighs. “The other part of it is about how Breeze took revenge.” She says. I wait.

“It happened twenty years later. Deathbreeze hunted down the horde of thieves that killed her father and slew their leader. She would have been killed in their camp as well, but Crile led half of the armies’ forces, tracking Breeze down and slaying the ruffians. None of the bastards survived. After they returned, Breeze served a one-hundred-day punishment for going rogue. The Queen threw Breeze in with the new recruits of the army and ordered the Masters to give Breeze double the load work and cut her food rations in half at the same time. Crile got four weeks inside the Underground Maze as his punishment for insubordination, and Miss Starlight was grounded for four weeks, all because she knew what Breeze was up to, but didn’t stop her.”

“Wow.” That last part got me thinking that the Queen of Noxanda can be ruthless. “So, why did it take over twenty years for someone to avenge their King’s death?”

“Well, surprisingly, the horde of bandits vanished. There was no sign of them anywhere until one day the royal scouts brought back the rumors that a similar horde was spotted near our land’s border. And that was all Breeze needed.”

“Yeah, springing into action like that, does sound like her. So reckless.” I chuckle. So does Laira.

“Our best guess was that the bandits went into the enemy territory, knowing that all of the Noxanda’s armed forces will be looking for them after they beheaded their King. And what better way to hide than to disappear into the one place the Army won’t look for you.” Laira sighs.

“So how do you know all of this?” I ask her.

“I’m a Noxian, it’s my job to know my land’s History.” She looks to the sigil on her wrist.

“What else do you know?”

“There isn’t anything that I don’t know.”

“Then tell me.” We look at each other. “I want to know more about you and the place you come from.”

Laira spent hours telling me stories. With Deathbreeze back into her life now, she was finally able to share a part of her she thought she had lost. I loved seeing how excited she got with each story that she told me. But at the same time, I realized something. Laira had already spent enough time walking the earth to last a few of my lifetimes’. The thought scared me. I didn’t want to bring her pain. I wanted to have a family with her and grow old with her. But then again, I would be the only one who would grow old, while she would remain frozen in time. An eternal beauty. I sigh. Laira moves next to me. With her being back to her proper height, I feel like a child next to her… I never doubted my ability to be able to protect her before. But at this rate… No. I will protect her. It does not matter how big or small she or I am. Laira rolls over and her hand lands across my chest. The weight of it makes me exhale. I smile and gently run my fingers across it. Even at a half-giantess size – Laira’s adorable when asleep…

    A noise outside the cave wakes me up. I get my knives out.

“Easy. It’s me.” Breeze echoes inside my head. I step outside.

“So?” I ask.

“A retched cave? I cannot believe I agreed to sleep in the mud.” A voice comes from the darkness. A bit annoyed, but disgusted more.

“It’s only for now.” Breeze answers.

“And who might you be?” I ask the thing I can’t see. A dark figure emerges from the fog. A strangely familiar rattle reaches my ears. Bones. A Mancer.

“You’d be wise to show some respect.” The figure lands on the ledge of the cave right next to me. A woman. I glance down. The bones slowly retract into her body.

“Pardon me, ma'am.” I step to the side giving her way. She goes inside. I look at Breeze. She holds my gaze, but it’s obvious what I want.

“Her name is Culebra. She agreed to help me.”

“You trust her enough?”

“No. Neither does she trust me. However.”

“What?” I have a bad feeling about this.

“She agreed to tag along – that’s the only part that matters.”

“What did you promise her in return?” She’s hiding something. “Damn it, Breeze, I need to know!”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

Breeze doesn’t say anything. She moves and I grab her by the arm.

“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what have you promised her.”

She hesitates. She’s tired. I can tell. On the other hand - I’m well rested. It’s obvious she’s at a disadvantage. Emerald isn’t here to have her back if a fight breaks out between us and I doubt the mancer will jump to her rescue. So, I wait.

“My life.” What?

“Explain.” I squeeze her arm.

“I fought Culebra twenty-one years ago. The battle was tough and long. A day and a half went by. Both of us were at our limit. Emerald was under orders not to intervene. Suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by a horde of bandits. That was went Emerald jumped in. I got on her and we bolted. But I couldn’t leave Culebra behind. The victor of our duel was not determined. So, I rushed Emerald to go back. I’ll spare you the details of the fight. In the end we got away. However, Culebra felt humiliated by the fact that I saved her. To her disappointment I wasn’t in a killing mood. So, we made a deal. In return for not killing her I would one day come to collect a favor. And so, I have.”

“That does not explain the part where you promise her your life.” I glare at Breeze.

“We agreed to battle once all of this is over. The victor kills the loser.”

“What is wrong with you?” I can’t believe her.

“It’s not my problem the answer is not to your liking.” She whispers and slips out of my grip. She’s worse than I thought!

The mood doesn’t lighten overnight. I’m deeply disturbed about the New Breeze. Culebra isn’t giving out any friendly vibes whatsoever either and there’s nobody I can talk to about the whole situation. Not until we get back to Araneum.

“We’ll be heading here, next.” Breeze points toward the second largest town in Crepitus on bottom of the map.

“So about a four days ride?” I ask.

“Give or take.” Breeze stares at the map. "Depending on how it goes, we'll make our back to the port like so." She traces a line hitting most of the bigger towns. I want to ask what for, but something tells me that’s pointless.

"Culebra, you can head there now if you like and wait." Breeze tells the mancer, folding up the map.

“You two better decide which one of you will be walking, then” Culebra makes herself comfortable on Breeze’s horse. Does that mean?

“Not a problem. Try and keep up, ok?” I see Breeze shift. Of course. She’ll run before she will share a horse with me.

“Fine then. Let’s get going.” I get on my horse and we are off. With a giant wolf leading the way.