"A day there and a day back. Which one of you said that?" Howlen complained. He had done his best not to, and had done well, but after the third night in the snow packed mountains of the North, he was running low on patience.

"Hey now, it hasn't been bad, has it? Besides, Elisor was only guessing. Can't fault a guess for being wrong can you?" Pax quipped back in his happy go lucky style.

In the extra time Howlen found good company with Vespasian, the only other human on the mountain as far as Howlen was concerned. The three shape shifters were entertaining, at times, but as a whole unsettling. Before the Estate, Alexander had seemed human, but the way he played with the minds of the men there, Howlen shuttered at the thought. So many secrets with these Druids. He tried not to think of the ordeal with the strangers.

Vespasian was different. He answered every question with the truth, as if that was all he knew. He had no plan or motive in his words, and Howlen came to appreciate that more and more. He was sad though, broken. The few times the boy smiled, Howlen thought it might have been his first time. He seemed to not even know how to do it.

The two animal shape shifters had used their magic so casually, but they did bring in food either by drawing a full deer to the camp or by transforming into those damn snow leopards and hunting their prey.

Pax though just played with his powers, entertaining the crew by mixing his face and voice, or carrying on full arguments with himself, switching between characters to play both sides. He was clever.

But Howlen and Vespasian were bonded through their normalcy, their lack of this strange magic.

As the six plodded through another snow filled day, Howlen could only think of his son, Cassius, laying in the care of these Druids. Had he even woken? What did he think when I was not there? What did they tell him?

As Howlen asked himself the painful, answerless questions, a ferocious roar tore through the trees. The horses spooked, only for an instant. As Hope and Finian calmed them, a massive brown bear stepped into their path. It stood on its back legs, towering over them and let out another mighty roar.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I heard you." Hope said casually as she hopped off her horse and strode to the beast.

She held her hands out and the bear settled down to all fours. As she came closer it sniffed at her a bit. Howlen could not believe the ease of her control.

But the bear reared up again, knocking Hope back. As it stood, raising a hand to crush the girl, three arrows came whizzing from behind Howlen. One. Two. Three. Faster than one person could draw, nock and shoot.

The beast turned away in pain and surprise. It took a few steps into the trees. Howlen saw the reason for its aggression. Two small cubs sat, still as could be, until their mother came close. The mighty mother bear turned back to the six trespassers.

Fenian was on it though, he transformed into an even more massive bear and raised himself at the wounded mother. The two beasts' roars echoed through the mountains, sending countless birds and small animals from their hiding places in a flustered commotion.

The mother bear must have thought better of attacking the crew. She ran back into the woods. The two little bear cubs tumbled after her.

Hope got back to her feet and marched to her horse, dejected and confused. Howlen did not understand why. He turned to Vespasian, with his bow still in hand.

"That was the most incredible shooting I've ever seen! Stop time or something? Wow!" Pax, as usual, was the first to speak.

"The Nu showed me. You just draw three arrows at the beginning and-"

"Shoot nock shoot nock shoot. As opposed to draw nock shoot draw nock shoot draw nock shoot. Boy I don't know why we would do it any other way. Woo! Incredible!" Pax shouted with enthusiastic glee. Howlen nodded to Vespasian who tried again to smile.

Pax turned to Hope.

"Don't bother, Pax. Just don't." Howlen wondered where Hope's agitation came from. It was as if some unseen force had consumed her. Howlen went over the situation with the bear. It makes no sense.

Pax was understanding. But ever playful. He made a motion like he was zipping his lips closed, locking it and tossing the key behind him. Hope nodded her gratitude.

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"We are close." Alexander told the crew as they continued up the mountain.

They came to a small opening of a cave just large enough for a person to slip through sideways. Pax looked to Alexander, who shrugged. "I think. There is a strange force here."

Pax hopped down. "Mister Vespasian, sir." He said handing him the reins, "Howlen if you don't mind staying here with our newest friend. Alexander , Fenian, please come with me. Hope, well, do what suits you. I'm sorry." He spoke to her softly, then headed for the cave.

He turned sideways and pushed through the small opening, then he let out just the beginning of a scream and fell back. Dead. Blood poured from his neck onto the white snow as the light left his eyes.

The crew jumped back in a panic. Howlen had seen his parents die and on his journey north some kid got sick and faded slowly. But never this. He couldn't move.

No, Cassius. Howlen got off his horse and began to rummage for the makings of a torch. "Alexander! Why didn't you warn him!"

"I," he was wide eyed. He couldn't find the words for a moment, "I didn't see it. I felt something. But whatever is in there is masked. I don't know!"

Hope was off her horse first. "I'll sneak in. I'll let you know what I see." She turned into a rat and crawled through the opening silently while Howlen struggled with the torch.

"Hope, no!" Fenian whispered after his sister, afraid to alert whatever was in the cave with her.

Alexander had gotten off his horse and came to Howlen. He touched the torch Howlen could not light and it burst into flames.

"Good ok. Use that when we get in there. Touch the thing and set it on fire. Can you do that? Or can you just shoot the fire or something. We have to!" Howlen spoke direct and clear. Then headed for the cave without a response.

He tossed the torch in first, then peaked through. It was a quickly thought out plan and Howlen regretted it almost as fast. The light lit a good portion of the cave, but not very far back.

Howlen pressed on to the thrown torch and raised it, slowly revealing that the cave opened up into a wider, slightly taller section. He took two short, shuffled steps and the silhouette of the murderous monster inside came in to view. Howlen jumped but it didn't come at him.

He raised the light and saw it was an ancient, decrepit woman; all bones with only patches of long dry gray hair sticking down, at an angle. The old hag was lifting a rat above her open mouth in one hand. A black twisted blade seemed to glow a faint green in her other. That's it. Howlen said to himself.

"Hope!" Howlen heard Fenian call from behind him as the creature dropped Hope the mouse into her mouth and began to chew. Howlen charged, ready for the fight of his life to save his son.

But he found the creature to be as frail as she looked. The collision sent her to the ground with ease. The woman still held the knife, she lifted it but Howlen easily took it from her. He was stunned to hold it. An impressive thing, with no familiar pieces or joinery. Just an old knife. He scowled at himself.

He looked to the woman in time to see a thin smile begin to stretch along her mouth. "Thank you," She said, seeming to welcome death.

Howlen jumped up. That was it. A few days and he would be back with his son. A tremendous weight lifted from Howlen's shoulders.

"Oh, Howlen. I'm so sorry." Howlen looked up to see Alexander, ghost white looking at him with glossy eyes. "It should have been me."

"Hope," Fenian said, falling to his knees. "Pax." He buried his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Howlen said, unsure why those were his words. He thought perhaps it was to Fenian for the loss of his sister, but also to Alexander for - something.

"Howlen, no. I am sorry. I froze. I should not have let you do it. I'm sorry we will try to help. I promise I'm so sorry. No. No! No!" Alexander grabbed Howlen's shirt then embraced him, weeping.

Howlen pushed him away. "What? Sorry for what? Say something!" He barked.

"The knife, hagsbane. It consumes the one who holds it. You won't be able to let it go. And the ones it consumes, they cannot die." Alexander stepped back. "I'm sorry. It was supposed to be me."

"Well, whatever you take it." Howlen held it out trying to give the knife away.

"No! No, it has taken you. If you give it to someone else, not now but in time you will stop at nothing to hunt it. It won't let you go! That is why the woman came here."

Howlen sighed, still unbelieving, "that thing did say-"

"She thanked you. She was thousands of years old and her body could not survive without the knife. It's what happens to all of them."

Howlen looked at the old woman. It did not seem real. Druids. Magic. None of it. More tricks, probably. "Let's go back to Vencia. I want to see my son."

Howlen, Alexander and Fenian left the cave and mounted their horses. Howlen and Alexander wrapped Pax's body in his blanket and slung him over his horse. Fenian sat in a broken silence atop his, occasionally glancing at the riderless horse as they made their way back in silence.

"Are you ok?" Vespasian eventually asked Howlen, unaware of his curse.

"Yes," Howlen said, putting a hand on Vespasian's shoulder. "Thank you. You're a good man."