A transport convoy crossed the frozen southern continent of Geothae. The massive tracked vehicle rocked and clattered. Wind howled against the hull. Crates filled most of the compartment with the half dozen passengers crammed into a small area near the doors. Everyone was indistinguishable from piles of cloth other than their puffs of breath.

Thorboc fidgeted with his beard, “Brother, we were dumb for signing up for this job.”

“This is the only place they can’t follow us.” Keloki, elbowed his ribs, “It is your fault for losing everything at the races.”

“It was your idea to make those bets!”

“No it was yours!”

The transport lurched to a stop.

“Are we there?” Someone said.

“We got at least two more days of travel.” Another said.

The back door of the transport sprung open. Frozen wind and snow invaded the cabin. Without being touched Keloki was being propelled out the door. Thorboc grabbed him and they both landed hard with the door slamming behind them.

“Where are we?” Thorboc asked pulling Keloki up. “I was of the understanding that we would be working in the colony. I’m not too fond of the cold.”

A grey cloaked figure with a deep hood stood before them. Her voice was firm. “Your services have been requested by a Mecromancer. Do you wish to decline? I suggest you start running. The transport has already left.”

It was only the cold making them shiver certainly not the scary cloaked figure. Thorboc saw a bubble of calm air surround them as the blizzard raged outside of it. Nothing existed beyond it except wind and snow. The sound of the tracked vehicles quickly fading.

Thorboc said, “I think we will take ya up on yer offer.”

“Listen well and you might survive this. Don’t speak to me or the person we are going to meet. Do not touch me or them. Touching them is punishable by death. Do you understand?”

“I, um, no touching or talking to you or ya friend.” Thorboc said.

“I got it boss.” Keloki said.

“Follow.” The bubble of calm air followed them as they walked through the blizzard. Snow drifts would give way to the mysterious figure as they traveled up increasingly steeper terrain.

“Who is that?” Thorboc said.

“How am I supposed to know?” Keloki said.

“You love them Mecromancers. Which one is it? I want to know how much trouble we are in.”

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“Hard to say. She’s at about two meters tall. But her head is too small for a dragonite so maybe a poly or a susneran? If I knew her powers or the color of her arcane I could guess better. This bubble is maybe ice or wind or matter moving.”

“Like that tele-whatsit stuff?”

“Yea, yea, telekinesis. That still leaves a few of them. Some of them might be ok.”

They reached a steep wall of stone. The cloaked figure looked around for a moment. Thin threads of crimson energy flowed out of her, pulling snow into a staircase.

“Red. Who has red?” Thorboc said.

Keloki’s mouth moved but no sound came out.

The cloaked figure walked up the impossibly thin stairs of snow. They had to rush to keep in the bubble. By time they reached the top of the stairs the blizzard had started to thin.

“Ya know who it is don’t ya?” Thorboc said.

“I don’t wanna know. We are in all the trouble brother.” He shook his head but made no more comment.

They walked along a ridgeline as the clouds parted revealing a golden dawn. The cloaked figure stopped. A hundred paces down the ridgeline stood a person in thick clothes large black feathered wings on their back. They were shaking the snow out of their feathers.

“Is that the Steel Raven?” Keloki said staring.

“I thought all the bird people were dead.”

“Some say if you look into her eyes it will drive you insane. Others say she is some kind of prophet and knows everything that will happen. Still others say she is the harbinger of doom and just touching her will have you die within a six-day.”

“You shouldn’t spread rumors.” The cloaked figure chuckled, “If you touch her, you will die, because I will kill you. That is the law.”

“That’s a bit harsh.” Thorboc said.

“Are you speaking to me? I was clear in my instructions.”

Keloki grabbed him, “Shut your hole. Don’t do nothing. Don’t say nothing. We up here with two of the worst Mecromancers. The Steel Raven and . . .” He choked down his words.

“Go ahead dhonzel. I want to see if you guess right. Maybe you have some good rumors about me too.”

“I think you are Lady Ti’rask, the Mecromancer killer.” Keloki said with a trembling voice.

“Continue.”

“Th…th… they say you can throw mountains. They say your love was killed in a conspiracy and that you hunt the ranks of the Mecromancers in search of the one who did it. Despite having killed so many over the millennia you have never find the real culprit.”

“Is that all?”

“I… Um… Some say we lost the war because you burned Endrala so badly it won’t hold life anymore.”

She pulled her hood back revealing her golden skin long ears and deep crimson hair. “Alice Helena Ti’Rask. I have had many lovers but no sinister plots worth mentioning here. I am the one called on when a Mecromancer causes too much trouble. And I only threw one mountain… maybe two. I am powerful but I can’t defend every city on a planet at once. We lost the war because we lost the Cradle. We lost our chance to go on the offense.”

The winged figure neared them. It was covered completely in winter gear.

Ti’Rask bowed low. “I Alice Ti’rask, give greetings to the Steel Raven.”

A muffled sigh came from the figure.

“These lovely gentlemen say that is who you are. If you wish to argue I am willing to hear it.”

The figure took two quick steps and jumped off the ledge, taking to the sky.

“Like talking to a stone.” Alice muttered to herself, then she spun. “So boys, who wants to race her down to the mountain?”

There was no time to reply. Thorboc and Keloki were propelled into the air and in a few moments they were slamming into a snowdrift at the bottom of the mountain. Thorboc managed to dig himself out and looked around. The Raven still glided far above.

The transports were small dots coming over a far hill. “They took the long way around.” Alice stood on the point of on a boulder.

Keloki popped out of the snow, “If you can throw us like that then why did we have to climb the bloody mountain?!”

She laughed. “Treaties and borders and witnesses and bla, bla, bla. I have to carry some babysitters whenever I go places. If you boys are looking for work, maybe I will hire you on fulltime. You are entertaining enough.”