I was expecting a lot of soreness in my body the next day, but surprisingly, nothing really decided to bother me. Still, my mother insisted on pampering me, even promising a slightly richer lunch from a piece of the boar that was delivered to us from the butcher first thing in the morning. She didn't allow me to help with it, saying that I shouldn't be preparing my own reward, so I decided to head out for a while and enjoy the good weather while it lasted.

I wandered the village for a while, choosing easy paths where the snow has already been stomped down and admiring icicles forming on the edges of roofs and glistening in the sun. Not many villagers were out, most of them understandably preferring to stay in warmth. One of the silhouettes caught my attention though.

Adriael stood just outside his and Elithia's house, looking north with a frown wrinkling his forehead.

"Good morning," I greeted him. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

He turned to look at me only after a short moment. He looked distressed. "Good morning... I know, I probably should..."

"Is something wrong...?"

Adriael's eyes turned north again. "Elithia... wasn't there in the morning when I woke up. She mentioned that she was going to visit Kristya yesterday, so I thought nothing of it... But just now, I found this..." he handed me a small note, written in my friend's handwriting.

Frowning, I read the short text out loud: "'I'm going to visit my parents. Please don't worry, I'll be back by evening.'" I needed a second to actually process what it meant, but then it dawned on me. "Oh..." That's right...

Elithia's parents died in an avalanche in the nearby mountains when she was only three years old. My father was with them at the time and was the only one to survive. Since then, Elithia was raised by her uncle, and my parents helped him to take care of the child, which was why me and Elithia were almost like siblings, together almost from the cradle.

When she grew up, she started visiting their makeshift graves in the mountains. The bodies were never found, it was suspected that animals 'took care' of them before the villagers could go on a search when the snow melted.

But she never before went alone...

"What was she thinking..." I mumbled to myself. "The weather could turn again any moment, it's dangerous..."

"She probably would've asked me as usual, but then I came back injured yesterday..."

I felt a fresh, stronger stab of guilt. "But she could've asked me. If she left in secret, then she must've been aware that I wouldn't let her go alone, so why the lie yesterday...?"

"I really don't know..."

I glanced towards the low line of mountains, perfectly visible from this slightly elevated spot in the village where we were standing. Where could Elithia be right now? Did she already cross the Elladar Plains that separated us from the ridge? If not, maybe I could still catch up to her...?

I looked at the snow at my feet, lost in thought, and then, I don't really know why, towards the small house some distance away.

In the window of his home stood Tavris, eyes narrowed, looking somewhere towards north. Something cold suddenly crept up my back from the base of my spine. If what Elithia told me yesterday was a lie, then that could mean...

"I'll go after her," I said hastily. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to her..."

Adriael nodded. "Thank you, but be careful. I'd go with you, but I'd probably just be slowing you down..."

"It's alright, I'll handle this," I smiled and darted back home.

Trying to ignore the delicious smell of roast spreading in the hut, I quickly took out a haversack from the closet in my room. I made it out of boredom during the blizzard, from remnants of various fabrics that my mother used to sew me new clothes. Piece by piece, I threw whatever could be useful inside.

"Going somewhere?" I heard my father's voice when I finished rolling a thick blanket together.

"To the mountains, dad."

He appeared in the threshold. "Are you crazy?"

"Why?" my mum's voice came from the room with the hearth.

"Elithia went there. Alone."

"To visit her parents?"

"Yeah. I have no idea why she didn't tell anyone and I have a bad feeling... I'll do everything I can to make sure she returns home safely."

My dad just watched me in silence for a moment. His stare wandered outside of my room for a moment, surely to seek silent advice from his wife. Then he sighed softly and, despite the obvious worry on his face, smiled with what seemed to be pride. "Go, but be careful."

My hand, holding a small waterskin, froze just above the full haversack.

"What?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Nothing, it's just... I thought you wouldn't want me to go. That you'd prefer me in safety no matter what."

"Some time ago, we would've. But you're almost an adult now... and we trust that you know what you're doing."

I smiled gratefully. "I promise I'll be careful."

"You better."

I hugged my dad shortly, gave my mum a kiss on the cheek, slung the haversack over my shoulder and went out into the cold again.

Leaving the village's premise, I started to think about that strange sensation that infested me upon seeing Tavris. I suddenly had a suspicion about all the things he told me and why he asked to take a look at that strange crystal... I couldn't be sure until I asked him directly though. But right now, Elithia's safety was far more...

I stopped.

What made me do it was a sudden feeling of being watched, like I wasn't alone... I looked around but saw no one. No tracks were visible on the narrow paths that I could only assume were there under the fresh snow. The forest was silent, only once or twice some bird cried in the distance. My imagination was probably beginning to play tricks on me... I shook my head and continued.

Shortly after, the trees thinned out and I saw the vast plain that separated me from the now unobscured mountains. In the eastern part of it, the undulating snowy carpet melted with the depression of a lake, now completely invisible. I could make out a flock of crows lazily wandering around above its frozen surface. The sight was gorgeous, too bright to look at, but the worry for Elithia didn't allow me to enjoy it to the fullest. I finally spotted the vague trail she left in the pristine white, a little to my right, already becoming more and more indistinguishable due to the wind mercilessly blurring it away. I didn't spot Elithia herself though. Which meant that she must have already reached the line of spruces that were casting a shadow on the foot of the ridge...

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I shielded my eyes with a hand and looked up. The sun was already reaching its zenith, and in the far east I spotted what I feared the most. Clouds. Massive clouds. Not wanting to lose any more time, I set off, inwardly praying I would meet Elithia on her way back.

The passage across the plain took longer than I anticipated. When I arrived at the border of the forest on the opposite side, the sky was already completely covered. The wind picked up and each moment threatened with the beginning of a blizzard, but there was still no sign of my friend. On top of that, upon walking between the trees, I once again felt like I was being watched. I tried to ignore that sensation for Elithia's sake though. I started calling her, unsuccessfully trying to remember the way to her parent's symbolic graves.

After a few more minutes, when the snow was already cruelly blowing into my eyes, I was at the brink of being furious. I scolded myself over and over for forgetting the way after just two years, for reaching the peaks of my stupidity because I didn't even ask before setting off, and for whatever I might have done that caused Elithia to go alone in secret.

Suddenly though, a ghastly thought crossed my mind. What if we missed each other...? Maybe Elithia was already on her way home, not even aware that someone went after her? I came to a stop in the middle of the forest and looked back, hesitant and torn.

It was then that I spotted kneeling figure through the curtain of snow to my right, near a spot where the trees cut off next to a cliff. "Elithia?!" I called out, relieved.

The silhouette rose and faced me, a long coat lap flapping as it did... the hair that danced in the wind was shorter and darker, the figure taller than Elithia's...

I reflexively took a step back.

And so did the shadow, turning around and quickly disappearing among the blizzard.

Just a second of hesitation and I darted after it, but after just a few steps I stumbled over something and landed face-first in the beautiful whiteness.

Cursing fancifully at the innocent snow which covered me from head to toe now, I pulled myself up and quickly brushed it off so it wouldn't melt from the warmth of my body and soak the clothes. I glanced over my shoulder, wanting to know what I so brilliantly tripped over, and was bewildered to see a human figure lying on the ground.

I rushed to it on all fours, reached out and pushed the thick hood back. Golden locks slipped through my fingers... "Elithia!"

I frantically looked around. If that figure I just saw really wasn't Elithia, then who just ran off into the depths of the forest? I was sure I saw the shadow, but... I shook my head, blaming it all on the blizzard and focused on my friend. Or rather I wanted to, but something else caught my eye.

A light...

A faint light appeared among the forest. The branches of trees swaying in the wind revealed it for fractions of seconds before concealing it again, over and over...

I didn't bother thinking about it too much. Carefully lifting my still motionless friend, I headed towards the edge of the forest. As we passed the last trees, I spotted a path, a short traverse leading not too steeply up the mountain. Now I could clearly see what the source of light was. A small campfire sat at the top of the path, placed so that the wall at the mouth of a cave protected it from the wind. Right next to that entrance grew a young, solitary cedar tree. I did hear there were caves up here that were probably the remnants of some old mines, but have never actually seen one...

Carefully approaching the cave, I peeked in. It seemed empty. Was the person I saw among the blizzard just here? Why would they light a campfire at such a weird spot and not inside, where it would warm the interior...?

I couldn't see very far into the cavern, but just at the edge of total darkness, I spotted a heap of hay. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I walked over and laid Elithia down. There were... branches stacked up next to it, all in a size perfect for a campfire... And birch bark too. My dad taught me that it was one of the few materials that burned well even if wet, so this was definitely done on purpose. Did that stranger do this for us...? Why...?

Deciding to wonder about it later, I gently freed Elithia from the little bag she was carrying and covered her thoroughly with the blanket I brought with me, incredibly glad that I did even though it was an irritating weight on the way here. My friend was pale, but her breathing was even. I tried to wake her up, but unsuccessfully, then checked for injuries just in case. When I didn't find anything, I decided to let her come to her senses on her own and headed back to the entrance.

One of the burning branches was all I needed to light the fresh stack inside, the interior almost immediately starting to feel warmer. As I walked, a deep echo of my footsteps came back from somewhere in the distance, telling me the cave was going really deep... maybe there were even more inside the mountain...

Sitting down at Elithia's side, I leaned my back against the wall of the cave. When would this weather stop and allow us to go back home...? I sighed and carefully took the crystal hanging on my neck from underneath my clothing.

It looked so innocent... small, irregularly cut, semi-transparent and beautifully green... and yet it seemed to hold an incredible magic. If I was right... then it would make sense for the one who dropped it to want it back.

Elithia's silent moan brought me back to the moment as she finally started to show signs of life other than breathing. I quickly hid the stone. "Hey," I greeted her with relief when the two azure orbs blinked at me in confusion. "You're a master at finding the most inappropriate places for naps..."

"Sigrian...?" she whispered finally.

"Yeah, it's me."

"But how did you... what happened?"

"I followed you. And I should fling the second question right back at you. Why didn't you tell me that you were going?"

She kept quiet for a few moments, as if gathering her thoughts. "I... I was tired of people always babysitting me... I'm old enough to take care of myself... You were allowed to start hunting, so I wanted to prove I'm strong now too..."

I frowned. But not because it was a ridiculous reason to act so irresponsible. It was because the crystal next to my heart became warm again. This was the opportunity I needed...

"And what was the real reason?" I asked, trying to sound teasing.

She always easily dropped any act whenever she realized someone saw through her. She was a playful one and didn't like to be seen as weak, but she was no vile liar. So if she wouldn't change her answer, being the honest girl that she was, then I would know it made no sense to pursue the string of logic the end of which I snatched this morning. But if she would... if she would...

The eyes that avoided mine became sad, a shadow of shame in them. "Uncle was injured, and I... I thought you still needed your peace... that you didn't want to leave your parents for longer, that you wanted to make up for those two years..."

The stone went ice-cold again, sending a shiver through my whole body. I was right...

"Sig...?" Elithia gave me a worried look.

Doing my best to hide my agitation, I smiled. "You're so silly... I was separated from you for equally long, I'd also like to regain what I lost with you..."

She gave me an apologetic look and glanced around a bit. "Where are we by the way...?"

"In a cave I found by accident, unfortunately still in the mountains. I didn't have much time or possibility to think of something better to prevent us from being buried alive..."

"What happened to me?"

"Why don't you tell me? I found you knocked out in the snow."

"I don't remember anything... I was on my way back when it started snowing. The blizzard was so intense that I must've lost my way. And I was feeling a bit odd for quite a while... but what happened then...?"

"Then why did you even come here? You saw what was happening over the past few days."

"But the morning was so beautiful..."

I sighed. It made no sense to argue about it now. "Say... did you meet anyone else here?"

"No... should I have?"

"Right before I found you, I thought I saw a shadow among the snow."

"You must've been seeing things. Who else would be coming here at this time of year?"

"I guess..."

For some time, we remained silent, listening to the howling wind. After a few minutes, Elithia looked at me again. "What are we going to do now?" she whispered, curling up into a ball under the blanket.

"Just wait, I guess... unless you have the strength to go back under these circumstances, although I don't think that would be the best idea."

"Not the best indeed..."

"How are you feeling by the way?"

"It's not bad, but I've been better..." she seemed to suddenly notice something. "Are you not cold?"

Fair enough, I was sitting on frozen ground while she cuddled with a thick blanket. I felt no discomfort though. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Apparently she didn't believe me, because she snuck one of her pale hands from underneath the blanket and grabbed mine. Her eyebrows disappeared into her fringe. "Your hands are so warm... how are you doing this?"

I wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't pointed it out. Despite spending the last few hours in freezing cold air, I didn't feel much of it. On the contrary... "I have no idea..." I whispered.

"Maybe you have a fever...?"

"Nonsense, I feel great."

Still, something was off. I was actually downright a chilly person, always doing my best to avoid cold unless I had no other choice. And now I almost didn't feel anything at all. I bit my lip.

Something was incredibly wrong...

It has been for quite a while...