As usual after a meal, Ertralia felt too lazy to crawl to the hovel and decided to let the food settle while resting her head on my lap. While she made herself comfortable, I finally managed to put the string though the tiny hole in the scale that I lost this morning. I put the 'talisman' around her neck as promised, then took the opportunity to check her ears for any unwelcome insects.

I didn't pay much attention to Ikago's footsteps until he came really close and spoke up: "Yasenka... there's someone who'd like to see you. It seems urgent."

Urgent wasn't very unusual lately. Over the years, we've all grown used to problems coming regularly, attracted by my skills and unwanted reputation. I gave Ertralia a gentle scratch behind the ear. "Wait for me at home sweetie?" She mumbled sleepily but got up. I preferred her resting inside while I wasn't around. The little kitten got colds easily if she napped outside of reach of a heat source. I got up too, facing our friend. "Lead the way."

He didn't really need to, as everyone who visited our camp for some reason ended up appearing at the northern border of it. Waiting there this time was a young man with midnight-black hair that reached almost to his waist despite being elegantly pinned up. His clothing was slightly soiled, but looked like it belonged to someone from middle class. He bowed when we came closer. "Good afternoon, my lady... It's an honor to meet you."

I answered the courtesy with a smile. "Welcome wanderer... what brings you here?"

"I came to ask... no, beg you for help. I come from Shinestone, the harbor city on the other side of the Ethir Mountains..."

I nodded. "I know it."

"We're dealing with a terrible problem right now... there's an epidemic of some strange disease."

"Disease? What kind?"

"I'm not sure what it is exactly, even the local medics are clueless... But it causes changes on the skin and weakness..."

I lowered my gaze, fixing it on the green of the grass to help me think. The first thing that came to my mind was some kind of infection coming from the sea and spreading quickly because of many people having contact with it there... but it was pointless to speculate around so little information. "I can't really do much if I don't know enough details..."

"I know it's way too much to ask... but could you maybe visit Shinestone? Bringing any of the sick all the way here would be sadistic..."

I didn't even think much. "Of course... I'll see what I can do."

"Would you allow me to accompany you?"

"Thank you, but I do know the way, if that's what troubling you." I've been to Shinestone only once, but I was pretty sure it would be easy to find, considering how clear of a landmark the Ethir ridge was. Besides... my preferred way of travelling was by air, not by land, and it was something the less people saw, the better.

"The thing is... the patients who are in the worst condition have been put in quarantine outside of the city. And it's not a place that one just passes by on the main tract."

"Oh... well..." My hesitation was brief. There weren't really any better options, and time was of essence... "In that case, I'd be grateful for your assistance. I'll pack, can you please wait here?"

"Of course," he smiled, looking relieved.

I headed back to my hovel. A sudden but gentle gust of wind agitated the sparse leaves above my head and I looked up, curious. The forest seemed... concerned for some reason. I've never heard anything like that while listening to its whispers and had no idea how to interpret it... but I decided to think about it after coming back. I didn't want to extend the suffering of Shinestone's citizen...

I gently shook Ertralia back to the waking world from underneath my blankets and explained the situation, reassuring that I will return soon. I took some of my clothes and herbs before heading to Elianir's hovel to ask for some that I didn't currently have in my provisions. After making sure the rest of the space in my bag was filled with dried food, I announced my leave to master Arakiel, fetched Laeyka from the clearing where all our horses had their resting spot and returned to the stranger.

"I'm really sorry about this..." he looked down when I approached.

"Never apologize for trying to save lives."

He chivalrously helped me to climb onto Laeyka's back. Then, staying by my right stirrup, he led me a bit into the forest, where his own horse, an auburn stallion was waiting.

I tried to learn as much as I could while he led me west after we reached the open space of the Serelath Valley. His name was Sharish Nirais. He was the eldest son of a noble family from Shinestone and was living with his brother up in the mountains above it. After their parents passed away, their home was mostly empty, so they offered it as a safe haven for the sick people, so the disease wouldn't spread further. As for the disease itself, it seemed to befall mostly people in prime of their life, above all men, which made the suspicion that it came from the sea even stronger. The changes to the skin he mentioned earlier caused parts of it to peel off, leaving the lower parts of it defenseless against infections that were probably causing a side effect in form of weakness...

When the sun sank towards our destination ahead, its darkening surface hiding behind the summits of the Ethir Ridge, we set up a camp at the border of the forest.

I freed Laeyka from the saddle and made sure she had enough grass around before starting to gather some firewood.

"How about I hunt something for supper?" Sharish suggested, picking up some thin rope. A shiver ran down my spine.

"Please don't..." I stopped him softly, "the forest wouldn't let you."

"Oh?" he gave me a confused look. I couldn't blame him. The Silivren Forest was like no other in this land, and humans like him rarely ventured here unless in time of need...

I tried to explain it as simply as possible: "This is no ordinary forest... it will come after you if you try to hurt its inhabitants without good reason."

"Oh... so you're saying that if we still have provisions, the forest won't allow us to get more?"

"To put it simply, yes," I smiled a little and took some of my own food out, starting to prepare a modest meal.

I took my time with it, thinking. Some strange feeling crept up from the forest again, but it was weaker here at the border, the meaning still not clear to me. When Sharish offered to take the first watch, I did my best to block the sensation off, so I'd be able to take over in a few hours and let him rest properly...

The journey next day was rather uneventful, filled mostly with Sharish showing some landmarks to me and me not paying very much attention, knowing I didn't need them for the flight back home.

It became eventful when we reached the mountain pass leading to the other side.

Our horses suddenly slowed down, eventually coming to a stop despite us trying to make them continue. They started to stomp nervously, snorting. I looked around, knowing what this kind of behavior meant. I needed to find the source...

I found it in the shadows of the cliffs. Three dark silhouettes, hunched, silent, waiting. As soon as we made eye contact, they started growling, not feeling the need to hide their presence anymore.

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I quickly jumped off Laeyka, seeing Sharish do the same and drawing a sword from a holster by his saddle.

"Stay behind," he threw at me, his eyes not leaving the approaching carnivores.

I did, but had to frown as the animals emerged from the shadows. They resembled wolves, but were much bigger, their fur as black as the most expensive ink. The silent curse that left Sharish's lips got snatched by the ravine's echo like some sort of evil spell...

"What are they...?" I asked quietly.

"Syards," Sharish seemed nervous. "Relatives of wolves that live in mountain caves..."

"Should we try to..." my voice failed me when one of the beasts leaped towards us with a bloodcurdling roar.

Sharish dodged out of the way and slashed at it, injuring the syard's strong shoulder. It wailed and turned around, ready to take revenge, but I interjected with a spell, effectively severing the remaining muscles in its injured limb and rendering it useless. The beast stepped back, growling.

The two remaining syards swiftly rushed to the rescue, but we weren't as surprised this time. They also seemed less confident after seeing their companion defeated so easily.

After just a few swift minutes, one of them was lying on the rocks in a puddle of its own blood. The other would be too if the rich crimson wasn't immediately washed away by the whispering water of the stream by the rock wall that it landed in. The beast that attacked first retreated somewhere during the skirmish and was nowhere to be seen.

It was... painful. I never really had to kill an animal like this before... I tried to connect with their minds during the whole encounter, calm them down somehow, but nothing worked. Almost like their spirits were surrounded by some kind of protective spell...

Sharish's soft grunt broke through those thoughts and I saw him slump onto a nearby boulder.

"You alright...?" I ran up to him, noticing the pain in his features.

"Yeah, just... a scratch," he lifted his left forearm, three claw marks running across it.

I quickly took out one of my herbal infusions and clean bandages from my bag and started to wash it, my hands still shaking. It wasn't like I was taking care of wounds for the first time, but it was the first time taking care of a wound inflicted right in front of me, to someone who was trying to protect me...

"Thank you..." Sharish forced a smile through gritted teeth. "I'm not that good with a sword."

"I think you were great..." I carefully tied the fabric by his elbow and finally relaxed a little. "We should rest a bit..."

Sharish nodded, looking towards the two corpses a few meters away. His gaze then wandered further to his right and slightly up. "Actually, it's not that far now... we might as well just go. The horses will be doing the walking anyway."

"I guess..." On second thought, it probably wasn't the best idea to stay put. The treatment I gave him wasn't a full one, I had to take care of it properly somewhere safe, and here the scent of blood could attract further beasts...

Sharish got up before I could think further. "Let's go..."

I kept an eye on him as he climbed back onto his horse before returning to Laeyka. I gave her a few calming pats, making sure she shook off the shock before getting up too.

Sharish led us deeper into the pass, but soon stopped shortly and I noticed a barely visible entrance to a path, perpendicular to the ravine and leading up the ridge, towards north. That was where the stream came from. He gave me a small smile and directed his horse onto it.

The path between the high cliffs was barely broad enough for two horses to go side by side. I didn't want one of them to walk in the water and risk slipping, so Sharish stayed in the front, observing the surroundings, his sword still unsheathed. We didn't talk anymore, listening for any signs of animals around. It soon started to make me paranoid, making even the bald twigs of bushes with the last berries hanging on them look like snouts of syards, eyes glowing red...

An accident-free half an hour later, we reached our destination.

Sharish's home... wasn't exactly a house.

In the middle of a vast valley that we came out into, stood an enormous castle. Its walls were made of huge, dark blocks of stone, probably from that very valley. There were three towers guarding the corners of the structure, the fourth, pointing north-east, lay in rubble... Countless bushes surrounded it all, hugging the walls and extending into what looked like a garden on the western side. The small maze that they formed, interspersed with flowers and small patches of vegetables, reached for the stream. I had to take a closer look later. They spread a scent I didn't recognize...

We approached the castle from the east, where a big, double door marked the main entrance. On the top part of the portal sat a carved cartouche, but the coat of arms or whatever else was on it got damaged or purposefully removed, leaving a cracked hole...

"Is this... really yours?" I stammered out.

"Not really," Sharish cautiously slid off his horse. "It was abandoned, we just decided to settle down here."

"Who did it belong to?" I followed him to a small stable hidden in the shadow cast by the building.

"The lord of Shinestone that governed around thirty years ago," he showed me where I could hang the saddle and made sure the horses had food and water. "He wanted to start a revolt against the king and make this the new capital."

"Oh... what happened to that plan?"

"Let's say he found himself on the wrong side of the gallows."

I just nodded, trying to be indifferent. I never really was interested in political conflicts of Earlindon, but someone's death shouldn't be mentioned in an almost joking manner...

Sharish invited me inside and we were soon standing in a spacious hallway, mostly empty, but decorated with a few potted plants, brass chandeliers and a crimson carpet.

"Where do you keep bandages and medicine?" I asked, preferring to tend to his wound first rather than be awestruck by the interior.

"This way," he chose the second door to our right and led me through another hallway, narrower and shorter.

On our way through it, I noticed that a part of the castle seemed empty and unoccupied, rooms left bare, some missing doors. I guess it made no sense to adapt all of them if it was just two people living here... Until recently that is. I kept an eye out for Sharish's brother and the sick people, but there was no one to be seen. Maybe they were in the other wing.

"Here," he opened one of the cupboards in a spacious kitchen at the end of the hallway. There was a collection of dressings, small bottles with various liquids and small linen pouches. Even without standing right next to it, I was immediately hit by the aroma of masterfully dried herbs. It impressed me more than the gorgeous decor.

Sharish sat down by a small table while I looked through the cupboard. Some clove against infection, then juniper with lavender to lessen the pain... Once I assembled everything I needed, I joined him and started to give his arm the best treatment I could.

A few minutes later, I tied a knot at his elbow once more. "All done."

"Thank you so much..." he seemed a little astounded. Not many had the opportunity to see healing skills of the illathan. "You're too kind."

"Can there be a 'too' here? It costs nothing to be kind."

"Yet some people can't afford it..."

That remark took me slightly by surprise. But I guess it wasn't wrong... "You should rest..." I told him softly.

"So should you. How about a meal before that though?"

"Oh, um... sure, where do you keep your supplies?"

"No no, you stay right here, I'll take care of that."

"But your arm..."

"Cooking is not ploughing fields, I'll be fine."

"If you insist."

I didn't take my eyes off him while he unhurriedly shuffled around the kitchen. He didn't seem to have much trouble, just wincing a little every now and then. The bindings were holding up.

I jumped a little at the sound of a cork popping off a bottle. Sharish turned around to face me and placed two glasses on the table. "To make the wait more bearable and to get rid of the autumn chill," he said, pouring in some golden liquid.

"What's that?"

"Spiced apple cider. Don't worry, it's made without alcohol."

I smiled gratefully and started to sip while he finished up the meal. We ate in silence, the exhaustion finally starting to settle in...

"Let me show you to a guest room," were the next words I registered as Sharish put our empty plates together.

"But the patients..."

"The evening might still seem young to you, but the sickness exhausts those poor people so much that they are long asleep at this hour. We will visit them tomorrow."

"Oh... very well."

He led me through the castle again, heading upstairs. What caught my attention the most on the way were paintings... there were so many of them, in the hallways, in the rooms that stood open, even on the walls at the stairs. Most of them were landscapes depicting mountains, views of the Serelath Valley that one could probably see from the summits nearby, a harbor city that was probably Shinestone, animals...

I was just about to ask who painted them, when Sharish opened a door, revealing a mid-sized bedroom. There was a spacious bed to the right, the bed sheets a pleasant sky-blue. A big, temptingly soft-looking armchair stood in the corner, by a small dresser with a silvery bowl and jug with water on top of it. A few books rested on the curved windowsill of a bay window, behind them a view of two peaks, the stream flowing out from the saddle between them.

"It's... so luxurious..." I whispered, not able to imagine what his own chambers looked like if this was only a guest room.

"We did our best. Your help is worth much more..."

"Thank you..." I stepped in, almost feeling shy to do so. I've never slept in a place as fancy as this. "Are you sure you won't need any more help today?"

"If syards couldn't best me, then I think I can manage against my own bed."

I laughed, the statement bringing a final wave of relief to my mind. "I sure hope you will."

He smiled a little as well. "Good night then. I'll come get you in the morning, unless you feel confident enough to find the kitchen again."

"I don't," I admitted, amused. My sense of direction in new places was almost nonexistent.

Sharish bowed his head, retreating, and the door quietly clicked shut.

If only I had known beforehand that it wouldn't open until the day I was forced to raze this place to the ground...