Lucullus’s screams could barely be heard over the rest of the chaos outside. The wood and stone of the bridge fell around him, plummeting into the snow-covered rocks below. He crashed into the deep pile of snow, which partially broke his fall; but the rocks nearly broke his back. He gasped for breath, laying in the snow and rubble. As he began to recover from his fall, the snow fell in an avalanche, taking him with it, down the mountainside. Though the terrain wasn’t terribly steep, his tumble was rough, and he was nearly buried in snow at the bottom.
In a panic, he tried to dig himself out of his white grave. Able to stand safely for the first time, he surveyed his surroundings. Pure white. Perfect. He felt a great sense of dread wash over him. The wind chill made him shiver, and his fingers were rapidly going numb. Certainly, this must be that warmth that’s supposed to be taken away from me. As if walking through the snow wasn’t hard enough, the fall certainly weakened his legs, and made his back ache.
With a loud sigh, he began his trek; though he wasn’t entirely certain where he was going. Him being unfamiliar with this part of Lucium wasn’t helping, but the whiteout made any knowledge of the region useless. Every few minutes he cupped his hands, and breathed into them; not that it really did anything. He couldn’t go back to the Avarus Wall to find his friends; after he finally got his freedom, he wasn’t about to risk it like that. He would be on his own until he could find a village, assuming he would live long enough.
It seemed like he was just stumbling through the white void. The only evidence that he’d gone anywhere was the trail he left in the deep snow. But even that was being filled in with fresh snow at an alarming rate. How does anyone live up here? It was amazing to him how comfortable he truly was back in prison. The longer he spent in the storm, the more his mind wandered to dark places. Perhaps the ghost simply led him out in the cold to die.
The words of that prayer came back to his mind. O Hikma, source of all grace, protect me from the snares of my enemies, and lead me always on the path of Thy holy light. He figured pondering the words of that prayer would be better than whatever else his mind could wander off to. Over and over, he muttered it to himself, hoping that he might understand it through enough repetition. Source of all grace, he thought to himself. Path of Thy holy light, he pondered. One thing was clear: he had been protected from the snares of his enemies. The only problem was that he fell into a different sort of snare; an unstable bridge. Though, perhaps he might find this holy light or path. If he could escape the dreaded Avarus Wall unscathed, well mostly, then it wouldn’t be too much for this mysterious source of grace to show him the way. Surely it wouldn’t be. Would it?
The prayer seemed to stave off total despair for the time being. But the weather was weighing on his mind like the snow on that bridge. All it would take is one tremor, one misstep, and his mind would be gone. Perhaps it was also the aches he felt with each grueling step.
After a while, he began to notice a sharp increase in visibility, and it seemed the storm was finishing up. He looked back, and could finally see more than a stone’s throw behind him. His tracks weren’t as straight as he thought; then again, seeing nothing but white makes it hard to know directions. As he trekked further, he stumbled across a road. It was hard to tell from all the snow, but as he swept away the fresh snow, he could see the small stone walls that usually lined main roads. They were obviously quite rundown, and haven’t been maintained as they should’ve been, but they were still substantial enough to stand out a little in all the deep snow.
Though he found the road, he wasn’t quite ready to celebrate. His mind quickly turned to following the road to the nearest town. Word of his criminal record likely hasn’t spread too far north, certainly not anywhere near the Avarus Wall, since he didn’t have any friends or acquaintances this far north; something that would also work, at least partially, to his disadvantage.
Without the frigid winds blowing in his face, the outside air was much less torturous, and he made a decent pace along the far better path of the stone road. After some time walking, he spots an inn along the road. The sight of it was too wonderful for him to put into words. As he drew closer to it, he started to smell the smoke that billowed from the chimney. Each bit closer revealed more smells flowing from the inside. There was a pot of stew cooking over the fire; one that smelled of peas, not the rotten kind he was fed, lamb, and perhaps a few leeks.
When he opened the door into the fine establishment, he was overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment; so much so, that he almost forgot to close the door. It might not have been the nicest place, but for Lucullus, it was practically a paradise. He hurried over the large crackling fire in the center of the inn, and warmed himself. Gradually, his whole body began to relax from the stiffness it endured from the outside air. Though some looked at him rather odd because of his unusual attire, given the weather, he paid little attention to it.
After some time spent by the fire, Lucullus felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. Turning around, he was almost startled by who it was. “Oh, it’s you. You made it!”
“That I did, lad. Though I think it’s more surprising that you made it. Especially given that tumble you had back there. How did you even survive in that?”
He looked down, reminded that he was still wearing his prison rags. Right now, most patrons probably thought he was some sort of beggar who stumbled through the door. “Well, I didn’t exactly have anything to change into. Wasn’t expecting to be walking through a blizzard today.”
“Your friend did warn about a storm, did he not?”
“Given his mountain of riddles, I could hardly tell if he was actually talking about the weather.”
Tiberius chuckled. “I already got us a room. Unfortunately, inns don’t sell clothes. So, you’ll have to find those elsewhere.” He motioned for Lucullus to follow. “We can talk somewhere a bit more quiet.”
As Lucullus entered the room, he was met with another surprise. “I didn’t know he made it, too. Was he with you the whole time?”
“As far as I know, you were the only one caught in that nasty bridge accident.” He pulled up a chair, and sat down. “Didn’t know if you’d make it or not, so I just got a room with two beds. But they’re big enough that two of us can share one, unless anyone is willing to volunteer for the floor.”
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The other two shook their heads.
“I thought not.” He grabbed a mug of mead from the table next to him, and handed it to Lucullus. “You look like you could use some mead, lad.”
Lucullus eagerly accepted it, and took a large gulp of it. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would make it through the storm. But I’m glad the weather cleared up enough for me to find the road. This is probably the most comfort I’ve experienced in years.”
Cato perked up. “What’s all this talk about the weather clearing up? It was still a whiteout just a few minutes ago.”
“It cleared up at some point while I was out there. Otherwise, I would’ve never found the road. The winds even calmed a bit.”
Tiberius drew back the old curtains from the room’s small window, and peered outside. “Are you sure you weren’t just imagining that it cleared up? Looks like a near whiteout, at least from what I can see.”
He shrugged. “Must’ve been a break in the storm.”
Cato chuckled. “Maybe your ghostly visitor convinced Aer to extend her mercy, and withhold the storm until you arrived here.”
Lucullus rolled his eyes. “The ghost didn’t seem to identify with any of Lucium’s pantheon, but to some other deity of sorts.”
Tiberius closed the curtains. “One thing is certain: the ghost’s predictions have happened.” He went back to his seat. “What I haven’t figured out is how you managed to make it here. I saw you fall with that bridge, and you wandered in with your rags on.”
Lucullus shifted around, and felt a pain in his back. “I’m still feeling the effects of that fall, make no mistake about it. But how did you get the coin for this room, or your outfits?”
“Ain’t my first time doing something like this. Though usually I don’t have to do it in such extreme conditions.”
Lucullus looked over at Cato, then back to Tiberius. “What exactly did you do?”
“Two words, pal: supply caravan.” Cato chuckled.
Lucullus nodded, looking at Cato with suspicion. “Right.” He returned his focus to Tiberius. “I assume the one that was set to arrive at the Wall?”
Tiberius nodded. “We took what we needed. I don’t like having to do it, but sometimes there’s no other choice.”
“You still haven’t explained how you made it through.”
“Be patient, Cato. I’m sure he’s getting to that part.” He turned back to Lucullus. “I know those rags are a lot thicker than the ones they give out in the warmer provinces, but even with the extra protection… I mean that’s some bone-chilling wind out there.”
“To be honest, I thought I was going to die out there. But I just started repeating that prayer to myself.” He shrugged. “I guess my hope was that, somehow, I’d be able to figure out what was going on by understanding what the words meant.”
Tiberius’s visible confusion grew by the minute. “Are you suggesting that prayer had something to do with it?”
He shrugged again. “I probably said it fifty times. I just know that, once I started focusing on the part about some ‘holy light’, I noticed a clearing of the storm.”
“What exactly is that ghost? He seems to have influence over the clouds, and a good knowledge of the future. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I haven’t either. But I can barely figure out what he’s trying to tell me. Not that it matters much, now. We’re out of that horrid place. Now’s the time to figure out our next move.”
Cato nodded. “I can drink to that. What’s the plan, Tiberius?”
“Not sure how you’re able to just overlook all of these miraculous circumstances. I’m still trying to process all that has happened today.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to figure out this mystery. I experienced all of these miracles first-hand, but we’ve got more pressing concerns than solving riddles all day. We’re stranded in the vast expanses of the northern province, and we probably will be hunted soon.”
“I suppose you make a fair point, Lucullus. I guess the first step is getting out of Lucium. It won’t be good for us to stay here.”
“And where would we go?” Cato took a swig of his ale. “Certainly not east. The closest thing we’d have to a place of refuge would be Kentro. But even they’ve been somewhat cooperative with King Titus on border crossing issues. And taking a boat to anywhere is just suicide. By the time we even arrive at a dock, they’ll probably have the word out for us. With all those extra guards being posted, we’ll never even get our toes on the boat.”
“I guess, Emporikos it is, then.”
Lucullus felt a slight churn in his stomach. “Why would we go with the Dasos? They hate our kind.”
“I have to agree with him on this one, Tiberius. Why would we go to a country that hates us?”
“It’s our only shot at starting fresh. If we stay here, we’ll be good as dead.” He grabbed a knife, and slid it into the sheath on his belt. “We’ve got some supplies, and a bit of coin left.” He went over to the chest at the foot of one bed. “I know someone who can get us safely across the border; my reputation with him will be just enough to get us where we need to be. From there, we can take a boat anywhere, and we should be safe.”
“That all sounds nice, but I still have business to take care of; some wrongs to make right.”
“Lucullus, you’ll just have to let those go. Lucium isn’t safe anymore.”
“I have done no wrong. It was Tullius who betrayed me into the hands of my enemy, and it is Tullius who must pay a price for it. My fight with the conspiracy isn’t over.”
“But you were the one who mentioned that we would be hunted soon. They won’t stop just because you’ve left the north.”
Lucullus stood up. “Certainly, we can’t stay where we are. But I’m not going to leave the work half-finished. My proof of the conspiracy was stolen; as was my chance to put it before the king. If this man is as useful as you make him seem, he might be able to help us purge these wicked sorcerers from Lucium.”
“And you would throw away your one chance at freedom for some misguided notion of justice?”
“Doing this IS my chance at freedom.”
Cato raised his mug. “If it means we can take back our home, I’m all for it. I don’t want to go live with those filthy Dasos.”
Tiberius sighed. “You two have a chance to start over with a better life, and you’d throw it all away?”
“You don’t understand Tiberius,” Lucullus insisted. He held back tears as he continued, “This isn’t just about going back to some routine.” He gritted his teeth. “This is something I hope you will understand… my mother…”
Tiberius waited with worry about what would come next. “Your mother?”
“She’s the only one in the world who stood by me through anything… the only one who I can still say that about. I can’t just leave her.”
“But surely there are good people in your village who will care for her.”
Lucullus raised his voice almost to a shout, “There isn’t a soul left to truly care for her! Tullius might slither his way into the house and check on her, but I would rather be scourged everyday until dusk than see that serpent near my mother again.”
Tiberius looked down, but found nothing to respond with.
“And I know she must be…” His face twitched. “I can’t say anything further. All I can do is hope that you will understand.”
Tiberius stood in silence, as did the other two, for long while. After a long suffocating silence, Tiberius closed his eyes, and responded, “I can tell that you have spoken from more than just the heart; you have spoken from the soul, and I can’t express my respect for such a thing. Few could even say what you have admitted to me.” He sighed, and opened his eyes. “I hope I can show you the better road to take someday… But for now, I will help you with your mission. I know that being separated from your mother can be the hardest thing to endure, and that the mother will always feel even greater grief.” He took a slow breath to steady his mind. “I will take you to this man I know, and help you to gain his favor.”