“Kassius.” Irema stood beside Kassius, as he faced the iron ladder that lead to the dark cold forest. “Please, eat something.”

“No,” he simply said, trying the tension of his bow. He felt something was missing. His faith in what he had been shown pulsated through him, but not having any fear was impossible for any man.

“I haven’t wasted three hours of life trying to fish for something, for you to waste it. It could be your last dinner.”

Kassius had enough of her morbid sense of humour.

“You eat,” he said.

“I already ate. Besides, you should keep something for Alana and Tor.”

“Fine,” she said. She hugged him from behind, and quickly let go. “And please be careful.” Her voice broke into sobs.

Kassius took a deep breath and prayed once again. The message in his mind had been clear. Or had it not?

But what he was about to do was anything but safe. And sane, for that matter. His three remaining arrows, recycled after hunting over and over were his only true defence, along with the fish on his back he carried in case he was trapped in the place of his visions. And… Did it make any sense? Killing the only creature that had saved his wife?

Kassius finally stepped forward, where snow had covered the lower part on the entrance and had now melted into water. He grabbed the ice-cold iron bars and climbed up, as his equipment seemed to drag him back. Used ropes, a stolen brass lantern, and a few hammers and nails in case he needed to slide down a cavern.

This night was the coldest so far. Snow poured like arrows from heaven.

Kassius walked on into the cold. Even though the darkness was too much, he knew the forest well. The cave was not too far, although the heavy snow made the passage frightening.

Kassius strode forward, lantern in hand. And as he pressed on, he heard a howl in the distance.

He looked around. Wolves? He had not seen them. Maybe they had migrated looking for food. Maybe they had smelled the sheep in the old farms. Could they smell from so far?

Kassius walked more carefully. If he were to encounter wolves, a knife would be of no help. If an angry dog could bite him faster than he could brandish a long sword, a wolf would pulverize him in no time. Besides, wolves were never alone. According to what he had read once, a wolf-pack could have as many as seven wolves. Three arrows would not be enough.

And the howling was heard closer to him. He swallowed and removed the bow from the leather strap behind him. He put the lantern on his side and prepared a bronze arrow.

The howling became a bark, and gasping. Kassius squeezed the eyes, ready to aim at the figure that would soon emerge.

Steps drew closer, as paws rushing through the snow-covered bushes.

What jumped out was not a wolf, but something similar.

Kassius quickly put the arrow away.

“Boy! Is it really you?”

He rushed forward and knelt, as Arcturus greeted him with his tail up. He was way skinnier than before,

“My boy, it’s so good to see you!” Kassius petted its neck, as Arcturus barked like a puppy and licked his face.

“Are you hungry boy? Are you hungry?” Kassius removed the fish from his bag and tore the flesh with his hand. He didn’t want Arcturus to get hurt with the bones.

Arcturus quickly devoured the fish, and Kassius remained there. He hugged the dog again.

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“I will never lose you again. I’m sorry for what I did. I’m glad you survived. I promise I won’t hurt you again.”

He stood, and realized what he was getting into, and what he was getting his friend into.

“That being said, Arcturus, I’m going to a very dangerous place.”

Kassius kept walking forward, removing the bow and arrow again. Arcturus walked by his side, always loyal and present. The forest trail went up as he walked stealthily.

The snowstorm soon faded and once again became sparse with little flakes that descended quietly, but the ground was sparkling white.

“Let’s keep going,” he said to himself, as Arcturus was way braver than he. Well, he didn’t know they were walking into the bear’s den.

The snow stopped descending as they got to the dense part of the forest. The bear’s cave stood immovable, white snow covering the entrance and the ground.

“Slowly, my friend,” Kassius said, preparing his bow. He whispered at the dog. “We’re going to be very silent, I’ll send you to the woods again if it’s dangerous for you.”

He expected hibernating bears to be deep sleepers. If that was the case, he would not have much to worry about, just sending Arcturus home.

“Heel,” he ordered, and Arcturus stood still under an evergreen. Kassius solemnly enter the cave, as the light of his lantern timidly shone over the dry floor. He tried to listen to the animal’s breathing, but he did not detect it. As he walked on, he noticed something staining the floor. Maybe the blood of a prey dragged into the cave. He kept walking, and almost tripped on something as big as a sack of potatoes.

“What is this?” He drew the lantern closer, and then took a step back, startled.

A bear cub lie there, its body cut open. Kassius illumined the area around, and found the other three bodies, and behind, a large splash of coagulated blood forming stripes, as if a wide body had been dragged through the floor.

The hunters had been early.

“My gods...” Kassius put the arrow away and knelt over the dead cubs. He took a deep breath.

But a shadow on the edge of the cave startled him. He took a stop back and quickly lightened the area. A small cub waited, pressed against the edge. Kassius noticed the despair in its eyes. Then, he heard it moan.

“Oh… What have they done to your kin?” Kassius knelt. “Come, little one.”

The cub remained in the corner, still frightened, scarred in its mind.

Kassius sighed.

“Take this.” He extracted the fish from his bag and offered it to the bear cub. The animal moved timidly but reached out and devoured it.

“I won’t hurt you.”

Kassius stood up, looking for the entrance. He realized piles of rock had been placed in areas of the cave. Against the rocky wall, he noticed a similar circle. He reached for his tools and created a lever to open the entrance. After applying a bit of strength, it gave way, revealing a wide and irregular tunnel, not like the one where they had taken refuge before, also constructed with an iron ladder next to the hatch.

Kassius took a deep breath and commenced his descent. The cavern sank deeper than he had imagined, into the bowels of the earth. He noticed the walls, although mostly crushed and widened by some violent force, were constructed of regular bricks. Kassius doubted they were created by old Tharcians, as the style was different.

The tunnel below had high walls, with a height that could surpass those of the Itruschian aqueducts of the day, and no less impressive. The time and effort put into them could indicate the existence of an entire city below ground. Was that the creation of Tharcians? Perhaps, if the legends were true, they had been made in the time of the giants.

When he had reached the bottom, he stretched out his arm and lightened the ground beneath, discovering piles of human bones, most of them intact, some even encased in fine clothes of olden age. Some of them showed signs of having been burnt, and their bodies were contorted and preserved in expressions of pain.

He kept walking, bewildered and frightened at what had gone on. The remains were still there, their leather clothes preserved through time. Then, he walked into a room where the walls seemed to have been struck by battering rams in all directions, what he found there startled him beyond belief.

A body lay across the hallway. The phenomenal being that had occupied it had a stature comparable to that of a tree, extending for fifteen yards. The proportion was similar to that of a regular man, only the legs may have been longer. Its spine had strange claw-like spikes coming out of it, and the colour of the decayed bone -as well as the texture- reminded him of iron ore.

Kassius knelt beside the figure, examining it, and astonished almost to death. The eye-sockets were surprisingly square, as well as the chin, but the skull was bulging and grotesque. He shivered at the thought. Giants were real. At least, they had been, and he was in front of one.

But he had no time to waste, so he advanced through the mummies. Those were wearing priestly garb, and he felt he had seen those robes before, as well as the metal tools they held in their bony hands.

Kassius paused for an instant and shut his eyes again. Where could that gem be? The stave sparkled in his mind, and he went on, toward a broken stone altar. A pile of small rocks from the wall had splattered about, covering it. Kassius stuck his hand inside and started removing the rocks.

There he saw, like in his visions, a faint green light. The pile of rocks descended at his feet, releasing the gem. Kassius’ heart was filled with pride as he removed it. Its dark green light danced with the shadows above, as light piercing through stained glass. He held it up in his hand. The power was in his hands, and above all, the legends were true.