Leaving Gilthor was an uncomplicated affair, Wick had seen to all the preparations the previous night. He had grown as a quartermaster and his logistical skills were honed. The four horses plowed through the fresh snow which had fallen during the white night. The horses themselves were massive, stocky, fur covered creatures. It was peaceful and silent, making the cold bite harder as it was difficult to focus on anything else. Everything was white as far as Mitchell could see across the frozen plains. He could make out a forest in the distance by the horizontal slivers of brown boughs. He placed his hand on his eyepatch to switch, but refrained thinking of Runa. He did not like anyone to know about the emerald eye and chose to keep it secret to hold an advantage should the need arise.

The emerald eye, the source of his power and magic. Great distances could be seen with it, heart beats, and the warmth of bodies. It was an excellent tool during negotiations as not only did it look menacing when unveiled, but allowed him insight into whomever he spoke with. The most impressive feature was a predictive ability and the speed to react to most attacks.

  “How far is your village and does it get any warmer during the day?” Wick called up to Runa who was leading the party.

  “A few miles, we should arrive in about eight hours. We do not want to get stuck in the open. Wolves and snow cougars will track us during the day and strike when we appear most vulnerable.” Runa answered. “And no, it does not get warmer.”

  “Did you trek through this all by yourself?” Wick questioned.

  “Not like anyone was going to do it for me.” Runa sharply replied.

  “But you did not have a horse? I had to negotiate to get a fourth this morning. By your own words it was ridiculously dangerous, not to mention foolish to travel here on foot alone.” Wick continued.

  “It was dangerous, but I have lived out here my entire life and respect Cova’s domain. We followers of Stagva must respect the lord of winter and his merciless, fickle nature or he will brutally remind us.” Runa explained.

  The party continued on for several hours with the winds assaulting them until eventually clearing. They traveled through a thickly wooded forest and came out on the other side. They only ever stopped to conduct nature’s business. Runa knew the area in detail and guided them on the easiest path though the going was still frigid and difficult. In the distant sky, Mitchell could see columns of smoke from what must have been Runa’s village. “There.” Runa proclaimed pointing in the direction. “We are close.”

  Mitchell noticed movement to his left. Emerging a little behind them to the north was a herd of about twenty deer. Mitchell watched as they maneuvered in a diagonal away from them and up a small hill. At the crest most disappeared from sight, but the last lingered. It turned and looked down on the travelers. Mitchell starred back. He had not seen many deer and it was fascinating to look upon one. They were sort of akin to the bluebucks in the south and on Do’ Remxus. This one had gray fur and a little white tail which flicked about. He had always heard they were skittish beasts, but this one was curious. It did not stand still while it watched. It paced back and forth on top of the hill, never taking its eyes away from him. “Runa, look at the deer. What is it doing?” Mitchell asked.

  Runa snapped her head left to see then brought her focus back forward. “Do not stare at it. It is- it will bring misfortune upon you.”

  Mitchell looked at Runa puzzled, but took one last parting peek at the deer, but it had already vanished on the other side of the hill. “Why does staring bring misfortune? How do you hunt them?” Mitchell questioned.

  “Stagva save me. You outsiders sure do run your mouths. You do not need an explanation, just do as I say, alright?” Runa complained in an agitated tone.

  Mitchell detected the deflection of a liar. This girl was blunt, hardy, and probably a decent hunter, but lying was not one of her skills. Lifting his eye patch, Mitchell wanted to see her heart. Since he had gotten the emerald eye, he had learned all of its tricks which had proved most valuable in his escapades for the Farseeker Guild. He peered at her and could see the warmth of her body beneath the warm fur coat and at the center the rhythm of her heart. It was pounding fast. She was certainly aggravated by the questions, but they seemed simple enough. Mitchell decided to remain silent, but the further he got from civilization the more uneasy he felt. He looked back to his companions, Wick did not seem bothered, merely trying to keep warm, but Ekim appeared nervous. He had his head on a swivel and would occasionally glance behind himself to the path they had created. “Ekim, what are you looking at? Did you lose something?” Mitchell questioned.

  Ekim rubbed his head as if displeased with himself. “I am sure it is nothing, but I am uncomfortable like I am being watched.”

  “Watched by what?” Wick asked.

  “Wolves.” Runa interrupted. “They have been following us for about an hour or at least their scouts.”

  “Scouts?”

  “They were hunting the deer when they caught the scent of horses. Damn beasts shit when and where they please and leave an obvious trail. Ekim is last in our line so they are sizing him up.”

  “You must be a skilled hunter with your knowledge of wolves to have avoided them on your way to Gilthor.” Mitchell complimented.

  Runa shrugged. “Stagva protects his hunters.”

  “What should we do about the wolves?” Ekim called up, gripping his sword hilt, now made even more nervous by the revelation.

  Waving a dismissing hand over her head, Runa called back. “Nothing, we will be at my village soon. Do not shit yourself yet.”

  The ride was quiet from there to the village. Mitchell checked his two hand crossbows and the sword on his belt. He did not know what he would find in this village, but he knew they had probably been followed by hunters in the employ of Guati. They would be ready if they were suddenly ambushed.

  Calling Burrow, a village was an overstatement and insulting to villages. It was a hamlet with six houses on either side of a muddy, sloppy road. Most of the houses were built solid, but were showing age and wear. The few people going about their chores stopped what they were doing to glare at the newcomers with suspicion. The people wore ragged clothes in layers to combat the cold. Most were women and children who watched with blank stares. Their gazes were most unwelcoming. At the end of the lane of houses was a stable. It was run down like much of the hamlet, but it still stood resilient against the weather and wind a testament to whatever frontiersman built it.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Mitchell could hear and smell the usual noises and stink of pigs as Runa dismounted to open the doors. “This barn does not get much use these days other than the pigs, but it will keep the horses safe from the cold.” Runa explained. She lifted up the bar which was keeping the door secure and dropped it to the side with a hard thud.

  “Wick, come with me and grab the reins of Ekim’s horse. Ekim, keep watch. I do not expect much from the peasants here, but we cannot be sure.” Mitchell commanded.

  “They will gossip about you and curse you to leave, but will not hurt you.” Runa proclaimed, crossing her arms.

  Mitchell tilted his head back and forth to stretch the muscles in his stiff neck. “Better safe having someone watching the rear as a precaution. I am sure they are lovely-” Mitchell hesitated. “-people.”

  The men dismounted with Mitchell and Wick entering the stable and Ekim remaining outside.

  The inside of the stable was horrid to the nose as the stench waged a war on his senses. Mitchell quickly lifted up his face mask to try and block it. To the right was a pen which stretched the length of the barn. Inside were six unusually hairy pigs grunting and snorting as they lay about in the mud. On the other side was a set of pens for horses. They put the beasts away, each in their own stall and removed the supplies and saddles. “They will be safe here. The cold slips in, but it will not kill them.” Runa said. She took a deep breath to gather her composure or release tension, Mitchell could not tell. “Now, let's go talk to my mother.” Runa pushed past the two, led them out, closed the doors, and replaced the bar.

  Showing them to her home, smoke was exhaled from the chimney as they approached the front door. Snow covered the roof and the windows had been shuttered and boarded up. Mitchell could not tell how long ago it had been this way due to the wood browning and its age. This detail drew Mitchell to look at the other houses. Each one was the same sight, every window covered up making each home a fortress. Runa knocked on the door which Mitchell found odd since it was supposedly her dwelling. There was the sound of wood grinding on wood, the undoing of a lock, and the door scraped open against the floor.

  Stepping into the light was a woman in her thirties, but she had aged poorly. She had dark bags under her eyes and wore a faded dress which was covered in smears of mud and soot. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun held by twine. The woman grabbed Runa and pulled her in for an embrace. She sobbed and tears fell from her cheeks. “Stagva thank you! Stagva thank you! I thought you were gone! Why did you have to leave?! I thought you were dead just like Asger. Why did you do this to me, I cannot lose you too?”

  Runa grimaced at the sudden affection. “The very reason I left, mama. Someone had to go get help, because papa is alive! I can feel it. He has to be!” Runa pleaded.

  “You dumb child. You know-” Runa’s mother opened her eyes and saw Mitchell, Wick, and Ekim standing before her. She jerked up in a sudden motion and wiped the tears from her face. She was attempting to show a strong exterior, but it was too late for such stances. “Who are these outsiders? Why have you brought them?” Her mother anxiously questioned.

  “Allow me to introduce myself and my companions.” Mitchell announced, removing his hat and taking a gentlemanly bow. “My name is Mitchell Fisher and this is Ekim and Wick. We are here representing the Farseeker Guild and believe the recent disappearance of Runa’s father may be connected to some shortcomings of the Hunter’s Guild.”

  “My name is Jarngerd.” Runa’s mother stuttered and squinted at the trio. Jarngerd grabbed hold of Runa’s arm abruptly. Her eyes widened as if a horror had overtaken her. “You go to get help and this is what you came back with? A bunch of foolish outsiders who do not have a single idea of what is happening here. How much did you tell them, Runa? What in Stagva’s name did you say? You did not do what I think you did. Burrow has suffered enough.”

  Runa pulled herself free from her mother’s grasp and scowled at her. “In Stagva’s name, I did not, mama. Besides, they were all I could convince. Every hunter in Gilthor knew why I was there and shit their trousers at the thought of lifting a finger to help us. The outsiders were the only ones who would listen.”

  “You would damn them as well? What poor misfortune did you bring on them?!” Jarngerd continued. “Once they go out to search, they will meet the same fate as the rest of the hunters!”

  Mitchell did not care for the shift in tone and vague warnings off their demise as he listened to the pair. This was new information Runa had not told him nor Gauti. A thought crawled into his head that he may have stumbled into something he was not expecting. “I am concerned, we may have gotten our ideas on what was happening in Burrow confused. What exactly do you people think is the cause of your hunter’s disappearances?”

  “We cannot say. It will come back.” Jarngerd pleaded. “I am so sorry she brought you here. She is naught but a stupid child. You need to leave tomorrow as soon as the sun rises.”

  What was going to come back? Mitchell thought. Everyone had spoken in riddles or not at all since he had arrived in the frozen north. No one was willing to speak the truth of what was happening. Mitchell would not be denied, he had traveled through the treacherous snow to be here. “You people continue to be nothing, but cryptic. Surely, you can tell me what is making the hunters disappear? Do it for your husband, tell me.”

  “How dare you!” Jarngerd scoffed and attempted to slap Mitchell, but his reflexes were too swift and he caught her hand. He could tell she was exhausted from worrying about Asger and Runa’s disappearance.

   “Jarngerd, I do not want to be here in this frozen wasteland any more than I need to be, but if anyone can help you in this matter. It is me.”

  Jarngerd jerked her hand, but Mitchell’s grip did not break. “You speak with misplaced courage and you will wind up like the rest.” She snarled. Mitchell let go of her wrist. Dusting her dress, she stood straight again. “You men must leave, but I will not resign you to a cruel fate out in the wilderness. You may stay until morning then you will be gone from here.”

  This was odd to Mitchell. The white night was not going away anytime soon yet they still spoke of day and night. The animals of the forest still must follow some pattern, he guessed. Nodding his head, Mitchell agreed. “We appreciate it. How many beds do you have?” Mitchell asked. He knew the answer, but wanted to step away to speak with Ekim and Wick.

  “We only have two. You will have to sleep on the floor.” Jarngerd sharply answered.

  It was the answer Mitchell wanted. “Understandable then allow us to get our supplies in order then we will come inside. Your hospitality is a blessing.” Mitchell thanked and turned away. With a nod of his head, he signaled for the other two to follow him. They trudged back over to the barn where Ekim dropped the supplies between them.

  “Sir, I will be honest, we were wrong to come here. I do not believe Gauti has anything to do with what plagues these people.” Wick claimed. He looked over to the forest in the distance. “It seems something more sinister.”

  Mitchell massaged the bridge of his nose and grunted in acknowledgment. “Perhaps. The way these people talk makes it sound as if some monster is the culprit, not a plot of murder.”

  “It seems there have been many disappearances as well. I only noticed women and children. They will not even talk about it openly for fear it will return.” Wick added.

  Ekim waved his hand. “Well, what are we going to do if it is some monster? We should leave in the morning.” Mitchell knew Ekim wanted out of the snow and to be back in a comfortable and warm inn. He could not blame him.

  “Let us not be so hasty, Ekim.” Mitchell said calmly. “It could still be some elaborate murder.”

  “The people are terrified, you of all people can see it on their faces. They know how to deal with wolves and snow cats. It must be something quite terrible. The only question I have is why they have not left yet?” Wick proclaimed.

  “Fear. Fear is what keeps them here or pride.” Mitchell answered. “They would certainly lose people along the way to the elements and wolves. Adding an unknown beast to it and it is no wonder they have not tried.”

  “Well, Runa made it to Gilthor without a horse.” Ekim claimed.

  Mitchell wagged a finger. “She is a hunter. It is not a reach of the imagination that she knows tricks to avoid being discovered or detected. Moving with a group through this terrain would be like ringing dinner bells.”

  “Then what are we going to do?” Wick asked, crossing his arms.

  Mitchell smirked and looked towards the snow-covered meadow leading to the forests which surrounded the hamlet. Staring at the trees gave him a delightful sense of unease and the unknown. He knew what he was going to do. He did not care for the fate of the village, but he could hear Kiara in his ear telling him to help since he had the power to do so. Besides this was not his first experience with creatures of questionable origins wielding strange powers. He thought about what it could possibly be and hoped it would not all come down to a rapid wolf or brazen snow cat. “This beast poses a unique challenge and I will conquer it.” Mitchell declared.

  Wick sighed. “But why, sir. You guessed it was pride which kept the people here. Have you learned nothing?”

  The bravery of Wick to question him after all that had occurred within the last year almost impressed Mitchell. “This is different, Wick. I respect your counsel as my quartermaster for our travels, but I will not be questioned on these matters. We are going to go out there and find out what beast is holding up our trade here. Do you understand?”

  Looking down at the ground, Wick rubbed the back of his neck. “Your mind is made up, I see. Well, you are right this is different.” Wick admitted.

  Proudly smiling, Mitchell grasped the shoulders of his companions “I am always right, now let this game of cat and mouse begin.”