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A single snowflake kissed the tip of Jessa’s nose, the sudden cold shock dissipating as it melted. She turned her gaze ahead, where a path between the mountains and hills was laid out with a light covering of white. Clouds hid the sky which peeked down into the valley, letting down a feathery flurry unperturbed by the still, windless air.

“Thank you again for coming along with me,” she said, breaking a long silence.

“Of course, we’d be fools to have you travel this road alone after all that’s transpired,” Deventh said. “Likewise, it was quite generous of you offering to go all the way to the University. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to pay a visit to the mages at the local Association.” Jessa smiled knowingly at his remark.

“Yes, the one in Kho’gul is especially…” She cleared her throat, opting not to finish her thought. “The University sometimes sends students to deliver them tools and alchemy apparati—they keep breaking them.” Her story incited a chuckle from him.

“Were you ever one of those students?” he asked.

“Unfortunately.” She nodded, rolling her eyes as she recalled the event. “Luckily I wasn’t alone though, my — study partner, Elyza, was there to keep things at least somewhat manageable.” Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered her friend. There had been a time when even hours apart were unthinkable. Yet now, weeks had passed since they last saw each other, and even with a few days to catch her breath after the rush of events in Kho’Gul, she hadn’t once stopped to spare a thought for her. A shiver traveled through her body, compelling her to change the subject.

“Um, anyway, if my tools don’t reveal anything, I can probably talk to my father as well. He’s a very skilled mage, so if anyone were to know what this necklace is, it would be him.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” said Deventh. “But let’s pick up the pace. There are some thick clouds moving in.” He quickened his step, and Jessa followed suit. She looked in the direction from which the gentle wind was blowing, and a portion of the already cloud-covered sky was much darker than the rest.

“How far do we have left?” she asked.

“Another six miles or so. If we move quickly, we can still make it.”

The blizzard fell upon them faster than either could have expected. Less than a half hour later, a storm similar to the one they had encountered on their way to Kho’Gul forced them off the road. As a white blanket buried the path ahead, the two sought shelter in a thick grove. Within, they found a series of boulders with an outcropping hanging over the remains of an abandoned campsite.

“We can camp here until the storm passes,” Deventh said as he placed his bag in the makeshift shelter. “This may not blow over for a while.”

Jessa followed him and set her bag down next to his. From it, she produced three separate cloths with food wrapped inside.

“I thought to bring some snacks, figuring we might get hungry along the way,” she said. “If we can get a fire going, we can bake some apples and warm up some dried meat. There’s cheese too, from Sheannore.”

“In that case, I’ll go look for kindling and wood. There was a dead bush near the road not too far back. I’ll visit it and be back soon. Stay put.” He disappeared into the fog that obscured everything beyond the sheltered area. Enough time passed for her mind to wander to the cusp of where waiting enkindled concern, but it was soon stomped out as a dark silhouette appeared.

“This should be enough. Let’s warm ourselves up,” said Deventh. Scrambling to her feet, Jessa brushed a light dusting of snow off a nearby rock to make room for the firewood. He thanked her as he set it down. His praise encouraging her to help more, she knelt down on the ground and began to reconstruct the remnants of a fire pit. In search of a tinderbox, Deventh rummaged through his belongings, watching as she rearranged the small rocks in a circle.

“Sorry that took a bit longer than expected,” he said. “The hellebores are in bloom, and I thought there’d be at least some leeway for me to get a few samples. I came back as soon as I noticed the wind picking up.”

“Oh, um, that’s okay.” Satisfied with the sturdiness of her rock stacking, Jessa reached behind and picked up the cloths containing the food. Setting them on her lap, she waited patiently for Deventh to stack the wood in the firepit.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With a strike of his flint and steel, he lit the tinder, and with a bit of nurture, the fire matured to a modest and steady burn. They sat in a withdrawn silence for some time, preoccupied with keeping warm as they roasted skewered apples and meat. While Deventh seemed content with enjoying the tranquility, Jessa found her anxiety accumulating faster than the snow, and she seized the first topic her racing mind could discern.

“My university actually held a field study in Quarryside to observe the townsfolk,” she said. “It’s fascinating that the Mezthrin and the Orcs live so harmoniously together, given the differences in their cultures. I always thought it was a cozy, rustic little place.”

“A field study? So you’ve spent quite a lot of time there?”

“Well…” Jessa pursed her lips. “No. I’ve only read the notes.”

“I can tell,” Deventh said, chuckling. “The orcs there hate Nelthrin, and are unfriendly to them at best–you know of the old land bridge incident. That grudge hasn’t completely died off. Luckily the Mezthrin don’t want to be bothered with the quarrels between the two.”

“I see,” Jessa said. “I wonder why that’s not in the books.”

“Many things aren’t.” The elf reached for a stick to stoke the fire. “I wouldn’t worry too much. So long as you don’t use any magic they shouldn’t cause you any trouble. Just be careful and stick close.”

Jessa gave a slow nod and let the conversation fade, whereafter the two focused on cooking their food. Distant and undemonstrative, Deventh seemed miles away despite his physical presence. Flames danced in Jessa’s eyes as her mind began to wander again, igniting another spark of anxiety which screamed at her to keep talking. After steeping in discomfort for some time, she spoke again.

“What’s your family like?”

“Not sure, I haven’t been home in five years,” Deventh said. “Though I’d imagine not much has changed.”

“Oh,” Jessa said, her voice reduced to a half-whisper. “I wish I could run away from home sometimes.”

“Most everyone tends to feel that way when they’re young.”

“Wait, how young do you think I am?”

“Twenty-four, generously. Though I’m not great with human age.”

“Close enough, I guess.” Jessa turned her skewer to the right, careful not to drop it with its heavy contents. She pinched the apple, checking it for doneness. “I’m nineteen. How old are you, then?”

“Sixty-three,” Deventh said. He watched as she took a hearty bite from her apple. The idea of living more than thrice the amount of time she’d already lived without showing any signs of aging was difficult for her to fathom, but her musing was interrupted by the scalding heat of the well-cooked apple. She huffed with regret at taking such a huge bite, releasing some of the steam to avoid burning her tongue.

“Is there anything you miss about home?” Jessa returned to the subject after her brief spectacle. She was unsure whether she was surprised or not when he nodded in response.

“The warmth, mostly.” A strange somberness found its way into his answer. “Drondaris itself is pleasant–the gray forests, the colorful wildlife, the fertile peninsula. Not so much the people. Though maybe there’s one or two I’d like to see again.”

“Like who?” Jessa asked as she took another bite of the apple. Deventh paused for a moment as he thought about how to respond.

“A cousin I used to get along with quite well. She’s a couple of years younger than me.”

“What’s she like?”

“Kind. Intelligent. Rebellious. We played a lot as children. Went about some mischief in our adolescent years.”

“You two were close, then?”

Another pause. “Aye, we were.”

Jessa reflected in silence on Deventh’s answers, wondering why he may have left such a fond kinship behind as she considered what to say next.

“I don’t have any cousins. Neither of my parents had siblings. I’m also an only child, so I don’t have any relations like that,” she said. “It sounds nice, though. Those memories are worth hanging onto.”

Deventh shrugged, unsure of how to respond. Quite some time had passed since he last thought of his family, and Jessa’s innocent curiosity left him conflicted, faced with a surge of memories he didn’t realize he had, in fact, held onto. The two continued to eat their fare in silence. Time marched on, and as they threw their apple cores into the fire, the storm still raged.

“Looks like we’ll be overnighting, then,” Deventh concluded as he added a new log to the fire. “Normally I wouldn’t advise it given the obvious, but with the current conditions it’s doubtful anyone would be trying anything tonight.”

“But what if that storm was what they were planning on?” Jessa asked. A pang of worry squeezed her chest.

“Just in case,” Deventh said, reaching for his bag. From it, he removed a sleeping pad and blankets, followed by a thin, coiled length of rope and a small leather pouch. He poured the contents out into his hand and revealed a collection of white bells, which made no sound as they moved.

“What is all that?” Jessa asked, cocking her head to one side.

“An alarm of sorts,” Deventh answered as he uncoiled the rope. Onto it, he threaded bells at evenly spaced intervals. “Tie the rope along the ground and turn it invisible. The bells are imbued with a utility spell that keeps them silent unless it’s tripped, so the wind should be no problem.”

“Oh. That’s kind of clever.”

Once more, Deventh vanished into the snow to set up his unusual alarm. A boulder offered its warmth, absorbing and radiating the heat of the fire. Jessa decided to set up her sleeping gear beside it. As the bone-chilling cold melted away from her body, she found herself growing more and more relaxed.

By the time Deventh returned, she had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep, thus he decided to clean up the rest of the food on his own. He then sat down on his bed roll and wrapped himself with blankets to keep warm.

Left to a peaceful solitude with no obligation to converse, he breathed a sigh of relief. His crimson eyes reflected the fire, which beckoned him home as old memories continued flooding in. Although the night progressed, and although he was unsure of the last time he’d slept, he felt no heaviness in his eyelids, no pull toward the realm of sleep. As was his usual inclination, he would simply wait for sunrise.