An Unexpected Guest

After nearly three weeks of traveling through thick forests, plains of wheat as far as the eye could see, and hills that caused a few of us to trip more times than any of us would like to admit, we finally reached a village from which the peaks of the Blutklamm were visible.

“They’re beautiful,” I said as I stood by the edge of the village, seeing the mountain peaks in the distance.

“And dangerous,” Faelar said, patting me on the back and ushering me forward as the four of us proceeded to make our way out of the village after stocking up on supplies.

I pulled my coat tight as the icy winds pierced my skin. Looking over at Amber, she pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders while both Faelar and Jaeger casually strolled onward.

Jaeger, seeing me warm my hands up by rubbing them against each other, let out a chuckle. “It’s about to get much colder, sir,” he laughed.

I slowed my pace as we walked on the trail. Trees as tall as apartment complexes surrounded us from both sides as I tried to walk alongside Amber.

“Cold?” I asked as I breathed into my cupped hands, the air from my mouth lingering, dancing for a few seconds before vanishing.

Amber nodded, her hands hidden beneath her cloak. We continued to walk in silence as Faelar and Jaeger led the group toward the Blutklamm mountain range.

“So, did you see her?” Amber’s voice cut through the howls of wind.

“See who?”

“The All-Mother,” she replied, even more curtly than before.

For a few seconds, I continued to stare at Amber, her eyes searching mine for answers.

“Yes,” I sighed.

Amber looked away, turning her gaze downward to the snow-covered trail as we marched onward. “So that story about you being from the ‘East,’” she let out a somber chuckle.

“I’m sorry, Amber, I just didn’t think you—anyone—would believe me.” My words hung in the air, the howls and screeches of the icy wind being my only reply for a few seconds.

Amber shook her head. “I was stupid, I mean, to think I actually believed that,” her gaze drooped further, a small, faint smile spread across her face, “but I thought that what we had—what we were—was special.”

Before I could respond, she hastened her steps, catching up to both Jaeger and Faelar at the front, giving them instructions about where the hidden tunnel was located, leaving me behind to question myself.

We continued walking for hours. The snow around us thickened, and the sky turned into a purplish hue. The tiny, gray mountain peaks that I saw at the edge of the village were now much clearer and larger, waiting for us.

Faelar turned around to face us, his hair dancing in the wind, his breath heavy. “We’ve lost enough daylight as is; it’s best if we continue on the trail tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, please,” Jaeger’s words struggled to come out from between his labored breaths as he grabbed his knees with his hands.

“We’re only a few hours away,” Amber persisted, her voice loud. “We can reach the tunnels before midnight.”

“Faelar’s right,” I said. “We don’t know what we might encounter during the night. It’s best to lay low for now.”

Amber remained silent, walking away from both me and Faelar, leaving us to decide where to camp for the night.

After bickering over where to place our camp, Faelar chose a spot with the most tree coverage. “It should shield us from both snow and any wandering eyes that take the trail,” he said.

Jaeger and I got to setting up the tents while Amber lit a fire using her magic, which for a few seconds got a bit out of control, and Faelar subdued it promptly.

While walking around the camp, trying to ‘secure the perimeter’ as Faelar called it, I came across bootprints. After asking Jaeger about it, who dismissed them as ‘weeks old’ as he carried firewood, we both decided to head back to the camp.

The fire crackled, casting dancing shadows across the snow as night settled around us. I sat near the edge of the light, rubbing my hands together, trying to chase away the chill that clung to my bones.

Amber sat across from me, her face illuminated by the firelight. She stared into the flames, silent and withdrawn, the flicker of the blaze reflecting in her eyes. Every so often, she would tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, only to immediately turn away if our eyes met.

Jaeger hummed softly to himself as he tried grilling meat over the fire, clearly trying to break the tension in the camp without actually addressing it. Faelar, meanwhile, sat slightly apart from the rest of us, polishing his sword with slow, deliberate motions. His ears twitched every now and then, as if listening for sounds beyond the crackle of the fire and the howling wind.

“Food’s ready,” Jaeger called out, giving each of us a piece of meat wrapped in a rag. “Even a convenience store bento would taste better,” I thought to myself as I tore the meat with my teeth, the taste almost too bland.

After a pitiful dinner, Jaeger and Amber both decided to head to their tents while I stood loitering around the camp, letting the night’s icy winds bite away at my face.

The snow was falling harder now, a near-constant curtain of white that obscured the dark treeline. Somewhere far off, a wolf howled.

“Can’t sleep either?” Faelar’s voice came from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder to see him approaching, his breath misting in the cold air.

“Too much on my mind,” I admitted.

“Understandable,” Faelar said. His tone was quiet, reflective. “We are about to tread into dangerous ground. And not just the mountains.”

Before I could reply, a sharp crack echoed through the trees, like a branch snapping under weight.

I froze, my heart pounding as I tried tracing the origins of the sound.

Faelar’s posture shifted immediately, his hand on his sword as he scanned the darkness. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “Could be an animal.”

“No.” His voice was cold, certain. “That was no beast.”

The forest fell silent, unnaturally so. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a cloaked figure caught my eye, jumping from one tree to the next. The trees shook, snow falling to the ground, as they made their way closer to Faelar and me.

As soon as the light of the camp illuminated the figure, the tiniest glimmer revealed the two daggers that the figure carried in their hands, heading straight toward us. My feet moved on their own as I threw myself between Faelar and the oncoming figure.

A white-hot pain tore through my chest as the flat of the dagger slammed into me, driving the breath from my lungs and forcing me to my knees.

“ARE YOU INSANE?” Faelar cried out from behind me as I clutched my chest.

“Stay out of this, human!” the cloaked figure spoke, the voice of a woman as she spun the daggers in her hand, taking a defensive stance as she dropped back.