After fighting with the Ankhegs, we quickly left the scene, not wanting to face more of the creatures. While they were not a big problem in a small group, as we had just faced, I had that creepy feeling that they were more like ants and images of being swarmed by hundreds, maybe thousands, of dog-sized insectoid monsters, looking to devour our flesh were quite effective in spurring us on.

It was only when dusk forced us to slow down that we did and, for a moment, I was considering the best way to make sure we wouldn’t be attacked during the night. Ultimately, my solution was probably overkill but I was having an itching sensation between my shoulders, driving me to extremes. The cold, cutting wind didn’t help my mood any, making me irritated and slightly paranoid.

The space we chose to rest was nothing special, the flat land around us wasn’t showing any good spots to rest anyway, so we simply choose one at random, where I worked my magic. Copious amounts of magic allowed me to conjure small pillars of ice, set in two circles around one slightly larger central pillar. The whole construction wasn’t too large, the diameter of the outer circle was maybe four meters and had twelve pillars, the middle circle was maybe two meters in diameter with six pillars and the center pillar was about a meter in diameter. The other pillars were only half that, and about as high as wide. Once the pillars were constructed, I needed to regenerate Astral Power before continuing my construction. The others looked at me with a mix of disbelief and awe, especially once I started again.

The next part of my work was a solid sheet of ice to lay on the pillars, and into that sheet, I placed a warding rune that I had learned some time ago from the book the Grandmother had given me. I had to inlay the rune in my own blood, something I gladly gave for a night of secure sleep, as it would alert me if the sheet was disturbed. The final step was to add a round ceiling to the construction, keeping the wind out and the warmth in. I even remembered to add a hole above the middle, allowing the smoke to leave.. In essence, I had set an icy igloo on a set of pillars, making sure that no monster was digging through the floor the get at us.

The construction had taken me about half an hour, time the others had spent huddled together after I had told them not to start a fire yet, knowing I wanted it inside my construction. When I put the finishing touches, namely a small ladder that allowed us easy entry to the opening in the dome, their expressions had mostly recovered but there was still some awe left. I had, after all, just pulled a small building from the air - granted, it was only a single room but still, it would allow us to rest in peace. And just as I thought that, I forcibly erased the thoughts that came unbidden with that idea.

Once we were inside, I quickly closed up the opening with a small plug made from ice, easily removable from the inside but less easy from the outside. When I thought about the fire we wanted, I added a bowl, or maybe calling it a brazier would be better, slightly higher than the floor and made fully from Hard Ice. I was curious how the ostensibly stronger material would fare against a normal fire and how it would melt. Would it be water or something different?

I even added small chains hanging from the opening above, allowing us to hang up our pot so we could cook a nice stew. Soon, we were quite comfortable, the temperature high enough that I had shed most of my clothes, instead snuggling with Sigmir for warmth. Yes, lying in her arms, watching the stars through the small air-hole was definitely for warmth and no other purpose. Rai and Adra were also quite cozy, I was curious if they were merely together for warmth and companionship or if there was more. But I could hardly just ask, such a thing would be supremely uncomfortable and awkward in the real world, never mind here with the different social norms. What if even insinuating that they were in a relationship was something akin to asking someone back home if they were having a sexual relationship with their dog? I doubted that such extreme prejudice existed but I simply didn’t know. They were two distinctly different species after all, so there might be some idea about continuing lineages and such. I doubted that a dryad who, according to my current understanding of magical biology, reproduced by essentially merging with a tree and, well, playing the pollen and bee-game afterwards, could mate with a beastman who I was quite sure was, biologically speaking, quite boringly, reproducing like any other mammal.

“What has you so deep it thought, dear?” Sigmir asked, startling me from my ruminations and causing me to brightly blush. There was no way I could explain how I was thinking about the mating habits for our companions, I would risk melting the igloo with the heat of my blush.

“Nothing important. I was just wondering if I should have made two igloos.” I answered, quickly coming up with a good excuse that covered my sudden blush. It was quite successful, as Sigmir blushed almost as red as I did, showing that she understood my intent perfectly well. And it was true, while Sigmir and I happily cuddled together even when Rai and Adra were mere meters away, neither of us was interested in putting on a show for them.

Shaking off those thoughts and desires, I got up. Sigmir looked at me questioning and I told her what I was planning.

“The whole day, I felt that there was something in the wind, something magical. I hoped to maybe find out a little more, now that we are resting here.”

Rai and Adra shuddered, either labelling me an idiot for going out into the cold wind or feeling jealous that I could do so without suffering overmuch for it.

I crawled out the hole after knocking the icy plug down, carefully closing it after me. For me, the plug was no obstacle, it was made with the power of my magic after all, so I had control over it. Outside, I instantly felt the cold and icy wind dance around me, blowing in from the north.

Walking a quarter of the way around the igloo, I stood, facing directly into the wind and closed my eyes. I remembered the times I had danced with the storm, letting the wind play around me and even merge with it, to influence it but at the same time get influenced by it. I was not certain I wanted to try that here, not with the unknown power riding the wind. I remembered far too well how Lenore had used the wind of her wings to carry death to the single surviving bandit. While the wind alone was not enough to harm, if I merged with it, that might change. Instead, I simply let myself breathe, tasting the air in my mouth, smelling it with my nose.

I stood there, for a minute or an hour, I don’t know, slowly breathing the air and trying to make sense of the sensation I was having. I was quite certain that I was feeling something, was smelling something, but what? That I simply didn’t know.

Lenore had watched my actions from the back of my mind, letting me use my own senses which were better at subtle detection but not as good as her sight when it came to the bigger picture.

I felt her focus her sight, staring out of her Hallow into the world but, other than the igloo behind us, there was no magic to be seen.

“You have that feeling as well, don’t you?” I asked, knowing the answer before I had finished the question.

“Yes, something’s out there.” she agreed, the two of us still staring into the darkness.

I felt the curiosity bubble around in me, I wanted to know what was out there. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to try merging my mind into the wind - I had managed to survive when the wind raptors had thrown their magical murder ritual against me, hadn’t I? That had even boosted my powers to use rituals directing my magic.

I closed my eyes back up, slowly moving with the wind, ignoring Lenore’s surprised squak but she was just as curious as I was. Slowly at first, tentative and maybe a little skittish, I started to dance with the wind’s caress. What had felt biting and irritating before was now feeling softer, less harsh, almost gentle, emboldening me to continue.

I felt myself start to rise above my body, ready to ride the wind, dance on the updrafts and race with it over the frozen earth.

And suddenly, I felt something else, something powerful.

I think I heard a scream, carried away by the wind.

I think I felt pain.

And then, I felt nothing more, as darkness claimed me.