“The last time, you ask.” Dura Firebringer said again, her voice soft, wistful even. She fell silent for a moment, before letting out a long, drawn out sigh.

“It was different, but, in a way, the same.” she began, her voice distant.

“The last time I came home, not just from a short trip but from a journey that might have taken me to my Ancestors was two years ago and I returned alone. But I hadn’t started my journey alone, I was just the only one to return. And they never let me forget that.” she paused, gently shaking her head.

“Originally, there had been three of us, three best friends. Thronar was the oldest of us and, in many ways, our leader. He was the one who suggested heading out of the valley to go beyond the range we travelled in the summer, to see what we only knew from stories, told late at night by the fire. To see distant places and experience what the world has to offer.” she chuckled, a wry smile on her lips.

“What he wanted to see, the Border of Eternal Snow, far in the north of Aletoma and the Ocean of Drifting Ice beyond it. To visit the Blazing Desert and see if the Daimons truly go around naked, to escape the heat. Would you believe that he wanted to go to the elves and climb the reborn World Tree? Just the glint in his eyes, when he made his plans, the incredible deeds he imagined, as if nothing would ever stop us.” the smile on her lips turned brittle, before she shook her head again and continued.

“And my dear friend, my best friend, sweet Marj. She was the sister I never had. The sister I always wanted to have.” she stopped again, falling silent for a minute or two. I respected her silence, simply waiting for her to continue. When she continued, her voice seemed a little stronger, more composed.

“We were born in the same summer, just a few days apart, in the same house. Our fathers were out, driving one of the herds and our mothers were working in the guest-house, to have someone to stay with, in case they needed help. And to help, as much as they were able to. Marj and I have been friends, since we were born, always together, always helping the other, no matter what.” as she spoke, the gentle smile returned.

“You would have liked her.” for the fist time, since she had started to speak, her eye focused on me. “She was always trying to understand something, to figure something out. She had no talent to bond with the spirits, but her mind was sharp and she managed to learn a little magic on her own. Nothing extraordinary, at least at first, but she was working hard, never letting her lack of talent get into the way. When I was trained by one of the older shamans, she had nobody, just her mind and a stubborn streak a mile wide. When Thronar suggested heading out, she was all for it. She wanted to see more, experience all there is and learn everything she could get her hands on.” she continued, her eyes growing distant once again.

“We set out together and it was like nothing I could ever have dreamed off. And I’m glad about that, some of the things we saw, they haunt my sleep to this day.” her body shook visibly for a moment, before she got herself back under control.

“If I had known what we would experience, what would happen, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to head out in the first place. I might have taken the cowards way out and stayed home, never daring to venture out beyond our accustomed hunting grounds. But I would have missed the good times, the marvels we have seen and the miracles we witnessed. Maybe I would have had less nightmares but I certainly would have fewer wonderful memories. All in all, I think I’m glad that we went.” she paused again, reaching into a small, inconspicuous bag she was carrying on her waist, only for her hand to emerge with a metal flask larger than the bag.

When she raised the flask to her lips to drink, I decided to drink with her and pushed out my magic, creating a cold, one might even say icy, mug and filled it with Liquid Moonlight. At first, I had enjoyed drinking it as a casual show of power, but somehow, I had begun to enjoy the curious taste of Ice, the intricacies inherent to my own, personal Astral Power. When Dura saw my own drink, one of her eyebrows went up and I heard a chuckle but she didn’t comment, instead she continued with her story.

“Our journey took us south first, towards the ocean. There is a trade-caravan that comes here, every year, to buy some of our wares, especially the glass we create. They take it to a port-town called Emerald Cove, selling it there. Not sure Thronar convinced the merchants that it would be a good idea to take us with them as additional guards. I have no idea how he managed that feat.” she admitted, the smile now morphed into an amused grin.

“We were so clueless, part of me wants to laugh. Sure, we had heard the stories, had listened to those who had been travelling and returned. But the dangers they spoke of, we were confident that we could overcome them. How young we were, how young and reckless.” she paused for a moment, taking another drink.

“Luckily, the regular caravan-guards took a bit of a liking to us, especially to Thronar, he had a way with people. Without them, we might have been forced to turn back, either before we ever got to Emerald Cove, or shortly after. The lessons they taught us, they stayed with us for our journey.

“But Emerald Cove was only the first stop, the first of many. We stayed there for a while, almost a season, before we continued on, again on Thronar’s urging. And again, he managed to talk someone into hiring us for a job, we had no real experience with or ability to do. That time, it was as deck-hands on a small freighter, heading to northern Daiea. He regretted that one, at least for a while, the sea didn’t agree with him and he spent most of the journey feeding the fishes.” she laughed as she spoke, her eyes distant again.

“Those were good times. Daiea was great, especially the northern parts and the Great Desert. Even now, I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of standing on a dune, feeling the burning fires of heaven above, reflected by the gleaming sands below. It was…” her voice trailed off, lost in the memory. Part of me was glad she didn’t know how to describe the experience, it sounded deeply unpleasant. Why would anyone want to have the sun above reflected below? Just the idea made me shudder in discomfort.

“We travelled for years, finding friends and comrades on the way, some of them staying with us for a few weeks, maybe just for a single Quest handed out by the Guild, others travelling with us for months or, in the case of Kwyla, for over four years.” she paused again, taking another drink, deeper this time.

“Kwyla and Marj hit it off instantly, especially when Kwyla started to teach Marj some of the magic she had learned in the Mages’ Guild. Nothing forbidden or secret, but enough to get Marj registered as a Guild Mage, giving her access to their facilities and, most important, their books. At times, it was difficult to get those two out of the library.” her voice grew heavy with the telling and she took another pull from her flask.

“But we continued to travel and finally, I think after almost three years, Thronar talked us into another journey by ship, back north, to a port called Julius’ Fortune, on the western tip of Aretia. By that time, Thronar and I had become quite close, doing a lot of things together.” there was another tear forming in one of her eyes, only to be quickly blinked away.

“And, just like we had when in Daiea, we continued travelling. Doing whatever quests we could, helping some people, others not so much. It was a good life, an interesting life. We never stayed too long in one place, always on the move, at least if we managed to get our two book-worms out of their Guild’s libraries. The two of them enjoyed their studies, they enjoyed each other’s company and they enjoyed taking their experiments out into the wild, only for some of them to explode in their faces. But as they grew in power, so did the demands of the Mages’ Guild they wanted the two of them to give up their adventures and focus on the aspect of magic they were delving into. And finally, Kwyla and Marj agreed. They decided to stay, to permanently join the Mages’ Guild in Kuresu.” by now, another tear had formed, followed by another. No amount of blinking had stopped them from rolling down her face but Dura seemed too absorbed in her story to even notice.

“Thronar and I talked about it. I wanted to stay in Kuresu, or at least in the area. While Marj and I hadn’t been as close as we had been when we set out, I still loved my sister and didn’t want to leave her behind. But Thronar managed to convince me that we should continue. If only I hadn’t agreed.” the metal flask dropped from her hand, as she hunched over, hugging herself, as sobs shook her body.

“If only I had been stronger. Maybe he would still be alive.” her voice was choked, barely understandable but the pain radiating from her made her words clear and obvious. Obvious enough to bring tears to my own eyes.