Flowers are seen as fragile, but take the Snowdrop. It can grow in snow and harsh winter conditions. Flowers aren’t fragile, but tenacious. The Snowdrop must endure to bloom and expose its beautiful soul—that isn’t weakness. Tenacity is true power.

~Blodeuwedd, Goddess of Flowers and Wisdom

A long, unnaturally straight lake appeared before them with steep scree-covered sides. It looked like a sword slashed the muddy ground and left a long, straight gouge—assuming the sword was several kilometers long. The sight before them was unimaginably beautiful, a picturesque scene that would be hard to capture with words or paint.

Although cracked like dried mud, the surrounding area added to the majesty and mysteriousness of the place. The shattered land had survived its devastation, and life reclaimed it once more.

“This…” Mara’s soft voice trailed off.

“They call this place the Divide,” Crow informed them in a voice barely above a whisper. “As beautiful as that lake appears, do not approach it. That oppressive feeling is from the beasts below its surface—our deterrent to the Fire-Maned Lion to the north.”

“Seriously, I am not buying it anymore,” Mara finally said, her voice elevating. “How do you know all this?”

“Books.”

“No one reads that much.”

Crow held up his palms, the scars vivid against his tanned flesh. His eyes stared vacantly at the placid water.

“Did you know I was there when my mother was stolen? Three, maybe four years old, left alone and naked hours from our ancestral grounds deep in a forest. Nightfall was not far away. No food. No weapons. No hope. They left me with two vestiges, one by my mother and one by the man who took her. I held those two vestiges as if life itself depended on it—and I ran. Ran until I fell, then got up and kept running. My little legs pumped as fast as they could, my feet torn by rocks and branches,” Crow’s voice cracked. “Only a few people know this, but I remembered that day in perfect clarity. I live it every day, and it tears at my soul. Not long after that, I started training with my father and haven’t stopped since.”

“Daman, man…” Lonny said, and the other two just stared open-mouthed.

“If that had been all, I’d have coped. Days after that, Mugna told us that my father would leave. Ten years at most, so I spent them with him. Learning. Refusing to leave his side because I knew I wouldn’t have the luxury of having my parents look after me. We got eight years before dryads and a White Lady attacked me—it was her who prematurely awakened my Source. She laughed before my father shattered her soul, permanently wiping her from existence. She said the heavens would never let someone like me exist, and she made sure they saw me. I’ve been waiting for calamity ever since.”

Crow finally looked over at the three staring at him and shook his head.

“You’ve all lived sheltered lives. Secure. I have not. I read. I train. I look for ways to get stronger. I don’t hesitate. I don’t look for trouble because I have enough of it already. You ask how I know about this place? Because the moment I knew I’d get sent here, I researched. I read everything and anything I could find on this place. I memorized it all.” Crow looked towards the sky. “Because fuck the gods’ damned heavens and their fucking cage.”

Crow spat on the ground, voicing his rage for the first time in front of others. With that, he said nothing more and walked onward.

Mara and the others glanced at each other in shock, and their understanding and estimation of Crow rose. He had knowledge and experience that they couldn’t compare with. Crow was a fighter and survivor. He was unflinching and resolved.

“Wait up,” Ryan called out.

“Shhh! Fool.” Crow whispered sharply. “And watch your feet. This ground isn’t stable, and these little canyons are everywhere—no telling what is hiding here. Most of the beasts should be weak, so stay vigilant, and we’ll be fine.”

Ryan’s mouth snapped shut, and his face flushed. Not in anger, but because he’d messed up and knew it. None of the others said anything because nothing needed saying. All of them were aware of the danger, and they stopped questioning Crow’s choice to lead them here.

During the last few hours of daylight, they finally managed to kill two small beasts. Their cores were so small and lacked any sort of clarity. They were barely worth anything, even to a mortal human, except as food.

That night they made camp without using their tents or creating a fire. Crow handed out some dry rations he’d packed, and they hunkered down in another small cave. Thankfully, Mara brought a Nightstone. It was a simple object used to light up an area without ruining a person’s night vision—they placed it above the cave entrance.

After discussing sentry duty, they broke it into three shifts, allowing one person to sleep through the night. It was a schedule they’d rotate every night from now on. Once decided, everyone settled down to sleep, exhausted from a long day’s hike. None of them accounted for the harrowing night sounds.

Crow had the last shift, and he was already awake when Mara came to get him. Standing near the entrance, he could watch the lake. It was a cloudless night, and the moon was bright enough to light up most of the landscape. Not sure why, but he looked towards the sky, wondering if his mother was still alive. He had not even realized his breathing had turned labored, and he was struggling to focus.

“You okay?” Mara asked softly from beside him. He had not heard her approach. She saw a single tear rolling down his face and didn’t know what else to say to him. She reached out to wipe away the tear, only to see him flinch back. Undeterred, her thumb brushed away the moisture. Finally, she spoke again. “My sister is a fool.”

“Why is that?” Crow asked, not willing to look at her.

“Because she doesn’t understand what actual strength is. She follows that Munro boy around and thinks that the strong must be cruel, decisive and that emotions are a weakness.”

“You don’t think the same?”

“No, and yes. I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. It’s been on my mind all day, and I realized that I was foolish. You aren’t weak, Crow. Emotion and cherishing the bonds you have—that’s not weakness. Hopefully, my sister sees that before she messes everything up.”

Crow finally looked up at her. His green eyes like a placid sea, and his breathing calm once more. “Thank you.”

Mara nodded. “I respect you, but do you think you should have cursed the heavens?”

Crow sputtered before softly laughing, and she smiled at him in response.

“In time, you’ll understand. I’m already an enemy of the heavens, not by choice, but by circumstance.”

“I won’t pry, but know that while I respect you, I will still protect and side with my sister. That hasn’t changed.”

Crow smiled and nodded.

“And thank you for not turning me away.” Mara stood and went back to her section of the cave and laid back down on her bedroll.

Lonny opened his eyes after she laid down and smiled, finally feeling all enmity among the group fading away. He was sensitive to the disharmony, and his eyes turned to Crow standing at the entrance of the cave, his silhouette outlined by the moon. It was a complicated look. Had anyone seen him, they’d think it carried a hint of guilt.