The lake was still, only the slowly rising mist gave of any sense of life. Snow had piled up its shores and the singers were weaving their songs into the wind. Blue Wing had been sitting on the shore quite a while. The singers had not allowed him to come any closer, but he returned here each day to see whether the girl had returned, most of his stash was with an acquaintance in the town. Why the Oneirian invited the girl was beyond him, but he was in no place to question him or the singers. Blue Wing had been doing this for far too long. His hair and turned white as the snow sooner than most people’s but still, his age showed. He didn’t know how many of those hunts across the snow and ice, through marsh and reeds he still had in him.

Finally, the girl returned. She stepped close to him as he sat on a bench.

“I am done. Do you want to fulfil your contract?”

He looked up from his contemplation. Her eyes were full of determination. She had a plan and he knew he was part of it.

“I guess you took pity on me and thought you could get an easy ride back home in me?”

She nodded.

“Well if we are going to do that, we’re going to do it right.” He reached for the bundle next to him and pulled forth a chain hauberk and a pair of cold-wrought iron shackles.

“Is that really necessary?”

“For appearances, yes. Also, you threatened me, remember?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. She truly was her age. He put the shackles and the hauberk on her and the two of them got going. He still had to recover some of his stuff from his acquaintance's.

“I have a favour to ask.” She said while they were heading for the hut. “I want to send a few letters to Northbridge from Myrskattnholm. Do you think you could lend me the postage.”

It was a minor request. She should have it. “Sure.”

It would take them quite a while to reach Laeddunn. With her help, the trail across the mountains was much faster. She quickly climbed ahead – freed from her shackles – and secured the rope for him. Once over the mountains, they managed to buy passage on a ferryman’s sled down the frozen river, all the way to Myrskattnholm. From there, it was more than a dozen days on foot south, to the last ice-free port on the western continent.

After they had reached the port, they took a ship Havnarsund, where the captain insisted on laying in port for the yearless days were nigh, those six or five days between the last day of the previous year and the first day of the new year. The scholars and wise ones used these days to line up the days of the year with the equinoxes and solstices. The common folk used these days to reflect on their past and plan for their future, recount their mistakes and observe their progress. Endeavours of mundane nature were put to rest during this time, so the captain insisted. Then, the spring equinox came. Little reason for the girl to celebrate. She had told Blue Wing that she would never be allowed to dance for the rites of fertility.

Their journey went on, all the way around the Veshurky mountains, between the Gimean islands, up the river into lake Anmorley and to the ports of Laeddunn.

During this long way home, he and Skraar had gotten to know the girl and her past. He was sure she would make a decent Hidden Hand, if she was not executed for her crimes. Her greatest sin was being born. If she ran, she could have lived well in the wilderness of the north, she already proved she could survive the depths of winter.

Skraar's opinion of the girl was almost one of respect. He had seldomly been able to spot the girl, placing her wits above his keen senses. Eagles were ambitious animals, soaring high to plunge with great force, staking large claims above all other animals. It was rare that one would pay this much respect to a sneaky prey such as Nannade.

The girl had quite enough time on the ship to learn card games from the sailors. They had no qualms about inviting a young girl in shackles to a round of cards. Towers, Polly’s Basket and Caravan, they knew every way a man could waste time and coin with gambling.

It was a fresh spring day that the spires of Laeddunn rose on the horizon. Both Nannade and Blue Wing stood at the deck of the ship, Skraar flying ahead to give note of the prisoner arriving.

“If they execute me here,” The girl whispered to the wind. “I won’t even see Sturreland again.”

“Sounds like the greatest of injustices to me.”

“I don’t worry about it. I won’t let it happen. And neither will She.”