The mood Corvus walked into around the large table in Raelea’s cottage was celebratory but subdued, they’d achieved something that no one had before but thirty-one people were dead. For some, they were people they’d known all their lives.

He sat down and as Pif swarmed into his lap said, “We’re much safer now with Harran’s death but we’re not truly safe. The death of one of the High Fae Chanar has challenged their worldview and convinced Valard to allow his brethren in to hunt the people who killed him. Things within this land will become very strained for however long it takes them to get bored, lose their fear, or much more likely for Valard to get paranoid about their presence and kick them out. The Fae here can play dumb and hide their involvement with a bit of luck, skill, and preparation. Raelea, Pif and Krarrnic you’ll need to leave, you’re clearly not Fae and would be killed if found.”

Krarrnic said, “We needed to travel to the plateau anyway, now’s as good a time as any. A bit early for what we intended to achieve but the time will not be wasted we can make enquiries about support among the Oruc. We will need their aid and that of the Dwaris to hope to beat the High Fae Chanar in their entirety but the Dwaris I would prefer to leave until much later, Spaendt rules those caverns with an iron fist.”

Corvus said, “Seems like a plan. Elsilai you’ll have the farm under control if any of them come nosing around?”

Nodding the elderly woman said, “Sure will lovey. They won’t know we’re anything more than a bunch of mudfooted farmers without a brain between us.”

Standing up he placed Pif in the seat he’d just vacated and said, “You won’t see me for the next however long, I must keep my head down while they’re here or I’ll lose it. Krarrnic, leave a spirit at the farm here and I’ll let it know when things have calmed down.”

Corvus walked out of the cottage and touching his Air Realm magic appeared on the great sigil. He headed toward his office. The coming High Fae Chanar would be a menace not just to the rebellion but to all Fae in the land, he’d better move some to more protected places if he wanted to have a work force left after they were done.

He was halfway to his office when he realised he hadn’t eaten since yesterday and headed back down the stairs toward the kitchens. Just as he passed the great sigil an empty cold cloud of darkness covered it for a moment and Vargaian appeared.

Something about the Captain of the Tower Guard tweaked his grand game instincts so he stopped and turning back walked over to him.

“Captain, I wasn’t aware of any guard activities outside the Tower and I know you wouldn’t be leaving for personal reasons when we are about to be inundated by High Fae Chanar.”

Smiling faintly the Captain said, “You are not the only one the Master trusts to carry out his bidding, I was scouting Boghole to ascertain whether we should just purge the lot before the High Fae Chanar get here or if we should perhaps send one or two of them after the Fae there.”

“Odd, Valard already told me he will send Toixnae and Marloff after them once they get here. So why are you lying?”

The Captain’s face blanched and he said, “I-I-I’ve got a lover, she’s at Grao Tree… I-I told her to run into the hills, this was my only chance before as you said the High Fae Chanar get here. I was scared for her.”

Something still seemed not quite right about his story, “Crap! I don’t believe you. I know you care for no one other than yourself and Valard would punish you severely for being out of the Tower at this time. Where were you really?”

In a moment his face had cleared of all signs of panic and he said, “I found a rebel cache on patrol a tenday ago. One of my men was with me when I found it, he asked me to meet him at the cache so we could work out our split and tried to murder me. He wasn’t as good as he thought. I’ll cut you in for a quarter if you don’t report me to the Master.”

Disgusted he said, “I don’t care, keep your gains. Just be aware that the instant Valard hears about this I will have you given to the Boarn as their personal toy and they’re very rough on their toys. So I’d suggest you make sure he doesn’t hear about this.”

Bowing, he backed away quickly saying, “Of course Seneschal, thank you Seneschal. I won’t let you down.”

Then he scurried off into the darkness of the Tower.

Corvus turned back toward his office, for some reason his appetite was ruined.

*******

“Pffbt! If the many Bad-Old-Masters who are coming find you here they will make you go away and I would be sad.” Raelea was becoming a little impatient. “They also want to make me and spirit-friend go away and we’re much bigger than Pffbt, we can’t hide like you. You don’t want us to go away do you?”

“Don’t wanna leave comfy-nice nesty. Bad-Old-Master not get me. If find I BURNYBURN them. You stay too. We make them go away instead. Devouring grey, burnyburn and witchy tricks make us win. Also got cookie-lady. Cookie-lady scary, she got devouring grey friends too.”

“You know Cold-Cloud stops me from using most of my ‘witchy tricks’ we need to make him go away before we can fight the Bad-Old-Masters well enough.”

“Oh yeah, Pffbt forgot. We go then.”

“We’re going to spirit-friend’s home, there is another spirit that will help make Cold-Cloud powerless to stop my magic.”

“Spirit-friend comes and get to make Cold-Cloud mad? Go-go!” Pif ran out of the cottage, suddenly excited to get moving.

Raelea looked at Elsilai and shaking her head said, “You heard me I’ve been arguing with the stubborn little so and so for almost the entire afternoon and suddenly he’s being pushy and making me hurry because he gets to annoy Aignew and Krarrnic is coming. Is this what having children is like? Because if it is I'm not sure I'll ever want to.”

Elsilai smiled ruefully and said, “Pretty much lovey, pretty much.”

*******

As dark fell they left the cottage, Pif and Raelea up on Horse and Krarrnic walking alongside. Even if they had another horse there wasn’t one in the land that could carry him. They were travelling by night because the last thing they needed was to meet one of Valard’s patrols on their way out of the land.

Raelea said, “This pass you came through, you’re sure it’s not guarded?”

“Wasn’t when we came here. But that was almost sixty winters ago.”

“Ok we’ll deal with it later if we have to. How far away is it?”

“Seven nights at a good run for me. Your horse should be able to keep up, our beasts up on the plateau used to and they were slower. The pass is steep, high, and very cold, I will have to carry your horse over the worst parts, steep bare frozen rocks and hooves do not mix well.”

Raelea said, “You can do that?!”

“Certainly, we often moved full grown herdbeasts in that manner.”

The nights were tense but ultimately boring, they saw no one at all until the sixth night and that was just a single Fae who ran like the Unmentioned were chasing him when he spotted them.

On the seventh night they were moving along the treeline at the edge of fields of ripe wheat, Krarrnic pointed off to the side at what looked like an animal trail and said, “There! That is the lower end of the path, the spirits tell me there is no one on it this side of the pass and no guards.”

Raelea looked up at the snow-capped peaks far above and could see the tiny dark slot between two peaks that was the pass and said, “Sooner we start the sooner we’re over.”

“True, the climb will not be pleasant. Be ready. I’d much rather not take someone of your race over this pass even in this season but we have no choice.”

“I’m no weakling Oruc, you have seen little of me other than a gardening homebody but… even without the enhancements my Implement provides I’d wager I’m tougher than you when it comes to enduring hardship. With them, you can be sure the cold will not bother me and I’m likely stronger than you. Certainly I’m faster.”

“Hmm that is true, forgive my presumption. I should know by now that what you think you know and what is truth may be very far apart especially when gauging someone’s capabilities, and particularly if you have never seen them confronting hardship.”

Raelea chuckled and said, “Of course you’re forgiven, not only do I barely come up to your mid chest and look like a strong breeze would blow me away but you’re my friend. You were only thinking of my safety and it’s not like I’m one to hold a grudge.”

A wry grin twisted his lips, “The frogs that appear in my bedroll every few days would say otherwise…”

“That’s different. You let those toads loose in my sleeping room, when I was asleep.” She grinned before sticking her tongue out at him.

He chuckled and said, “Well yes… We’ll probably hit the snow line just on dark, I’d suggest camping there and making the push over the top tomorrow in full daylight. You may not feel the cold but I do and there are no trees and no wood for a fire in the pass itself.”

“Makes sense, shall we?”

The sun was just above the peaks ahead when they’d climbed far enough that snow started appearing in the shadows of the scattered trees, Krarrnic called for them to halt and make camp.

Raelea turned and looked back across Valard’s lands spread out far below. It was a patchwork of tilled fields, tree-planted windbreaks and small farming villages around the rearing shape of Valard’s central Tower, it looked… peaceful. Then the sinking sun turned the beige stone of the Tower to blood and picked out the drifting smoke of burning villages as the High Fae Chanar hunting parties rampaged through them, proving the peace was an illusion.

She shivered, that illusion would become less and less true the further they went along this path. This entire continent would burn and she would be the one to light it.

She sighed and walked over to where Krarrnic was setting up a large tent and busied herself with the mundane tasks of camp life.

It was only once they were inside with a heat charmed rock in a metal framework melting snow for stew that she said, “I only just thought about it but you’ve been carrying no pack and until now we’ve been sleeping just in our sleeping robes and had a fire. Where did the tent and the rock come from?”

He laughed and holding up his hand pointed to a plain unadorned golden ring and said, “I have a storage item, it holds roughly the same amount as a large wagon. They’re not uncommon on the plateau and are regularly traded between the various tribes, though mine is larger than most. It’s a family heirloom that’s been passed down for five generations…”

Abruptly he became sombre, gazing off into nothing and falling quiet.

Raelea said, “You know, if we survive this rebellion there is no reason for you to die to be with with your lost loved ones. You could form another tribe or perhaps join one, there is no requirement that there not be a sixth generation holding that ring after you.”

Wistfully he said, “A season ago when we met I would have argued with you, my heart much too pained to consider a life without those I lost. But as our rebellion continued I’ve found myself thinking more and more of what the future would look like without the Fae Chanar riding on the backs of us Fae. I find myself a little excited to see what that world looks like and I would not want to be alone… but still I need to survive this rebellion first. I do not think that will be an easily achieved goal.”

“I’m certain you’re right but me regaining my full strength will go a long way toward it.”

“I’ll be interested to see that myself, I have only known you reduced as you currently are.”

“You will be amazed and astounded, even the Gods may envy my power!” She couldn't help herself and started laughing, “I can’t do it, I am just like me only moreso.”

“Annoyingly mysterious but too often right to ignore?”

She frowned and said, “Someone’s asking for a frog.”

Krarrnic laughed and said, “No don’t do that to a poor little croakie, it wouldn’t last long in this cold. Part of why I am looking forward with some optimism is you, your friendship and your relentless strength and good will is a valuable part of my life now. Thank you.”

Raelea said, “Aww, now you’re making me blush. No, thank you. I’ve spent so long alone and hunted with only Aignew, who was a harsh and cold taskmaster, and Pif, who while he is a lovely being with a great heart, he’s really not much of a conversationalist.”

******

The morning sun threw the shadows of branches across the taut canvas of the tent and Raelea’s breath fogged in the chilly air inside the tent. Poking Pif who grumbled and squirmed deeper into the fur, she got up.

Not too much later Krarrnic roused himself and breaking breakfast then camp they set off, snow crunching under their feet.

As they climbed the snow got deeper reaching first calf height, then knees and finally waist high on Krarrnic which was chest deep on Raelea, except for the occasional windswept bare patches the steepest of which Krarrnic had to hoist Horse up onto his shoulders to carry him across. Around midday they’d reached the halfway point of the pass, without Krarrnic’s great strength and Raelea’s enhancements even now at the tail end of summer it would have been almost impassable.

Pif was not concerned because he was light enough to run run across the surface of the snow and not punch through the crust. At first he was excited because he’d never seen snow this deep before, darting around looking at this, that, and everything. By the halfway point of the pass though he’d got bored and started throwing snowballs at Krarrnic and Raelea.

That didn’t last long at all, Krarrnic was working hard to force his way through the snow as the trailbreaker as it was his turn and was not going to put up with that sort of nonsense. Feeding one of his spirits a small burst of magic he had it smash the crusted snow under the capering Goblin’s feet and he disappeared into the deep soft snow underneath with a squawk.

There was a flumph of displaced snow and a short white scarecrow appeared on top as Pif blinked out of the deep snow, shaking his finger and growling at Krarrnic.

The Shaman just laughed and said, “Little one, if you stand on uncertain ground you should pay attention to the moods of others.”

The small Goblin just frowned and made a rude gesture at the Oruc Fae before he ignited in a burning aura and the snow stuck to his skin disappeared with a hiss… but so did the crust he stood on and he fell into the deep snow underneath, again.

There was a scream of rage and after the burst of flame subsided Pif was standing in an area completely cleared of snow, surrounded by gently steaming water. He smiled widely and nodded seemingly very satisfied with himself. Then with a pop of displaced air he reappeared up on the crust and walked off before turning back to look at Raelea and Krarrnic with a questioning look, shrugging his shoulders with his palms up.

Turning again he marched off with his nose up.

Chuckling wryly, Raelea and Krarrnic followed. Muscling their way through the deep snow as the Goblin lightly ran across it toward the end of the pass.