He didn't expect Jozin to bother talking to him that night, if his knowledge of the maps hanging on his father's study was correct, then Skapina was very far away. That is if Jozin and his mother were even heading to Skapina. She was a Masteritsa and they always had important things to do, usually meeting other Masteritsas. He watched Brytha toss and turn in her bed before finally settling down to an uneasy sleep. Nikolas tip-toed towards the window, peering outside. There were healers rushing to and fro in their gray frocks, lanterns in front of them, half of their faces shrouded. It didn't look good, whatever it was, but Richan was strong, wasn't he? It was just an illness, wasn't it? Everyone became ill, perhaps it was something he'd eaten or just the stress of dealing with them. Nikolas felt a stone sinking in his gut. He didn't ask too much of Richan, did he?

"Pss!"

Nikolas jumped, and glanced about the room.

"Pss! Nik! Nik! Where are you?"

Nikolas whirled around, patting at his clothes and pockets to find where he'd put the scale. When he pulled it out he was greeted by waves from both Jozin and Surio. The two of them looked as if they were hiding under a quilt, Nikolas could faintly make out the pattern on it, stars and forests, before he gave a forced smile. "How was your journey?"

"You're not hosting us, you don't have to be nice," Jozin said. His hair was in complete disarray as he leaned closer to the dragon scale. "Are you alright?"

"I am?"

He saw the two boys glance at each other, "That's good," said Surio.

"Why?"

"The grown-ups were talking and they said something was coming to Icfeld," said Jozin, seriously, "and my mother said something about wizards and she didn't sound happy—"

"She never sounds happy when she talks about wizards," said Surio, and looked as if he wanted to say more but Nikolas decided to interrupt him.

"Richan's ill!" Nikolas exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down. "Richan's ill and I don't know… do you know if there's a magic thing that fixes it?"

Jozin blinked, and looked at Surio before he said, "What kind of sickness does he have?"

"What do you mean?"

"You can cure a magical one," said Jozin, "well, usually, you can. But there are some magical things you can't cure. But magic can't heal broken bones, you know, I broke my arm once and mother couldn't do anything about it. She said it's not good to fiddle about with things she doesn't know and the witches that do know are a bit—"

"—mad," Surio finished. "Very mad," he added, "You don't want to ask them to heal you."

"I'm sure Richan would be fine!" Jozin said firmly, "I am very sure—"

"— You can't say that!"

The two of them glared at each other before Surio turned to Nikolas and said, "Whatever you do, don't ask for magical help. No witch or wizard had ever done good fixing people, you'll have more luck asking a bear to dance."

"They have dancing bears in Icfeld," Jozin pointed out, "didn't you remember?"

"Fine, whatever, ask a horse to walk on two legs," said Surio, then giving Nikolas a serious look, "Don't do it."

"I can't tell my mother what to do," said Nikolas.

"You have a mother," Surio said churlishly.

The two of them glared at each other before Jozin said, in an all too cheerful voice, "You know we're in Skapina now?"

"You are?" Nikolas frowned, "You are not joking?"

"No, no, look!" said Jozin, throwing the covers off of him and Surio and walking over to a window, "See?"

His own village was lit, and his house was lit the most, because his mother could afford the oil for it, but in Skapina, it would seem that everyone could have oil lights in their houses and even on the streets. Snowflakes were softly falling outside, and Jozin's breath frosted the window. He reached out with a hand to wipe them away and what Nikolas saw next both puzzled and intrigued him. Nikolas blinked and rubbed at his eyes.

"Is that a house on… chicken legs?"

"Rooster," Jozin clarified, "rooster, 'cause Baba Yaga says that they wake up earlier than hens."

"Real roosters?"

"I don't know," Jozin shook his head, "maybe?"

"You're not supposed to show him Skapina!"

"My mother said he could come whenever he wanted to. So what if he sees it now? "

Surio let out an angry breath through his teeth and crossed his arms. Nikolas heard angry footsteps on a stone floor and a door opening and closing.

"Surio—" Jozin said, then sighed, "He's not angry at you." Then he smiled, tentatively, "What do you think? Would you like to visit?"

"You would like me to?"

"Why not?"

"But don't you have friends? You're the Masteritsa's son! Don't you have other people…" Nikolas trailed off. What was so special about me, he wanted to say, what made him special that the Masteritsa would invite him to Skapina and that Jozin would want to be his friend?

"Skapina's different from Icfeld, there's not a lot of children, and they don't have to play with me if they don't want to, even if I am a Masteritsa's son," said Jozin, "and well," he gave Nikolas a shy smile, "It was nice of you, to listen. I think." He let out a breath, "I had so many people wanting me to do this and that and tell me this and that and they never really listened."

"I'm special because I listen," Nikolas repeated incredulously, struggling to hold back a grin.

"No!"

"That's what you said!" Nikolas said, teasingly.

"I just!" Jozin let out a breath, "It was nice, I liked that you listened."

Well he had plenty of experience in that, Nikolas thought. "How do I even go to Skapina?"

"Oh you don't just go ," said Jozin, matter-of-factly. "Skapina finds you."

Then he laughed at the confusion on Nikolas's face.