"I miss the bear." Hild muttered. He nestled himself deeper into his mother's arms. "He was so fluffy and warm. He really liked it when I gave him bits of fish too. Licked at my face when he wanted more."

"I'm sorry, but they couldn't come with us." Sibbe gave him a gentle kiss on his snowflake covered head. "Borstig had to stay, well... Wanted to stay with Ulfheid. So the cute bear had to stay as well."

Sibbe gave his hair a rough tussle. “And I thought the bear was cute too.”

Ivano, doubting if that was actually true, chuckled as their cart jostled over a craggy section of the road. "I don't think he had much of a choice in the matter. Ulfheid wasn’t about to let thatgo."

Ivano looked back along their convoy. It had grown somewhat after leaving Reynisnes. Some Wind Walker Clansmen were eager to travel beyond their fortified city, nestled safely in the rocks against the constant howling winds, and explore their lands. They weren't the best warriors, many were quite young, or old in the case of four old men who were taking this as a final chance to travel and drink themselves into oblivion while doing it. Arlid and Arvid were more than happy to assist with that. Ivano knew, at the very least, they would bulk up their numbers. He hoped for more but planned for less.

"Ivano." One of their newer members rode towards them, throwing up plumes of snow that covered the infrequently travelled road. His short and hairy horse sneezed away the snow that had been forced up its nose. "There's a Temple marker ahead. Looks old and damaged."

He pointed to a large stone marker to the side of the road. Unlike the other simple grey stone markers, which sat in pairs either side of the road to guide them safely through potentially a half dozen feet of snow, this was out of the way with the top half coloured red. It looked like wet paint had been poured over the top. Or perhaps blood.

"I don't think we have any reason to do that." Ivano replied. "Our destination is Rangarvellir. Not a remote temple."

"Who is it dedicated to anyway?" Sibbe asked.

"Jira. The Demi-Goddess of Blood."

Ivano nodded to the red marker. "I think we should definitely stay away from there then. Those...Those Blood Berserkers, or whatever they're called, are some of the most insane people I have ever met. Utterly insane. Especially in battle. And if one of them has gone a little bit crazy, well, I don't think it's as abandoned as it seems."

The rider gave a curt nod and briskly returned to the front of the convoy.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

For a moment Ivano thought it was one of the twins, rather it was Erik. He, and the former slave Unina walked alongside their rickety cart, following the path already cleared by their stout and sturdy horses.

“What do you mean?” Ivano waved them onto the cart. He was surprised they were even walking on foot in the first place.

Erik made the climb easily. Unina struggled, requiring Erik to help her up.

“Thank you.” She dusted the wet snow from her cloak.

“Unina? Was it?” Ivano turned to face them. “You must forgive me for not remembering your name immediately. I haven’t had much of a chance to speak with you during this whole mess.”

“I don’t think there’s much to say.” Unina smiled. Her dark skin made her stand out amongst the pale Clansmen. Some of the small villages they’d passed through thought she was dirty, or they had punished her by coating her with dried tar. Those misconceptions took some time to explain, when they even bothered. “I was taken by the Seocurian Empire, then sold to Mord. Who, and I cannot thank you enough, you rescued me from. I've merely been traveling with you all ever since.”

She held Erik’s hand. “And I’ve met someone very special.”

Ivano held his tongue as the two shared a loving smile. “I now that I said we’d release you back to Bebbezzar,” He raised his hand before either could speak. “And I still intend to, if that’s what you want, but you have to understand that we’re not heading in the right direction.”

Unina shrugged. “I don’t want to return to my village only to find it rubble, or that others have settled there and none even know… No. I think I will stay here. It’s certainly more interesting than being Mord’s slave.”

Less beatings too.

“Chieftain.” The first rider returned. His horse seemed quite annoyed to be still shovelling its way back and forth through the snow. “There’s movement along the road. Not from the temple. I think it’s a trading caravan.”

Ivano stood up on the gently rocking cart. His wife and three children held his legs for support. It was difficult to see anything in the near endless winding fields of white, dotted by rocks and forests, but he could see something. A small dark dot following a path between the tall stones.

“Why do you think it’s traders?”

“They’re moving very slowly. And they’re using carts even larger than ours, their horses are straining to push through the snow with so much weight.”

“Poor things.” Ivano muttered as he resumed his seat. “Keep a good eye on them. Tell me if they’re actually up to no good.”

“Yes, Chieftain.”

The rider quickly returned to the front, the horse seemed happy to be following the cleared path, if only for a few moments.

“Where are Snakha and Brenna?”

“Back there.” Erik pointed to the last cart, one bought from Graterious, which made it the largest and slowest. It was also the only source of any privacy while on the move, thanks to its large cloth hooped canopy. “They haven’t left in a while.”

Ivano sighed, his shoulders dropped dramatically. “We can’t have two of our best warriors busy while we’ve got what could be a bandit caravan coming the other way.”

“Snakha?” Unina tilted her head slightly. “That’s the Orc. Right?”

“Yes.” Erik replied almost instantly. “He seems alright. A bit loud, but I haven’t really met any Orcs before.”

“Does that mean Brenna’s going to have Half-Orc babies?” Unina’s voice remained flat and without a hint of malice. “Is that even possible? I'm sure the babies will be very large. If they are then it’s going to be very difficult for them as they grow up, if what I’ve seen is anything similar.”

“I don’t think it is.” Ivano gently pushed past his children to the rear of the cart. “We definitely would have heard about them before.”

“They do have Thralls.” Sibbe said softly. “But… I really don’t know what that means.”

As he readied to jump into the snow something stopped Ivano. He turned to Unina, who watched his children play. “What do you mean similar?”

Unina tensed slightly. “Our village was right on the border with Seocuria. So we saw Beast-kin slaves trying to escape, not many but there were a few.”

“Can’t imagine why.” Erik muttered.

“But there was one group that came through, when I was very young. There were about five or six, all wearing tattered clothes as they tried to steal some of our food. The men caught them and held them captive for the Seocurians…” She sighed. “One time we pretended not to have seen anything. They found one hiding in a home and burnt it down, so we, they, always just waited to hand the back. The Seocurian’s never gave us any trouble. Until they took our village.”

“So what were these five?” Sibbe asked. Unina immediately looked better to be on a different topic.

“They looked like they were Humans and Beast-kin squished together.” Unina shrugged. “I don’t know another way to describe it. One had their right body covered in fur and claws for hands. Another had patches of this leathery skin over their body, their mouth filled with teeth like an angry wolf instead of… Well, like ours.”

I wonder if that Wolf Beast-kin is still alive in Rangarvellir? If he’s been given any extra food, or just been replaced when he was used up.

“I remember one had legs like a chicken, and had feathers for hair.”

“Like a chicken?” Erik almost laughed. “Are there Beast-kin that look like that?”

Sibbe threw him a look, one telling him to immediately shut his mouth. Erik obeyed without question.

“I… I don’t know. But they were begging the men to let them go. They’d been living in the countryside their whole lives, that they couldn’t go anywhere else. They’d be killed if they were caught in Bebbezzar, killed by the other Beast-kin in Seocuria, and the Seocurian’s would sell them as freaks. They didn’t have anyone but each other.”

“I’ve heard of Half-Breeds.” Ivano said. “Never seen one, but it’s never good.”

“So what happened?” Erik asked.

Unina shrugged. “They were taken back. Some Seocurian Lord wanted them, something about being obsessed with them. I don’t remember what the Seocurian’s said. I was too young. But only one was brought back.”

Unina’s eyes grew distant. “Two cut their own throats with stone blades they’d hidden, the other three attacked and killed a few of the Seocurians, and they couldn’t capture them. They didn’t even make it back across the river alive. Though I remember them smiling, covered in blood. They seemed happy they weren’t going back to Seocuria. For them, it was better to have died than be in a cage.”

Ivano softly sighed. “Another tragic tale. But there’s nothing that we can do for them now.” He dropped off the back cart and briskly walked to maintain pace. “Best get everyone ready, just in case.”

---[]---

“Doesn’t look too bad.” Snakha held a large, green hand to his oversized brow. “I’d say it’s a bunch of poor traders, trying to peddle whatever cheap crap they bought in Rangarvellir. Which was stolen from the Lowlanders.”

Ivano stood on the leading cart, with Snakha and Brenna beside him, watching the other group slowly carve their way through the snow. The two had, thankfully, just decided to take an unearned rest while everyone else walked. Ivano promised himself to have a talk to them later but he knew now was not the time.

“That’s what I’m hoping.” Ivano muttered.

Their two convoys were going to meet at the marker for the temple to Jira. There was no issue with passing, unless the other convoy planned to be obstinate mules and not share the road, but that was the least of his concerns.

“Here we go.” Ivano gently nudged Sibbe. “Make sure the children stay down.”

Sibbe returned a single nod and ushered the children to lie flat on the floor. They knew it was not a game and obeyed without question, even holding each other for comfort.

A single rider emerged from the opposing convoy. It appeared to be the only spare horse they had. More men than horses.

At least they’ll be too tired to fight…

The solitary rider met theirs, spoke quickly before they returned as a group. Compared to theirs the rider before them was little more than a vagabond; ragged layers of cheap furs, a slightly gaunt face that a bushy beard could not hide the skin flaking from his cheeks in small sheets.

“Are you heading to Rangarvellir?” The man’s voice was as haggard as his appearance.

“We are. Everything alright?”

The rider shrugged. “Suppose so. As good as can be considering what we just heard. There’s a bit of commotion on the other side of those mountains after we passed through. Lots of screaming and the sound of howling wind. Worse than the most powerful blizzard. We left as quickly as we could and haven’t looked back. We’re just traders, not warriors.”

The simple axe resting on his hip was incredibly old, well-worn and almost all covered in rust. It was clear the edge had been sharpened hundreds if not thousands of times, delicately, so as to not wear away too much of the precious metal blade.

The rider lent to the side, to show he was looking at the rest of the convoy. “I think you’ll have better luck than us if you’re planning to actually go that way.”

Something flashed through the rider’s face. Apprehension with a hint of fear, fear that he had said something he shouldn’t.

“So what are you doing coming through here in the dead of winter?” He asked as a rough gloved hand slowly manoeuvred to his axe.

“We are not raiders or pillagers.” Ivano spoke softly in an attempt to calm the man. “Rangarvellir is our destination. And I am Ivano… Chieftain of the Fire Blades.”

The Rider did not seem convinced. Word had not likely spread, and if their convoy always remained ahead of the very slow spread of news throughout the Deweth Clans then it was not surprising they did not know.

“We had business in Reynisnes, so we are taking the fastest route, but we are not beyond helping those in need. Considering your state, we are more than willing to share food, if your people need it.”

The rider relaxed slightly, still very wary that he may have accidentally led his people into a trap.

“Or medicine.” Brenna offered. “I know a few treatments for your skin. Are there others that suffer from it?”

“We haven’t been doing well.” The rider’s face twisted in annoyance. “Not many Clansmen want to buy anything these days… And my father said it was bad…”

Ivano glanced to the rear of their convoy, to where he knew Gavriel was huddled up with multiple thick blankets. After leaving Reynisnes he had grown slightly more despondent, knowing they were not only partially heading in the right direction but also to the capital of the Deweth Clansmen. Ivano did not know if he feared he would be taken from Ivano’s protection, which might happen, but he knew there was little he could say to allay the Bebbezzarians' concerns.

Maybe he knows something of medicine? Or a way to help these traders actually turn a profit? That should cheer him up. Something other than watching the endless snowdrifts passing.

“Many of us are. But we’ve been eating well. Lots of game and good hunting… We found a whole herd of deer that had been cornered in a canyon by a snowdrift.” The Rider’s eyes lit up, his mind quickly returning to a memory of hot and plentiful food. “We ate well for quite a while.”

“Probably a lack of vegetables then. My mother…” Brenna shuddered before taking a deep breath. “She always told me to eat them otherwise that would happen.”

“Not much of it spare these days.”

“I’m sure that we can spare some.” Ivano said. “I think we’re going to meet up at the red marker anyway.”

“Yes…” The Rider frowned as he looked back. “Maybe it’s for the best that we met here. I’ve never liked those Jira worshippers. “Some of them are absolutely crazy. Madder than a stabbed rat.”

“I’ve only met a few. Never a pretty sight.” Ivano cleared his throat. “Tell the rest of your caravan that we mean no harm.”

The Rider returned a curt nod and quickly left.

“Unless they’re bandits.” Snakha hefted his might axe in his hand, spinning the handle and admiring the large and dulled edge. While it would have difficulty cutting Snakha's sheer strength more than compensated. “Been a while since I’ve fought something.”

“They didn’t say anything about an Orc being with us either.” Brenna added.

“We’ll see if that’s a good thing.” Ivano watched the opposing caravan draw ever closer. “Let’s just hope…”

He trailed off as he looked towards the seemingly abandoned temple. While it was far away he was certain he saw movement, only a few people, but with magic users that was all that was ever needed. He instructed some of the warriors to keep watch as they reached the red marker first.

Ivano turned his attention to the marker. It was almost identical to the others, little more than an upright stone to guide travellers. The red paint was more than likely blood, frozen and able to retain most of its red lustre, but a few simple etchings lying beneath. The most obvious was a large red droplet, a symbol of Jira, The Demi-Goddess of Blood, above which lay a crudely drawn human with its throat cut.

That’s clearly been here for a very long time, just can’t help but feel that it’s a bad omen.

The opposing caravan drew close enough to hear their grunts of exertion and the creaking of their wooden carts. If Ivano was honest they looked worse than the Rider, with more flaking and raw skin, yellow eyes and the faintest trickles of diluted blood in the corners of their mouths.

Ivano again looked at the temple. This time he could not see any sign of movement.

“Hello!” Ivano smiled as warmly as he could and gave a hearty wave. “We did not expect to meet travellers on the road.”

The opposing caravan waited until they had drawn much closer before responding. They were exhausted but determined, determined to make the dangerous and strenuous journey through the dead of winter.

“Nor did we.” An older man broke away from the caravan, angrily pushing away the snow as the Rider moved alongside. “The roads are normally abandoned around this time… My brother, he mentioned that you might know what’s happening to us?”

The caravan leader was in slightly better shape than the rider but only just. Brenna quickly dismounted and approached, somehow with several small vegetables in her hands. Snakha merely shrugged when Ivano looked back. She and the caravan leader began to talk about what was happening to them and what could be done to fix it. The rest of the opposing caravan simply appeared glad to have stopped and took the opportunity to rest.

“Where’s Gavriel?” Ivano asked loudly. “I’m sure that he’d want to have a word with these traders.”

“Why do you think that?” Came Gavriel’s almost snippy reply. He trudged along their stationary caravan, holding a thick fur blanket tight to his chest. “Because we’re both interested in turning a profit we must magically get along?”

“Don’t you?” Snakha asked flatly. Gavriel stared at the Orc, unsure if it was mocking but too intimidated by his size to do anything more provocative. “I… I’m being serious here. The Orc Clans aren’t really known for their great… What’s the right word? Economy? Money… ness?”

Gavriel shook his head as he walked past the cart. “How can you be less accurate the second time?”

Snakha chuckled as Gavriel began to talk with the Rider. He seemed quite perplexed as to why a Bebbezzarian was traveling with them, one allowed to move about freely.

Ivano opened his mouth but a loud knock on the edge of the cart stopped him. A warrior pointed towards the temple, he did not need to speak for Ivano to know what was wrong. Two small figures walked through the thick snow towards them. They did not appear to be in any great hurry yet they moved with purpose and confidence.

“Shit…” Ivano glanced at his children. He hoped they would not learn their swears until much later, Sibbe did not chastise him but followed his sight as she allowed the children to rise up slightly. “That’s all we need.”

“Do we try and run?” Snakha asked. “Can we even escape fast enough?”

Snakha lent close. “We only need to outrun them.”

Ivano looked once again to the figures approaching through the snow. “I don’t think it’s going to make much difference which one they go after first. Just one of them might be strong enough to kill us all. We’ve a better chance if we stick together.”

“A good sling can kill a Mage.” Snakha produced an empty sling and held a large stone in his hand. “Won it from a drunk Wind Walker. He didn’t seem too happy, but I helped him chop a bit of firewood to make up for it.”

“Right… Just keep that thing ready.”

A cry came from the opposing caravan. They too had noticed the approaching figures and had begun to panic. Ivano briefly wondered if they had swindled the Jira disciples before and feared their retribution.

“Those bastards.” The caravan leader barely refrained from swearing. “Now? Of all times?”

He looked to his caravan. They could barely consider moving. No possible chance of escaping even a walking man.

“We should wait for them.” Ivano said. “Unless you have some reason to fear them specifically, other than potentially being Blood Berserkers?”

“Haven’t been this way in many winters. I just don’t want anything to do with those crazies.”

“Neither do I. But if we do try and run... We’ll get through this and then be on our way. Snakha? Can you find anyone else that uses a sling? No matter how bad they are.”

The Orc gave a single nod before jumping from the cart. The caravan leader threw Ivano an odd look.

“Orcs? Is that a good idea? Not the most reliable of… People.”

Ivano shrugged. “So far, so good. Besides, I’d rather have that Orc with me than against.”

I wonder if he’d still be killing his fellow Orcs if we hadn’t lost in Qaiviel. Where would I be?

---[]---

The two caravans essentially merged together as they watched the two figures descend from the temple. Very little was said between the two groups, yet there was an air of cooperation. Unspoken unity in the face of a potentially lethal adversary. As for the two people they continued their descent from the temple without slowing or breaking their stride regardless of the snow depth. Only when they neared the blood soaked marker did they even begin to acknowledge the caravan's presence.

One raised his hand and waved. Deep scars riddled his arms, overlapping in some places so heavily that there was no original skin. Ivano wondered just how painful and restrictive it would be to even flex their fingers. Perhaps most concerning was how lightly they dressed for the snow yet showed no concern for the cold. Much to his relief he did not see the glowing red eyes of a Blood Berserker ready to strike. He did not know how long it took to ready themselves but with everything he'd heard it sounded less than a single breath.

Probably get my arm backwards when they throw one of those shards through my throat.

“Hello, fellow travellers.” The man spoke softly. “May we borrow a moment of your time?”

The innocent question raised some alarm from both caravans, scared people searching for a deeper meaning. Ivano tried his best to calm their concerns, as did the opposing Caravan Leader.

“And what would that be?” The opposing Caravan Leader asked.

“You just came over those mountains? Correct?”

“We did…”

“Marvellous.” The second man clapped his scarred hands together. He kept them together and pointed at the opposing Caravan Leader. “You haven’t happened to have spotted a Dragon, have you?”

Silence descended. A brief gust of wind picked up, whistling through the still caravans.

“A what?” Arlid asked.

“A Dragon.” The first man continued with the same enthusiasm. “A massive creature, covered in scales and capable of flight. Strong arms that could easily break a tree in half with just a swipe of its claws.”

“I haven’t seen any Dragons.” The opposing Caravan leader nervously laughed. “And why would you think that we had? I don’t think we could even hunt a baby Wyvern, let alone an adult.”

“Jira, our most gracious Goddess…” The first man trailed off. He closed his eyes, muttering something while the second continued to watch the caravan. “Has tasked us with slaying a specific Dragon. Apparently it has come through this way and we are determined to find it.”

“We have a tremendous view from our remote refuge.” The second disciple pointed to the temple. “But we have been unable to find such a large beast, despite its size and supposed temperament. When we saw travellers risking this road we thought to ask. Jira…” He smiled warmly. “Jira isn’t the most forthcoming Goddess at times, but she’s never balked at asking others for information.”

“Only asking others to do her requests for us.” Said the first. “That really, really rankles her.”

“Well, we haven’t seen anything like that.” The opposing Caravan Leader pointed the way they had come. “There was some noise in the hills nearby, but we didn’t stop to investigate. Maybe... Maybe that was the Dragon you’re looking for?”

“It could be!” The first disciple was now very excitable. “It could be... More of a lead than what we’ve had for days.”

“If I recall correctly there was a small hamlet nearby.” The second turned to the first. “Perhaps the Dragon is attacking them? There wouldn’t be many creatures around, not any large enough to feed a hungry Dragon that aren’t safely hibernating in a cave. That could be it…”

“So you’re going to help them?” Unina asked.

Ivano felt a pang of worry the moment she finished. Both of the disciples frowned, not out of anger but genuine curiosity and confusion.

“The hamlet.” Unina continued, frowning herself at the disciples' confusion. “If it’s being attacked by a Dragon then they’re going to need help. And fast.”

“Why do they matter?” The second disciple continued to frown. Again, he wasn’t angry, just confused.

“What-”

Ivano turned around and silently, and forcefully, told her to stop talking.

“Perhaps she’s concerned that there’s a chance the Dragon will have already finished and be moving onto other prey.” The first disciple’s frown turned to a smile. “Do not worry, slave. Dragons will toy and play with their food. Especially if they’re hungry. They’ll eat slowly so their stomachs are more easily satisfied, at least that’s what the stories say. And that must be why Jira didn’t give us a location. She meant for this to happen.”

Unina looked utterly baffled.

This is why you damned Blood Berserkers are so despised. Well, this is the lesser of the reasons. Never met one that isn’t arrogant, just like your Goddess supposedly is.

“Regardless, we must prepare immediately.” The first disciple bowed his head. “Thank you for your assistance! May your journey be safe and swift.”

Both disciples turned and left without a further word, returning to their distant temple at an even faster speed than before. No one spoke until the disciples were well and truly gone.

“Were we in trouble?” Hild softly asked. He slowly stood up, the other children tried to pull him down as they hadn’t been told everything was safe. “They didn’t seem-”

“Stay down.” Sibbe said harshly. Hild buckled and dropped down, keeping his head above the edge. “Please listen to your mother and father. When we say something like that, we mean it. Understand?"

"I… Okay. Sorry mum."

Hild was genuinely worried he’d done something wrong. In a sense he had, but he and Sibbe only did it to keep them safe. Ivano leapt from his cart, approached Hild who looked very worried, and gently stroked his hair, pulling the large snowflakes free.

“We just want to keep you safe. You know that, right?”

Hild nodded very seriously.

“Good. But in future ask more quietly if you’re going to do something like that. Nothing wrong with trying to keep an eye on your surroundings. You’ll be a great hunter one day if you learn to do that right.”

Hild looked very happy. Snakha pointed to his empty sling.

“When we reach safety for the night.” Ivano gave a slow nod. “We’ll teach you how to use a sling. That goes for each of you too.”

The other children tilted their heads in curiosity, first at Ivano then at Snakha.

“It’s time that you learned how to defend yourself.” Ivano nodded towards the distant disciples. “For all their strength, they’re not even wearing basic armour. Just a single hit to the head-”

“I wonder if that’s how they kill Mages in the Lowlands?” Snakha looked at Brenna for an answer, she gave a noncommittal shrug. “Seems like the quickest way to me.”

“Knowing them, it'll be something complicated." Brenna mused, tussling her brown hair. "Probably something to just stagger and disorientate the Mage rather than caving their skull in before they know what's happening. You know, the proper way of fighting."

“Wouldn’t that have come in handy in Qaiviel?" Ivano muttered.

He had not thought of the Knightly Orders for some time. Their thundering hooves and gleaming armour… Then there was that Mage. Armour was seemingly a foreign concept for him, with little more than a thick, rough Gambeson and a simple metal helmet.

Could have all been over with a slung stone to the face. Can't use magic if you're dead…

Then there was what he said after healing his wounds.

"Don't go south…"

"I have no intention of travelling towards Orc lands." The opposing caravan leader stated gruffly, folding his thin arms. "Too dangerous and not enough chance for profit.”

“Couldn’t head that way from here anyway.” Snakha murmured. “You’d have to go the way you came then south…”

Snakha realised the idea wasn’t serious. He chuckled to himself and folded his arms.

“Make sure you eat vegetables or roots.” Sibbe passed over a large bag of roots. “These will keep you healthy. You should see your skin start to heal in the next few days.”

“My thanks.” The caravan leader readily took the bag. “I wish you luck in your journey, if you decide to head that way. I’m not going to tell you not to come with us…”

Without waiting for Ivano to respond he whistled and waved his men forward. Shouts and grunts followed but the carts and beasts began to lumber forward. Ivano thought it wise to wait until they had passed before moving. As they began to move he gave the temple another look. Two figures were departing, heading parallel towards the mountain range. Why the Blood Berserkers weren’t using the road he didn’t understand. Surely the Gods wouldn’t have excluded the use of a road. Ivano wished he’d paid more attention to the stories the village elder always told.

—[]---

The journey through the mountains wasn’t particularly slow, far from it, but it was exhausting. Keeping an eye to the sky for a monstrous Dragon was the most draining. To not know when it could descend and devour their caravan was one of the worst feelings Ivano had recently felt. Even worse was the knowledge they couldn’t do anything to stop it. Other than leaving the slowest and weakest to lure the Dragon away. For perhaps a few moments at best.

Thankfully it wasn’t needed. The winding pass gave way to a rolling expanse of white. Endless white snowfields, and a smouldering village nestled behind a large stone crescent shaped outcropping, shielding it from the winds and snow. It had been attacked very recently, probably just after the other caravan came through. But not a single sign of a Dragon.

“No food I suppose.” Arvid clicked his tongue. The one armed Clansmen hefted his axe onto his shoulder. “Or chance of having some proper shelter. I suppose if we rest between the smouldering beams we’ll be kept warm. Right?”

Arlid shrugged, mimicking his brother when hefting his axe.

“We could still gather something valuable.” Gerin muttered, content to wait in the relative warmth of the cart. “We’ll need it to trade in the next village.”

“Provided there is one.” Arvid shrugged.

“A Bebbezzarian taking advantage of a Clansmen's poor plight?” Arlid feigned a gasp. “Who could believe such a thing?”

“Most of the gold there would be ours. Wouldn’t it? I doubt you’d mine gold yourself when you can just raid the Lowlands again and again.”

The twins laughed.

“It’s not theft if it’s already yours.” Arvid smiled. “I’ll remember that one.”

Ivano’s distraction was halted by Sibbe grabbing his hand.

“What’s the plan, dear?”

Ivano held a hand to his brow to block out the light. On the far side of the village was a large stone structure, seemingly untouched by the attack. It wasn’t a temple he recognised but it was certainly one. No light flickered from within but he would have extinguished all light if he’d witnessed a Dragon attack.

“That’s our best bet.” Ivano pointed to the solitary, untouched building. “Either shelter from the cold, or we’ll find someone that knows what’s happening.”

“Great.” Snakha softly sighed. “More mouths to feed-What?”

Brenna jabbed him in the side repeatedly. “That would apply to you too. Orcs are good hunters but poor farmers-”

“Can you honestly farm anything in this snow?” Snakha appeared genuine. “Apart from roots and tubers grown during the short summers?”

“What else can you grow in these lands that isn’t moss?”

The two shared a long stare. Ivano knew, or at least felt, it wasn’t serious. Something they would work out tonight but it wasn’t good for the cohesion of the caravan, which was already suffering from their brief encounter with the Blood Berserkers. Neither of which had been spotted again.

“Knock it off you two…” Ivano raised his hand. Everyone in the caravan quickly went silent. Everyone looked to the sky, and a faint distant rumbling. “I think that’s the damned Dragon. It’s coming back?”

“We won’t make it to that stone temple.” Erik murmured. He made sure Unina was hiding with the children before readying his axe. “Even if we run now.”

“We…” Ivano took a deep breath. “Keep an eye to the sky, and get ready to drop everything we can the moment anyone sees a Dragon.”

It was with some trepidation that the caravan continued to move forward. The dull rumbling slowly grew louder, the caravan continued to increase its speed. Despite the cold, sweat poured down Ivano’s face. After everything he’d been through, the failed Qaiviel invasion, another failed invasion of Bebbezzar, finally reuniting with his wife and children, the last way he expected to die was being eaten by a Dragon. Much to his utter shock and bewilderment they reached the town. Pools of blood littered the ground but no bodies were found, a few bloodied bits of treated fur and cloth but nothing more.

"Claw marks." Gavriel pointed to a ruined house. "Is that from a bear or…"

"A Dragon." Snakha grunted. "Unless that bear's bigger than that house."

If the house was stable he could have sent his children through the gaps to break in, not that he was such a person.

"No sign of the Dragon yet." Erik softly said. "But that rumble's getting closer."

If Ivano truly focused he would swear it was the sound of distant battle, two great warrior deities clashing in the heavens, but the Old Gods did not fight like that. Not anymore at least.

They passed through more buildings, all still with the only noise coming from loose and bloodied windows. Arlid and Arvid dared a peek but came back empty handed.

The closer they drew to the strange temple the less the devastation was apparent. The closest buildings were essentially untouched. Even some large fish were left out to be salted and cured.

Guess this Dragon wasn't that hungry.

"Any clue who this temple is for?" Unina asked. She pulled her cloak tighter as the wind began to whistle through them. "We didn't have any back at my village."

"Wouldn't have done you much good." Snakha rubbed his chin. "Don’t seem like the type to do all that much for you, even when you're crying out in pain. Not us Orcs at least."

Brenna jabbed his side. This time he appeared at least a little remorseful. Ivano focused his attention on the Temple door. Unremarkable in its decoration, but the fact it was made from steel was very odd. A few rust marks had appeared but otherwise it was unaffected by the weather.

"Should we head inside?" Sibbe asked. She pointed towards the mountain pass. "Those noises aren't getting any quieter."

"I just wish I knew who this Temple…"

Ivano stopped as the metal door groaned open, his hand reaching for his axe. Pale fingers slipped through, a pair of blue eyes peered out from the darkness.

"Who…" The voice belonged to a woman. "What the hell are you doing out there? Is the Dragon still around?”

“I think so.” Ivano looked back. The distant clashing was not so distant anymore. “Sounds like it’s fighting something.”

“Have you seen any Blood Berserkers?” Brenna asked, twirling her axe. “They should have beaten us here.”

“Them? Why would those bloody vampire bastards be here?” The woman grunted and shook her head. “Look, we’re not locals. We’re passing through when… Bring your bloody people around the back. And make it quick. I can hear the Dragon still fighting up there.”

The metal door slammed shut, followed by the unmistakable sound of the door being barred. Ivano felt the entire caravan’s eyes fall upon him. He’d never set out to do more than ensure a good life for his wife and children, and yet here he was.

“No point in staying here.”

The caravan needed no further encouragement. The carts rattled towards the far side of the temple, Ivano was quite surprised to see it extend further into the stony outcropping, forming a cavern to the side. To his surprise everyone fit inside the cavern quite comfortably.

A small wooden door opened, Ivano was surprised to see just who emerged. Six Silver Eagle Clansmen emerged, three men and women, wearing thick furs and hides but little in the way of armour.

“You’re a long way from home.” Snakha murmured as he helped an older man from the cart. “Only seen you silver people once before, but I’ve never heard anyone who didn’t know about you.”

Ivano repressed the need to sigh. Their silver hair, pale skin even for a Clansmen and blue eyes were very striking. What was more surprising was the proportions of the women. Put simply it must be agony to stand upright, yet none had any sign of pain or even minor discomfort.

I wonder what sort of blood they have.

Ivano whispered harshly to Arlid and Arvid to stop staring. They repeated the order but it took a moment to realise who it was originally directed at.

"Thank you for your help." Ivano began. "We didn't expect anyone to be alive, let alone provide shelter."

One of the Silver Eagle men shrugged. "We haven't done anything. Haven't even opened the door for you yet."

There's a lot more of us than of you.

The nearest woman nudged him but he paid it no mind.

"We were heading further south, near the Orc lands…" He stopped, a trembling hand reaching for a small blade. "Shit. It's coming back."

The rumbling was almost directly above them.

"You'd best come inside." He ushered them through the door. "I don't think it likes this Temple."

Ivano barely managed a step before the distant clashing suddenly sounded like it was right on top of them. The Silver Eagle Clansmen threw the door open and Ivano ushered everyone inside. He stood outside as something crashed into the nearest ruined building, throwing snow, ash and splinters of wood towards them. A piece of splintered wood hit his arm, then bounced onto his head. Pain blinded him but it was very brief. A mighty screech rang out as Ivano lowered his arm.

A Dragon emerged from the rubble, the great beast of fairy tales, a pair of blue scaled wings shredded and dripping with blood. Some still had splinters of wood from the crash but they could not have done most of the damage. Its head craned upwards and barred teeth larger than a horse.

No one spoke a word, all rooted in place in utter shock. The Blue Dragon flexed its front arms, thicker than the carts and built from pure muscle, and tried to fly. Ivano caught the flicker of despair in its small golden eyes. It knew it would never fly again.

“W-” Ivano’s body violently twitched. “Get inside. Everyone. Quick!”

The others were broken from their stupor and followed. Snakha, Arlid and Arvid remained with him. Brenna tried to bring the Orc with her but he refused with a quick kiss before pushing her inside.

“Are we going to try and fight that?” Snakha asked. He glanced back, one of the Silver Eagle’s held the door ajar, though was ready to slam it shut with them outside. “I know you’re good, Ivano, but I don’t really want to die.”

“What a story it would be.” Arlid smiled. “But maybe-”

The Blue Dragon howled. Ivano winced from the pain, trying to block out the noise without dropping his weapon. The noise suddenly stopped. When he could see properly a two small shards of red emerged from its mouth. The Blue Dragon shuddered and its body slumped forward while its head remained upright, resting on the two shards of red. A final bloodied breath passed into the chilled air, and it was dead.

“The hell…” Arvid clicked his tongue.

“Those two.” Ivano murmured. “Those bloody Blood Berserkers…” He gripped his axe tight in worry. “Where are those two?”

“Excellent work, brother!” A familiar voice called out. One of the heavily scared Blood Berserkers emerged from behind a ruined house some distance away. This time his eyes glowed a bright red, with wisps of red light trailing off and dissipating into the wind. “We did it!”

“That we did.” The brother emerged from a different house some distance away. “Those traders were the perfect bait… Oh, they survived.”

The second pointed towards them and waved. His scared, gnarled hand caught the light in strange ways. His eyes were brighter than his companion, but Ivano could not see the red glowing tattoos on either. Probably hidden on their back, but it did not explain the scars.

Ivano bounced his axe back and forth. He wanted to say something, but remembering the few times he’d met a Blood Berserker in battle stayed his tongue. Words were cheap, easy, and it was far safer than fighting one of these freaks. And with those glowing eyes he knew it was little more than a thought for them to throw their hardened blood straight through his face. Terrifying opponents, but at least these were still sane. Somewhat sane.

Ivano returned the wave, still unsure what he would say, when the Silver Eagle stepped into his periphery.

“Why are they celebrating killing that?" He asked.

Ivano did not have an interest in men, but the man standing beside him was almost unnaturally beautiful. Especially compared to his usual companions.

"You could do better?" Arlid almost laughed. "It's a fucking Dragon. Are you honestly going to say that you, with your pretty silver locks and those women with those back breaking tits, could kill one of them without magic?"

The man nodded, ignoring Arlid's personal comments. "We're this far south to collect egg shells and their scales. All extremely valuable, could feed our tribe for many seasons just from one expedition."

"I'm sure those two would let you take whatever you needed." Ivano placed his axe back on his hip.

"Baby Dragons have soft scales and claws. According to one of our elders it’s because they haven’t eaten enough iron, but it does help them when they’re learning to fly. I've seen them crash into mountains while fighting for a mate, and they just flew away."

"Baby? You call that a baby? Well, baby or not it fell out of the sky and then…" Ivano’s body turned cold, colder than his imprisonment after returning from Qaiviel. "It fought its mother. And it was calling for help."

The two Blood Berserkers had approached the dead Blue Dragon and marvelled at their handiwork. Yet another terrible sound screamed from overhead. The Blood Berserkers outstretched their hands, tiny flecks of light emanated through tears on the back of their shirts, and the blood impaling the Blue Dragon liquefied. It slumped onto the ruined building as the blood coiled around the twin Blood Berserkers. Their attention was fixed towards the sky.

"Get inside." Ivano pushed Snakha towards the door. "We don't want to be a part of this."

Everyone obeyed. The Temple's interior was very crowded, beyond the huddling masses of their convoy and the Silver Eagles. Long chairs filled the room, now laden with the elderly and children, all facing towards a large jade statue of some kind of Chimera roaring in anger.

What madman would worship one of those things? I’d rather worship a Dragon, at least it might not kill you on sight.

Ivano found Sibbe and his children, quickly kissed his wife and slipped from her worried hands. Two Silver Eagles crowded near the door jostling for space. A thick wooden beam barred the door but Ivano doubted it would last against an adult Dragon. He reached the door and saw several small peepholes had been fashioned into the door.

Outside the Blood Berserker twins threw thin, long shards into the sky. One screamed in unimaginable fear. Ivano blinked and the two had disappeared, little more than a smear beneath a giant Blue Dragon’s hand. It was larger than the dead Blue Dragon, which Ivano now knew was actually a baby. The larger Blue Dragon snarled at the stains and rotated a massive shoulder and flexed its massive wings. Two deep cuts had pierced through its scales on its shoulder, the final attack of the Blood Berserkers, but it had done little more than annoy it.

All that arrogance and power, and for what? Just a smear on a Dragon’s foot. I wonder if your Goddess even cares given how easy it was to kill you.

Anger quickly gave way to sadness. Slowly it approached the dead Blue Dragon, whimpering and nudging it with its snout. Small tears ran down its face before mixing with the wet snow.

“Tragic,” A Silver Eagle spoke very softly. “A spat between a family… Wouldn’t have survived long without its wings.”

“But how did Jira know this was going to happen?” Neither had an answer to Ivano’s question.

The larger Blue Dragon pulled itself closer to the dead baby, raising a hand and gently caressing its head.

“Now what?” Erik asked. Unina was with Sibbe and his children. “We just… Wait?”

“You want to head out there?” Ivano managed a soft chuckle. “I can only thank the Gods that it’s not after the horses. Hopefully mourning doesn’t make it hungry.”

“And this Temple won't stop it." Erik’s attention returned to the jade idol. “What the hell is this place anyway?”

“I know what you’re looking at.” Arlid chuckled. “You’re thinking about just how much money you can make by selling all that jade, buy your lovely Seocurian girlfriend a big Lowlander ring. Right?”

Erik and Unina stammered, his flushed face was much easier to see compared to her dark skin. Arlid chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be like that. But it’s quite a pretty thing, isn't it?"

Erik folded his arms. "When there's a Dragon out there you're more worried about something to steal?"

"If that Dragon breaks down that door there's nothing we can do. But, while we wait for our imminent demise, let's have a look, shall we?"

Ivano sighed as Arlid reached for the idol. "Keep your damned-”

“Don’t touch that!” A voice shrilled from behind the idol.

Immediately everyone drew their weapons, brandishing them towards the idol and forgetting the Blue Dragon outside.

“It’s not yours to take.”

A side panel dropped loudly. Ivano winced, checked through the peephole to see the adult Blue Dragon still mourning its dead baby. He breathed a little easier, the macabre reason not lost upon him, and signalled his warriors forward. Arlid kicked the panel away and motioned for other warriors to go first, only having one arm of course. Ivano glanced at Sibbe, she had the children on the long chairs while Unina and Brenna were ready, a small dagger and large axe respectively.

The warriors dragged out a dozen Clansmen, a few men and women but mostly children, all wrapped in thick cloaks and shivering.

“How long have you lot been in there?” Arlid asked.

None responded. The adults kept their heads down while the children stared at them blankly. An odd sort of blank. Ivano wasn’t comfortable having them anywhere near his children.

“Hey.” Snakha lightly kicked one, light being relative for an Orc. “You got asked a question.”

Again the adults refused to respond. Snakha grunted and pulled one of their heads back. The man was remarkably plain, his eyes focused, staring back at Snakha. When he released his hold the man returned to his dismissive, unnaturally passive attitude.

“What the hell? So which one of you lot said anything about the idol thing?”

Still no answer.

“Fine. Ivano? Guess we can take it then, right?”

“No!” One of the older children yelled. His eyes were still blank but he moved like he was very angry, arms flailing while his legs trembled. “You can’t take it.”

“Tell it to the Dragon.” Snakha shoved the boy back harshly. He landed on his rear, a hair's breadth from cracking his skull on the stone floor.

Ivano cleared his throat and signalled for them to stop. Arlid and Arvid grumbled. They were but a moment away from lifting the jade idol. Ivano stopped near the young boy and offered a hand. The boy did not take it but appeared to appreciate the gesture.

“You’re freezing. How long have you been in there?”

“A long time.” The boy let out a long withheld sigh. “Wind blows inside the cavern. Snow and…”

He trailed off, the answer obvious.

“Do you know why the Blue Dragon attacked your village? I’ve never heard of them attacking cities…” Ivano sought assurances from the Silver Eagles. When they agreed he spoke a little easier. “So why did they attack?”

The boy’s fingers tapped his thighs. He wanted to answer but something held him back. Not the adults, who remained rooted in place with their eyes cast down in perfect silence.

“A Dragon murdered your friends and their families. Surely you must know something.”

He sighed and glanced at the jade Chimera idol. From his seated position the shadows cast made it more frightening than ever.

“Anything, kid. There’s got to be something.”

“Never even seen a Dragon before.” Erik muttered. “My father hadn’t either, and he’d travelled very far…”

The young boy still held back. Ivano knew he could use force, an unpleasant but possible action. Instead he tried to look as concerned as his face possibly could. It was something he learned from Sibbe when she needed to placate their children.

He gave one final glance to the stationary adults, gripped his hands into fists and tensed his shoulders.

“They… We were trying to bring back our protector.”

Ivano brushed his hand against the top of his axe. “What sort of protector?”

He was not surprised when he pointed at the jade Chimera idol.

“They said it would protect us. But… But it didn’t work. And the Blue Dragon attacked us.” The young boy’s shoulder drooped. “It burnt our homes, and ate my friends.”

The baby or the adult?

Tears welled in his eyes and he began to softly sob. Ivano was angry that the adults didn’t seem to care. Snakha silently offered his axe, Ivano didn’t want those dead just yet.

“How’s our Dragon doing?”

“Still holding its baby.” The Silver Eagle said. “Doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere fast.”

“Well,” Ivano looked at the Chimera idol. “Any reason why your adult friends don’t want to talk? They would be able to tell us more.”

The young boy reached underneath his shirt and produced an amulet. It was a curious thing, made from ragged pieces of bone and teeth, haphazardly thrown together. The sinew holding it together was old and reeked of rot but had yet to disintegrate. It wasn’t really an amulet. More of a fetish he expected old witches to deliver curses with.

“They,” The young boy nodded towards the adults. “Started to scream when it attacked. Then they fell down and haven’t said anything since. They followed us when we pushed them here to hide…”

“Kid.” Snakha stopped just beside the young boy. “You should really, really get rid of that thing.”

“Why?” He brought it close to his chest. “My father gave it to me. And, and it’s all I have left of him.”

Snakha snarled and ripped the amulet free. The young boy shouted, Snakha pushed him back with a mighty shove and stomped on the amulet until it was nothing but dust and grit.

“What the fuck was that?” Brenna harshly shoved the Orc. “What the fuck… Shit.”

She swore at the unmoving adults and inspected the young boy. Blood leaked from the back of his head but he was still alive. The other children rushed to his side, unsure of what was happening.

Snakha spat on the remains of the amulet. “Made my skin crawl just looking at it.”

“No reason to almost kill a kid.”

“I’ve killed for less.” Snakha spat again. “Let’s see if these rabbit dropping adults have any more of them.”

Before Ivano could react Snakha already had one held up by their chest. They tried to pry his fingers free but couldn’t. Snakha found another amulet and ripped it free.

“Give that back.” The adult whimpered as Snakha dropped him to the floor. “We need it. There wasn’t enough meat to lure the adult Dragon so-”

Snakha punched his nose hard, hard enough to break it.

“You wanted…” Ivano shook his head. “You tried to lure the Adult Blue Dragon, which I’m sure you had a plan to deal with? Right? But instead you got the baby. A baby and its mother. That’s what we were hearing. The two fighting, probably trying to drag its child away but it was still being lured here. Then those two dumb Jira fuckwits attacked it and made everything a hundred times worse.”

“Jira?” The man asked through the blood pouring down his face.

Snakha snarled and he backed away.

“And those amulets are a part of it.” Snakha readied his axe. “Right? Don’t you lie to me. I’m an Orc, a dumb one, but I can tell when you’re lying to me.”

“The amulets can interfere with the natural flow of mana and draw something extremely sensitive to it.” The man raised his hands.

“Still want to know how you planned to kill the adult.” Ivano murmured.

“Well, give them up at least.” Snakha waved some of the caravan’s warriors forward. “Won’t be doing any of that without them.”

Ivano sighed as they roughly searched the adults. The children protested but Brenna and the two Silver Eagle women were able to placate them. Ivano returned to the door and looked out. The adult Blue Dragon had yet to move, other than trying to nuzzle its dead baby through copious amounts of tears. It was a sad scene Ivano knew he wouldn’t easily forget.

Snakha triumphantly smiled as he threw the strange amulets onto the floor and smashed them with one mighty blow. The Blue Dragon snapped its head towards the temple door. Ivano felt his blood turn cold once again. Only a strangled cry escaped his lips, everyone knew what it meant and remained silent. The Dragon’s eyes had constricted to tiny pinpricks, lips curled back in anger, yet it did not move. Everyone inside remained perfectly still, every child's mouth held shut by a myriad of arms. The adults glared with tremendous fury at Snakha but refused to move or speak.

A great plume of hot breath erupted from its nose, the Dragon beat its gigantic wings and shot into the air, leaving the dead baby Dragon amongst the ruins of the house. The small peep-hole didn't allow him to look up. He could only hope it was gone.

"Are we safe?" Sibbe whispered. “Is it gone?”

"I… I think so.” A shudder ran through Ivano’s body. He saw the other warriors look even more relieved. “Its baby is dead, but it killed those Blood Berserker twits and we just destroyed whatever drew its kid here, so it shouldn’t be coming back. That might make your little salvage job a little harder."

The Silver Eagles smiled bitterly but did not disagree.

"So…" Snakha rubbed his oversized jaw. "What do we do about them? They created this whole mess."

“I honestly have no fucking idea.” Ivano brushed away the snow from his beard. “Leave them? These idiots just got their whole village killed. So I don’t think they need much more punishment. Unless you’re going to cave their skulls in with that axe.”

“It’s a thought.”

Going to be an interesting conversation later about this.

Brenna clearly had the same thought.

“Well, your Chimera didn’t save you from a BabyDragon. I don’t even want to know what your plan was.” Ivano’s eyes narrowed, the adults still refused to look at them with anything other than the most vacant of expressions. “Do whatever you want. But we’re heading to Rangarvellir. These Silver Eagles are still heading south, so you could try that if you want.

“We can’t just leave the children.” Sibbe rose to her feet, his children in tow. “We just leave them here with them? I don’t think they can even feed themselves like they are.”

“Looks like some stupid act.” Arvid snorted. “Bad play, really.”

“Up to you, kids.” Ivano shrugged and sighed. “It’s your future.”

The children huddled and whispered amongst themselves. Snakha continued to spin his axe in his hand.

“We're going to stay." The second eldest said, the first still lay on the floor, groaning and rubbing his face but alive. "We have food in the cellars that the Dragon didn't touch."

"So you'll be fine until someone else comes through here."

"We can let the next village know what happened." A Silver Eagle woman said, gently stroking the hair of the youngest child. "They'll take you in, I'm sure."

The children seemed quite happier to be told that by the most motherly amongst them.

“So that settles it then.” Ivano dusted his hands. “Stay here, with these… People. And we’ll send you help as quickly as we can.”

Sibbe did not look altogether thrilled, but was willing to go along with it all. For now at least. Ivano signalled for the door to be opened and the caravan’s contents spilled into the fresh cold. Outside, their horses alive and well. In fact they seemed quite happy, to be under shelter and not dragging their ponderous carts. It was almost like they didn't even know they were but a few breaths from being Dragon lunch. Even against the grey sky he could not see the blue speck that would herald their doom.

“Probably wouldn’t even notice it before it slammed into us." He murmured.

Snakha laughed. "No. But what a way to go, right? Instead of dying in Qaiviel to that Orc runt we can say it was a Dragon." He scoffed, pointing at what remained of the Blood Berserkers. "What little good it did for them."

"There's smoke." Sibbe spoke softly. "A lot of smoke… By the Old Gods, that's where the other caravan was heading."

A thin line of smoke rose over the mountain further south than the pass.

"Looks like it's their Temple. Guess the Dragon's smart enough to know who sent them. That's horrifying."

“Probably think it’s one of those lot.” Snakha jerked his head backwards. “Something lured its kid…”

The Orc trailed off, shaking his head. Ivano reminded himself again to inquire later.

The first of the Silver Eagles emerged. Their eyes were drawn to the dead baby Blue Dragon.

"At least let us leave before ripping that thing apart." Ivano folded his arms. “No idea just how far away its mother is.”

“And you’re just going to leave the kids there?” Sibbe asked, his children in tow.

“They’ve got food, shelter and no one’s going to be attacking this ruined village anytime soon. They’re actually quite safe.”

“Speaking of…” Snakha snapped his large fingers. “Arlid? Arvid? You two wanna’ come with me? Got something to get before we go.”

“Not their damned idol.” Sibbe sighed, planting a hand on her hip and shaking her head.

“Exactly. Come on you two.” Snakha smiled as he returned. Ivano saw the Orc’s hand hover over the top of a dagger.

Ivano mentally sighed. He couldn’t, rather he wouldn’t, order them to be killed in front of so many. But if something were to happen that would just be terrible luck. He already ordered the death of an innocent woman and her son, their bodies to be thrown into a lake and their gold given to the perpetrators, not to mention those he’d killed on every raid of the Lowlands. What were a few more to the list? His suspicions were confirmed when the door was shut.

“Ivano?” Sibbe held his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“Apart from seeing a Dragon, and watching one die? I guess it’s rattled me a little.” Ivano brought Sibbe in for a tight hug. “I’ve never travelled so long with you and the kids. So I’ve got to learn to behave myself.”

Sibbe’s expression softened.

"You don't need to go back to Arnkel." She harshly poked his chest, a message that he was to remain silent. "I've spoken with Brenna and Unina. And the women don't mind just leaving all this behind. Brenna knows of a valley with some good soil that doesn't freeze during winter. I know Snakha will follow her, and Erik, Unina. So there's nothing stopping us. Except…"

Ivano brought her in for a tight hug. When they parted she wore a distinctive frown, one she wore when she knew she wasn't going to like his answer.

"Except that we will probably get away with it. The Lowlands aren’t united, but they’re slowly putting together defences and ways to attack us.” He nodded towards Gavriel. “Even a border fort chased us for days, and they nearly caught us. But our kids? And their children? We need to make sure they have a future that isn’t under the Lowlander’s boot."

"But it doesn't have to be just you-"

"That's why I listened to Arnkel. He has a better path and now the support of the most important Clans."

Sibbe almost raised an objection but Ivano stopped her.

"But if it doesn't work out I'll say goodbye to it all and we'll head to this valley of yours. Maybe farming will be a good change for us. Dirt, instead of blood, underneath my fingernails. What a thought."

Sibbe smiled, an honest smile, one that faded as she pointed towards the Temple. Another line of smoke emerged, more to the north and smaller. This time where the caravan was travelling. Another two were beginning to form, from what he did not know.

The door to the Temple opened, Arlid and Arvid emerged first, grinning wildly as they held the jade idol between them.

“Yeah, we took it.” Arlid chuckled. “But now we’ll have more than enough money to keep everyone here fed. And properly armed.”

He smiled at Sibbe and Brenna, helping the children into the cart. “That’s what you ladies want, right? None of us need to die so they can have this thing.”

“Not like they need it.” Arvid said. “They tried to summon a dragon to create this thing.”

Ivano saw Gavriel poke his head up. The Bebbezzarian merchant could smell potential trade and profit from a mile away. At the very least it was something different than the warriors he usually surrounded himself.

“What sort of things?” Unina asked, tapping Erik’s side. “Could we get something prettier for our cloaks?”

Arlid and Arvid began to explain the different types of clothing for sale in Rangarvellir. She was hooked on the idea, and with her everyone else followed. Snakha emerged from the temple. Ivano glanced at him through his peripheries; he was clean but spatters of blood covered his axe. He wiped it clean before anyone could notice and stood beside Ivano without a word.

Please don’t be stupid enough to ask while Sibbe is right here.

Snakha was not that foolish. He helped Sibbe into the cart and organised their caravan to get moving once again. Only once the rattling of the carts was surrounding them, and Ivano had moved back to the supply cart, did he speak.

“They aren’t going to be an issue.” Snakha spoke uncharacteristically softly.

“Any?” Ivano asked without looking at the Orc.

“Not one. You heard what they wanted to do. No. It was easier and quicker this way.”

“Not a word of this to anyone.” Ivano sighed. “The twins can keep their mouths shut?”

“They’ll be fine. They were more eager than me when they figured they could make a lot of money from that jade. And they’ve only got one arm each.”

“Right… Not a word to anyone.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”

Snakha gave him a hearty slap on his back and raced to catch up to the cart. Ivano wondered if he really wanted to know why the Orc was so offended by their work, not that he wasn’t either. Perhaps it was best not to know. Snakha didn’t come across as someone that had an easy upbringing.

Another sigh passed through his lips as he reached the cart and looked towards the thin plume of smoke rising from Jira’s Temple. Only there was yet another, further away.

“Poor bastards don’t have to worry about their veggies now, do they?”

He touched his axe, almost smiling at the ridiculousness of what he was preparing for, and settled in for the long ride to Rangarvellir, wondering just why Clansmen would want to resurrect a Chimera. The answer eluded him well into sleep.