Gorgant slowed to a stop and snorted, the horse sending a puff of swirling steam into the chill air. The village of Sarville waited just ahead.
Curan’s memories of his first visit to the small mountain village a season ago remained fresh. Though he longed for a warm room and a soft bed, he decided to ride through town and camp somewhere beyond it.
A nudge sent Gorgant into a trot along the snow-covered road. A snowstorm had passed through earlier in the day, slowing his progress with a blanket of fresh powder covering everything, the snow depth ranging from a few inches to over three feet deep where the drifts gathered.
Smoke rose from the chimneys in Sarville, spilling out and drifting to the east. As he passed through town, Curan came across only three people, none of whom paid him any attention. Soon, he passed the last inn, and the road continued north amidst snow-covered pines. As he rode, Curan cast his mind back on the past few days.
The first part of his journey from Kantar had been uneventful, and he was thankful for it. His trek began with a long, arduous day through the Brimstone Mountains. He had pushed Gorgant hard to make it to Fenrick’s Crossing to take advantage of the pleasant weather, fearing what the lingering winter might bring. The village also offered the benefit of shelter for him and the horse for a night.
Rising early the following day, he pushed Gorgant until they made it across the Malloram desert. Although the desert could be dangerously hot in the summer, winter was milder, with moderate days and cold nights.
The ground rose as he entered the Skyspike Mountains. That’s when the storm struck, forcing him and Gorgant to hide in a narrow cleft in the mountain pass. He waited all night and well into the next day, while snow fell and the wind whistled through the pass. It was midday before the blizzard finally passed, the snowfall stopped, and the wind settled to normal levels. The resulting drifts and poor footing forced him to travel at a slow walk, sometimes while riding Gorgant and other times leading the horse on foot. It wasn’t until he reached the valley floor that he felt comfortable to ride at a trot.
Gorgant rounded a bend, and the horse slowed as he came across a particularly deep drift. An odd sound came from ahead, causing Curan to frown. Curan stopped the horse and sought the source of the noise.
Something moved beyond the snowy pines. Something big. It drew closer, rounding the bend in the road and rolling into sight.
It was an imposing machine, vaguely resembling a steam carriage. However, no steam rose from it, and the machine was much bulkier than a carriage. A metal wedge at the front of the vehicle cut a path through the snow, pushing it aside and creating a bank on each side of the road. The machine had three sets of wheels and something mounted on the back.
Curan urged Gorgant to the side of the road, not wishing to get run over by the approaching behemoth. As it drew even with him, the machine came to a stop. The door opened and someone in a wool cloak stuck a head out.
“Curan? What are you doing out here?”
He recognized the girl’s voice just before she lowered her hood. “Greetings, Cassie. I am returning to the Ward.”
“You are supposed to be in Kantar, protecting my mother.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I was, but she sent me away.”
“She is well, then?”
“Yes. Of course.” He frowned at the machine. “What is this thing?”
Everson peeked from behind Cassie. “This is a weapon, Curan.”
Curan then noticed the multi-armed catapult on the back of the vehicle. He had heard of Everson’s brilliance during his brief stay at the Ward. The machine was surely one of his creations.
“Where are you going?” Curan asked.
Cassie glanced at Everson, who nodded. She then turned to Curan. “War is coming, and we head south to join the fight.”
The news was not surprising. Even before becoming a warden, Curan had known war was likely. His gaze shifted north as he considered his plan to return to the Ward. Other than continuing his training, he could accomplish nothing from within the building. His decision was easy.
Curan looked back at them. “I am coming with you.”
“We will be happy to have you with us,” Cassie said.
Curan rode at a trot, following the trail left by Colossus. Only two or three inches of snow remained after the big machine plowed through the deep drifts, making the journey far easier than it had been earlier. The cloudy sky darkened further, and it soon became difficult to see anything beyond a hundred feet away. Colossus turned from the road and entered a small snow-covered grove before stopping. Gorgant settled beside the machine as Cassie climbed out. Everson and Ivy followed, the three of them tromping through the deep snow as they circled the machine.
“Where are you going?” Curan asked.
Everson stopped and turned toward him. “It’s cold, even inside this thing. We plan to build a fire and warm up a bit.”
Curan frowned in confusion. Rather than ask additional questions, he climbed off the horse and followed. When he rounded Colossus, he found Cassie nearing a boulder thirty feet away from the machine. She traced a symbol on the rock and returned to join Everson and Ivy, who stood huddled in their cloaks beside Colossus.
Moments later, Cassie’s eyes opened, her irises flaring bright red in the purple light of dusk. The rune on the rock bloomed with light, pulsed, faded, and the rock burst into white flames. The heat hit Curan in a wave, the fire burning fifteen feet high and rapidly melting everything in the surrounding area.
“That is useful,” Curan noted.
Cassie laughed.
The heat from the burning rock soon thawed the chill that had settled deep inside Curan. As the snow in the area melted, steam rose while fallen branches and trunks emerged from the blanket of white that had been covering them. By the time the fire began to die down, nightfall had darkened the forest around them. They gathered wood scraps and tossed them toward the burning rock, starting a fire that would continue well after the augmentation failed. Everson emerged from Colossus with an arm full of food and began to hand it out to everyone.
A downed tree too big to move became a bench where they sat while eating. Curan shared news of his stay in Kantar, including Filbert’s failed coup. Of course, Cassie asked many questions, and he reassured Cassie of her mother’s safety, particularly after weeding through the guards with the Truth rune.
Cassie, Ivy, and Everson then shared events from the Ward in addition to the information passed to them through Cassie’s brother. The news painted a clear picture: War was coming, and it would hit soon.
Cassie froze. Curan turned to Everson and Ivy with a cocked brow.
“It must be Brandt,” Everson said in a hushed voice. “Wait and see what she has to say.”
They waited a bit, while concern reflected in Cassie’s eyes. Finally, she looked at Everson and said, “My brother and your sister are in trouble.”
Everson’s eyes filled with alarm. “What happened?”
“They used a combination of Chaos magic and flash bombs to collapse a portion of the cliffs south of Hipoint. The result left the road impassible and trapped the bulk of the Imperial army on the other side, unable to advance.”
“How is that trouble?” Everson said. “It sounds like an ingenious plan and an extreme stroke of luck.”
“True,” Cassie said, her tone shifting toward sadness. “However, they were captured in the process. It sounds like the Archon’s son is holding them hostage. They are returning to Sol Polis to be tried and executed as traitors.”