The old man peeked sideways to his wife and the lady did exactly the same. The couple could experience a new feeling running through their blood, welling from their stomach, climbing up their chest, aching to escape their throats. That feeling wasn't there a moment ago. Nerissa seemed serene, patiently awaiting their answer. The old lady muffled something, then bent forward clutching her abdomen. Her pain felt searing. The old tobacco farmer turned to his bent wife, trying to pat her back, a vain attempt to send the pain away.
Nerissa, still undisturbed, got to her feet. She produced a small vial from her pocket, one she had provided herself with, from her household's supplies. The young woman approached the aching lady calmly, offering her that small, green vial. Shaking, wrinkled hands got hold of it carefully and before anyone knew, down it went into her throat.
"It's bitter" is what Nerissa tried to warn the lady, but it seemed her need was greater than her taste. "And you need to lay and rest" the young Wise Woman concluded and the hag followed her instructions.
Inside her, she knew the old lady was in real pain, but there was a lot more than illness to that couple. She could sense the feeling of uneasiness and decided she would spend all the time needed with them in order to dig up the truth.
Engaging in small talk was a real pain for Nerissa, but also necessary evil that paved the way to more information. Nevertheless, she showed some interest in their tobacco cultivation, the seeds they liked to plant, the methods, the yield. She was always sweet and calm. Not long later, the old man decided it was time to end their meaningless conversation.
"Will you lend an ear to an old man's nightmare?" he asked sincerely. The burden on his chest seemed to lighten. Nerissa put on a serious expression. She walked to the door, only to shut it. Before the old man had the chance to speak his mind, she asked him abruptly:
"Why did you come to me?"
The ill wife bit her lip.
"Where is your Wise Man?" Nerissa went on. "Nessos was appointed in Perrevi. Why didn't you visit him?"
The tobacco seller lowered his head disappointed and sad. Before voicing another word, it looked like he tried to hold a tear back.
"Forgive us Wise Woman." was all he muttered, allowing his tears to take over.
Nerissa made up her mind, the night would be long. She would wait for the man to calm down before she could start with the real questions.
If the situation in the guest house wasn't awkward and irritating enough for Nerissa, it definitely became so, after a loud and clear bang was heard against the door. What surprised her a little, was that she didn't remember listening to footsteps outside. Were it Lados, he would have opened the door himself. Another bang on the door, the old man started trembling.
"Open up!" a yell that sounded more like a shriek came from outside.
The door, as if it had will of its own, was magically unlocked. It opened up, revealing a ragged figure standing at the doorstep. The figure didn't hesitate to storm in, nervously going for Nerissa.
She, on the other hand, kept her cool, assessing the situation. There were three people in the room, except for her. The old lady seemed helpless laying on that bed, while her husband, on Nerissa's left, didn't look eager enough to make a move. He was simply standing guilty on his spot, his head lowered.
Although the ragged figure was trying hard to cover his face, he looked like a young man in his early twenties, but the bad state of his clothes made him look significantly older. Adding to his ragged appearance, his body looked malnourished. Before Nerissa could talk, the man shouted at her:
"Give me your potions Healer!"
Nerissa only stared blankly at him.
"Your potions!" he repeated "Your potions and your ingredients! Stuffs!" he shouted once more
"Stay put!" Nerissa snapped at him with a change of her expression from blank to cold. She didn't seem frightened. The ragged man was surprised by her lack of fear. Breaking free of the command he had received, he tried to walk to Nerissa's direction.
"Stay put!" she ordered him bossily once more.
This time the man felt really frightened. He started feeling nervous, but was unwilling to give up. His malnourished body looked like it was trying to break free of the command again, bouncing on his toes like a crouching predator that couldn't decide which leg to balance on, before the imminent attack. He snorted angrily at Nerissa's cold temperament which seemed overwhelming. Instead of moving, he tried to reach for his pocket, where a small, rusty knife was hiding all along. The man got hold of the wooden hilt to draw it out. Before extending his skinny, right arm, he found himself flat on his chest. Lados' imposing figure rose from the shadows. It only took a swift punch to knock the worn man out.
Nerissa, still cold and unmoved turned to the old tobacco couple.
"Where is your Wise Man, Nessos?" she repeated slowly, the icy tone in her voice becoming sharper.
The old couple burst in tears.
"Forgive us Wise Woman! Forgive us!" they wept. "He is gone! We are helpless! He is gone!"
While at their weeping, Nerissa looked at Lados, nodding in understanding for the villagers' despair. With no mood for punishment, she allowed the old man to sit by his ill wife. Lados lifted the ragged man with one arm, took him to the stables, where he tied him up, making sure he had something to eat and water to drink first. After a couple hours of loud lament, the ill woman finally talked.
"We're helpless Wise Woman! We'll die! We won't get through the winter." she started crying again, so her husband stepped in.
"What my lady wants to say is we're in a pickle Wise Woman. Our suffering isn't news, it's known for three years now. Winters are getting longer up on the mountains, longer and longer!" he took a breath, then continued "Our poor crops can't last, our animals die of the cold. Summer's cooler. Our Wise Man, Nessos, at first thought it was just a cold winter, but started diggin' te' find the truth two years ago. Cows froze te ther deaths two years ago. Last winter was even longer. Nessos tried his best te keep the cattle alive, but before spring came, he went te find what's been frozing the animals. Hasn't returned."
Nerissa raised an eyebrow at that point, which the old man noticed. "Yes Wise Woman" he insisted "hasn't returned!" "We're running out of food, we can't stock, we're running out of medicine!"
Nerissa curled her lips.
"So, the ragged man is with you" she remarked.
A new round of tears appeared.
"Forgive us Wise Woman!" the old lady begged. "He said he'd stay behind the cart. The lad's so poor, his mother's ill!"
In response, Nerissa scratched her head indifferently.
"So many tobacco sellers in the town" she started "So many cheese mongers, so many people. Why report Nessos' disappearance now? Why this way?" she asked calmly.
Silence filled the guest house for a moment. Seeing she wouldn't get an answer out of them, she asked again.
"So, what lead you here? What was your last straw?"
"Ice!" they came out with it together. "It's the spreading ice, it almost reached our village."