Ashviel pressed his thick coat on his chest as the frosty wind grazed him. He tried to warm himself with fire Rek, but the flames were extinguished almost as soon as they were formed. He looked at Kael, and filled with pity, he ran his fingers into his friend's hair, nudging the snowflakes that had formed on it.
They had left the inn about two months ago, and had been travelling for days on end, from pillar to post, resting only at night.
They had passed through the patches of forest, walking through the close canopy trees. When at night they stopped to rest, the crickets would raise a raucous orchestration of unfinished notes, while the frogs, in accompaniment, would throw in their dull bass notes at regular intervals. Kael would often stomp his feet around, cursing and covering his ears as the creatures' sounds grew louder each passing minute.
They had traversed stretches of the low-lying grasslands with scattered trees. Their lookouts at night had been more intense, for they all feared the beasts that may be around.
They had gone through the mires of the small marshes of black water. As they went, they would push against the trees as they hopped lightly for fear of sinking.
They now found themselves in a village experiencing the worst winter ever. It was very cold, cold as charity, colder than even Hogan. The village was also completely deserted –four hours of roaming through the blizzard could tell that.
"That tree over there," said Kyra, with her teeth chattering involuntarily. "That tree should give us a little protection."
The previous day, they had laid down the single tent Master Vauxall had left with them, only to have the wind blow it away, ruining it beyond repair in minutes. The tree that Kyra talked about offered only a little shelter. It was all but branchless, and the three had to fold themselves under it while shrouding themselves in a blanket of fire Rek.
Approaching them from the northern direction was a man on a horse drawn carriage. He wore thick clothes and an oversized hat that buried his small face. He drew closer to the three and without taking off his hat, he declared in a loud voice.
"What might two wretched blokes be doing with oh so beautiful a miss?" he asked no one in particular.
Kael sprang to his feet immediately, quick on the offence, and would have swung into action if he had been in a condition to fight.
Unconcerned by the gesture, the young man with the big hat continued, repeating his question in the same loud and annoying voice. Ashviel aimed his baneful stare at the man, and while he did not get up, he bared his teeth at him.
Kyra stood up and walked closer to the carriage. "We are travelers, in need of a place to stay."
"Forgive me then," said the young man, raising his hat to reveal a small and smooth face. Everything about his face was small –nose, mouth, eyes and ears, and though he was about a decade older than the three before him, his complete lack of facial hair implied the opposite.
"If you don't mind, miss," he continued, "you may want to climb up to the carriage." He looked at the other two, "your attendants may follow if you wish."
Ashviel could have declined the offer outright, but talking another look at their pathetic states, he decided to follow the man.
He entered the cart, which was clearly meant to hold a single passenger, so he found himself wedged between Kael and Kyra. They rode on for about an hour before the driver pulled to a stop before a mansion, partly concealed by frost. It was the only building in the area, standing obdurately in the freeze, like an iroko resisting a harsh storm.
"The name's Trevor," said the man as they got out and headed into the mansion. They got to the porch and he produced a key from his pockets, which he used to open the door. The inside of the mansion was surprisingly warm, and unlike the inn they had rested at a month ago, the mansion was almost completely free of dust. At the centre was an ornate chandelier, providing a dim lightning for the place.
A small girl sat at the dining table, so elegantly dressed that Ashviel thought her a princess.
"Trevor," said she, "you kept me waiting."
"My apologies, I happened to meet these folks on my way."
Ashviel, Kael, and Kyra introduced themselves to the girl, who also introduced herself as Theobrina. They sat at the table with the girl, and Trevor went inside to get them with large blankets. He returned later and contrasting with the cold treatment he had shown towards Kael and Ashviel earlier, he had now changed his tune and treated them with a little more concern.
He flicked his fingers, then rolled it around his neck, and at a stroke, several lanterns lighted the room, revealing its full beauty. Ashviel turned to him at once, startled by the act. "You, you're a mage?"
"Yes, I am," replied Trevor.
Ashviel was amazed to find a mage in such a village, and he would have revealed himself too if he had not given it a second thought. 'What if he was a Libra mage or some other type of mage who wanted him dead?'
Kael turned to face Trevor too. "Are you allied?"
"I had a lord, once," answered Trevor, sitting to join them at the table.
"And is he allied to … anyone?" asked Kyra.
"Not that I know of," answered Trevor. "Why are you so concerned anyway?"
"We are mages too," Kyra said.
Theobrina's eyes lit up with expectation. "Messengers from father?" she asked.
"No, nothing of such," answered Ashviel.
Trevor laid his hat on the table. "Master Sertin left a year ago, and promised to send messengers to us, but we are yet to receive any. Seven years ago, I happened to save Theobrina from a certain death, and as a reward, her father gave me the potion. I had no master to train me, so I became his servant, learning from him, until he left me with Theobrina, and assured us of his return. This village has been frozen ever since the day he left, and I promised to take care of Theobrina for him, until he returns."
"So you've been here the whole time, scary," said Ashviel, envisioning how it must have been difficult to survive.
"Yes, and I knew you were mages right away, because only mages can survive for an hour here without freezing to death."
"Some kind of protection?" asked Kael.
"Perhaps," replied Trevor. "So, where are you travelling to?
"To Capricorn Prime?" said Kyra, and her two friends gave her two inquisitive stares, which she returned with a reassuring one.
"Ah, I see," said Trevor. "Capricorn takes in new students biannually, once in every six months. The next recruitment should be three weeks away."
"Three weeks," cried Ashviel. "We won't be able to meet it."
"With enough haste," said Theobrina, "you should get to Capricorn in two weeks."
"How?" the three all turned to ask her. According to Master Vauxall's map, Capricorn Prime was still two months away.
"You ride and trek," Theobrina said plainly. "After all, you should be practicing a body-honing technique."
"What type of body-honing technique allows you to cover ten weeks journey in just two?" Kael asked.
"Ten weeks?"
"My map says we are still far away," said Ashviel. He brought out the map, which he had always kept near, for he stared at it every day without any special purpose, as if glaring at the large brown paper would somehow shorten the journey.
Trevor took the map in his hand. "Whew, so old a map," he said. He inspected it for some time, peering closely at the markings on it. "This is very old, drawn when Capricorn was only a small domain. That must be centuries back. Wherever did you find it?"
Ashviel almost rebuked himself for bringing at the map too quickly. 'Now, Trevor is asking about Master Vauxall.'
"Never mind where we got it," Kael quickly cut in. "Do you have any better one?"
Trevor looked at the map for sometime more. "I should," he said, not taking his eyes off the piece.
He went inside to get his map, and a detailed one it was when laid on the table. Unlike Master Vauxall's own, which contained only a little number of cities, mostly nameless, and with majority of other areas stroked out as wastelands, Trevor's map gave a more detailed explanation, and even though it was not explicitly named, Ashviel recognized a boxed area as Lord Blue Beard's academy. He studied it closely and saw that they were already close to South Capricorn. He realized that the red crosses on Master Vauxall's map which had indicated Capricorn Prime was Central Capricorn, and not the South Capricorn that they were meant to be.
He threw his head back and exhaled forcefully. Capricorn Prime was only two weeks away from him.