That night, the siblings made camp on top of a small hillock, top with a few tall pines. From here, they could see much of the surrounding land, including the lights of Shroudpass Village to the north. Behind the village loomed the ominous Steel Peaks, a wide mountain range that stretched North and West. In every direction there were pine, spruce, and elm trees blanketing the land. Most of it was blanched with snow, save for the South, which had patches of green, and the East, which eventually ran into The Graven Depths.
Cassandra took all of it in, breathing deeply in the cold evening air. A breeze grabbed her hair, pulling to the North. She turned into the thin tree line on the hill, returning to Lewis, and their camp. "Start a small fire. We'll cook and eat. Warm ourselves for a bit, then get some rest."
Lewis nodded his agreement with a light, "hm." He clapped his hands, rubbing them together. they had already accumulated a small amount of dry wood, which they both stacked into a pile. Lewis whispered into his folded hands, from within which came a warm glow. The young mage opened his hands, and blew. The small flame contained in his palm fanned out onto the wood pile, where it found temporary housing.
Cassandra sat next to the fire, shaking her head. "It still amazes me. I like the big one better though."
She was referring to a higher level spell that Lewis knew, and would occasionally cast onto groups of enemies. "Ah yes, the fire cone. It's one of the first spells he taught me y'know. Or at least, one of the first I was able to grasp." Cassandra handed him a stick with chunks of boar meat shoved onto it, which he promptly stuck into the flames. "I almost burned down his stable house when I figured it out. I was practicing on my own, while I was supposed to be feeding the horses. The horses were safe from the flames. But the hay loft? Not so much." The both of them laughed at the memory, rotating their dinner.
"I bet he was furious." Cassandra said with a chuckle.
"Oh he was." Lewis stared into their own fire, reliving his early days with Nephemon, the Archmage. "After he conjured a Water Elemental to take care of the barn, he took me inside, to the laboratory." Lewis was absently rotating his meat stick, Cassandra noticed. "He sat me down in a chair, strapped me in, and said: 'I'll show you what my horses would have felt, had I not been there on time.' He grabbed a vial of clear liquid, I remember thinking it was empty. He forced the vial into my mouth, and the liquid slid into my gullet..." He was no longer moving his stick, the meat slowly beginning to crisp.
"What was it?" Cassandra asked, more than aware that she was pressing into trauma. She didn't care. Her brother was hurt. She could see that he still felt that pain.
"Elemental Essence. Fire, specifically. When mixed with the proper gemstones, the Essence can bind to create a powerful Elemental ally. When ingested by a mortal, it makes for a very potent torture method." Lewis' voice trembled. The meat on his stick was blackening, but he seemed to not notice. "I felt flames crawling down my throat. And when it reached my gut, i felt as if my very soul was burning alive. Every inch of my body, felt as if it had been dipped into the sea of fire..." A tear escaped the mans eye, running down his cheek. "Then, Nephemon shoved a healing potion into me. Restored all vitality, and I felt as if I had awoken from a short nap. He unstrapped me, and said: 'Next time, you will have to fight me for the healing potion.'" The burnt meat slip off of his stick, and into the fire. He cursed and brushed away his tears, asking his sister for another chunk of boar.
Cassandra felt herself crying as well. But not tears of pain like her brother. She felt rage, and hatred. That mage had taken her only remaining family. Nephemon took the only person she loved, and abused him. The Archmage beat and bullied Lewis, and called it 'lessons'. And as furious as it made her, Cassandra couldn't deny that her brother had power. And she was so proud of Lewis for that. But she still felt hatred for his master.
"I'm so sorry, Lewis." She looked her brother in the eyes. And he returned the gaze. "I should have been there. I could've stopped him from taking-"
Lewis held a hand up to stop her. "I regret leaving you the way I did. But I don't regret training with Nephemon." He held up the holster hanging from his waist, which held his Spellbook, Nephemons final gift to the boy. "He taught me so many things. Yes, his methods could have been gentler, I agree. But I came out stronger. Better."
Cassandra looked at him with drying eyes. "Well, when we find him, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind. You were a child."
"So was he, once." Lewis pulled his meat from the flames, This time, is was properly cooked, and he began devouring his meal.
Cassandra sighed, and ate her meat as well. Once fed, they doused the fire, and curled up into their bedrolls. Tomorrow they would arrive in Shroudpass Village. They were told to seek out Daerma, a Dwarven seer on the outskirts of the village. Apparently she knew something that could lead them to Reginald and Nephemon.
While the siblings slept, a black feathered owl sat silently on a branch, high above the young adventurers, watching them. Just as it had done every night since they left Chillreach. Silently watching. Listening.
In the morning, mist rolled over the hill the Boothe siblings had chosen for their campsite. They both awoke with the sun painting their faces through the tree limbs. Within hours, they were packed, fed, and making their way towards Shroudpass Village. And to, hopefully, answers.