"Annabelle!" came the ever-longing cry the girl was looking for early that morning. She glanced up from the book on herbs her nose was buried in, excitement filling her eyes. She tossed the book aside and raced out of the house towards the stables. Annabelle had been waiting for this moment through the whole term. Their family cat had given birth to her first litter of kittens that morning and Annabelle was promised one as a familiar for her studies.
She raced out to the barn, her face glowing and a bright smile on her face. At the back of the barn, a few stable hands stood around where the cat had been laying all night and greeted Annabelle with sad eyes as she approached. The smile instantly fell from her face at their gaze and glanced around till her eyes settled on the cat. The sight brought tears to her eyes.
All four bean shaped kittens were laying still unmoving. The mother meowed uncontrollably while licking and pawing at her stillborn kittens. Annabelle could see her distress and leaned down picking up one of the kittens, holding its tiny black body in the palm of her hand.
"We're sorry, my lady," one of the stable hands spoke as the girl softly petted the tiny creature.
Annabelle sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, the poor things," she cried, holding the kitten close to her chest. Leaning down, she ran a hand over the mother cat's head. "I'm sorry, this shouldn't have happened to you." Annabelle knew deep down something had to be done, and she knew exactly who to blame for not giving life to her kittens. She turned to the few men who had taken off their hats in respect for the loss and watched as Annabelle carried the lifeless kitten toward the house.
"He will pay for what he's done," Annabelle mumbled. "I wanted one and I wanted them alive."
She wandered through the house till she reached the weapons and potions hold and opened the door to find Nimer inside mixing herbs together, throwing them into a large cauldron while reading a large book. The young man did not look up as Annabelle approached, unmoved by her distress, and simply turned a page. "I'm busy," he said flatly and tried to reach for a bit of lavender off the shelf.
Annabelle slammed the lifeless kitten into his chest and screamed at him. "The kitten I was promised wasn't born alive! You're supposed to be the god of life! Bring them back, this instant!" Annabelle broke into a sob. "Help me, HELP ME OR ELSE!"
Nimer lowered his book and looked at the small creatures, a hint of pity in his eyes. "What do you want me to do about it? I can't bring back something that is already dead. It's forbidden unless Taurion gives me their soul to be reborn. You know that. I'm not awakened anyways. I have not fully grasped the process of transferring souls to the living."
Annabelle hung her head and sobbed and began beating Nimer's arm with her fist. "Then talk to him! Do something! This is what I've always wanted. You-you can't take this away from me."
"If they were born deceased, their souls never developed, Anna. I don't think you understand how things work," Nimer glowered at her.
"Then I will go to the underworld and the hells and ask him myself for a soul for my cat if you won't," Annabelle raged and turned on her heels to leave, holding the kitten close to her chest.
Nimer reached out, grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Stop!" he begged. "Only gods can go to the hells, Annabelle. You are not a god!"
Annabelle turned toward him sharply and pulled her arm from his grasp. "Then I will become one, just like you." She then ran out of the room.
"Annabelle!" Nimer called out to her, then hissed curses under his breath.
+++
The memory faded with Nimer picking up his glass off the table and bringing it to his lips to sip the ale within. With his boots up on the table and his posture laid back, he surveyed the room and the few travelers who sat about the room at their tables. Jex stood across the room waiting for three bowls of huntsman stew to be served to him while Ray sat across from Nimer, watching the bubbles rise to the top of her wooden stein and fizzle out into the brown liquid. The low bustle of the small Inn made for a calming ambience while the three rested and kept out of the cold.
"It's been snowing for what seems like days," Ray announced. "You think it will let up?"
"I'd hope so," Nimer answered. "I loathe being stuck in one place for too long- not to mention, I'm unsure of how much longer we can wait. Ravathor could awaken any day now." Nimer patted his money bags, only a few coins jingling inside. "And we can only afford a room for another night or two."
Jex placed all three bowls on the table, one in front of each of his companions and kept one for himself. "Where are we headed next anyways?"
"Dalharst," Nimer answered, pulling a map from his coat pocket and placing it on the table, after removing his feet. He twirled his finger in small circles before placing it against the parchment. "We are here, in Hillford."
"Have you been to Dalharst before?" Jex asked before taking a big bite of stew.
Nimer leaned back, taking his pipe from his coat pocket and dropping in a bit of herbs. "Years ago, trade was slow this time of year, but steady enough the roads should be clear in a few days." Nimer's eyes wandered to the front door that opened and closed as other travelers entered the Inn and let in a small gust of cold, frigid air.
Ray shivered before delving into her stew. The warmth overtook her and washed away the chills instantly. "Maybe we can find some work while we are there if we are running low on funds," she mentioned after swallowing a bite of food. "I don't want to sleep outside too much in Nightsend. We'll freeze."
Nimer rubbed his chin. "Mercenary work would be our best bet, a bounty maybe would be a good first job. But it'd have to be easy. We don't want to waste time."
"I would think there would be a bounty if the cult is still out there," Jex said, slightly muffled with his mouth full of food.
"The silent war that rages for control of the kingdom is not well known. The bounty will most likely be unrelated to our quest. The fact that we haven't found leads to them is more concerning than anything," his voice lowered as he scanned the room. "Not only that, with Winterwane fast approaching, our search may be cut shorter than we think. The Winterwane snow in the mountains is much colder than it is in the foothills and beyond."
Nimer chewed his pipe, dragging his finger across the parchment of the map. He circled a small grove of trees with his pointer finger and tapped it. "I do have a suspicion though," he mumbled, his brow furrowing over his eyes. "The cult may have more than one hide out. This part of the woods may be worth looking into."
"To be honest, I find it unfair that you have yet to tell us about your awakening," Ray said, crossing her arms, giving Nimer a stare.
"I have not, moreso to protect you," Nimer answered, glancing straight into her eyes then back at the map.
Ray stared at her food and frowned, "I did mean to ask you something, but now I don't know if I want to."
"If it's something important, I'd rather you ask," Nimer stated flatly.
She looked at Nimer. "I had a dream where I met Ravathor."
Nimer's eyes darted up to hers. "Are you sure you met him?"
Ray nodded. "Thane told me."
Nimer nearly choked on the bite of food he was finally eating. "Thane?"
"So it was real," she smirked. "He also mentioned you. You have some explaining to do."
"Of course, he is real," Nimer answered, sounding a bit grumpy. "He was a close friend of mine who followed me towards Zanaih. His awakening caused him to go insane. He became a lunatic, to say the least. Like some who followed the path of awakening, he perished because of it. He experienced a rebirth shortly after though."
"What did he awaken into?" Ray asked, prying him for answers.
"Lucine, the wolf goddess," Nimer admitted after slight hesitation.
"The goddess of Nightsend?" Jex piped up excitedly.
"Yes, the goddess that watches over nightsend. He has the power to cross dreams and protects the realm of sleep. I would suggest being careful with your dreams, Ray, if Lucine is reaching out to you," Nimer warned. "They are powerful and symbolic, and those with links to the past or the gods may trap you in places you may not want to be. Watch out for black or silver wolves following you in your dreams. That means danger may be nearby."
"What role does Lucine play in the Kingdom of Zaniah though?" Ray asked.
"Lucine is not part of the Kingdom of Zaniah. She watches over the Kingdom of Lunareth, the moon kingdom. It is one of the many kingdoms that will awaken after Zaniah comes back to power," Nimer informed. "The gods we have to watch out for are those of the dark council and Lucine is part of the light council. I hope she can keep Ravathor from reaching out to you again, or you may be in grave trouble."
There was a long, uneasy silence across the group before Jex piped up, "I had a dream too!"
"What was your dream about?" Ray asked him with a smile, happy not to be stewing in the dismal thoughts about her dream.
"There was gold everywhere, riches as far as the eye can see! Oh! And a large golden dragon perched atop the hoard with a crown on his head! He and I feasted like kings and swam in the hoard of gold. It was nice," he answered, talking excitedly with his hands.
Ray laughed. "That sounds like a good dream."
"Oh yes, there was a large roast pig we both ate. It reminded me of my birthday celebration each year when Eternus Night ends at the end of Frostmir."
Nimer cleared his throat, gaining both of their attention. "That is symbolism for greed. If that is the case, Evorik may be searching for a host as well."
"Oh, you mean the boar god?" Jex said, slightly disappointed.
Nimer nodded gravely. "Even more reason to get to Zaniah faster and complete the key gem. If the whole dark council awakens, it will not bode well for anyone." He finished his food and stood. "Get some rest tonight, both of you. Snow or not, we leave for Dalharst tomorrow."