The girl jumped up, breathing raggedly. Her heart was racing in her chest, goosebumps flickered up and down her back, and cold sweat rolled down her cheeks to her chin, dripping onto her tattered clothes. Kellian sucked in a chestful of air, silently opening and closing her mouth. The letters still wouldn't form words, and the thoughts in her head tangled into a tight ball, tightening the knots of doubt and fear tighter with each passing second.
- Flower, are you okay?
Kellian flinched when she heard a familiar voice somewhere above her ear and turned her head in the direction of the sound. The girl smiled at the corners of her lips, and in an instant she threw herself around her sister's neck and wrapped her arms around her tightly, snuggling into her.
- I missed you so much, Tari!
The nightmare was swept away from his memories in a blizzard, leaving behind only a whiteness of peace and lingering calm. Her sister was not a frequent visitor to their town, disappearing day after day for hours, even weeks at a time, struggling to find extra coin for food. At some point, caring for her youngest became the center of life for Taris, for which she walked further and further away, no longer thinking about anything. Krios was the name given to the small settlements that had been established right next to each other, which only in time the nobility had seen fit to rename a city. No one would remember when these settlements got their recognizable name in the history books. Krios is a place of eternal cold and frozen ground. A place where tiny snowdrop buds have become a symbol and dense coniferous forests have become a kind of border separating Krios from other cities and the Empire itself. The nearly infertile lands and harsh climate were not to people's liking at first, so they remained empty for long periods of time and were considered lost among the nobility. It was not until decades later that refugees who had nowhere else to go ventured into these harsh places, gradually rebuilding their small settlements. After the Outbreak, the local forests became frequented by renegades, who would later be labeled Children of Darkness by the Empire.
Kellian shook her head. The memories that had flooded into her head faded away, leaving behind only an unpleasant residue. She and her sister had been forced to move to this place after the orphanage had fallen apart and had been demolished to be rebuilt. The Empire had provided them with a small house almost on the edge of Krios, and in a cloth bag they had 27 gold pieces, enough to last them a year. As time passed, Krios became a city like any other. As it grew larger and larger, it took on a more stately appearance, and the snowdrop with the symbol of the moon above it became nothing more than a coat of arms. The Children of Darkness who had received their gifts, the refugees and craftsmen who had settled in the town all healed not as badly as they had a few hundred years before, and the Empire took Krios under its wing, leaving it under close supervision and on the map. The city was freed from the stigma of the forgotten lands. Numerous treaties and, afterward, their own representatives had transformed the backwater into a truly beautiful place that, unfortunately, still had to be survived rather than lived in. The Empire had not forgotten past mistakes, and Krios had never fully risen from its knees.
- We're having a little feast tonight, flower," the girl said quietly, immediately running her slender fingers into the cloth bag on her belt. Faintly rummaging, rustling with something, Taris smiled happily, pulling out a few chocolates and scones from inside. - I managed to get not only some food that would last us about a week, but also some sweets for tea.
Kellian's eyes lit up. She jumped up, letting her white hair spill down her back like early snow, and clapped her hands together. Taris couldn't hold back an affectionate smile, bestowing it on her sister. If the stranger had looked at the sisters from the outside, he would have been immediately taken aback to see the girls in front of him looking like two peas in a pod. Their white hair down below their shoulders; their empty gray eyes, only occasionally sparkling with life, and their pale skin made them recognizable to the locals and no less welcome. The people did not welcome the girls immediately, gingerly peering out of their wooden houses, of which there were quite a few. Only a few, which was a difficulty for the sisters at first, were equipped with metal buildings and appliances, while the rest existed as if in the past. After a few months, however, not only did the inhabitants gladly welcome the girls, but they also adapted to the new conditions, bringing new things from other towns that were more improved by the passage of time.
- Did you really get a rich man wrapped around your finger, Tari?
- Don't be silly, you fool. I was offered a job with a tasty reward," the girl raised her nose proudly, as was her custom, and flicked her hair off her shoulder to her sister's cheerful squeak. - 'Don't flash your eyes. Put the kettle on. Hetzer said he'd personally improved it so it would last a lot longer.
- Have you been to see him again?
Kellian squinted with interest. She hummed, seeing the faint blush on her sister's cheeks, and obediently headed toward the small kitchenette. Hetzer was their local inventor. A man even a toddler in Krios knew. Any breakdown, any wish, any idea - this guy could make things come true in just a matter of days.
- Little girls shouldn't know such details.
- I'm already 17! - Kellian snorted indignantly, putting the kettle on the stove with a clatter and using a match to make a fire in the stove. - And my age has nothing to do with my question.
Taris laughed lightly, and with a flick of her hand she drew back the curtain that separated the kitchen from the guest room. Almost invisible to the eye, sparks flew in different directions, causing Kellian to wince, grumbling to himself. Taris didn't answer, throwing the cloak off her shoulders and walking over to the slightly dusty mirror. Shaking off the invisible dust, the girl spun around, looking at her reflection, and smiled to herself.
- It looked new.
Kellian gently pulled back the curtain with her hip, holding two cups of tea. Her sister did look more lively than usual: the light black shirt and fitted pants were similar to the ones she'd worn the last time she'd gone to work, but they looked newer and cleaner than they had two weeks ago. Kellian set the cups on the small wooden table, clinking the teaspoons.
- A tailor agreed to fix them in town," she said, spinning enthusiastically in front of her sister once more and placing the goodies on the table, clutching them tighter in her palms. - When I came in, you looked a little scared. Nightmares?
Kellian nodded, sitting down across from her sister.
- That's it. Another unpleasant dream, nothing more.
- About the orphanage again? - Taris grumbled, popping a waffle candy into her mouth.
- I think so. I can't remember anymore.
Kellian wasn't a good liar, but she didn't want to bother her sister with more stories about her nightmares. She had just returned home, after all, and she didn't want to waste precious minutes together. Kellian swallowed her throat and gripped the cup tightly with her fingers, taking a small sip of the bitter drink.
- Eat it with candy, flower, eat it with candy.
Taris smiled. Everyone in the city knew firsthand how bitter the tea leaves were. The girl only had time to open her mouth silently before there was an insistent knock on the front door, causing the sisters to freeze in place.
- Are you expecting someone?
Taris frowned. Uninvited guests were as bad a sign as bells ringing before an attack.
- No," Kellian squeaked faintly, shrinking back.
There was another knock at the door.