Well, this was great. Just great. Weiss looked around, holding onto her mare’s reins tightly. It was dark with only the thinnest sliver of moon out. The new moon had just passed them by last night and the tiny sliver did nothing to allow her to see. Traveling during night was a stupid idea, and she should have known that, but even the most intelligent people had their moments of stupidity. She had seen she was only a day or so away from the town of Hazelmere so she had pushed to get there. She thought she’d be fine to travel through this forest and find a shortcut, but now, she regretted that decision. She was stupid, so, so very stupid. She was no follower of Lorrick and had no real idea how to traverse forests when it was so dark. She was a follower of Niru, also touched by Rhyza and Orlon. If there were light, she could easily use her lightweaving powers, but with the severe lack of moon, she was essentially useless.

  Damn it, why did she think this was a good idea again?

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  And Arion was no Everwild horse either. An Everwild horse would easily be able to make its way through this forest even with limited sight, but no, Arion was just a normal mare. No more intelligent than any other horse. Only an Everwild horse would be able to handle weaving through a completely dark forest without any real guidance.

  She felt Arion start to shy and clucked her back into place, holding her reins and lightly tapping the mare with her heel. However, she refused to move back and continued to shy.

  It was then that Weiss got a glimpse of glowing eyes, brighter than they should have been in this darkness. A predator. No wonder Arion was so upset. It wasn’t a big predator and couldn’t be any larger than a fox. She doubted it’d get it into its head that it could hunt her and her horse. But still, Arion continued to shy.

  Follow.

  Weiss blinked when she heard the phrase intone in her head. Follow? This had to be some sort of messenger from a deity. “Arion, it’s okay. It’s a friend.” However, she knew the horse couldn’t understand her and fought to get her under control. Eventually, she calmed Arion down enough. The eyes hadn’t moved at all and she could make out a faint outline despite the oppressive darkness over her head and all around her.

  The animal stepped onto the path in front of them and she could see the faint outline which glowed with a dark light. It was impossible to describe, but it glowed with the darkness of the night sky near the moon in its farthest reaches. The eyes shone with a violet hue, reflecting despite the fact no light made it through the gnarled trees. She could see tufted ears in the outline. A phantom lynx, one of Niru’s messengers. They were mythical, but she was beyond happy to see it. She normally just kind of ignored messages and signs from the bods, but with as lost as she was right now, she wouldn’t complain. Plus, she was freezing.Traveling in a forest in the middle of the night in the earliest reaches of spring when snow and mire still reigned supreme was a stupid idea.

  “I’ll follow.” Thankfully, Arion capitulated and she clucked the horse into a slow walk.

  The lynx glowed its eerie light in the pitch darkness, but Weiss could feel that Arion’s footing was sure. The horse was more than a little spooked, but her steady hand kept Arion from shying even more. Thankfully, Arion was incredibly well trained and they had been working together for about five years at this point, but it didn’t mean that the animal could overcome her instincts so easily. She had come to Weiss already fairly well trained, but Weiss had dialed it in even further and managed to make her somewhat comparable to an Everwild horse. She wasn’t sure any normal horse could truly measure up to Arion. Of course, an Everwild horse would be infinitely better or even a pegasus, but she wasn’t a follower of Lorrick or Heshia. Niru was the one saving her hide from her stupid decision to try to cut through a forest in the middle of the night.

  The phantom lynx came to a stop and she could see it motion with a paw. It sat at the base of a tree, pointing. However, the sound of heavy huffing gave her pause. Whatever was making that noise was angry and likely large. Something as small as a fox couldn’t make huffing that loud or deep. “You’re sure?” She looked at the lynx and its violet eyes stared at her, wide and full of ancient wisdom. That was her answer.

  With a sigh, she dismounted Arion and entered what seemed to be a clearing of some sort. She heard a loud, shrill whinny and the sound of flapping.

  A pegasus? Here?

  “Please calm down! I’m not here to cause harm!” She raised her arms, trying to protect herself, but she knew nothing could truly save her from an angry pegasus’ flying hooves. “Niru led me here!”

  All fell silent, eerily silent.

  Then she heard a rustling. A few minutes passed and some embers sprang to life. Light! Finally light! Weiss held her hand up and the entire clearing filled with a faint orange hue. She could see a pegasus, a tent, a small firepit, and a very thin woman holding a spear. Those green eyes were incredibly haunted, but her positioning showed that she was more than ready for a fight should Weiss bring it. She did have a bow and arrow as well as a sword, but she was in no position to be grabbing either.

  She held her hands up. “I’m not here to start a fight. Niru was the one that led me here for some reason. They sent a phantom lynx. I made the stupid decision to try to cut through an unfamiliar forest in the middle of the night in early spring. My name is Weiss. I’m an Illuminator of Lore and am being sent to Hazelmere because they haven’t had an Illuminator in some years.” She was completely stuck. She couldn’t easily grab her sword if this woman decided to attack. Arion was just a normal horse. She could see the pegasus behind the tent, wings flared out and ready for a fight. This setup raised a million questions, but now was not the time to start asking them.

  “What do you mean, Niru sent you?”

  Weiss glanced over her shoulder and saw a faint shade at the base of a tree. She waved to the phantom lynx which came over, being almost indistinct in the dim light. Still, its eyes shone in a very noticeable violet light. “This is a phantom lynx, one of Niru’s mythical messengers. I was lost. I didn’t even ask for help; this lynx just showed up.” The animal dipped its head then went back to the shadows of the trees, leaving Weiss alone with the thin pegasus knight, her mount, and Arion. The gods could be of so little help sometimes… She just… Why couldn’t it have been a duskmire owl or something more corporeal? The shade stag and phantom lynx existed between Elercrown and the physical realm of existence. They were creatures of the night and ethereal in nature, not meant to stay on the physical realm of existence for long.

  The woman still looked at her warily. “Why would a god send you here?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because you’re another person?” Weiss blinked. “Actually, do you think your pegasus could find the way out of this forest? There’s a town near here—Hazelmere. However, this forest has me all sorts of disoriented and confused. I’ve heard pegasi are much more efficient at finding routes than most humans or normal mounts. Arion here is just a normal horse.”

  “A town? I haven’t seen any in a long time…”

  “Well, I’m being sent there by the Illuminator’s Guild. It’s been too long since they’ve had one and the Guild Master thought I was the best person for the job.”

  “Aren’t you a bit young to be in charge of an entire Illuminator’s job?” So this woman knew what an Illuminator’s job was, huh? Surprising. Most people didn’t know what an Illuminator of Lore was in the first place. So she had to have been high up. She was clearly some sort of former pegasus knight, having seen better days. Her face was incredibly thin and gaunt and her clothes were incredibly threadbare. Her boots seemed like standard-issue pegasus knight fare, but they were cracked and no doubt were letting all sorts of nastiness into them. They would need to stop at the Sanctuary of Second Blessings, no doubt. But, for right now, she could probably do with a good meal and a warm bed. Though spring was technically upon them, bits of snow still clung to the branches of trees. Winter was stubborn and refused to give up her icy grip easily. In a few more weeks, though, it’d be at least a bit warmer. But, for right now, this woman could definitely use a hot meal and a warm bed.

  “I am, but I’m the brightest Illuminator the Guild has seen in generations, and Hazelmere hasn’t had an Illuminator in about ten years. I thought I could cut through the forest to get there quicker, but you can see where that landed me.”

  The woman sighed and lowered her spear. “…Fine. Yes, Nendia can find her way through the forest. About how far away is the town?”

  “I’m not entirely certain, but it’s to the west. Do you understand?” Weiss looked at the pegasus—Nendia, she supposed—and the creature nodded.

  “Let me get packed up.” The woman went into her tent and tacked her pegasus then folded the tent and put it up. “I have to put out the fire. A lightweaver, then, I take it?”

  Weiss sighed. “Yeah.” She released her hold on the fire embers and the clearing fell into its darkness again. What little bit of light came from the embers were put out, plunging them into darkness again. She really, really didn’t want to be in the oppressive darkness again but she didn’t have much choice.

  “Follow me.” She heard the woman’s voice come from near her. Normally, pegasi were white, but this pegasus had been out in the muck and mire so long she’d seen it had essentially turned brown. Arion was overo, but she couldn’t even make out what color the pegasus had been in the light.

  “Um, can I ask your name?” Weiss asked.

  “…Pyrrha.” Her voice was cracked and quiet from disuse. How long had she been alone? Quite a while, obviously, but just how long? She had no idea. It was nasty to see a person in such bad shape… Pegasus knights were the most revered order in Illyria, so what had happened to get her cast out? She had interacted with a few knights before, but she wasn’t knowledgeable about them. She was more of an administrator than an adventurer personally; it was why she was being sent to Hazelmere. She could navigate pretty well, but she really ought to have had someone with her, someone better learned about the area as well as the wilds in general.

  “Um, would you like something to eat?” It was dark, but she could hear Nendia’s hooves sloshing through the mud.

  A long silence met her until a small “yes” came from Pyrrha.

  Weiss got in her saddlebags and started digging through them as best she could. “I don’t have a lot unfortunately… I’m near journey’s end, but you look like you could use something to eat.” She had some hard cheese and dried meat. Not a lot, but she wasn’t sure how much Pyrrha could handle, honestly.

  She heard Nendia’s hooves stop and then approach. “Here. I’m not sure if you can really see or—” Pyrrha’s hands were sure as she took the food out of Weiss’ hands. Impressive. The forest was basically so black she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. But she wouldn’t complain; it was really the least she could do for Pyrrha after she was saving Weiss from her stupid decision. Yes, waiting would’ve allowed dawn to come, but she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible… The forest unnerved her deeply since she was used to the light of the cities.

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  “My night sight is good.” That was all Pyrrha said. She heard Nendia’s hooves start to slosh through the muck and mire again and she clucked Arion into moving again. They moved at a walk and she could sense Arion was incredibly nervous. It was eerily quiet for a forest, but it was also only early spring. Crickets weren’t back alive yet and the songbirds weren’t back either. Owls were incredibly illusive and rarely seen or heard. She hated the screech of a barn owl as that sounded like a departed spirit coming back to haunt the living. She was more of an administrator, but she did love spending time out in nature and had studied owls enough to know the unearthly screech most associated with specters were just barn owls. Nothing terrible, just an owl.

  Eventually, the tiniest sliver of moon became visible again and Weiss could see everything was wide open. “There; we’re out. Do you think you can guide us?” Pyrrha asked.

  Weiss raised her hand and a faint bit of light rolled over them. She looked down at her map which had located them magically and nodded. “Yes, we’re not that far. Just keep heading due west. But I should take the lead; these people on the borders are very nervous about newcomers and a message was already sent to Hazelmere about my arrival.” She was pretty sure that the guards would already have been alerted that she would be arriving at some point in the next few weeks, so she could make it through. She’d had to rely on Sanctums and Diviners to take her in when traveling. A lot of town guards were nervous about letting unknown travelers in.

  She could see some look of knowing in Pyrrha’s eyes, but the knight said nothing. She just lightly turned her pegasus around and took up the spot behind Weiss. Now that she got a look, Nendia looked incredibly thin too… Just what had they been through? She knew she might as well be stupid for picking up some random person in the forest, but Niru had led her to Pyrrha. She wasn’t super devoted to the gods, but she knew to listen to them when they showed up in such an apparent way. It would be stupid to ignore a direct messenger from a god.

  She dropped the light and clucked Arion on. The mare remained nervous but there wasn’t much Weiss could do about it. “Do you think Nendia could handle a trot?” She didn’t want to push the pegasus and rider too much. They were both in awful shape and she could see it. But the faster they got to Hazelmere, the sooner they could be in warmth and comfort with actual food and bedding. She could only imagine how grateful Pyrrha would be to have a bed and some clothes. Granted, Pyrrha was far, far taller than Weiss, so it wasn’t like she could offer her any clothing… If she could, she would’ve. Those clothes were threadbare at best and she could only imagine how cold Pyrrha was. But it was also just a little bit more to Hazelmere so they wouldn’t be waiting long.

  “I’m…not sure. We’re both weary.” Pyrrha’s voice remained incredibly quiet and crackly. Weiss winced. “We’re both so tired.”

  “Well, the faster we can get there, the faster you can get your belly full of food, some new clothes, and a bath.” Weiss could sense a change in the energy from both mount and rider.

  Nendia clearly said something and Pyrrha responded so softly Weiss couldn’t understand her. “Okay, we can handle a trot.”

  “Let’s go then.” Weiss clucked Arion on and, within the next half hour or so, they arrived at a gated town. The gates were closed and Weiss yelled up. “I apologise for the late hour, guards, but you’ve been alerted that Weiss Schnee was coming, yes? The Illuminator of Lore?”

  It took a few minutes, but a guard came down to the outside of the gate, bearing a lantern. “Yes, we received a message a month or so ago that a new Illuminator was coming. Do you come bearing tidings?”

  Weiss held her hand up and illuminated the area more then pulled a small medallion out of her shirt. It sat cold against her skin the whole time, but wearing a solid gold medallion out in the middle of nowhere wasn’t a smart move. Traveling alone wasn’t the smartest move, but she was a wardcrafter on top of being a lightweaver. She could easily make herself basically invisible as long as she crafted the correct wards. “Is this good enough?”

  “We didn’t receive a message you’d have someone with you.” The man looked at Pyrrha warily.

  “She’s a companion I picked up that’s in need of help. If you bar entry to us, I will write back to the Guild and tell the tale of how I was denied entry into Hazelmere.” Her tone and expression were flat. She would not tolerate being turned away from her current post. “And I don’t think the mayor would be particularly happy about you turning away their new administration either.” She did not have the time for this. She was cold, hungry, and wanted to curl up in bed. She was tired of the long, cold nights on the ground with a bedroll and several blankets as well as of the hardtack, dried meat, and hard cheese. She hadn’t bathed in weeks since she risked the cold and could feel her skin and scalp crawling from the lack of care.

  “Y-Yes ma’am! Report to the mayor’s at once.” The man looked up and yelled, “Open the gate!” Thankfully the other guards followed orders and allowed Weiss and Pyrrha in. She could still feel the man’s gaze on Pyrrha, but she didn’t care. She clucked Arion into another trot and looked around. This town was small and she could see the Sanctum took up much of the town’s acreage even in the limited light. There had to be some lightweavers around because lamps did dot the streets and cast the unmistakable glow of lightweaver magic based off fire. The roads were well defined and cobbled which was a welcome sight from the dirt lanes and lack of organisation in a lot of the villages she’d passed through.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Pyrrha asked as she managed to get Nendia’s trot up next to Arion’s. However, Weiss could see how much effort it was putting on the pegasus and her heart went out. It wouldn’t be much longer.

  “Usually in more well-organised towns like this the mayor’s house is the most northerly building. It won’t be much longer. I’m sorry, Nendia, but the sooner we get there, the sooner you’ll be able to rest and have some grain.” Weiss looked at the pegasus, still feeling sorry for her. Thankfully, the words obviously renewed Nendia’s will and Weiss could see that Nendia redoubled her efforts.

  “All right; lead the way.”

  Weiss did exactly that and, soon, they arrived at a decently large house for a town like this and Weiss dismounted, then knocked on the door. The house was completely dark, so it took a few minutes for someone to come to the door with a lit lantern. “Who are you and what are you doing here at such an hour?” The woman yawned widely, shivering.

  “I apologise for the interruption so late, but I’m Weiss Schnee. I trust you received the letter from the Illuminator’s Guild?”

  The woman’s eyes widened. “Please—come in!” She looked at Pyrrha, then Weiss. “Is she with you?” Weiss nodded. “I’ll get a stablehand to take your mounts then.”

  “I should take care of Nendia—” Pyrrha protested but Weiss shook her head.

  “You need a bath and bed. You were the one that said you were exhausted,” Weiss reminded her gently.

  Pyrrha sighed. “You’re right.”

  “You can take care of her in the morning. It’s not like she’ll be going anywhere.” Weiss smiled at her pleasantly. Pyrrha looked downcast but nodded.

  The woman withdrew into the house and, soon, a stablehand came out and took their mounts. The woman returned. “Please, come in. Do you want baths now or after you sleep?”

  “I need a good bath now,” Weiss said, “and I think Pyrrha was thinking the same thing.” She looked at Pyrrha whose eyes were hungry. She was so caked in muck and mire that Weiss could only imagine how appealing a bath had to sound.

  “All right. Let me show you to your rooms, then.” The woman looked at Pyrrha. “Do you have any other clothes?”

  Pyrrha frowned and shook her head. “This is my last outfit.”

  “I’ll get you something from the servant’s quarters then. For tonight and tomorrow.”

  “I’ll take her to the Sanctuary of Second Blessings tomorrow,” Weiss promised.

  “Anyway, let’s get to your rooms.” The woman ushered them inside and Weiss smiled, glad to feel warmth from a house again. It’d been far too long since she’d been inside a legitimate house with magical heating. She followed the woman up to a room. Weiss went inside, a lantern already set on the bedside and a fire stoked. The room was mildly warm from the magical heating, but fires would definitely make up the majority of the heating.

  The woman left with Pyrrha who was put into a room next to Weiss’. Weiss went into the bathroom and turned the water on to the point it was steaming. Normally, she wasn’t the biggest fan of heat, but in this case, she really needed to chase the cold away. Once the tub was filled, she took her clothes off and sank into the bath up to her neck. This felt so nice after the excessive cold of the night…

  ≈

  Pyrrha looked around the room, almost uncertain of what to do. It’d been far, far too long since she’d been in an actual room like this. She could’ve gone to Sanctums for food and lodging, but after Heshia’s betrayal, she wanted nothing to do with them. She still didn’t understand why Heshia had betrayed her like they had. She had been as loyal a knight as anyone possibly could, but no, Heshia had just straight-up abandoned her.

  Trying to set it aside, she almost felt too warm. She could feel the magical heating in the house and the fire had been stoked. It was far from fully burning, but just the latent magical heating made her feel warm. She’d been out in the cold and snow for months. She didn’t even know what month it was anymore… She probably should’ve asked Weiss, but she just… Her brain was so fuzzy. She hadn’t slept or ate properly in a very long time.

  She opted to put the fire out as it was warm enough for her in the room. She went into the bathroom and looked around. Running water. She almost forgot it existed. She hadn’t bathed since being exiled from the pegasus knights. It was simply too cold. She would’ve risked frostbite and hypothermia had she bathed in any of the streams or rivers she’d encountered along the way.

  She really wasn’t sure if she wanted to completely wash everything away or just take a preliminary bath to get the worst of it out of her hair and off her skin. She was pretty sure that she was darker than she should have been, considering the winter. The muck and mire had definitely accumulated over the months since she’d been exiled. She just… She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to sleep and bathe at the same time. Granted, there would be time for bathing in the morning, or whenever she woke up. It’d been far, far too long since she’d had a proper mattress and good sleep.

  Relenting, she went to the bathtub and pulled her clothes off. She ran the water until it was tepid, not wanting to shock her system too much. She stuck her head underneath it and saw the water underneath turn brown. Yeesh, she had known it was bad, but this was nasty. And there would still be more in her hair until she could fully wash it out, but she ran her hands through her hair until it turned a much lighter shade of brown. She could still feel dirt and other nastiness in her hair, but it wasn’t just pure mud and dirt anymore.

  She sat on the edge of the tub and kept the water running, then grabbed a towel and some soap. She ran the towel over her skin to remove the worst of it, but yes, she was definitely caked in mud. Winter was a harsh season, completely unrelenting. Cold and unforgiving… She hoped Nendia would be treated well. But she had to banish the thought from her mind while she scraped mud off herself, eventually turning the entire towel brown. She had to repeat the process with two more towels, tossing them in a corner for the maid to pick up later. She’d probably need to turn the towels out to them, but for right now, they could stay there. She was just glad to finally have some of that nastiness off her body.

  She walked out into the room and saw a nightgown and some basic clothing sitting and waiting for her on the bed. She pulled on the nightgown which was ill fitting, far too short for her height, but it was better than nothing. She really didn’t want to go to the Sanctuary of Second Blessings but it really was the best choice for getting a whole wardrobe quickly. She still couldn’t get over how Heshia had betrayed her so callously, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She just hoped that Rhyza’s priests wouldn’t try to give her counsel. The last thing she wanted was religious authorities attempting to shove religion down her throat.

  She looked around at the room and sighed. She was bone weary and wanted to just curl up and go to sleep. At this point…nothing was stopping her. So she laid down in the bed and turned the lamp on the bedside table off. She closed her eyes, almost unable to believe the warmth and comfort she found herself in. She hoped this wasn’t some dream she’d wake up from, only to find herself in the cold of her tent with no covers again…