The sun slowly rose into the frosty sky, slightly veiled by a haze of clouds. The mountains loomed ahead, grim and gray, their peaks wrapped in snowy clouds crawling in from the north. The peak of Mount Rokastr vanished into a swirling gray mist, jutting out from the ridge like a massive crooked fang. But it was still very far away, and ahead, in the middle of the plain, stood Petista.

  It was the end of October, and snow had already fallen in the Western Province, with frequent blizzards and gales howling through the nights. Kairu rode along, wrapped in the fur cloak Ioran had given him back in spring. The Lake of Aktida was safely hidden in his pocket, but even through the fur, Kairu could feel its warmth. Rita rode ahead. She had recovered her strength and was back on her beloved Hellsteed; she, Atgard, Anzerrat, Viggo, and Yuf were all on horseback, while three mule-drawn wagons swayed along behind them, carrying supplies and the rest of the travelers...

  Kairu remembered. Much had happened during their journey from Estogil to the Western Province.

  The Tower had been destroyed in a matter of minutes, collapsing with an indescribable mix of beauty and sorrow, crashing down in a thunder of stones all the way to its foundations. Ashley had simply waved her hands when they were far enough from the estate, and then the explosion struck. Estogil swayed, engulfed in flame and lace-like smoke, cracked, and fell, its stone spire plunging into the river, sending up a column of spray. Kairu knew there was nothing of importance left inside—just old furniture, carpets, and some belongings too bulky to take along, and not worth much anyway. Over three days, the library had been packed into ten covered wagons, which Ashley had arranged to be sent one by one to Asternia, addressed to one of her sons.

  Only the most vital archive, containing the rarest and most valuable manuscripts, many of them unique, was taken with them. They did the same with the antique furniture, tapestries, and rugs, hiring another ten wagons. For the contents of her vast laboratory, Ashley used her privileges from the Mages' Guild, which also helped transport the observatory’s equipment and key schematics to Asternia. The most recent developments, along with microscopes and precision instruments that Ashley didn’t trust to anyone else, had to be taken by hand.

  When Estogil fell, and a great cloud of smoke rose over Onklag, buzzing like a disturbed beehive as local settlers hurried north, Ashley wept into Roger’s shoulder. Despite everything, too many memories were tied to that house.

  Then came long days of travel, during which they crossed the Flyliene at a relatively safe point, listening to gunfire and the clash of swords upstream, and then followed the road north, farther and farther from the battlefields. The latest news was grim. Fighting at Boreain was pushing further north, and Emerlun’s army was slowly but surely losing ground. The first rumors also began to spread about the failure of the eastern maneuver. The northeast of Tepei-Kuon was ablaze with war, but the armies were trapped in a deadlock and couldn’t hold out much longer: they were running low on provisions and supplies. And Vaimar was in no rush to send help. Petista, meanwhile, was to stand to the last, maintaining its garrison.

  They reached Mainor in mid-September, and part of Ashley’s belongings stayed there—when word got out that a distinguished Guild doctor was seeking refuge in Vaimar, many were quick to offer assistance. Ashley left her instruments and schematics in private rooms at the Institute. They stayed in the capital for two days. Kairu looked into rumors about the Twelfth Regiment, old acquaintances were now scattered across different fronts. Only a reserve garrison remained in Mainor, and the atmosphere was tense. The city was almost empty, with only the factories and workshops in the industrial quarter still operating. Yuf was luckier, he found some old underground contacts and was busy with political errands right up until they left. Neither Dalid nor Hugo were in the city either.

  "Then we went to Asternia, taking the long route around the Enchanted Forest via the old road," Kairu recalled. "The centaurs might have misunderstood… Though, after all, their king was now fighting in the Eastern Province too."

  In Asternia, Ashley’s son greeted them with his wife and children. The travelers stayed at an inn, while Ashley and Roger moved their things into a small two-story house not far from the governor’s palace. They stayed only two days, recounting everything that had happened over the summer and sharing news.

  That’s where Roger remained, who had fallen ill with a fever during the long journey.

  Kairu remembered that evening. They needed to leave immediately, and he would rather have persuaded Ashley to stay in Asternia than delay the group. Everything might have gone smoothly if Ashley hadn’t stubbornly dug in, showing her true character. She shouted at Roger, who pleaded for her to stay or take him with her, and then clearly declared: Roger was to remain here. The children would look after him, and she would go to Petista, then across the border, and wait in Vairad, having rented a house in advance and moved her belongings there. And so it was decided. Roger, weak and pale, lying in bed and surrounded by the scent of medicinal herbs and elixirs Ashley had brewed for him, let her go with the name of Aktos on his lips. The fever wouldn’t pass quickly, he would need another week of treatment before he could get up on his own.

  Taking the northern road, always keeping the Olmaer Ridge to their right, the travelers completed the rest of the journey to Petista without Roger.

  Along the way, they discussed countless times what to do at Lake Darius, but never reached a single decision, and Anzerrat advised them not to argue—the solution would come on its own, he said philosophically. Hugo Hellerson was fighting somewhere far in the south. They encountered patrols, and unfamiliar customs officers spent a long time inspecting the wagons, having noticed Nocturns and Kalds among the travelers. Kairu felt a strange sense of déjà vu. As if he were sixteen again, about to embark on an expedition into the mountains, not yet knowing what it would all lead to…

  ***

  The city had been placed under martial law, but Ashley and Atgard were known here, and they were let through the unreliable wooden gates into the quiet, snow-covered streets. The massive silhouette of the governor’s castle loomed in the distance, clearly outlined against the backdrop of violet mountains. There were hardly any civilians visible on the streets. Soldiers filled the city, clad in armor and under the banners of Vaimar’s nobility, chatting freely with the grim, shivering Alvens dressed in the colors of the regular army. The commercial districts were silent, with most shops shuttered. The residents were hurrying north, sensing the precarious state of the border city, which could be attacked at any moment, from any direction.

  Still, many remained. The barbershops, taverns, and brothels were wide open and especially popular among the soldiers. They raked in a fortune from the war, as all the troops spent their pay on baths, beer, and women. The garrison, made up of a mix of people from many lands, numbered around ten thousand. The Mages' Guild was still operating as usual. The travelers passed it, and Kairu recognized the building where they had once been hosted in celebration of completing the expedition. Everything was painfully familiar, even the cold air.

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  "How long it’s been since I was last here," Atgard murmured. "Yeah… So much has changed. I used to think this city couldn’t change at all—it’s conservative by nature. Turns out I was wrong. I always dreamed of living here—it’s too hot for me in the Eastern Province… But it never happened."

  They left the horses in a stable outside the gate and wheeled the cart through the streets to the city’s outskirts. Kairu remained silent, glancing around thoughtfully, catching the soft-falling snowflakes on his lips. People recognized Rita. She waved back in greeting: many of them had once used her services as a guide between Aktida and Vaimar.

  Then the familiar small house came into view—shutters tightly nailed shut, a dirty, dusty barn. With Viggo’s help, Rita broke one of the steps of the crooked, sagging porch and retrieved from a straw-filled hiding spot a small key, which she used to unlock the massive barn padlock hanging on the door. With the men’s help, she tore off the boards that had been nailed over the door and windows, and only then was she the first to slowly step into the dark entrance, from which came the smell of dust and grime. The house had been empty for nearly a year and a half.

  It was cold inside; the window frames were rotten and frozen through. The large wall clock had long since stopped, and in the tiny rooms everything remained just as Rita had left it: the neatly made cot, an empty cupboard with only greenish crumbs of bread. Kairu and Viggo went to fetch water from the nearest well, while Ashley, Joanna, and Rita began sweeping thick layers of dust with brooms. Atgard headed to the market to buy firewood; Yuf and Remiz wiped the dust from the furniture. Nothing else was repaired—they didn’t plan to stay long.

  "No point," Rita said wearily, as Kairu and Viggo returned with the water and they began scrubbing the dirty floors. "We’re leaving first thing tomorrow to reach Rokastr the next day. And after that… if our path lies to Vairad, who knows when—or if—we’ll be back here."

  "Yeah…" Kairu agreed, glancing around. "Any day now the pirates could reach this place. And then nothing will matter. Say goodbye to this house, Rita."

  She flinched and replied dully:

  "Better not to think about it. But honestly, I’m not used to the warmth of a hearth anymore… even though I lived here all my life… This house feels like a stranger now. Completely unfamiliar, evokes no emotions. Strange, isn’t it?"

  Yuf ran off somewhere, saying he needed to inform someone of his arrival in Petista and his upcoming trip to Vaimar. The others began sorting through Rita’s things, looking for the warm clothing she used to wear when guiding people through the mountains and over the pass. They were heading north, so they needed thick coats. They found them fairly quickly in a separate closet, cleaned them up, and laid them out on the couch in the living room. Atgard returned with firewood, bread, meat, and vegetables. They chopped everything, set a huge pot of water over the fire, and started preparing dinner. Ashley put the kettle on. Rita pulled maps out of storage—detailed charts of the pass, paths through the gorge east of Rokastr, the road and forests around Vairad, which lay beyond the border.

  "We all remember the way," she said. "We climb from this side, pass the cave at the summit, find the hatch, then down the stairs—and we’re at the Lake… There’s no other way. Ashley, I think you and Atgard should wait below, and Demetra and Rodrigo will keep you company. Well, we’ll figure it out when we get there."

  The vegetables boiled, the meat sizzled in the pan. Rita and Ashley worked their magic over the pots, while Viggo brought up a barrel of wine from the cellar. Joanna, Remiz, and Atgard had gone off somewhere. Kairu sank into a chair and pulled out "The Vaimarakirian." Lately, he hadn’t had time for reading, and he’d only managed to get halfway through the book. Norton had found a pipe somewhere and was smoking it melancholically, blowing rings toward the ceiling. Kairu had first noticed this strange habit in Onklag and had been unpleasantly surprised. Back in the village, his brother couldn’t stand the smell of tobacco, and there, only rare travelers ever smoked pipes. Local peasants simply had no way of buying such an expensive, rare thing… Clearly, these journeys had changed his brother a great deal. He was no longer the cheerful thirteen-year-old boy Kairu had once left behind in the village, and realizing that was strange.

  The clock was ticking again, the fire crackled in the stove, frozen frames and windows were thawing. Kairu, drowsy from the warmth, suddenly realized he didn’t want to go anywhere. He wanted to stay here forever, by the fire, lazily watching the flames and savoring each moment of this simple happiness. Because he was tired. Devilishly tired. The diamond burned in his pocket, and he wanted to throw it away as far as possible and never think about it again…

  Yuf returned shortly after dinner. He dropped into a chair and said anxiously:

  "There’s been no news from Mainor for nearly a month… Strange. Couriers haven’t come back yet. The last thing we know from the south is that our troops almost took Nalvin. Fighting is still going on in that area, brutal fighting. Forests are burning, no prisoners are taken—everyone is finished off on the spot… We were driven back from Boreain. But they haven’t reached the capital yet, supposedly. They were still holding the banks of the Ilvion in late September, with support from the river fleet."

  "This will take a long time yet," muttered Anzerrat. "The main thing is to hold on until Saelin’s strength just runs out… He’s lost the diamond, after all. That means our side has the advantage, even if they don’t realize it yet… And how are your secret societies doing?"

  Yuf gave a mysterious grin:

  "Better than I expected. Dalid and Hugo are keeping everyone under tight control, not letting anyone get complacent. The metallurgical plant at the Mountain Fortress is already operating, weapons production is in full swing. Over the summer, about three thousand volunteers were recruited. We now have real power backing us… But let’s not talk about that. I can’t guarantee any of you wouldn’t spill the underground’s secrets if you landed in Maclevirr’s dungeons."

  Joanna returned. She said she'd just been wandering around the city. Rita looked at her with suspicion, but Kairu, ever since her confession, no longer cared where she went or what she did—he knew she'd come back eventually and wouldn't betray them. Remiz and Atgard returned by evening, diving eagerly into the remains of dinner. They hadn’t wasted time—first they visited the Kald Embassy (Atgard), then the Nocturn Embassy (Remiz), followed by the Fighters' Guild (Atgard) and the Mages' Guild (Remiz).

  "Nocturns are wavering," Remiz said, as curt and concise as ever. "There’s been a recent change of high priest in Rikutiam, and with him, the ruling party shifted. They’re clearly voicing support for Saelin, but they’re still hesitant to openly go against Aktida, believing Emerlun remains a serious military force. I ran into an old friend. He was blunt: ‘Remiz, drop everything and return to Orinde. They’re waiting for you there, and you’ll be more useful than in a half-ruined country.’ Naturally, I didn’t say where I’d been or why am I headed for Vaimar. Just told him I had business in Arctarium. That isn’t much of a secret."

  "That’s smart," Ashley grumbled. "Atgard, what about the Kalds?"

  "They’re planning to shut down their embassy and impose an economic blockade on Aktida," Atgard replied grimly. "They commended me for my plans to return to Vaimar, even though I served my whole life in Aktida… But one thing’s clear—no one believes Aktida will hold out much longer. Crowds of refugees are heading north, some fleeing to Derelz, closer to the ocean and the ships. I don’t know where they’ll run if Jake starts a war with Saelin and Saelin sends troops across Olmaer…"

  So there’s no other way, Kairu thought. Vaimar. Only forward.