Stahli ate everything not nailed down. Xyon said that was normal after what he had gone through. Fyren all but circled his creche mate. Poked, prodded, and bared his teeth at Stahli's sire whenever he came around. Who in turn raised his hands in defeat and walked away.

  Eir was allowed unfretted access to her brother, probably because she came armed with more food. Once Stahli had recovered, Eir and Vyren departed with little fanfare. Stahli threw himself into preparations for his mission.

  He added a cloak to his garb, with a large backpack underneath. Meanwhile, Xyon added another layer well, a thick piece of a brown furry hivor pelt. His backpack was heavy with food, and they had only been walking for half an hour before it started to slow him.

  “So, how long will this take us with some sort of locomotive?”

  “Loco-what?” Stahli asked.

  “Locomotive, a thing which you ride to arrive at a place with greater speed. Most species have some form of one, be it a vehicle or animal.”

  “You’re using words that don’t translate again.” Stahli turned his attention back to the path.

  “Ugh, that is as good as a no,” Xyon sighed. “How long will this take?”

  “Two weeks, more if you do not pick up your tiny feet.” Stahli snarled.

  Xyon pulled his bag forward and jogged a few steps. “Not all of us are good at walking,” he said.

  “Call it practice then,” Stahli said and kept an ear flicked in Xyon's direction as he walked. “And don't talk too much. I'd rather not be overheard.”

  “Sorry.” Xyon muttered and dutifully followed his much larger companion north.

  Stahli knew it was unlikely there would be threats this close to the city at this hour. Early morning birds chirped mixed in with a chorus of insects. The footpath they were on was well-travelled, but they didn’t meet anyone else. It eventually opened up to a north road of dirt that grass grew through, with thick bracken on either side.

  The day pressed on as they walked, the suns passing overhead. Being a little less than half Stahli's height, Xyon struggled to keep up. It didn't help that his guide barely tolerated his presence. Ideally, this would be an excellent time to ask questions, but too much of his effort was put into an awkward walking and jogging cycle to keep up.

  By dusk, they came to a metal gate by the road. It was two tall pillars with a horizontal one with ends that swept into little peaks. Stahli dipped his head to the gate before passing through it off-centre. Xyon did the same, assuming it was some sort of spiritual custom. He quickly found that he was correct; temples were easy to spot regardless of culture. Unlike the city, it was made of large round wooden logs with paper windows cut into them. Orange light glowed through the paper. Its roof was a thick thatch with a metal lattice over the top.

  Xyon found the simple square thing odd compared to the extravagant metal slopes of the city. Stahli made a point of cleaning the dust off his feet in some grass before turning the metal that covered them into anklets and walking up the wooden steps.

  He knocked lightly on the door, which slid open within a minute. On the other side, a male that was regal in his advanced age. His skin was pale, and his blonde hair was pulled back into a wolf knot. His face was smooth with apparent youth, with only faint lines betraying the centuries at his post. He wore a floor-length skirt but nothing else. Thick metal bands wrapped around his arms and waist in a wide belt. Stahli bowed to the elder as he made an inverted steeple with his hands. “Rich metal to you Senra.”

  The Senra returned the bow and gesture. “And to you Stahli, please come in,” he glanced down at Xyon. “You have brought an offworlder?”

  Xyon could sense the hostility in his tone, but Stahli spoke before he could, “he is my guest. We are on an errand for the king to Nokten to aid in its defence.”

  “Hmm, alright.” The Senra eyed Xyon up critically but dismissed him.

  Xyon took off his boots before he got any dust on the lacquered smooth floor. It was so shiny he could almost see his reflection. The Senra shut the door behind him before heading to a side room. Xyon wasn’t sure what to make of the temple. The room's far wall was a sheet of metal covered in tight Eatillite scrawl. He found the writing from top to bottom and right to left odd. In the middle of the room was a long thin fire pit set in white stone. Stahli walked to a door at the end of the hall on the left side and slid the door open. “We will stay here.”

  Xyon followed him; the space was just large enough to be comfortable for someone of Stahli’s stature. A sleeping pallet ran the length of one wall, with a low table and basin on the other wall. He walked in and put his bag against a wall while Stahli did the same. His stomach growled, and he helped himself to one of his meal pots as he sat down. “Anything I should know? As not to accidentally offend anyone?” he asked.

  “Just address Senra as such. I don’t know his real name.”

  “And Senra is some sort of priest?”

  “Yes. I guess that is why it doesn’t just translate as priest.” Stahli got up again. He said, “there is a wash closet on the right-hand side.”

  Stahli headed out and sat to the left of the incense holder. He picked up one of the sticks resting on the ground in a neat little holder. Then lit it from a tiny yellow flame before putting it in the stand. He closed his eyes as the purple smoke started to coil through the air in thin whiffs. He breathed deeply. The smoke smelled fruity and light. Again, he did an inverted steeple with his hands and bowed to the wall.

  These were the stories of his ancestors, and he had read them all hundreds of times. Even knew many of them by heart and could recite them on command. He bowed to the wall. He liked temples like this. Worthless save for the knowledge they contained. He found they felt much more honest than the lavish House complexes in the cities. Even if his family's histories were inscribed in totality there, rather than this wall with only a few, it told of Hofhgor, the founder of their House. He guided his family south and away from the giants. Then, he created his home city of Norken. He was his favourite ancestor, while Stahli knew he was a homebody at heart. But there was something about Hofhgor, who promised adventures. Something that a younger and dumber Stahli had once wished for.

  Still, Stahli tried to empty his mind and be closer to the spirits within the stories. Not let memories of the stories themselves distract him. Not that such a thought helped. If anything, he wondered if he could pray to Talia here. It was a stupid idea, given that she was not an ancestor, but he longed to hear something back from her. Only having her voice in his head since she died was very depressing.

  “You are a mess, pup of Briedr.”

  Stahli gave up and opened his eyes as the Senra sat beside him on the other side of the middle line. “I know Senra.”

  “You pray but utterly fail to clear your mind or even focus on a singular prayer.” The Senra bowed to the tablet on the wall. He said, “you risk insulting your ancestors.”

  Stahli couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I’m not twenty anymore Senra. I know full well that no matter how my thoughts twist over on themselves, my ancestors will not mind. If anything, I bet they find them amusing. I sure would if I was in their place.” He looked up to the wall of iron. “Besides, I’m sure they have better things to do than worry about me.”

  “Your family has grown small, so I doubt it.”

  Stahli answered promptly. “The queen is pregnant with twins. Sire is working hard on mending that little problem.”

  “And you have lost your Talia; otherwise, she would be here with you and not an off-worlder,” the Senra answered in kind.

  Stahli sagged and said. “Yes. She passed in battle. I’ve made her a cairn, and my family watches over it for me while I journey.”

  “Even though she had no children?”

  Stahli’s expression was one equal to mourning and still loving of his mate. “She was the love of my life, and we were trying to have children, but there just wasn’t time. She deserves a place within my family and my sire has given his blessing.”

  The Senra hummed softly and said. “Then perhaps you should be praying to your ancestors to welcome her into their House when you bring her bones home.”

  “That’s a good idea-” Stahli said and closed his eyes and bowed to the wall again. “-I’ll do that.”

  “Good, once you do, we should do a purification ritual. You look like you need it,” the Senra grumbled as he departed.

  Stahli flinched harshly away from the Senra. “Thank you.”

  He clapped softly twice and steeped his hands upside down again with another bow. Hello ancestors. I know we haven’t spoken in a while. I haven’t been well, and I know that is no excuse, but I am here. I don’t know where Talia has gone, but I hope you will look after her. I know she brought you no children, but I love her dearly, and I will join her bones with yours. I just ask when she appears. You welcome her as true family. Stahli opened his eyes, clapped twice and dropped his hands into his lap. He glanced over and saw that Xyon was writing again in one of his notebooks.

  Stahli returned to the guest room and removed his clothing before crossing the hall to the far room. Within it was a hexagon of wood with an inside layer of silver and a drain in the middle. The air was heavy with rich incense as Stahli sat in the middle and removed his steel. Setting it out before him in five neat hexagons a couple of centimetres tall, one for each limb and his hair. The black-gold locks curled gleefully free of the extra weight. Senra placed a bowl of minted water before Stahli with a wooden ladle. Stahli washed his left hand and then his right with the ladle. He had a tiny sip, swishing the minty water around his mouth before spitting it down the drain. He set the ladle back in the pot. He then gingerly removed the pasters from his stomach, the skin under them was pink and rosy but he was healed.

  Senra picked up the bowl and walked behind him. He used the ladle and slowly dribbled water from Stahli’s right shoulder over his head to his left. He then poured what water was left directly over Stahli’s head. It didn’t soak through much more than the crown of his head. Senra stepped away again and refilled the bowl with water mixed with a yellow powder. It bubbled and cracked within the water. In this he placed a porous stone and a soft cloth.

  Stahli had to fight not to grimace as he bathed. The water and stone stripped off the other layer of skin as the Senra combed his hair through with another solution. The hot water quickly cooled his skin, breaking it into goosebumps. Which made cleaning all the more painful. He did not mind, though it did feel as if he was washing off the death that he had allowed to linger on his skin for too long. He used the cloth to wash the delicate parts of his anatomy and then to wash his body down again. His skin tingled as he finished, then waited for Senra to do the same. When the braid was complete, the Senra liberally poured clean ice cold water on Stahli, who wasted no time rubbing off the yellow water.

  When that was finished, Stahli bowed to Senra. He said, “Thank you Senra.”

  “You’re welcome, Stahli. Go eat and rest. I will prepare breakfast for you come morning.”

  “Thank you.” Stahli returned to his room, closing the door behind him.

  Xyon had undressed and was resting under his new fluffy cloak. “What was that about?”

  “Cleansing ritual. I've been ill, so it's not surprising he thought one was required. ” Stahli assumed a lotus position at the end of the bed. He breathed deeply and found himself relaxing; he missed spending time at temples. He said, “this is preferable to camping, much safer.”

  Xyon scoffed and said. “Okay, now I know whenever I see one of those gates to drag you along. I am never going to pick a tent over a proper house.”

  Stahli chuckled, “I had a feeling you were a creature of creature comforts.”

  “Darn straight, speaking of comfort though. Why don’t you dry off?”

  “It’s better to air dry. I just went to all the effort to clean myself. Though I am hungry, could you pass my bag please?”

  Xyon grumbled, leaving his nice, warm spot. Instead of pulling the bag over, he rifled through it and grabbed a package of jerky. “Here.”

  “Thank you.” Stahli reached up and took it from him. “You pale when you’re cold,” he observed.

  “Ugh, don’t remind me, it’s ugly.” Xyon said and returned to his spot and wrapped himself back up in the fur.

  “Interesting to look at, at least.” Stahli mumble as he chowed down on the jerky. They had eaten sparingly during the day as full stomachs weren’t good for walking. So he was rather hungry now. Which he supposed was better than being so over-hungry that he failed to notice it anymore.

  Xyon grumbled and pulled the fur up over his head. Stahli let his companion get some much-needed sleep as he ate and washed his fingers. He laid down behind him, pulled a heavy blanket over them both, and flicked his hair out of the way. He hadn’t put much thought into last night, but he liked listening to someone breathe.

  Come morning the Senra had purified his metal and added a little more for the long trip. Stahli knew going into battle with blessed metal was never a bad idea. He had a simple breakfast with the Senra while Xyon kept to himself. Stahli set off at a determined jog, forcing Xyon to pick up his feet and follow him. The forest remained dense around them. Stahli could see a mountain range off in the distance and wondered if they were going past them.

  Xyon huffed and puffed, as he tried to keep up with Stahli’s long stride. It did not take him long to slow down. He came to a panting stop. “S-stahli,” he gasped. “I can’t keep this up.”

  Stahli paused and turned back to look the small foreigner up and down. He frowned and flatly stated, “We should make haste. We only have a vague idea when the giants will arrive, and we must be there first.”

  Xyon hugged his aching chest and said, “I get that, but you’re too tall, I can’t keep up.”

  Stahli huffed and walked back. He reached over and plucked Xyon off the ground as he shrugged a backpack strap off. Xyon caught on and grabbed him tight when he came into range. Stahli pulled the backpack strap on and adjusted it to make room for his passenger as he grumbled. “I get the distinct impression I’ll be getting used to this.”

  “It will be a much faster way to travel.” Xyon said, he looped an arm around Stahli’s neck so his hand dropped into his clavicle. “At least till we are on other planets with things for me to ride. Then I imagine it will switch where you will hold us back until you learn.”

  Stahli set off at a run now that he no longer had to worry about outpacing Xyon entirely. “You assume we will stay together after you finish the book.”

  “You have a sister to help. It will be much easier with my home as a base of operation. I suppose you could roam the Empire and learn much, but it’s unlikely it would help her.” Xyon pulled his hood up. The cold breeze was making his ears tingle.

  “We’ll see when we get there.” Stahli said and put on a burst of speed as a hill slowly grew up before them.

  Around them trees became more varied in height as the land became hilly. The twin yellow suns were shining high. Stahli didn’t pay it much mind, more concerned about threats than the landscape.

  “Shall I tell you about my house?” Xyon asked. “To just run in silence would be dull.”

  “So long as you don’t expect me to reply much.” He grumbled.

  “I can work with that, hmm.” He tapped Stahli’s clavicle as he thought it over. The he began, “My house is on the edge of a much larger estate. It’s grown out of fungus, sort of like your metal homes. We make lattices, and the fungus will follow them. It’s incredibly strong. Then, we have purple vine crawlers that add texture and refresh the air. All the furniture is grown from either fungus or wood. We have a few glass windows, which cost me a small fortune. Then we grew curtains inside over them. The base colour of the house is a white brown, but it has so much growing through it that you wouldn’t notice. I have a great tree to shade everything in the middle of it all. It’s a small place as these things go. There is my bodyguard, Elizabeth; my records keeper Michi and his daughter Pallia are there. Then my seamstress Gwyn.”

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  “That’s a small house.” Stahli rumbled softly, not sparing much air for speech.

  “I can’t really afford much more. As I mentioned, my sire tossed me out on my arse. So my finances are defined from book to book. Don’t get me wrong, consistent sales keep me in money, but I’ve trapped myself in a cycle of chasing new worlds.” Xyon sighed. “For the most part I don’t mind, as much as I’d love to stay home all the time and look after my plants. Still gathering new plants is half the fun.”

  “And you bring them home?” Stahli wondered how he managed that.

  “Usually just seeds, it’s difficult to transport plants safely. Then I work on making new medicines; herbology and alchemy are my two favourite things to do.” Xyon sighed wistfully, daydreaming about his garden.

  “Not travelling?” Stahli asked.

  “No. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the first time a snake has tried to eat me.” Xyon shuddered at the thought. “Being at home with my plants and beakers is much less stressful.”

  “Hmm.” Stahli slowed as he headed up a switch back as a hill grew steeper. The trees growing thinner and shorter. “Being home is always best.”

  “Maybe not always, but most often.” Xyon huffed.

  “You’re not doing any leg work.” Stahli glanced over his shoulder with a smirk.

  Xyon would learn that Stahli really could pack the kilometres away. The mountains were quick to change from messy hills to sheer cliff faces. The hours passed, and Stahli let Xyon down when the road became a goat trail. Xyon could see old campfires and bits of metal made into hexagons and set deep into the ground. Stahli, however, did not linger, setting off on the rumble path. Xyon followed, opting not to comment on the abandoned site. Clearly, his companion didn’t wish to talk about it; the trail was already hard on his boots.

  Stahli kept his ears forward as they climbed; he hated mountaineering. So many things could go wrong; stones could slip from above and below. Mountain creatures came in many shapes and sizes, several of which could knock him off a trail. Most would make a quick snack out of Xyon. He heard the Solari curse and turned to see Xyon shove a sharp rock off the path with his foot. “You alright?”

  “Almost stabbed my foot.” Xyon said, lifted his foot to check the sole of his boot. “It’s fine.”

  “Be more careful. It only gets more dangerous.” Stahli turned his attention back to the trail and area beyond. On the left, the cliffside was flat, with only some moss occasionally clinging to it. On the right, the hill dropped away. A fall now wouldn’t be the worst, but climbing back up would be a pain. The path followed the sheer cliff until a switchback curved up the mountain. He was familiar with this route but wasn’t used to taking such an amateur. He kept a close eye on Xyon.

  Stahli followed an internal migration trail, but left Xyon to scramble after him. The mountainside grew ever steeper till a sheer cliff blocked their way. “Now what?” Xyon snapped irritably. His feet already had blisters on them. He hated hiking with deep endless passion.

  Stahli observed him; Xyon had scuffed his knees and hands. While sporting a few new bruises. He said, “Now you get to rest.” Stahli reached out and ripped some moss off the rock face. Beneath it was a long thick line of steel. He hooked a finger under it and, with a hum, yanked it clear out of the stone.

  Xyon’s jaw dropped as he looked up. He couldn't see the next ledge, “We are not climbing that.”

  “You’re not. I am-” Stahli adjusted his backpack again and dropped a shoulder strap as he knelt, “-Well?”

  “Much preferred to walking.” Xyon climbed onto Stahli’s back and helped him adjust the straps again. He could feel Stahli hum a belt of metal and butt strap for him.

  Stahli created a hook that he wrapped around the metal line. Before closing the hook into a circle and giving it a tug, he made another string of metal at a comfortable climbing length. Which he attached to the hook and his thick metal belt. Lastly he grew claws at the ends of his fingers and toes. Then set off up the cliffside, a slow but steady climb that was very clearly practiced.

  Xyon admired the whole process. He had noticed that Eatillite weren’t keen on leaving tools laying around. Or rather, they could make whatever tool they needed on demand. It was an admirable skill, and he thought it must save them time and resources. He could think of many people who would bend over backwards for such a gift. It made something like mountain climbing require much less to achieve safely. “The more I see of your magic, the more I like it.”

  “It is helpful.” Stahli said and picked out his route with care, mostly because of the fresh moss he ripped out of the cliffside whenever it was in the way.

  “I think it allowed your people to skip tens of thousands of years of development most other species had to undergo. Because of that, your planet is probably a fair bit healthier.” Xyon mused. The Eatillite got to skip the ceramics era entirely. It was making for interesting clashes between where people like his usually were and where they were on the evolutionary scale.

  “You know you are saying things I have no context for.” Stahli said.

  Xyon smirked, given that Stahli couldn't see his expression. He kept his tone placating. “Right, sorry, seeing other species would make that much easier to understand. So why are we going this way?”

  “It was the most used trade route. With these mountains, it is a trade-off.” Stahli said smoothly in time with his climbing. “You can pick the trail's difficulty or try your luck with the animals. The trail is much safer comparatively.”

  “Why not just try to kill the animals?” Xyon asked.

  “We do not kill what we do not eat.” Stahli grumbled. “Unless there is no choice.”

  “Fair enough.” Xyon said, then drew his hands in more and tried to warm them. Cold breeze constantly swept down from the mountain peaks. Out of curiosity, he slipped a hand under Stahli’s cloak. He felt the muscle jump under his touch.

  “Keep those cold daggers to yourself,” Stahli grumbled.

  “Yeah yeah, I’m just curious about something.” Xyon reached out and touched a bit of his exposed arm. It was much cooler than his skin and the covered skin but appeared to have no discoloration or discomfort. “Interesting.”

  Stahli rolled his eyes and assumed that Xyon was making biology notes again. “Are you warm enough?”

  Xyon hunkered back down. “For now, is it going to get much colder?”

  “There is always snow further up.” He said matter-of-factly.

  “Ugh, then I’ll need some help staying functional. My species doesn’t really function very well in cold temperatures. We have a tendency to shut down and try to hibernate. Which usually ends up with us dead.” Xyon scowled at the thought.

  “You should have mentioned that before we left.” Stahli coiled and jumped up to another ledge. The metal loop skipped loudly along the line.

  Xyon grabbed him around the neck as his stomach lurched downward. “Gods warn me first next time.”

  “Just don’t hurl on my cloak.” Stahli said, he found the clinging amusing more than annoying. He was sure that Xyon had no physical strength to do his neck any harm.

  “That is not funny.” Xyon peered down over his shoulder and instantly regretted it. How had they gotten so high so quickly? He shoved his face into Stahli’s cloak before his stomach had a chance to decide to hurl. “I’ve learned I do not mix with heights,” he muttered.

  “You’ve never been climbing before?” Stahli asked; he could feel Xyon shake his head.

  “We have grown skyscrapers, but I’ve never had to go in one. And rock climbing? No way, just looking into pools off diving boards gave me the jitters for most of my life.” Xyon mumbled into the cloak.

  Stahli did not know what a diving board or pool was but assumed it had to do with water and play. He did try to be a bit smoother just for the long-term safety of his cloak. He asked, “Aside from your studies, what do you do for fun then?”

  “I’m partial to things that keep my feet on the ground.” Xyon tried to jest, but it came out weakly.

  Shali scoffed. “I had guessed that.”

  “I like to swim, just not in deep water or rivers. To go to the galleries back home, drawing of course, but I can’t paint to save my behind. I am a decent singer but don’t do much with it beyond magical application.”

  “I only sang howls with Talia to learn them in general. I do not sing for the pleasure of it. Song is for emotion.” Stahli said and brushed some frost off of a handhold before grabbing it.

  “That’s a bit sad, I have a feeling you’ve got a powerful singing voice, but I understand it. I have heard a couple of howls now, and you feel like you’re putting your whole spirit into them.” Xyon resolved to look up. It helped with the nausea.

  “That is rather the idea, to express what you are feeling without getting tied up in words.” Stahli smoothly scaled a few more meters. “Not long no,” he said.

  Xyon could see the edge of the ledge above them, he said. “Oh, thank goodness.” A few pebbles were knocked off the edge as a large mountain goat with vertical pupils started down at them. “Stahli, we’re being watched.”

  Stahli looked away from the stone where he had been trying to improve a foothold. Then froze at the sight of the huge mountain goat with equally large horns. “Don’t stare at it. It will see it as a threat.”

  Xyon snapped his gaze down, looking at the frosted stone. He pointed at the wall and hummed a little tune. White fire licked over it, melting the frost away.

  “Thank you.” Stahli started to climb again, keeping his pace slow and steady as he listened to the goat. Sure enough, it evidently found them boring, and by the time Stahli got to the ledge, it had moved on. He climbed up and a hum, removed the hook from the line and the extra metal from Xyon. Stahli took pity on him and moved several steps away from the cliff before he knelt and removed a shoulder strap to let Xyon off.

  Xyon let go very carefully and then zipped several more steps away from the cliff. “Oh, thank you solid ground. I’ve missed you!” He shivered dramatically as the wind blew gusts of snow around. “I hate snow.”

  Stahli chuckled as he pulled the strap back on. He said, “That does not surprise me in the slightest. Come on, there is a temple at the pass.” He looked back over the cliff and had to focus for a second to spot the twin suns through the thick, dark cloud bank. “We should hurry. It will be dark before we get there.”

  “It’s already glum and grey.” Xyon groused but fell into step obediently behind Stahli.

  “At this rate, I’m leaving you at home next time sire has an errand for me.” Stahli said as the snow cracked under his feet.

  “I might just let you if it gets any colder.” Xyon muttered and tightly wrapped his cloak around him. He stuffed his hands into his armpits. He was finding breathing harder and he knew it was just the elevation, but it was still making an already hard task worse. “I envy your lungs.”

  “It will be easier if you stop talking.” Stahli stated plainly.

  The trail narrowed again, and they headed up a steady incline on a path barely wide enough for Stahli. To make matters worse, it started to snow. Stahli kept track of Xyon by listening to the sound of his steps through the snow. Then, the chittering of his teeth as their journey progressed. The pass slowly opened into a plateau, where a nice warm temple should have been waiting for them. There was nothing.

  Stahli frowned and picked up his pace. The snow eased up just enough for him to see a few blackened walls. He sprinted to find the temple had been burned down. Bits and pieces remained, and the story wall was mostly intact, if a bit warped inward. He heard Xyon sneeze as the Solari stepped over the eve and rubbed his nose. “We should press on.”

  Xyon was drawn to the hearth in the middle of the temple. “Can we stay and light this up? I can’t feel my cheeks.”

  “We should press on. We don’t know what did this, and they could still be around.” Stahli said, and set about brushing the snow off the story wall.

  Xyon did the same thing, only it was off the hearth. “I’m freezing, and there are things to burn here already.” He waddled away from the hearth to grab a charred bit of a wall and pulled it back to the fire pit.

  Stahli growled but noticed Xyon had disrupted the snow just enough to see something new. He walked into the trail he had treated and knelt down, brushing some snow away. The shaft was a thick hiver bone with a cracked stone axe head. “Giants.” Stahli sneered. “They do so love to harass our temples.”

  “S-stahli fire,” Xyon curled into a ball. “I h-haven’t got any tinder.

  “We should press on. The giants have probably desecrated this place,” Stahli growled.

  Xyon glared at him, “It’s a windbreak, and it’s got a hearth, so please light this thing up.”

  Stahli had half a mind to grab him by the scuff and carry him off, but he was turning rather worrying pale colours. “This is a bad idea,” He grumbled as he undid the hip strap and swung the backpack off. He dug through it and pulled out a hexagonal piece of metal. “Move.”

  Xyon scrambled to do as he was told. Stahli set the hexagon down and hummed to it, keeping a hand on it. The metal expanded into a tent, just over half his height, but the footprint would be large enough for him to pick a side and sleep. Another hum opened a side, and Xyon zipped in before Stahli could speak. Stahli followed him and sealed the door behind him. The tent was open enough to be easy to move around in. With a small hole for smoke at the top.

  The floor had flowed around the hearth to leave it exposed. Stahli fetched some dried wood from the bottom of his bag with some tinder. Xyon stuffed his hand into the tinder and grumbled a single note. White flames sprang up through the wood before it caught and turned orange. Stahli rolled his eyes and set out some more wood for the night ahead. “I take it you are starving?”

  “Yes, I really don’t get this. ‘I only eat twice a day thing’ you people do.” Xyon stretched his chilled fingers, and Stahli handed him a meal pot.

  “Sorry, you could bring it up more. I can just carry you while you eat. That way we wouldn’t have to stop,” Stahli said and warmed a packet of meat on a stone in the fire.

  “I thought you didn’t like carrying me,” Xyon shrugged to get the lid of his meal pot off with his paled fingers.

  “It is not fair for me to ask you to eat less simply because I forget you need more. Not to mention, being cold and hungry is a dangerous mix.” Stahli said and rolled out a bedroll as he spoke.

  “Don’t need to tell me that.” Xyon said, he shivered as he chewed on fatty nuts and tubers.

  Stahli only hummed as he turned his meat over and waited for it to warm. They ate silently, and then Xyon changed into fresh clothes before burrowing into the bedroll. Stahli tossed his own cloak onto the Solari for good measure. “You sleep, I’ll keep watch.”

  “Brrr.”

  Stahli rolled his eyes with a smile but didn’t expect anything different. The fire had heated the tent and was warm enough to be comfortable. He settled in to meditate.

  Stahli snapped his eyes open just as the heavy steps registered in his mind. He launched across the tent and swept Xyon into his embrace just as something large hit the side of the tent with a thunderous bang. They were sent crashing through a side of the temple and out into the snow as Stahli curled around Xyon to keep him from getting crushed. The tent tumbled to a stop, and Stahli let Xyon go, shouting, “Stay here!” He shot over to a wall, and a hum opened it. He hummed an aspis shield onto his left arm and a spear into the other hand.

  The giant bellowed at him, its club raised high as the moonlight reflected off metal bands around its wide goat horns. Stahli narrowed his eyes at his foe. The giant was hairy, covered from neck to feet in a fluffy brown overcoat, with a thicker one underneath. It had another three meters on Stahli and looked by its face to be on the young side. At least there is that. Stahli mused but refused to be moved from his defensive position by the tent. The giant roared again, and Stahli responded with a full-throated loud snarl. He half hoped it would be enough to scare it off but doubted it.

  The giant yelled another challenge and charged forward, the club raised high. Stahli coiled and waited till it was within range. He shot to the side as the giant swung down. He stabbed his spear in a tight thrust into the giant's forearm before dancing away to drop into a roll as a backhand soared clear over him. He thrust his spear forward and sliced into the giant’s ankle. It roared out in pain and stumbled over onto its good side. It crawled at him with a thick furry hand but bounced harmlessly off his shield.

  Stahli threw his spear into the giant’s thick neck with an underhand flick. Another roar was cut short as it coughed and yanked the spear out, tossing it away in the snow. Stahli hadn’t paused in his circle. He rolled under another pained swipe and jumped shield first. The giant’s shoulder blades cracked as Stahli rode it down into the snow. It thrashed and flipped.

  “Ack!”Stahli snapped his limbs up under the safety of the shield, using all four to hold off the giant’s immense weight. He prepared to hum a metal shift that would impale the giant through the back when a hard, shrill note pierced the air. It was followed by a scream from the giant and the smell of burning fur.

  The giant rolled off, screaming in terror as its fur burned in white flames. Stahli jumped to his feet and charged. He grabbed a horn, pulling the giant's head up. Then slammed his shield straight through the giant’s neck. Hot blood gushed over his shield as he ripped it from the snow. He turned to Xyon with a growl, “I told you to stay put!”

  His words had no effect as Xyon stared at the freshly severed head. It steamed as heat escaped the fresh wound. He swallowed thickly, then dropped the ground and hurled. Stahli sighed, he could understand the feeling of seeing the freshly dead. He found his spear and then hacked the horns off the giant. After briefly stopping in some snow to wash his metal, he hummed it back onto his skin and walked over to Xyon. He petted the Solari’s back a few times. “There there, it’s alright now.”

  Xyon spat several times, shivering, “Sorry, not very useful of me.”

  “I had it. You didn’t need to help at all,” Stahli said flatly.

  “It was on top of you!” Xyon looked up, full of disbelief.

  “I was just about to kill it, to send spikes up through my shield.”

  “Oh,” Xyon wilted.

  “You’re lucky it didn’t charge towards you in a frenzy,” Stahli said, let his voice take on a scolding tone.

  “Well, I didn’t know that.” Xyon said defensively.

  Stahli growled. “I told you to stay put.”

  “Sorry.” Xyon shrank in on himself and shivered again.

  “Come, let’s get the tent back on the fire.” Stahli took pity on his quickly freezing companion. It took a little doing, but Stahli set up the tent in the proper place again and moved some of the wood from the temple to dry out while Xyon sat buried in the extra blankets of the bedroll. He stared absentmindedly at the fire as Stahli resettled them. When he was done, he closed the door behind him. “There will not be another. If there was, they would have attacked together.” He looked down at Xyon and knew that look anywhere, so he sat across from him. “Was that your first kill?”

  “Huh?” Xyon jerked as Stahli addressed him, “Oh yes.”

  Silence stretched out between them, accented with the pop and crack of wood. Stahli asked, “Would you like to speak about it?”

  “My sire is a general for the Summer Court. He has been for my whole life and longer yet. He would take me to planets after they were freshly conquered for most of my life. I know death, but I know the death that’s been dead a few days. I know the smell, the look, and I know the death of hospitals… I started volunteering with new species that would have me when I was young. I have always hated my sire’s trade. I trained as a surgeon out of spite to begin with. He’d kill the people, I’d help heal them. But I’ve never been in a fight before, never seen a steaming corpse. Or been so flushed with adrenaline that I just did and didn’t think, you know, after several moments frozen in the tent, unable to do anything.” Xyon’s hands shook as he helped himself to a sip of nectar. “I feel all wrong and don’t know what to do about it.”

  “And this medical interest caused your sire to disown you,” Stahli asked.

  “I-yes, how?” Xyon eyed him warily.

  He shrugged, “You always had the air of someone more well-off than they were willing to admit.”

  “And you’re not upset?”

  Stahli shrugged again and added more wood to the fire. “It’s not surprising that doing what you do and doing it well would require extreme personal motivation. You could be home now, safe in your garden with your beakers. Instead, you are on a new planet with a stranger, freezing your arse off. It doesn’t surprise me that your motivation comes from a place of anger with your sire and a desire to spite him. To help where he has hurt.”

  Xyon put his nectar bottle by the fire and stared at the dancing flames for a minute. “Thank you. Most get very furious with me. It usually takes them a while to understand I am not my sires son.”

  ”I don’t have an opinion on it.”

  Xyon pulled a blanket around him more tightly, “Maybe I should stay away from the giant raid.”

  “Probably wise, I might stick you up on a wall as a backup plan.” Stahli mused.

  “I think I’d like that.” Xyon picked at the blanket with a finger and shivered as a breeze blew through the chimney. “Would you come sit with me? It’s freezing, and I don’t think I’m capable of keeping these blankets warm on my own.”

  Stahli felt there was more to it than just heat, but he crossed over and sat behind Xyon. He grabbed a cloak and set it around his shoulders before gently pulling Xyon back to rest against his chest and spooning a leg around his. He loosely wrapped his arms around him and pulled the cloak closed. Xyon sagged into the nice, warm air bubble that was quickly created under the cloak. Stahli felt Xyon drop and could feel his breathing level out. With a little hum, he used his metal to move his hair over his shoulder and withdrew it to help warm the side of Xyon’s head.