“Momma!” I heard Sophia shout. “Momma, come quick!” I threw on a robe and rushed into the living room. Sophia and Susanna were both leaning against the worn linen back of my sofa and looking with their eyes fixated on the window. Their little kit tails twitched with excitement. I looked at the sheet of cold ice encroaching on the edges of each pane of glass, the street below was covered in a bitter sheet of cold snow, the hooves of horses and narrow tracks of automobiles had turned much of it into pale brown mud. This was when I noticed how cold it was in my living room, now in a moment of calm, the frigid air touched my skin and sent a shiver down my body.

  “Momma, I see Tom, I wanna go play with Tom!” Susanna shouted. She looked at me with her big green catlike Chunish eyes. She took after me, not just in her light complexion and green eyes, but also in her stupid bravery. Sophia looked like her Rhenian Human father, tall, black complexion. She wasn’t human, she was Chunish, but she looked almost Rhenian Human. She was fascinated, but a bit cautious, as I imagine her father would most likely be, in his own home, with his own wife and kids.

  I have never seen snow in the valley, but the sight of it made my blood run cold. I was one of the few people in Tacust Valley who can make it to the radio tower on Vega Peak, a mountain so tall it was snow capped most of the year. I have seen Chunes, horses, dogs, and coyotes swept away in these sorts of storms, and dying of cold exposure is one of the finest examples of nature’s painful and deadly machinations.

  “No, something is wrong, something is very wrong.”

  I heard a knock on the door. I walked down the narrow staircase to the front door. When I opened it, I was greeted by Solomon Brasher, the pillar of a man that was the girls’ father.

  “Solomon, hi! What the hell are you doing? It’s cold as an Elven Congressman out there. Come inside.”

  “I was going to ask the girls if they wanted to come play with my other kids in the snow.” He said with a smile, and his wool gloved hands pressed together.

  “Momma, I wanna go with poppa!” I heard Susanna shout.

  “Okay, fine, I’ll put them in warm clothes and we’ll come out, but if the wind picks up, we’re all headed inside immediately.”

  The wind never picked up, in fact, the snow would let up over the next couple of hours, but only after leaving behind enough snow to come halfway up to my knee. The kids were buried in it, but they didn’t seem to mind. I have never in my life seen someone have fun in the snow, but somehow the kids were. One of the kids made a small ball out of it and threw it at Susanna. I was about to step in and say something, but Susanna made a ball of her own and returned fire. The hours were tense, and I knew I should take comfort in the diminishing snowfall, but I couldn’t reconcile the corpses seen on Vega Peak with the children playing in front of me.

  “Enya!” I heard the familiar voice of an old man call out from the direction of the militia headquarters. I turned my head to see Captain Chassepot. He was a portly old man, he was kept around in the militia for his wisdom and experience, not for his physical aptitude. He hobbled to me with his cane and threw his arms around me. “I see you let the kids out.” He said with a grin.

  “Solomon talked me into it. I want to go back inside with the radiator, but having the kids play in the snow scares me, so I’m afraid to leave them out here alone.”

  “Here, this will do you some good.” He reached into his haversack and produced a thermos. He poured a mug full of hot soda. I could smell the ginger, the Captain always had a thing for mixing his own soda syrup, it was his alternative after he gave up drinking.

  “Hey, Susie, Sophie, come here real quick.” I said.

  “But momma, I’m having fun!” Susanna said. Sophia walked to me without any protest.

  “You will have your fun, just come here for a moment.” I said. I knelt down and poured half a mug of hot soda for Sophia. She drank it happily and passed the mug back. Susanna stood just outside of arm’s reach, and I poured her soda as well. She drank hers and asked for more. I poured her a full mug and watched her drink some of it before returning to her friends. Finally, I filled the mug and drank it. It was a strong ginger, clearly a medicinal blend.

  “Strong stuff, Cap. Let me guess, one of the soldiers has a stomach bug?”

  “Yeah, Winston, you know he’s had that persistent cough lately. I made the batch for him, but I saw you out here and thought you would appreciate something warm.”

  “I do, thank you, and tell Winston I hope he gets better.”

  “Are you okay? You seem tense.” He asked.

  “Yeah, sorry.”

  “Sorry? Enya, tell me what ails you.” He put an arm on my shoulder.

  “Have you ever been to Vega Peak yourself?” I asked.

  “Back when my joints were still new, I helped carry the iron bars up to the top of the mountain to build the radio tower, we packed teams of mules and I stood on guard, watching for wolves.”

  “I’ve never seen snow in the valley.”

  “When were you born… 1907?

  “March, yes.”

  “You just missed it. I remember when your mother was pregnant with your sister, snow had fallen in the valley. Tacust was a smaller town back then, we were trapped for weeks without supplies. You know, that’s part of the reason you are such a miracle, your own biological mother would have been pregnant with you during this storm, and she was always such a loner. After the snow melted enough to give us passage into the mountains, we had to go check on her just in case. Nobody was certain she would survive.”

  “Yes, this snow is dangerous, and my kids are just… playing in it.”

  “You can always take them back inside.”

  “But they look so happy.”

  “Let them be happy while they’re safe in the sanctuary of the town, they will have plenty of time to learn the horrors when they are older.”

  I watched Susanna slip on a patch of ice and fall on her face. She didn’t seem bothered in the slightest, she got back up and ran some more.

  “I wish I would have had that privilege when I was their age.”

  “It was a different time, back then.” The Captain pulled a cigarette from his pocket. “Back before we had a school.” The captain searched in his pockets. “Before we had any automobiles….” His voice trailed off. “Do you have any matches?” He asked me. “I seem to have left mine somewhere.”

  “I don’t even carry matches anymore, cap. My brothers taught me a little cantrip.”

  “Oh, ole Ash taught you a thing or two about magic, that’s great.”

  I snapped my fingers and the tip of his cigarette lit up a bright red. He let the smoke warm his lungs a bit. I saw him wave at someone in the distance, when I looked, I didn’t see anyone I recognized.

  Susanna slipped again, this time instead of getting back up, she shouted. I was about to jump into action, but Solomon beat me to it. I considered myself lucky he never treated his kids with his wife Minnie preferentially, he was always a good father to mine, too. He picked Susanna up and brushed some dirt off her face, she was scratched after suddenly colliding with the dirt underneath the snow. I’ve always admired something about human men, their desire to be protectors and providers, that’s something considered equal share between Chunish men and women, but in humans, it was considered a requirement among men, any honest Human man had that value.

  “Susanna, you need to be careful. Come on, let’s go inside.” I said

  “No.” She said.

  “It’s just a small scrape, she’ll survive.” Solomon said.

  That was another trait I admired in Humans, they don’t let any setbacks get in their way, and I suppose that is why they rule the world.

  “She has a shorter tail than her sister, she’s never been good at balance. She’s going to trip again.”

  “If she trips again, then you can take her inside” Solomon said.

  That was one trait I didn’t admire in human men, they feel the right to command any woman around them, no matter the context.

  “Okay, fine, I just worry about her short tail.” I said.

  “My tail isn’t short Momma.” Susanna said before running off to play in the snow again.

  Maria Simonov put on her thick wool uniform coat. She has hardly needed to wear the coat for the two months she has been in Tacust. She was used to wearing it all winter in her northeastern home city of New Morina, among the full blooded Saronin Humans, but never in Tacust. She has heard from the teamster’s about the bitter cold and snow in the mountains, but she had only been in the militia for a couple of months and has hardly been trusted for anything so dangerous. She was determined to show her mettle, but so far, going on a regular patrol in the snow is the best chance she has gotten. She laced her boots, buttoned her coat, and shouldered her rifle.

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  She was a half orc, but if you could ignore her height of 6 feet, or her oversized lower teeth, you almost wouldn’t even notice. I always thought the teeth were beautiful, but she had faced so much prejudice over her Orcish heritage that she had long learned to smile with her mouth closed and keep them out of sight.

  Tacust town in the snow was a beautiful sight. The Macadam or brick roadways were covered in snow, and for the time being, it kept the locals from being too busy. No cars or trucks braved the snow, it was just her. As she got closer to downtown, she heard the sound of children playing, their cheerful squeals rang out in the otherwise dead silence of the streets. She spotted the Captain talking to one of the teamsters, and she gave a gentle wave hello.

  She was several streets down from the militia headquarters when she watched an old human man slip on the ice. She rushed over and reached out a hand.

  “Oh gods below, sir, are you okay?” She asked.

  The old man groaned. “Oh I think I hurt my hip.”

  “You fell pretty hard. Let me help you. Do you have a warm place nearby to rest?” She asked him.

  “Yeah, could you help me get back to my apartment. It’s just down the road.”

  Maria helped the man to his feet and put an arm around his waist. The two walked together through the snow and ice until they reached a small apartment building. She helped the man up the patio stairs.

  “Thank you, this is as far as I need to go, my apartment is just inside.” He said.

  “You sure? I can help, that’s what I’m here for.” Maria said.

  “You’re carrying a rifle in a peaceful town with no crime. You militia types never really are dressed like you want to help.” The old man said with a sudden bitterness on his voice.

  “Oh… okay.” Maria couldn’t help but be a little defensive at the sudden change in tone. She turned around and made her way back down the street. The cold was really biting at her face, so she decided to step into a nearby bakery.

  The bakery was warm inside, the cheese pastries were hot. Maria chose a fresh one, and took it up to the counter to pay. Everything was routine until the end, where Maria reached into her pocket and her wallet was gone. The cashier waited as she searched every single pocket. He made no expression as he waited.

  “I’m sorry, I must have dropped my wallet somewhere.” She said.

  “Sorry, I can’t sell you this if you can’t pay.” The cashier said.

  “Of course, I understand, I should go look for it.”

  “Maybe that man you were walking with a minute ago took it.”

  “Why would you assume that? Not all humans are thieves you know.”

  “No, they’re not, but that one is.”

  “Well I…. Well he looked poor, maybe he needed it.” Maria said.

  “Look, lady, I’m just going to let you sort that issue out yourself. I still can’t sell you this pastry without any money, it’s up to you to decide what you want to do about it.”

  Maria nodded, she turned and left without her pastry.

  Doctor Lavender Bonnaire was still new in town. People passing through was nothing new, it was a frontier town after all. Sometimes these people had real colorful pasts, but when you live in a place like Tacust, you can’t afford to be picky for who you trust.

  Lavender had the kind of face you felt like you could trust, her face was aged to indicate wisdom, and had very pronounced crows feet to indicate a life of smiles. She didn’t talk much about her past, and we all knew better than to ask.

  Lavender washed her hands and put her medical mask on. She knew the locals didn’t like the impersonal look of a doctor who didn’t show her face, but she was one to do things properly regardless. The militia infirmary was the only medical facility for more than a hundred miles. Tuberculosis patients would have to be shipped by train to a proper sanitarium, this small infirmary was not equipped to properly isolate patients with highly infectious diseases. The vast majority of patients had injuries. It was often something work related, like Hazelnut who got her leg caught in a tractor’s PTO shaft and is awaiting a prosthetic, or John White, a teamster whose arm was broken when his truck crank starter kicked back during a cold start. The facility was woefully inadequate for most diseases. One militia man lay sick in his bed, curtains were pulled around his bed in a pathetic attempt at isolation. Lavender stepped in and checked his vitals.

  “Give it to me straight, doc, is it cholera?” A chunish militiaman lay in a bed in the militia’s infirmary.

  “Well, Winston, while the symptoms line up, Cholera rarely ever appears in single isolated cases. It’s caused by a contaminated water supply. If the Vega Aqueduct were contaminated, the whole town would be sick in bed. I suspect it may be something far less serious.” Lavender said.

  “Does that mean I can go home, then?” He asked.

  “No. I need to make sure it isn’t cholera. I sent a stool sample to the nearest lab, they will wire me with the results. Until then, you still stay here. Is the captain’s ginger soda helping?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Lavender was certain the ginger soda was little more than a placebo. However, while her education shows her how to identify and cure diseases, it was experience that taught her anything that soothes a patient is worthwhile.

  She heard the infirmary door open. “Doc, we got an emergency!” She heard the captain’s voice.

  Lavender jumped from her seat and spotted the Captain and Maria carrying a human. The human was covered in a layer of snow, shivering, and hardly able to hold up his own head.

  “Frostbite, we need to get him in a bed. Help me take off his damp clothing.” Lavender said. She washed her hands once more before helping the other two exchange his clothes for warm blankets.

  “Captain, go get him some of your hot soda, I don’t care what flavor, but try to make it caffeine free, you know that stuff has a stronger effect on humans.” Lavender said.

  “Yes maam.” The Captain said before rushing to his office. The militiawoman watched as Lavender checked the human’s pulse. It was slow. His face was pale, he tried to speak to her, but everything he said was slurred beyond comprehension.

  When the captain returned, he pressed a mug of hot ginger soda to the man’s lips and helped him drink.

  “Where did you find him? How long has he been out?” Lavender asked.

  “Me and the captain found him several miles north of town, Brandon said he saw a signal flare, we went out there to investigate. His horse had fallen on top of him, when we got there the horse was dead, and he seemed not far behind.” Maria said.

  “What in hell was he doing in this cold?” Lavender said.

  “He said something about his possibles bag.” The Captain said.

  “Well, I don’t feel comfortable just opening his-” Lavender started. Maria had already grabbed the bag. Inside was several cartridges of hunting ammunition, gun cleaning oil that was as thick as motor oil, and a sheet of neatly typewritten paper.

  “Tacust Militia,

  We request help immediately. The weather has caused wet soil and a collapse in drift mine number nine. Dozens injured, several dead. Our crude medical facilities are overwhelmed. We are dying.

  - Signed,

  Thomas Mason, Bray Valley Mining corp”

  “Captain, get the ambulance truck ready, you, young woman, what’s your name?”

  “Maria.”

  “You’re coming with me. Captain, who is your best teamster?”

  “Enya Warden-Ernest. I will collect her. Meet us by the ambulance truck, be sure to do an equipment check.”

  “The tall blonde Chunish woman? Perfect.” Lavender grabbed Maria by the arm and dragged her back out into the cold.

  There was a loud knocking on my door. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sun had long gone down over the mountains. I lit the mantle lamp by my bedside and put on a robe. It was cold in here, cold enough I could see my breath. My window was completely frozen over, so I couldn’t see the alley behind the loft.

  There was another knock. It was a loud and authoritative knock, so I put some slippers on and went down the stairs to see who it was. When I opened the door, the cold bit my ankles and slipped through my robe.

  “Gods below, Captain, it’s cold, come inside.” I said.

  Captain Chassepot stood at the door in his mountain climbing coat. The snow reached almost mid calf on him, he was short even by Chunish standards, but I could plainly see it had resumed snowing. The tiny crystals of ice dusted his coat.

  “No, you need to come outside. It’s an emergency, mine collapse in Bray Valley, the men are dying, you need to take Lavender and a truck full of medical supplies, now.” I was a bit taken aback by the Captain’s tone. He almost never wore such a frown, he almost never spoke so quickly.

  “Yes sir, I will get my mountain coat on and report to the garage immediately. Can you do me a favor and take the girls to their father’s house?”

  “I can, good luck and godspeed.”

  Captain Chassepot gently knocked on the bedroom door. “Sophia, Susanna, are you awake in there?” He called out.

  Susanna answered the door, wrapped in blankets to ward off the bitter cold of the apartment. She looked up at the Captain with her sleepy eyes.

  The captain knelt down as much as his old knees would let him so he could look Susanna eye to eye. “Hey, mommy told me to take you to daddy’s house.” The Captain said

  “No.” Susanna said, defiantly shaking her head.

  “Mommy has to go, she has an important job to do.” The Captain said.

  “No! mommy always goes! She promised me warm bread and pastries for breakfast.” Susanna said.

  “I’ll tell you what, you and your sister go to daddy’s house, and in the morning I will take you to the bakery myself so the two of you can pick out what you want.” He said with a gentle smile.

  “You promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “You got ole Doc Lavender, and you got me a dock walloper. Good, good.” I said.

  “The dock walloper has a name.” The Captain said.

  We all stood at the entrance of the militia’s livery stable. I leaned against the wall and smoked a cigarette while I watched the other three walk through the snow in the light of only a single electric bulb above the stable’s door.

  “I’m sure she does. We’re under a lot of time pressure, let’s go inside and get this truck running. There will be time enough for introductions while we get her warmed up.” I said.

  “Just don’t give the new folks a hard time.” The Captain said. He gave Maria a pat on the back, then turned to leave us to our work.

  “Come inside, I got the steam heater running.”

  “There’s a steam heater in here?” Maria asked.

  “Of course, at my insistence too. Even without the snow, the desert gets cold at night, and I hate to see the horses suffer.”

  We walked inside, many of the horses were standing up taking naps, about as close to a radiator as they could. We walked up to the ambulance truck. It was little more than a converted utility bed with a canvas cover, with a small opium poppy symbol hastily painted on the side. It was one of the bigger trucks, with a 3 ton payload and the very rare and coveted all wheel drive system.

  “This is she, she’s a bit of a snub nose peach picker, but a hell of a lot better than the dogs they keep over there.” I said.

  “A what?” Maria asked.

  “A real kidney buster but she’s gonna be the best for bringing a hot load of bandages and wooden overcoats to Bray Valley. Human, do me a favor and-” I grabbed a small water jug off the side of the utility bed and put it in Maria’s hands. “Get me some hot water, there should be a tap over there next to that radiator.”

  Maria understood the instructions. I made a walk around the truck while I waited. There was an oil tail lamp. I lit it with my flame cantrip. Lavender watched.

  “You’re a mage, huh?” Lavender asked.

  “Just a magical tradesman of sorts, my older brother taught me some pyromancy, and I’ve got a bit of a side hobby doing necromancy.” I said. As I came around front, Maria gave me the water. I poured it in the acetylene generator and turned the valve. I gave it a few moments before I opened the lenses of the headlights and lit each one.

  “I never would have guessed.” Lavender said.

  “I get that a lot.” I climbed onto the truck’s open cab and removed the radiator cap.

  “Do you need more water, Ms Enya?” Maria asked.

  “Alcohol, probably. There should be a chest over there, bright red, full of canisters, and labeled “Do not drink.”” I said. Of course, it was just over proof whiskey and the warning was often disregarded.

  She brought it over and I filled the radiator. I climbed back down and checked the oil. This machine was advanced for not having a total loss system of oil checking. Some trucks have valves, but this one has a opening in the block and all I need to do is check it with a wooden dipstick. I opened the engine compartment. This truck was a cabover, but not the kind where you lift the whole cab. There were vented panels on the side, just below the seats, which I removed. I checked the oil levels by dipping a wooden dowel into the oil filler tube. The levels were normal, so I tossed the dowel on the ground. I opened one and dropped some fuel into some small cups on top of each cylinder. After this, I finally got the chance to start the truck.

  Maria watched with fascination. I climbed into the cab, I opened the throttle just slightly, retarded the spark, and then set the choke.

  “Can I crank it?” Maria asked.

  “Oh, you want to try the ole Armstrong starter. You’re welcome to, just remember there are a few safety rules. On an engine this big, you need both hands to start it. Turn it until you have it at 7:00, grip it with both hands. There you go. Don’t wrap your thumbs around it like that. Sometimes the engine kicks back, and it does it with enough force to take your thumbs off. Perfect, just like that, now lift with your legs and not your back.” I found it strange to watch a human of a much bigger stature struggle with it, but after a few pulls, the engine did start.

  The engine idled poorly at first, until I turned off the choke and advanced the spark.

  “Are we ready to go?” Maria asked.

  “Not yet, we have one more item on our checklist. Go into the back, find the chest with a wrench symbol painted on it, and grab the chains. Make sure to grab all of them.” I said to Maria. She did ask I asked, and I started wrapping the chains around the tires. Back then, the chains were often simply coiled around the tires, through the wheels, and then secured at the end with a nut and bolt. Maria watched carefully and we attached all four sets together.

  “You’re doing great, what’s your name again?” I asked her.

  “Maria Label.” She said.

  “Great, you may have to sit in the bed, just stay close to the cabin so we can still see and hear you. The old lady is going to need the passenger side seat.” I said.

  We all found our seats. I put the truck in first gear and slowly rolled out of the livery stable. The truck rolled slowly through the streets of the town. It was quiet, with the only lights being a few electric lamps on main street, and the headlights of the truck. The snow glistened in the light of the lamps, and treated me to a rare moment of beauty.

  “Necromancy, huh? Where did you learn that?” Lavender asked me.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Always had a knack for it. Mamma says it has to do with the mark on my chest. You’ve seen me shirtless before in the bathhouse, you seen the lily on my chest, right?” I said.

  “I did see you shirtless in the bathhouse, yes, you were blowing George, that Rhenian militia soldier who likes to spend time at the piano.” Lavender said.

  “Yes, that was the day. Well I have a mark on my chest, shaped like a lily, mamma said Kachen put it there when I was born, she says I had it when they found me.”

  “A Warrior mark, huh?” Lavender said.

  “A what?” I asked.

  “And who is Kachen?” Maria asked.

  “Chunish god of death.” Lavender said. “Warrior marks are just sometimes found on newborns, it is rare, but it happens. We don’t know why, we can only assume the gods have their purposes.”

  “I thought the god of death was named Kyle.” Maria said.

  “Where are you from, human?” I asked out of surprise.

  “New Morina.”

  “Oh, gods below, we have a real big city girl here, that’s why you struggled so much with the starter.” I said.

  “Yes, sometimes the Chussen K’Setho will humanize names of gods. They did it sometimes in my old home city of Saint Martin as well.” Lavender said.

  “What a load of bull! Have they no pride in our traditions?” I said.

  “It’s a different world out there, Enya.” Lavender said. “I was lucky to be able to go to college where I grew up, there was an all Chunish university in Saint Martin, and it was the only one that accepted Chunish students. A lot of humans think the college isn’t good enough, and won’t hire anyone who studied there, and that's why I’m here looking for work instead of a bigger city. The point is sometimes you have to be willing to conform to what the humans want, or else suffer for it. I think the gods would understand.”

  “I don’t get why the humans to that. The Saronin humans especially, I think the Rhenian humans are great, but the Saronin humans are always bad news.” I said.

  “Maria is good, right?”

  “Well yeah because she is humble and hard working. She’s one of the good ones.”