Chapter 2

I woke to the sweet scent of freshly baked bread. As I opened my eyes, sunlight streamed through the window of the small room, illuminating everything. The blizzard had stopped, finally. I yawned, stretching, as I looked around. Irkalla wasn't in the room, but neither was her armour. Her axe and coat were, however, so I breathed a sigh of relief. She was probably downstairs.

On the table, I saw a tray with two rolls and glass of milk. I licked my lips as I rose from the bed and donned my robe. I opened my bag and saw all of my reagents. Everything seemed to be in order. I grabbed one of the rolls and took a bite out of it. It was still warm, and very delicious. After I finished it, I put the other in my pack. I downed the milk, made the bed, and went downstairs afterwards.

The large room was mostly empty, with just a few people sitting at the tables and talking quietly amongst each other. The innkeeper was wiping down the tables, and the barmaid was busy washing a set of mugs. Irkalla was seated at the bar, next to Joneleth, and they were talking. I made my way over to them and kissed Irkalla on her cheek.

"Morning handsome," Irkalla beamed, surprised. "You slept like a log. I didn't want to wake you."

"Thanks for the rolls and the milk. I haven't had a breakfast like that since back home."

She smiled warmly. "Joneleth was telling me how to get to the temple. We're just going to follow the River Mirar northeast for about ten miles, and we'll see the temple around there near a clearing in the mountainside.

"Aye," Joneleth replied. "It'll take a few hours, but at least we don't have the blizzard to worry about. Finish up eating, and we'll set off."

About thirty minutes or so passed. Irkalla collected her things, we donned our coats, and left the inn. A bright blanket of snow covered everything. We couldn't even see the road.

"Don't worry," Joneleth said, at ease. "The river is deep, so we'll still be able to see it."

As we left the town, I frowned. Each step was made a burden by the thick snow. It was almost at our knees as we trudged through.

"You two are from the city," Joneleth laughed as he watched us. He was moving almost effortlessly through the snow.

The trees were sparse, but we could see the mountains in the distance. They seemed to reach up to the heavens, and were blanketed in pure white. We had approached the river, finally. It was completely frozen over, but definitely noticeable all the same. Joneleth motioned ahead, and we followed him. I looked to Irkalla, her battleaxe clutched tightly in both hands. I went through my formulas in my head, preparing myself. We were well away from civilization now, and anything could be lurking in the snow.

Joneleth froze, raising his hand quickly. Irkalla and I stopped, and I held my breath. "Look there," Joneleth whispered as he pointed to the snow. Unmistakeable paw prints leading into a nearby brush could be seen, still fresh by the look of them.

Suddenly, a loud howl could be heard from ahead of us, followed by two others afterwards. A chill ran through my spine. I saw Irkalla heft her axe up and rest it on her shoulder as she adjusted her grip on it. Joneleth drew two blades from the pockets of his coat. His eyes were darting around, trying not to be caught by surprise.

A white wolf jumped from the brush at me, snarling ferociously. Its teeth were long and sharp, like knives.

"You'll have to go through me, first!" Irkalla said as she got between us, swinging at the wolf in one powerful motion. It jumped back and steeled its body.

"It's going to breathe!" I yelled. "Irkalla, look out! It's a winter wolf!"

Two more had emerged by now, and both were circling Joneleth, snapping their teeth. He was brandishing his daggers, and was managing to keep them at bay.

I spread my hands, focusing on the arcane pattern etched in my mind. I reached down, grabbed a handful of the snow, and scattered it in Irkalla's direction.
"Frigidus, glacies defendat," I whispered quietly. Irkalla was bathed in a bright blue light for a few seconds, and I knew my spell was taking hold of her.

The canine effortlessly exhaled a blast of freezing ice at Irkalla. I could feel its power even from as far back as I was. She fell sideways, trying to dodge it, but her leg was still hit.

"I didn't feel a thing!" Irkalla said, chuckling, as she stood back up. She plunged her axe into the wolf's back. Blood spurted from the beast's shaggy body, dotting the snow in crimson. It collapsed to the ground, still.

One of the wolves pounced at Joneleth, and he nimbly leapt aside. It crashed into the snow, missing its mark. The other wolf sprung at the man from behind, catching him off guard. Its teeth locked onto his leg, and wouldn't let go. Irkalla charged at it, moving swiftly with her heightened speed. She closed the distance, and cut the wolf in two with one great swing. Its mouth relaxed as its upper half fell to the ground, releasing its hold on Joneleth.

My eyes were focused on the last wolf, and I knew what I had to do. It would strike at Joneleth soon, but he couldn't afford it. He was already injured, so I had to act quickly.

I pictured Irkalla in my mind, imagining her to be stolen away in the night, just like in Joneleth's story. I shuddered in fear, focusing on that sensation as much as I could. "Metu, perterriti. Curre!" I screamed, my eyes still affixed on the last of the wolves. It whimpered suddenly, tripping on itself as it recoiled from Joneleth. The man caught his breath as Irkalla helped him to his feet. The wolf whined again, and retreated quickly back into the underbrush, out of sight.

"Joneleth," I said in panic, rushing over to him to examine his wound. The wolf had left him with a deep gash in his leg, and he was bleeding badly.

"Don't worry, my friend," he said with a smile, as he pulled a turquoise vial from another coat pocket. "I did come prepared."

He pulled the stopper from it and downed the liquid within. In seconds, his flesh knitted before my eyes. I sighed in relief. After we collected ourselves, we continued our journey.

"You two are a good team," Joneleth spoke, reassuringly. "Now, you see why I need you for this?"

I laughed, looking to Irkalla. Her axe was hoisted over her shoulder again. She was moving effortlessly through the snow, and I knew my spell was still affecting her.

The river grew narrower and narrower as we continued. The open fields were replaced with rocky outcroppings as the river became parallel with the mountains. The chirping of the birds and chittering of the small animals had stopped, and I knew there was something strange going on.

"We're almost there," Joneleth said as the river stopped. We were walking along the mountainside now. "The temple is just past a small chasm."

After a while, the ground ended in front of us. I looked down, seeing the river again, far below. I could see a small path in the cliffs ahead. The chasm was just a few feet in length, a gap we could easily jump across. Irkalla bounded ahead, clearing it in a moment. Joneleth followed, with me after him.

"Here, look!" I heard Joneleth say. The rocky pathway eventually led to a small clearing: a lush green meadow, completely untouched by the snow.

"This is beautiful, Sylv," Irkalla said as she proceeded ahead, her eyes enchanted by the view.

"Be careful," I warned, but followed her. The air was quiet and still, and I still felt like something was amiss.

Joneleth went ahead of us, and I saw him approach a large door in the rockface. Sure enough, a great skull was carved into it, with large black pits for eyes: The symbol of Myrkul, Lord of the Dead.

"Let's just stay out here, Sylv," Irkalla whispered as she drew close to me, her voice raised slightly with fear. "You remember what happened the last time we faced the undead."

"We'll be fine," I whispered back, wrapping my arm around her. I leaned my head against hers as we looked up at the mountains. "I'm here, and we have Joneleth, too. You're the strongest warrior I know. Look how you took down those wolves."

"With your help," she frowned.

"We're a team. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"But-"

"You are always telling me how you save me. Well, you do. You save me every day." I took her hand in mine as I held her tightly.

Irkalla's face lit up, and she looked deeply into my eyes. "You're just saying that." She tried to sound dismissive, but was beaming.

"You know I mean it."

"Sylvio! Irkalla!" We heard Joneleth yell from afar, beckoning us over.

"I love you, Sylv," Irkalla whispered, her hand brushing past mine as she pulled away.

The temple door was open and Joneleth had already disappeared inside. Irkalla reached the door and waved me over.

"I love you too," I whispered. The words sounded so natural as they left my lips.

I proceeded towards the door and entered the temple, anticipating what was to come.