Chapter 7

The two days passed as slowly as possible, but finally they got so further north that the sun was not settling anymore. George knew that it was time for him and Carol to go on alone.

"We are almost there." Said Theo comming to George's side at the deck.

"We are thankful for everything you and your family did to us these last days. You have no idea of how much you are helping us."

"Well, I just hope that whatever you are planing don't put us all in trouble with those witches." Said the gyptian. His caracal daemon stared at the other man suspiciously.

George sighted, but couldn't answer to the man, as himself was not so sure if their were not going to be in trouble with the witches for asking what they intended to.

"This is the furthest I'll go." Said Theo Neyre as they reached the end of the sea. In the front of them was all ice.

The pale sun was high in the sky, but still, the cold was almost unberable.

"Thank you." Said George. "You have helped us a lot, sir."

The gyptian noded and the other man turned to the rest of the family to say good bye.

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Neyre. I will always remember your hospitality."

The woman smiled weakly, looking pitty for the young man.

He waved a good-bye to the children and got out of the boat.

They have walked for an hour along the ice coast. Goerge had a feeling that if they were supposed to find Lake Enara they should go into the ice, but that was impossible for them. So they decided to walk with no direction, waiting to call a witch attention before they freeze.

"The water is cold." Complained Carol.

"I can feel it too, you know?" he answed, ironical.

But she was no longer paying attention, in the sky was a small dot flying in their direction, almost undistinguable in the white sky. A small sparkle of hope touched their hearts.

The dot was a bird, a goose, a majestic one. Soon, they saw it couldn't be a bird, it was a daemon.

The goose landed in front of George. His eyes showed great wisdom, and the man felt as if he was no older than a child.

"Who are you?" the goose asked.

Carol tried to swim closer to her human, a little scared that the other daemon didn't seemed to have one himself.

"My name is George. She is Carol. We are looking for a witch. Can you take us to yours?"

One of the many reasons Carol loved her human so much was his ability to hold himself together in situations like that and go straight to the point they wanted.

"And why should I do that?" asked the goose.

"Because..." the dolphin daemon tried to speak. It was a little awkward George talking to someone else's daemon. "Because we traveled from so far... And... We need your help."

"Well, tell me child, why do you need our help for." The goose graciously entered the water and swam close to Carol. George felt a tiny relief to see he was no longer obliged to talk to him. And the witch daemon seemed disposed to listen to them.

"We... well... It's hard to say..." begined Carol. "We know we are asking something unusual but... we really want to be together again and..."

"Hush, child." Said the goose gently. "You are going to nowhere nervous like that. Are you cold?"

"Yes." Answered Carol timidly.

The goose closed his eyes and went quiet for a moment. Then blowed softly Carol's face. George felt weird and suddenly, all cold Carol was feeling stopped.

"Thank you." She said.

"You are welcome. Now tell me, how do you get here and what for."

Slowly Carol started to tell him the conversation between her and George back in the ship, and all the reasons they have to have decided to go for the witches. She told him how they manage to get there, the conversation with Dr. Lanselius and the gyptians boat.

"Please, if we have done it wrong don't take down in those gyptians. They are a very good family and don't mean harm to anyone." She finished.

The goose was in deep thoghts. He went quiet for a few seconds and then said, this time directing to both of them.

"You have no idea what you are asking for. The ability to be appart of our witches is something that cannot be teached. It is a knowledge that belongs to our people and shouldn't be passed on."

George and Carol felt all their hopes go away. What would be of them now? They realised that they have taken all their chances in this jouney. There was no way of comming back now. There was nowhere to go back. Now their situations would be worst than it once were.

"However, as my witch once said, many things are changing and even witches need to learn to adapt. So I will take you to my clan and if they decide that you should know what you want, then so it will be."

Carol's eyes lightened a little.

"Thank you."

The goose nodded. His face was serious.

"George." He said, turning to George. "Take Carol on your arms. Lake Enara is not so far, but there is no river conecting it to the sea, and a magic to take your us three there would be too tiring for me. Once we arrived she will be able to swim at the lake."

The man and his daemon looked at each other for a cupple of seconds, feeling a tingle of antecipation for how it would feel for them to touch again after so long.

George put his hands into the too cold water and Carol slowly swimed into them. He felt her lisa skin brush against his own, and, putting his hand under her fins, carefully pulled her out of the water, nestling her in his arms as a small baby. Carol let escape a small sight of comfort.

"We shall go now. Walk faster and try not to loose me from sight, or you both will be dead in less than an hour."

The goose opened his wings and jumped to the air. Flying in a large circle to say one last thing to the man and his daemon.

"Once you get in Lake Enara you must know my name and my witch's. I'm Kaisa, and she is Serafina Pekkala, the clan-queen."