HUZZAH! An update at last! Sorry that it's been, like, months, but an update is still an update, no matter the wait. I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

AUTHORS NOTE! : There's been a change of plan. There will be a lot more chapters, meaning more enjoyable reading time :D

SHATTERED LAKE

Kaguya's eyes widened as the village of Wep'Keer unfolded before her in a dazzling, ivory curtain, her misted breath coming out in rapid plumes. A little way in front of her, a shimmering, glassy pool of ice spread out in a circular shape, it's fogged up, mirrored surface dusted with a light frost. An island of snow rose from the centre, two granite pillars incrusted with granules of ice rising up into the intense sky, their tops decorated with birds, their wings splayed. Torches still smouldered even though their fires had been extinguished now that the sun had risen, spirals of smoke puffing out of the tall chimneys of the little huts that lined the shores of the ice pool.

"What do you think?" asked Oki, his masked face turning to look at Kaguya.

She glanced to him at replied "I think it looks very beautiful. I've only been in these northern lands for a day or so, and then it was hit by a blizzard. I haven't really had the opportunity to appreciate the hidden beauty here, or admire how your people survive in the snows."

Oki said nothing in reply, but Kaguya guessed that behind the mask he was smiling. He jerked his head forwards and walked on, gesturing that she should follow him. She picked up her pink skirts and trudged after him up a flight of slippery stairs to the left.

The stairs led up and around and then turned to great, arching ice bridges that were covered in a thick layer of muffling snow. They passed a few more wooden huts with little picket fences and herds of sheep grazing on tufts of grass that poked out of the frozen ground. Eventually, they reached the top of the cliffs and came face to face with a large hut to the left, and a pair of wooden double-doors, made of heavy oak lashed engraved with crimson patterns, that stood ajar and led further upwards, closer to the shadows of Lake Laochi.

Oki and Kaguya climbed another set of steps, past spindly trees and lumpy snow drifts. As they crested a ridge, Kaguya panting slightly with the effort, they came face to face with an enormous open space.

A vast lake, many times larger than the ice pool at the entrance to the village, sprawled out and spread cold fingers of dark, curdling water punctured by shards of glittering ice as thick as the width of a man. A gaping tear lay in the middle of the lake, as if something had erupted from its depths. Sheer-sided cliffs topped with snow surrounded the lake, and before it stood a granite altar with a pillar at each corner and a fine, ceremonial sword thrust through a hole in the centre, its blade gleaming like the ice of the loch. Twin peaks soared high into the cerulean sky: Ezofuji. Kaguya remembered Oki telling her that their shaman lived at the feet of the two summits, and shielding her eyes against the glare of the sun she spotted a tiny hut perched on the edge of a cliff.

Oki followed her gaze and nodded. "Yes, that's where Tuskle lives. We just need to climb this ridge, and then we'll be there."

Kaguya groaned internally as she saw the steep path they had to ascend. She wasn't used to so much hard exercise that the sturdy Oina Tribe could deal with, and it didn't help that she was wearing a kimono that dragged along the ground behind her.

A few minutes later, they were at the hut; an almost ramshackle, minuscule building set beside a pair of sinister, cold iron gates that seemed to ward of strangers with an imposing scowl. Oki knocked on the door, paused a moment, and went in, Kaguya following into the gloomy interior after him.

Oh geez, sorry that chapter was so short, but I'm real busy at the moment. Remember, reviews equal love! No more reviews, no more updates – it's as simple as that!