High Winter made itself known the following day. Rachel had woken up shivering, partially from the chill in the Manor, but mostly because she was alone in her own chambers. The Lowlands were far enough south that they didn't get too much snow, but the day was overcast and windy as the small travel party assembled in the western plaza. Baron Karofsky spoke softly to Santana, before she moved along the line, assigning everyone their duties. She stopped when she got to Rachel and wrapped her arms around her.
"Please...don't send me off with you still cross with me," she said quietly, kissing Rachel.
"I'm not cross," Rachel whispered. "I'm...frightened for you."
Santana pulled back slightly and nodded. "I… I understand. But I must go. I'm sure Baron Hudson will look after me, and I'll be back in no time at all. In the meantime, I'm sure Master St. James has left you some things to be getting on with. And I know that Lord Karofsky will be eager to get to know you."
Rachel looked over at the man. She doubted it. He'd been polite, but distant during the brief meeting after breakfast. "Will you…. Just one thing before you go?"
"What would that be, songbird?"
"Take Gavin with you?" Rachel saw the Baroness about to protest and hurried on. "I know you don't...carry the same level of affection for them as I do. But he's a hunter - and he's smart. He might be useful."
Santana stared at her for a long moment, and then nodded. "Nigel - bring Gavin to me," she called. Then she turned back to Rachel. "I shall miss you." With one last small kiss, she turned and made her way up the Airship ladder. Gavin was sent up on the cargo lift after her. It was a few moments before the Airship rumbled to life. As it lifted into the air, Santana waved from the deck.
There wasn't a huge hubbub of activity after the Airship was out of sight. Instead, people just sort of dispersed into different directions, leaving Rachel and Baron Karofsky standing there. He bowed slightly to her.
"I must hear petitions now," he said. "But I hoped that we might have supper together?"
"Of course, my lord."
For the first time that morning, there was a ghost of a smile on the noble's face. "Good. Wonderful. Thank you."
Rachel walked back into the Manor, which felt...colder. And somehow, she didn't think it was the weather. She felt like this was the end…. She held her head high as she made her way up to her chambers, with Nigel following along after her. When she reached her small study that radiated off her room, she turned and smiled at the boy. "Would you take Angua for a run, Nigel?" she asked. "I don't want her to get sad without Gavin here."
"Of course, my lady. Will you require me for anything soon? Or shall I take her right now?"
"You may take her now." She went in and sat at the desk, pulling a sheet of paper toward her. The books that Master St. James had left with her were staring her in the face. She wished he would be here this week - to keep her distracted from Santana's absence. But there was nothing that could be done about it, so she made up a detailed schedule for herself. Perhaps if she kept herself busy…. If this was the end of her time here, she needed to be ready for whatever was next.
"Madame?" came a voice about ten minutes later.
Rachel turned and saw Adam standing in the doorway. "Hello, Adam."
"I'm posted outside if you need me."
"Thank you, Adam. Oh!" she said, suddenly remembering a thought she'd had a day or two ago. "Adam, have you begun your reading lessons?"
He looked a bit downcast. "No, m'lady. Her grace said she would hire a tutor for me, but that it would have to wait until she returned."
Rachel smiled brightly. "What if I teach you? You'll still be guarding me - you'll just be working at the same time. We can work in the library."
He nodded eagerly. "I would love to, madame!"
"I'll need to get some things together, but we should start tomorrow."
"Thank you, madame!" Adam said.
"Let's go down to the practice hall," she said. "I confess to feeling a bit restless, at the moment. I think I could stand for some bow training."
The flight took about five and a half hours, with a short stop in Limaria for Prince Blaine's inspection and wishes of good luck, and Santana could feel the chill in the air. The chill gave way to frost, which gave way to snow as they entered the Huds. She'd never been this far north before, and it was different than she'd imagined. She'd pictured snow-covered hills and forest which, to be fair, was what was there. But that wasn't all that was there. The snow was, at this point, still light - not the towering walls she'd pictured. And there were more buildings, all built out of the strong pine and Diamondwood of the forests. The city of Austra wasn't actually a "city" in the normal sense. It was more of a series of villages that stretched over the southeastern part of the Huds. As they flew farther north, she spotted a shipment of logs traveling down the river toward the main bit of the city. In one clear patch of land, where the trees had already been cut, she could spot dogs running.
"Another twenty minutes, your grace," called the Air Captain from inside the wheelhouse. His name was Ebenezer Burneye Halstead the Third, and he completely deserved the name in Santana's opinion. She liked the man, though. He was just a little rough around the edges. He was Prince Blaine's best Air Captain, and incredibly good at getting far in little time.
"Is Baron Hudson's manor in the city proper?" she asked, walking up to the small room on the deck.
"No, your grace. It's smack in the middle of Austra and Ueron, in fact. When we break over the mountains, you'll see it. There is a small village too - called Uneos. It's mostly those in service to House Hudson."
She nodded and looked out over the deck, where her small party was helping the rest of the crew. She wondered what she was getting them into, but tried not to dwell on the matter too ...Finn, had told her that he would fully apprise her of the situation when she arrived, so there was no sense worrying. Yet. She moved to the side of the small room to look out over the eastern side of the ship. This range they were passing over was a smaller one - the Ueron Range. The clouds broke as the came up over one of the peaks, and she saw the village below them. The castle was set against the mountains, made of wood and stone. They flew over it, and out past the thick woodland.
"Wait," Santana said. "Where -"
"His grace's castle is too close to the mountains to have a safe landing area for the Airships," Captain Halstead explained. "It's about three miles out. We let drop a flag as we passed - there will be a sleigh waiting for you there, your grace."
Sure enough, as they descended into a clearing west of the village, Santana could spot a team of three sleighs waiting for them. They landed softly, and since there were only four of them, it took little time to collect their things to disembark. Even though she was wrapped in her thick traveling cloak, she was still freezing. Gavin seemed completely unperturbed, and was sitting unusually calm by the side of the ship. She directed him into the lift, and then climbed down after her crew.
Baron Hudson was there to welcome them himself. He and his team bowed low as Santana and her three guards (plus Gavin) walked over. He smiled widely when he spotted her with the dog. "They do grow on you, don't they?" he said, by way of greeting.
"Rachel insisted," Santana replied, smirking. "He's a hunter, just as you said."
"I'm glad he suits. I suppose you'd like to save introductions until we're inside?"
"Very much so."
He nodded, and led the way back to the sleighs. In another minute, they were speeding off east toward the castle.
The steam that powered the sleighs also kept the insides nice and toasty, so Santana didn't really notice the cold until they were travelling up the long slope to Finn's castle. Santana wasn't sure about terming it a castle, but the word "cabin" seemed wrong. It was a cabin, in the basic sense of being made of wood and a bit of stone, but it was enormous. Not the sprawling complex of Lopez Manor, but a big looming giant of a place. She quite liked it. She liked it even better when they were inside, and the many roaring fires took the chill from her hands.
"I'll leave the decision to you, Archduchess," Finn said. "We can proceed to the hall for a bit of lunch and introductions, or you and yours may take some time to rest from your travels."
She turned to the three she'd brought with her. "I know we've travelled long, but the journey was not hard and time is of the essence," she told them. Then, turning back to Finn, she said, "After you, your grace."
The hall was small and cozy, with two fires going at either end. The table had been laid for a hearty late lunch, and there were already four people there. They bowed to Santana and Finn, and made room for them.
"Your grace, may I present Mandeville Torque and Porter Simpkins, both knights in the Hudson Guard. Also, my Mage, Arlen."
A tall black man with bright green eyes, all dressed in the mint and brown of House Hudson, gave a deep bow. "An honor to meet your grace," he said, in a surprisingly deep voice.
"He'll be coming with us, for extra support," Finn explained. "I wanted to keep the party small, but I feel we may need him."
Santana nodded. "Probably a wise choice."
"And with you?" Finn asked.
"Markus Kant, Head of the Lopez Guard, also Fellsworth Payne and Sy Fitzroy."
"I'm pleased that you're all here," Finn said, nodding around at them. "Shall we be seated?"
Bear steak with cherries, root vegetables, bread, and mead were passed around as the team got acquainted. The servants also brought in two steaming pies, and by the time all of this had been consumed, no one was in the mood to talk about dark deeds and their coming quest. Still, the work had to be done.
"Tell us the worst, then," Santana said, giving Finn an encouraging smile.
"There are still some facts that we don't know," Finn admitted. "But I believe we have enough to go on. The Diamondwoods are being killed by dark magic, and there's a sorcerer or sorceress behind it." He nodded sadly as Santana's eyes went wide. "All of the Biomancers sent by Prince Blaine came away with the same conclusion. They were worried when the trees started dying so rapidly, but when their protection spells didn't work, well…. There was only that explanation left. This means we must go east. If the magic cannot be reversed by our work, and the trees cannot be protected -"
"Then we'll have to kill the sorcerer," Santana concluded.
"It must be so," Finn said.
Arlen cleared his throat. "If I may, your graces? This...strength of magic is not some disgruntled failed wizard. This is not a Mage testing their strength. This is deliberate - and I fear that if we don't address the situation, more than simply our Diamondwoods will be in grave danger. We've been lucky, truly. That part of the forest is unpopulated - otherwise, we may have had fatalities on our hands already."
Finn looked over at Santana, and she could see both fear and determination in his eyes.
"When do we leave?" she asked.