The way to the house was about two kilometres. Two very painful kilometres. Jace helped her in the best possible way. Her arm rested on his shoulders and he lifted most of her weight. Every time her foot accidently hit a stone or the ground, she needed to take a deep breath, because it hurt too much. She was pretty sure it was broken. Maybe they should find shelter and then try to reach Magnus.

Eventually they got to the house. It laid in a shallow valley on the edge of the forest they had just passed. It looked like an old English cottage house, all small and cozy, including a small chimney peeking out of the thatched roof. Sue hoped Jace would manage to get a fire going with the help of angel powers. The sun was already gone behind the hills and a chilling breeze crept up Sue's sleeves as they approached the doorstep. Carefully Jace left her side to open the wooden door. He tried fiercely, but it was locked tightly. A muffled "Fuck" escaped his throat and he fumbled for his stele, while a cold shower ran down Sue's back when she saw the metal wand. She felt the need to touch her two scars. With a quick gesture Jace drew an opening rune and to Sue's relief the door opened with a soft hiss. Inside, everything was dark, but Jace was fearless and since he got back holding Sue at his side, she had no choice as to follow him into the cottage. Her eyes needed some time to adjust. She was sure, Jace's eyes were seeing perfectly with his night-vision-rune. The cottage was only one floor and consisted of a large living room in which they were standing right now. Adjoined was an open rural kitchen on the left side. At the back there was a door, which she assumed would lead to other rooms.

"Looks cozy.", she stated and tried to hold herself, while one hand rested on the wall. But Jace didn't peg away and lifted her up in his arms. A startled cry came out of Sue's mouth as her feet left the ground.

"Yes, very cozy. You will rest now. Let me do the basics."

"Let me down. Now!", she demanded and the next moment she felt the smooth cushions of the sofa under her. Her ankle hurt less as soon as she was in a horizontal position. She glanced over to Jace and caught him grinning secretly. She decided to let it go. After all he meant well. Just a few moments later a warm fire crackled in the fireplace and Sue realized how stiff she had been since the incident in the woods. Slowly she started to relax while Jace looked around and gave an inventory of what he saw.

"There is enough wood for a few nights… The kitchen is empty, but I will see to it tomorrow. Let's have a look what we have here…"

He disappeared to the back of the cottage where Sue assumed the bedroom should be.

"Oh, you will love this!", she heard him shouting from the back. The next moment he came back to the living room, grinning broadly. But his smile vanished when he saw her. She had tried to move herself in an upright position. Although she could feel the warmth of the fire, it wouldn't reach her insides. Carefully he sat down beside her.

"I will try to reach Magnus. Are you cold?"

He leaned closer to her and laid a hand on her cheek.

"You are so cold.", he said and seemed to be worried.

"I think I got a little bit of a shock.", she argued wearily. His hand left a nice warm touch on her cheek. Without thinking she leaned into it.

"I am sure you do. There is a bathroom at the end of the corridor. I've found a bathtub in there. With the help of some runes, the water will be a nice temperature in no time. How does this sound?"

"That sounds very nice…", she said slowly and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt so tired. From far away she heard Jace murmuring something, but she was already on her way into her very own dreamland. Faintly she noticed that her head found its place on Jace's shoulder.