Nego looked at the forest. Saem, the people who had gathered around him for the story, the people who had welcomed him were all dead. The forest was just a smoking patch on the ground. Dious took off their shackles, but Nego didn't feel any less free.
The first two days were the worst. Hazel spent the hours looking out of the bared window in the caravan they were in. She wouldn't eat or drink, which worried him. Tagu helped put the dislocated arm back into its socket which was a painful operation.
The caravan was a dull color and the floorboards were rough. It was very draughty, so it bothered everyone but Tagu. Even while constantly pacing, the cold was just bearable. But it worried Nego more about how cold Hazel was just sitting at the same place.
Dious had taken away their weapons, which meant there was nothing much to do. Nego and Tagu sat next to her for the longest time. Hazel absently spun the dice in her fingers.
On the third day, in what seemed like ages, 'Pass me the bread, will you? And the cup.' Nego felt relieved hearing her voice. Even if it sounded like someone on their deathbed. She tore her bread in smaller pieces and chewed on it.
The bread tasted horrible but she drained it down with water. Nego looked out of the window. Large, heavily armed brutes that looked like they were made entirely of metal surrounded the caravan pulled by six oxen. 'I haven't told you what Dious wants. He plans to take the Watchers talismans.'
'Iika, Finnwick, Lia, Akai and Tagu have talismans?' Nego asked. 'The Diamond Reindeer of Iika, the Onyx Bear of Finnwick, the Emerald Gecko of Lia, the Ruby Woodpecker of Akai and the Moonstone Buffalo of Tagu.'
Tagu chewed on the chaff he was given. Hazel looked at him, and that memorable shiver went up his spine. It was annoying and nice at the same time. Her eyes seemed dead. Like the life was sucked out of it. The constant bump of the caravan in the morning until late night made it hard to concentrate.
Nego pulled out the splinters of the scratchy, wooden floorboards out of his palm. With a loud jolt and orders to stop sounding in the air, the small flap in the heavily locked caravan door opened. There were two fur jackets, snow boots, socks and gloves.
'They're going to Antarctica.' Even as he said it, Nego couldn't help but let some fear creep into his voice. Hazel tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 'Those who are completely without fear are the ones that don't survive.'
Hazel got the black fur jacket while Nego got the one that was made out of an unidentifiable creature. It was brown with shades of white and black mingled in it. 'It looks good on you,' Hazel said while pulling her jacket over her head.
She closed her eyes. 'They're taking us to the southern part.' 'Is that good?' he asked. 'It's the most dangerous place of all. The Ardu don't go there. The polar bears are at their most vicious, the seals are wily and the orcas are the most determined predator of all.'
Nego gulped. 'We're real lucky, aren't we, going off to the land of cold and ice.' Hazel smiled faintly. A bit of life seemed to spark a little in her eyes. 'Yes, we're seriously lucky.'
Dious had twenty-nine large ships to carry his army and their cargo across the sea. Iika, it would be real nice if you could talk in my head again. You see, there is an army who is about to destroy the Watchers. Nego hadn't expected an answer but it came. I know. The full moon is coming, and we're meeting in the southern part of Antarctic. Some things cannot be prevented.
Ten armed guards escorted them to the biggest ship, of course. 'They can go down the basement, there isn't a lot of space,' Dious told the guards. 'Also, you,' he pointed to Nego. 'Don't think I'm dumb. Your buffalo in passive state, now.'
Tagu looked at the guards, than at the sword that Dious held. He looked at the sea and lowered his nose to chew on the grass. For what seemed like ages, Tagu disappeared in a flash of soft light. 'Don't you dare release him, or else,' Dious warned.
Even while on the ship, Nego was cold. The forest was cold and it was dark, even during the day, but the ship seemed colder. Hazel put her hands in her pockets and looked at the sky. 'Jun, please come back,' she whispered.
Every time Nego saw her longing for her spirit animal to come, his heart turned cold. Her eyes were wet and she would rub the dice in a yearning way.
The basement was a tiny room with a tiny lamp hanging from the ceiling. There was a tiny barred window with fine wire over it and glass shards sticking out of it. The guards pushed them in and closed the door.
The more time flew, the colder it got in the basement. Nego wished Tagu was here, but his hooves would cause a lot of noise and Dious would go whammy them. Every part of the ship was cold. He pulled his coat tighter around himself.
'You, stay there,' Hazel said while hanging up a white sheet in her corner. 'Where did you get that?' Nego asked. 'Here, I found it somewhere at the back.' She threw him a rolled up curtain. 'There are hooks in the ceiling, I think this used to be an invention room,' Nego said while hanging his up.
Despite the cold, sleep managed to find them in the end.
There was a disturbance in the background. Nego opened his eyes only to find Hazel was already up. He parted the curtain and slid over to her. She held a finger to her lips in an obvious gesture. Quiet. And then she made at least twenty gestures that Nego hardly understood.
There were sounds of a scuffle outside. Boots skidding over the deck, quiet cries of surprise, the clicking sound of a lock and the sound of the doorknob turning. Nego held his breath.
The door opened to reveal the unmistakable shape of an egret.
