~Janco~

Having moved further south, the weather was visibly becoming tolerable. Of course, being several days into the Thawing Season also helped.

Janco shivered as he chafed and held his hands over the fire to "thaw" them. He turned to watch the General's retinue and shook his head with a sigh. They would have been back at the Commander's castle by now if not for this party. How long could it possibly take to pack up a few tents and douse a few fires?

Five hours at the very least…each for every one of the ten bathroom breaks they took in a day.

A warm blanket was draped over him. Janco narrowed his eyes peevishly when Annie didn't even have the decency to shiver after donating it.

She grinned at and settled companionably beside him. Janco pulled the blanket around his neck and watched his breaths crystalize in the moist air.

Ari soon joined them, bringing dinner.

Annie lazily hung an arm over her raised knee as she picked at her food. Snow crunched behind them and they turned to see the MD-1 General invite himself to their circle. He carried his briefcase under one arm and a bowl of stew.

With a great sigh from geriatric exhaustion, the man sat down on the stool and sorted through the briefcase to pull out a parcel addressed to the Captain.

She took it and all wariness immediately fell away as she perused the contents. Her face lit up with a permanent grin.

"You don't seem to get many good letters." Janco remarked when he finally stopped shivering.

Annie glanced at him and considered before saying, "It's hard making friends outside of one's district in the North. And of course, being called the 'ice queen' doesn't help much either."

Ari braced himself. For despite her cool demeanor, they were now established acquaintances according to Janco ("from the first laugh!"). And all acquaintances were fair game.

So he wasted no time egging her on. "Where did that name come from anyways? It can't just be because of that sparkling personality of yours."

To Ari's immense surprise, Annie only laughed. She folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. "It has to do with that lesbian thing. See, ever since I was a teenager, I never hid the aberrant fact that I didn't like the boys. So I was always called…what was it…? Ah yes, frigid. Then I became the General's second and someone, who thought they were being awfully clever, made that connection."

General Kitivian, who had been growing properly distracted from reading his reports, smiled faintly.

And now it was the Captain's turn to be surprised, for the Power Twins only nodded bemusedly. They didn't offer any of the sympathy or empty condolences that well intentioned people always remembered to give.

Janco merely scratched his chin. "And you never tried to stop them?"

"What would you have suggested?"

"Beat them to a pulp? Or at least threaten to? I haven't seen you on the training field yet, but I'm pretty sure you were promoted to Captain for a good reason."

Annie only looked at him. "I could be as powerful as the Soulfinder but I doubt it'd have done me much good when they come in groups. Those men certainly hate me enough to take the time to organize like that."

Having seen more than their fair share of the military, the Power Twins only nodded quietly. Things were changing, but change can never come fast enough.

"But you're still brave enough to live with this censure." Ari remarked.

"If name calling is the worst they'll ever do to me, then I can find a way to get used to it. And that's because I'm more than that." She shrugged. "It's a great risk to live like this either way, but I will never hide who I am for anyone."

"I can see why Maren decided you were good enough for our Dilana." Janco said.

"Did she now? I've heard that Adviser Maren's respect is hard to come by."

"It is. But she has profound respect for people who'd stand by what they believe in through thick and thin."

Ari smirked. "And now you know the reason why we put up with Janco."

He pursed his lips and sighed. "And I put up with them because it's just too hard to find good help these days." He tossed his hands up.

Annie threw her head back and laughed again. Janco took that as sufficient encouragement to launch into a tirade of jokes (many of which were, of course, punny) and anecdotes. She eventually uncrossed her arms and leaned forward into the circle of their own making.

Ari, for all his eye rolling, couldn't help but grin as he was always inclined to do with his lifelong friend and partner.

But one particular face darkened by the fire at the sight of such intimacy.

General Kitivian stroked his long white beard perpetually as the corners of his mouth turned downwards beneath it.

~Yelena~

I had barely managed to pull my shirt on when the knock came again, more insistently now. Not bothering to pull my boots on – or to find them for that matter - I opened the bedroom door. The relentless pounding, followed by a muffled call, rang through the entire suite. Whoever this was either had no idea who this apartment belonged to or had nerves of absolute steel. I vaguely wondered what possessed those guards to let them by in the first place.

The clock struck midmorning…But by our standards, a most ungodly hour.

Valek rolled over and grumbled about the noise. I grinned silly and, suppressing the urge to crawl back into bed, made my way downstairs to answer the early caller.

Janco's fist was raised in mid-knock as he looked down at the parcel he brought. "I know I wasn't supposed to see you for another two hours but just holding onto anything like this makes my skin craw…"

He looked up and gasped when I smirked and plucked the missive out of his extended hand. "Good morning to you too."

"Yelena…!" He gestured wildly. "You're…you're…!"

"Answering the door?" I raised an eyebrow as I stepped aside for him to enter. "Yes I know it can be quite the feat these days."

"Not it's just…" Janco closed the door behind him and shuffled in awkwardly. "Please don't take this the wrong way but you're up…awake… and…you…you look happier. You seem to be glowing, but of course that's all I'd ever notice."

I smiled and nodded. "I do feel better."

He shook his head and looked down, embarrassed as he followed me into the suite. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm sorry because I didn't get the chance to. Some friend I must have been. You were in so much pain and I…I just wanted to pretend like it wasn't there. And me saying that, given everything that's happened, doesn't really mean much does it?"

I walked over to the couch, hugging my arms. I felt relieved at finally being able to be honest now. "No, not really. Everything just seems so far away now. And an apology can't take any of it back – or make it hurt any less. But it's still nice to hear you say these things."

He nodded. "It must still be so hard for you."

I sat and set the missive aside for now. Finding my words, I felt invisible weight lift from my shoulders as I spoke, "It is. It's like being in a cave with no light at the end of the tunnel. Not that it wasn't there…I could imagine, even feel sometimes, that the light was there…that it surrounded me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see it. For the longest time that was my world. I couldn't see anything but the pain. It was suffocating."

Janco sat down next to me. "And how does that look now?"

"It's still there." I confessed. "It'll be there for the rest of my life too. But if I can hold out every episode for good things, then life can still be worth living. I'll be okay. There's still hope, family, new experiences, knowledge, love, friendship…" I looked at Janco.

"Seems like you'll still be in for a rough time."

"Yes." But I quirked a small smile. "It's definitely not a growth opportunity."

Janco sighed but said with bare honesty, "I love you Yelena. No matter what are going through…I will always love you. And now I want to be there for you no matter how bad it gets. That is…of course, if you want me there! If I'd do more harm than good at this point then…"

I laughed, cutting him off. My heart lifted as I grinned in earnest. "I love you too." We hugged briefly and he gave me a brotherly kiss on the forehead.

I finally turned to and opened the envelope that had been discreetly addressed to me and read its contents. It was a compromise struck years ago between Valek and me from his very un-neighborly espionage. He could keep his safe houses if I could keep a "network" within Ixia to find and alert me to souls that needed guiding. It was a hard bargain, not so much for all the magicians who would be in Ixia under his watch, but for the fact that I had wrangled Ari and Janco into said network.

My heart was heavy and I refolded and put the letter into my pocket.

Janco, who had been reading my expression carefully, asked anxiously, "Trouble?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly. It's more of a…personal matter." I hurried to finish as his expression became more worried. "I promise it has nothing to do with this…what I've been going through. It's another matter."

He nodded. "I see." Janco stood. "Well, I'd better get back to babysitting. Don't ask yet, it's a long story. And it looks like I might have also…" He gestured to my disheveled hair and hurried dress. "…interrupted your sleep so…"

Janco took several steps before stopping and abruptly whirling back. "Wait…are you alone right now? Where's Valek? Or was Maren supposed to be…?"

"Valek's here."

He looked suspicious. "He is? But not up? That must have been one hell of an all-nighter mission he went on then."

I choked on my sip of water and coughed.

"Oh no…Yelena, don't tell me that you…not again!"

"What?"

He shifted into a defensive stance and took three cautious steps back. "Just how many darts and many bottles of sleeping potion does that man give you?! You know I'm going to have to have a serious chat with him about what proper gift giving means…"

Janco wasn't joking but something about his face seemed unbearably funny. The image of jabbing him with curare and of him lying prone on my living room floor at the Keep months ago came to mind. But when I thought of it this time (and especially the part where I dragged him into a closet of all places!), there wasn't so much guilt as there was comedy. Everything had just gotten so ridiculous in hindsight.

I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face and my stomach began to cramp.

"What's so funny?" A heart-melting voice came from behind us.

Valek descended the stairs, adjusting the buttons of his uniform jacket.

"Yeah what's so…?" But Janco's bewilderment faded after a moment of seeing us together. He immediately relaxed and broke into the silliest grin. "Oh I see now. You two were…Well I really do need to go now. I have that thing I need to do with the other thing at the thing… Or…something…" He laughed merrily and pulled me in for another quick hug. Looking me earnestly in the eyes, he said, "I really am glad you're feeling better, Yelena."

My smile faded when he left as my eyes fell back down to the letter he had brought.

"I assume he had a good reason for showing up this early." Valek said as he sat next to me and I handed him water.

"He did. And he was worried I might have incapacitated you."

Valek set the glass down. "And you're saying you didn't?"

I crossed my arms and playfully assessed him. "Well you are still up and walking about."

"Indeed? Well you should never leave a job half-finished." He leered as his arms snaked around me and he kissed me. I ran my hands down his jacket, relishing in the feel of his sculpted body beneath it.

We broke away to catch our breaths. Valek held my hands before I could begin to undress him again. "In a moment, love. First, what did Janco want?"

I gave the letter to him.

Valek was silent for a minute after he had digested its contents. He read the letter again before saying in an uncertain voice, "They're sure?"

Well, not per se. The magicians could only see experience inordinate disturbances in the power blanket at a given locations. And when they weren't a flame out, it usually had to be a soul in need of guiding.

I nodded. "The location and nature of the disturbances make sense. Regardless, I'm sorry it took so long."

He put the letter on the table. "It's been…more than twenty years. I was beginning to think it wasn't possible."

"There was always a chance. They didn't have peaceful deaths."

He gave me his full and undivided attention. "What should I do?"

"Reconciliation can be good. And sometimes I honor requests to say whatever else need be said. I let people take the opportunity to make last minute apologies, declarations of love, and even reveal secret family recipes before they're lost to the sky.

"But reconciliation, no matter what the situation is, is always for the living. The souls are going to a place where none of this matters anymore. Whatever comes out of this interaction is meant to help the survivor continue living. That being said…this might help your grief. Saying goodbye could mean letting go."

Sorrow pulled at the corner of his mouth. "It could also make things worse. But the thought of them still being here – after all this time – because of what the King's men did to them…" He clenched his fist. "To this day I still wonder why I had to be the one to survive."

I squeezed his hand and kissed his temple. "It's hard. And it's normal to feel this way."

He sighed and leaned back against the couch, emotional exhaustion settling on him like a layer of dust.

Two years after I accepted my duty as a Soulfinder to the world, Valek came to me with his theory. Having found tortured souls stuck in the purgatory Shadow world for decades, it was definitely possible. But MD-1, along with the other Northern districts, had nature as a very formidable threat. Between killer blizzards and snow cats, they were notoriously difficult to search. Having my network helped, but guilt still occasionally plagued me when I thought about how I'd have to neglect those areas to wait for warmer seasons.

When the search for Valek's brothers seemed fruitless, we stopped talking about it, especially in light of all the other trouble and adventures we seemed to attract left and right.

After a while, Valek spoke, "I need time to think about this." He turned to me. "But care to distract me for a while?"

"Do you even need to ask?" I grinned as I laced our hands together and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Until we have to see Ari and Janco, I'm all yours."

We spent the rest of the morning simply being together. Hand in hand, we left his suite for breakfast, where I managed to eat (and digest) more comfortably than I had in months. Then we wandered out of the castle and into Snake forest for a brief ride.

While the Commander interrogated the General and his officers, our group met in Valek's office to debrief and discuss.

We spent an hour explaining Edyta's change of allegiance and convinced Maren, Ari and Janco that she was trustworthy. And now to follow the breadcrumbs, we had to find the supplier of her false travel papers.

I stopped pacing and glanced at the two forms again. Placed side by side, I was reminded again of how impossible it could be to tell the two apart.

I picked the forged copy up again. It crinkled in my hand as the dry parchment threatened to tear. There's supposed to always be a trail. We were just missing something. If only I could see where the tail was…

Sudden realization struck me.

"I can't make this." I declared as I focused in on the seal again.

"Of course not." Janco never looked up as he turned a page in the log book. "You're not in this line of work, Yelena."

"Can you make it?"

Janco closed the book and looked up at me as I brandished the document before him.

"Can you even draw this?" I pointed to the intricately designed seal.

Always eager to show off his one of his many creative skills, Janco exchanged the book for paper and a quill he snatched out of an outraged Maren's hand. "Too easy! You just draw the circle here…then you put the squiggly line in there…with this random eight side box like thing floating there…and then there's this thing that you…alright, alright, so I can't draw it. What's your point?"

"Do you know anyone who can?"

"If you're talking about one of our colleagues, then no. It wasn't a workshop and it's not one of our required skill sets. We're in a country built around paperwork. So the Commander isn't keen on an entire group of people picking up forgery, even for good causes."

I nodded, "It's easier to steal a stamp, or even to compromise someone in administration, than to make this."

Everyone set down their things and looked at me.

"As Janco already demonstrated, the seal itself is already incredible. You can't even make this. This is provided you even made it so far as to manage a convincing forged signature with the proper penmanship…but you'd need extreme precision in your carving. These angles and intricacies would easily be awkward and clumsy even with a proficient artist."

I paused. "Who do we know can actually make something like this?"

Ari's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "Valek."

We all turned to him and watched as he made his way over to us.

"There's more than one of you in this country, isn't there?" I asked as he came up next to me. "Someone had to teach you everything."

Valek turned to me, "For a while there were quite a few. Naturally, the King had several in his employ as well. After the takeover, I either recruited them or they escaped before the border was closed…so far as I know."

"And you would only keep the loyal ones – they'd have to constantly prove it too." I set the form down. "But say there were stragglers who never left or came to work for you."

His breath hitched slightly but the stony guise returned the very next instant.

"The Commander already has the best there is. And as he is the end all be all, there wouldn't be much point in targeting anyone besides him, would there? Everyone is so dispensable…even the Generals."

Janco grinned as he followed my train of thought. "I think our fox has just found the one group of people in Ixia to void that everyone-gets-a-job guarantee."

Valek shook his head in amazement. "You're incredible."

Maren spoke up, "And it answers the most important question. What is their income?"

"Someone needs fake papers." I finished. "And there will always be someone."

Many apologies for the delay! I had to deal with several ugly things that came up in my personal life for the last couple days. But thank you as always for your patience. The plot is unraveling. Please review!