Considering the vast wilderness they were traversing and what little civilization existed within it, the village wasn't too far from the camp. Still, getting there nearly took all of the day. The afternoon sun was already beating over their heads when it came into view—the rooftops of a handful of scattered buildings peeking through the trees.
They stopped briefly at a creek in the village outskirts first. Ferris splashed the cool water over her face. The wind nipped her cheeks as it evaporated, the sharp chill rejuvenating her. Meanwhile, Castellar eyed the settlement from only a few steps away, observing what he could through the foliage. Whatever little he saw, he was unsatisfied. The line of his mouth was kept in a firm line.
"No clear roads in or out, from what I can tell…" he mused aloud, "There's no helping it; we'll need to go down there and ask around."
"Good to know you can humble yourself enough to ask for directions."
"Oh, shut it," he huffed, not rising to her bait. Pushing himself away from the tree he leaned against for support, he reached into the pouch at his belt. He then dumped a couple coins into Ferris' hands, catching her off-guard. "We'll buy back a little of what we lost while we're at it. Seeing you're a decent haggler, make the most of what you can out of that."
She didn't immediately accept the money. Normally, she would take no issue spending another's coin, but their situation wasn't getting any better. She knew what little was left. "We're not so desperate for food yet. Ciara and I can scavenge for what we don't have."
Nevertheless, Castellar brushed off her concerns, "I'm not fond of wasting money either, believe it or not. I wouldn't give you any if I wasn't confident that we could manage. And one more thing: Give me your mask."
Ferris raised a brow at the strange command.
He explained, "I've been thinking… Our enemies have seen us plenty of times to know what to look out for: They're aiming for two disguised humans and a skeleton. If they've told the villagers to watch for us—or worse, happen to be waiting for us themselves—we don't want to appear obvious. You go on ahead. I'll stay back for now."
Hearing this change of plan, she shot him an amused look, "Giving the leash a bit of slack, are you? Aren't you still scared we might run off?"
"Your sister will stay with me."
Immediately, Ferris frowned. Feeling a pair of small hands digging into the back of her tunic, she knew that Ciara wasn't any happier about the idea of playing hostage. She could feel a sudden anger rising.
"Where would you even expect me to run to?"
"Nowhere, but we need to do what we can to dissuade any curious eyes." He rubbed his temple, "It isn't like what you're thinking, so just hurry it up and remember to stay cautious. I'll be keeping watch from a short distance."
The girl sighed deeply. She reached back and untangled Ciara's fingers from her clothes. She was struck by a pang of guilt as panic filled her little sister's eyes. Except whenever Ferris had ventured through their hometown to play thief, it had been many years since the two had spent more than a short time away from each other. More than a matter of a love between siblings, it was how they survived.
Ferris gave the much smaller hands in her own a small squeeze, "I won't be long."
The jester mask fit Castellar just as well. Cloaked from head to foot, it was impossible to tell who or what he was. He passed his pack over to Ferris, who had to resist the urge to draw her own hood up, instead settling for partly blanketing her long bangs over her eyes. She took the lead as instructed, the gap between her and the others widening with every step.
If Ferris actually had considered running away, she quickly thought against it as the village came into better view. It was almost pitifully small, not much larger than the camp of outcasts they'd just left behind. In the end, splitting up may have been pointless. In such a small place, attention was naturally drawn a stranger's way.
No matter where she looked, Ferris didn't see anyone besides their own party that could stand out. There were a couple of weak-looking monsters; fewer hybrids; and many, very much ordinary humans. If there was even a single mage between them, then they too hid themselves well.
It would be odd enough to have outsiders, nevermind two separate groups of arrive at almost the same time. If Castellar was sticking close-by, Ferris hoped it wasn't too close. It would only make them look suspicious. She looked around, half-expecting him to only be a few paces or so behind them, but couldn't spot the skeleton or her sister anywhere. However, the fact that he hid himself so well didn't really put her at ease. Was he some kind of assassin as well as a mage?
Well, maybe… she thought in hindsight, considering how their first meeting went.
On the bright side, it meant that she truly could do whatever she pleased with the money Castellar had given her. A place this size wouldn't have any shops—at best, the villagers might rely on a travelling merchant—but Ferris had experience bartering. She'd helped her parents when she was little and then did so with other thieves on the streets.
The hardest part was simply finding someone who might be willing to sell. It was easy to tell at a glance that this was a kind of mining settlement. Rock and tools were littered everywhere. Under the layers of dirt and sweat, she could make out thin flesh and haggard eyes. Mining was an integral job to Ebott, but not the most rewarded. These people seemed freer than most, but plenty of miners worked as serfs. For not having to work directly under a lord in such an isolated location, they lacked what spare resources—however scant—they might've obtained in exchange.
Nevertheless, Ferris did eventually manage to find a house willing to trade. With some clever dealing, she was able to obtain some bread, cheese, and dried vegetables out of the exchange. It was enough to last only a few days by itself, but they could stretch it if they were careful. She even managed to save one coin.
While Ferris waited in front of the homestead for the lady of the house to gather it all, she continued looking around only for a bright flame to catch ger attention. An entrance to one of the mines wasn't far off. Though deep, the tunnel was straightforward, making the fiery blaze inside easy to spot despite the waves of smoke and people pouring out of it. From where she was standing, it looked like a giant oven.
The last of the stragglers came rushing out, empty buckets swinging wildly in their hands as a series of loud, sickening cracks could be heard chasing after them. This was followed by the booming sound of crumbling stone. Ferris remembered hearing about the technique from some visitors—maybe they'd been traders or miners themselves—to her hometown: Fire setting. By heating up the rock and then splashing it with water, it could easily break apart. From the fires alone to poison in the air underground, she didn't envy the job.
There was a bucket full of water near her feet meant for the homestead's handful of cattle. Ferris glanced down, eying her blurry reflection. Not long ago, she and Ciara hadn't looked too different from the villagers. In the recent weeks, however, despite the burden of their journey, the sisters were starting to look healthier. Their once gaunt faces had started to fill out. Their once cracked, parched lips had softened. Their crimson eyes, once dark from the exhaustion of their day-to-day survival, had begun to burn brightly.
The face looking back at Ferris was one she hadn't known she'd forgotten. Her eyes fell half-mast in a sad smile.
A minute later, the lady of the house walked back out with the requested supplies. Ferris opened Castellar's pack readily. "Here you are, boy. S'not the finest fare, but it's the best we can do."
Ferris noted the mistake, but didn't bother to correct it. It wasn't the first time she'd been called a lad. It was unlikely it'd be the last. She knew she wasn't very pretty and she dressed herself down. Short, unkempt hair; old, baggy cloths that did nothing for what little figure she had… It was an unflattering, but useful error.
The woman stared at her a moment longer, "Aren't you a bit young to be travelling on your own?"
She shrugged, "Plenty even marry at my age."
"Yeah, but hardly by choice."
Nothing more was said on the matter as Ferris gave her full attention to the food. It really wasn't the best quality, but not of it was spoiled in the very least. The bread was hard, but could make do in a soup.
When she asked for directions to Icefield as the woman checked over the money, the latter's eyes widened. She attempted to talk the youth out of journey, but soon realized it was a futile attempt even without knowing any details. In the end, she pointed Ferris to a narrow, but worn path along the mountain terrain.
Ferris made a point of stepping out into the open where Castellar could spot her before moving toward the trail, occasionally glancing around to see if she could find any sign of her companions in-advance. She expected them to catch on and regroup with her soon enough. However, after waiting on the other side of the woods for several minutes, she found herself circling back to where they'd initially split off.
There'd been no commotion. No insane bursts of magic from a fight or shouts from angry or paranoid villagers. Nothing to disturb the quiet atmosphere but the work heard from the mines and the smoke now rising above the trees.
Then Ferris cursed her own thoughtlessness, now running through the undergrowth.
She heard them before she saw them: Both bent low to the ground; Castellar quietly, but ferociously urging Ciara to get up and follow him—but Ciara was frozen. While she kept a fairly placid expression on her face, the small child gripped her own shoulders in an intense hold that betrayed an obvious fear. Her eyes were extremely distant, focused on some horrible, far-off nightmare.