It was hard for her to tell just how long it was before she returned to the open air. Ferris reached a gated, unlocked stairwell—probably left open for those searching through the labyrinth—and stepped onto the silent streets above. There wasn't a single soul around that she could tell, but the girl worried that there might still be camouflaged monsters lurking nearby. She pulled her hood further around her face.
Stepping into Icefield proper was like entering another land. Here, instead of the thin layer of frost that covered the forest, there was a modest build-up of snow. It coated rooftops and piles of it were pushed against the sides of buildings to keep the main roads clear—which were decorated in with a variety of snowflake patterns made from light and dark stones. Most of the buildings were old and also made of sturdy rock. There were a few, however, that seemed to be carved from ice and glistened in the starlight.
If mages like Avalbanshee had enough influence over the town to make this kind of order, then that limited the places Ciara might've been taken. Chances were, they either were, or maybe already had, scoured through every home trying to find a human girl. That, and no kidnapper would want to linger where they were likely to get caught.
It was best to hunt for any abandoned locations for now. In the very least, it was the only lead she had. It wasn't as if she could break through the door of every house. Ferris scowled. There were some crimson mages that actually looked to the past instead of the future. They had the ability to track down people by peering into their history in relation to objects or scenes. What she wouldn't have given to have that power now…
Keeping away from windows, Ferris ran to the closest alley. She would check the narrow paths, the backs of buildings, the forgotten places—where people tucked away everything they didn't want to be seen. Soon enough though, she realized just how hopeless her efforts were. She must've spent roughly two hours avoiding the city guards while looking around and found nothing. A scary thought occurred to her that Castellar's allies could've even taken off with her sister already.
"Woof!"
The high-pitched noise was much too close for comfort. Ferris jerked her head ahead and saw nothing, only to look back in the direction she was headed and find a white, fluffy dog standing in her path. The street she took now was long and blocked off on two sides. She should've seen the canine coming…
If it was a monster, it didn't exactly act like one. There was a clear intelligence in its eyes, though it made no effort to communicate. It gently held some kind of disc in its mouth that she initially thought was made of silver, but noted it had too reflective a surface on closer inspection? A small mirror, perhaps? She'd heard of them, but had never seen one in-person.
No, it couldn't be a mirror: It had a whole in the middle of it. Ferris took a hesitant step back as the dog approached and offered the disc to her. Attempting to ignore the creature, she quickly side-stepped it only for it to follow closely behind her. She cursed her luck. If she didn't give it some form attention, would it keep after her? If it did, she would certainly get caught.
She reached down and asked in a low voice, "Do you want me to throw it?" If she managed to toss it far enough—perhaps into another alley—she could lose the canine.
The dog immediately jumped back at her words, skirting around her and taking off at a rapid pace. It never once looked back, much less made gave any signal for her to give chase or play. She watched it disappear, baffled, but relieved.
Her pocket felt strangely heavy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some kind of… weird residue.
A recent memory that was more like something out of a dream came back to her:
"A familiar… The rumors go they spy on our world from their own; watching us, picking favorites. It's like a game to them."
"There is one you should watch out for in-particular: A white dog. He's harmless, but the mage he follows around is far from that. If you see the familiar, his partner might not be far away."
Ferris bristled. That had to be it! However, if that was the case, were the dog and his partner truly dangerous or was that just another one of Castellar's lies? Their experience with the fox hadn't been that bad, but as far as she knew, it served no purpose. It really was impossible to tell what they wanted.
Ferris shook her head: It wasn't as though she could afford to stick around and find out. She began to move with a faster, more desperate gait.
Another hour of searching got her nowhere. At that point, she was just running in circles. It must be well past midnight. Not only was it unlikely that she'd find Ciara before dawn, the streets would be packed and she's had no energy left to face her pursuers. Maybe she could find a way to slip in and out of town at night, or maybe an old warehouse that few people used.
Maybe she could just restart the night over…
"You there! Identify yourself!"
The moment Ferris had been dreading finally happened: She'd been spotted. As they were each wearing a full suit of heavy armor, she had no way of knowing what kind of monsters the two guardsmen at the corner of the road behind her were. All the same, she took off, using her limited knowledge of the place to weave through the buildings.
Turning by a mercer's shop, the girl knocked a stack of crates between herself and the officers before scaling a short, wooden fence. The two were ill-prepared to be met with her resistance. Still, they recovered quickly enough to throw spear-like icicles after her retreating form. Ferris kept her head low, already looking for her next avenue of escape.
There was a narrow waterway seemed to flow out of the underground passages and through the middle of the town. One way or another, it had to lead somewhere. She followed it all the way to Icefield's outer walls, where it poured from an opening just big enough for a child to pass through. Castellar's skinny frame wouldn't have made it. As for herself, it would be a tight squeeze.
She plunged into the water only to find that it didn't even come up to her hips. Nevertheless, it was freezing, nearly keeping her trapped in place. The waterway dipped at an angle, so all she had to do was push her weight forward a little bit to slide with the current.
The wind doing nothing for the chill that was settled over her body, Ferris braced against it and looked up to see where Icefield truly got its namesake. The perimeter of the wall was immediately met with a collection of steep hills, which led to a massive clearing. She could imagine its citizens spending their off-time racing one another down. In the distance, she could make out a handful of farmhouses and rows of strange crops—which sprinkled the landscape soft shades of blue and violet amid the pearly white sea. Beyond that: A blockade of warm green, where the end of Icefield met the rest of Ebott.
If she didn't stop her descent, she would land directly into a large pond. The girl threw herself sideways, throwing her arms into the snow and clawing at the earth beneath it for purchase. She escaped the water only to go rolling down the hillside.
Thankfully, aside from a wave of dizziness and the ache of hitting a few stones on the way, she was no worse for wear. Ferris had to lay still for a moment to catch her breath. Panting, she looked back up the incline on the off-chance anyone came down the waterway after her. The path she rolled down had left a long trail.
A set of tiny prints intersected it from a few meters away.
A fox's face popped into view, the animal's nose almost touching her own. It was that familiar.
"Well… Clearly, I'm very popular tonight, aren't I?" Ferris asked in an annoyed tone once she found her voice.
The fox didn't answer, tapping the girl's head with her forepaw.
"If you're going to bother me, you could at least be useful!" she tried not to let her voice crack, drawing her hands into fists. She was already quivering, her teeth clacking together from the cold.
The familiar moved back out of sight.
A second later, an eruption of flames took the creature's place, swarming over Ferris. Naturally, her first reaction was panic; a loud whimper tore from her throat, ready to turn into a shrill cry. However… the pain she anticipated never came. It was a soft and warm feeling, like basking in the afternoon sun after a long day's work.
The color of the fire gradually shifted from a hot vermillion to a pleasant green. With it, Ferris felt some of her fatigue burn away. When the flames faded, she noticed that—with the exception of her back being a little damp from lying in the snow—she was completely dry. The snow itself was also fine, completely unaffected by the impromptu blaze.
After collecting her thoughts, Ferris pursed her lips, "I'm not sure I like you." She stood up, brushing the lingering, frozen powder off of her clothes. Her gaze narrowed at the familiar near her feet. "You won't help me find Ciara, will you?"
The fox slowly blinked at her, then looked away. It was all the only thing the girl was going to get in response. While disappointed, Ferris half-expected that.
"Then don't follow me around anymore. Go back to your partner," she said, unable to hide the impatience in her voice. In truth, a part of her was grateful for the small comforts the familiar had offered so far, but that was still all they were—the most she did was maybe prevent the girl from catching a cold. Ferris thought it hardly worth being made a curio of in exchange.
She mentally prepared herself before resuming her search.