Disclaimers: see part 1, chapter 1

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Lorimal's Chalice

Part Four - The Chalice

By Jane Fletcher

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Chapter 8: The Top of the Pass

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Storm-blown debris cartwheeled down the corridor. Wrapped in her plans for revenge, Tevi was hardly aware of the noise. There could be no outside threat worse than what she was already confronting. Nothing else could frighten her. Then, amid the random thuds, came the unmistakable sound of quiet human footsteps, entering the hallway and halting outside the room.

Tevi moved in reflex. Her hand leapt to her discarded sword but, even startled, her training held firm. She slipped it free of its scabbard and rose to her feet without a sound. Firelight rippled over the blanket across the doorway. Tevi watched as a hand appeared around the edge. With unnerving nonchalance, the blanket was drawn aside and a figure stepped into the room. The draft fanned the fire, whipping up flames to illuminate the room and the new arrival.

It was an old man with skin like cracked leather. His body was half-naked and filthy. Rain plastered the scant white hair to his head and ran in clean lines through the dirt smeared across his sunken chest. Tattered rags of clothing flapped against the sinews of his legs. An incongruous garland of flame-coloured leaves sagged wet about his neck. He stared at the ceiling with an expression of irritated confusion.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Tevi kept her voice level although her heart was pounding.

"You're upsetting my storm."

"Who are you?" Tevi repeated.

"You're drowning out the thunder."

"What do you want?"

The old man showed no sign of having heard Tevi's questions. His voice sunk to an incomprehensible mumble, punctuated by, "Whoosh, whoosh" in imitation of the raging wind.

Tevi lowered her sword. The man was clearly mad and probably harmless. Then, suddenly, he dropped to Jemeryl's side and grabbed her shoulder. Tevi leapt forward with a shout. She had taken only one step, when a blow from an invisible fist slammed her backwards. Her shoulders crashed into the wall and knocked the breath from her body. Her sword fell from her hand.

It was several seconds before her head cleared enough to speak. "You're a sorcerer?"

This time he answered. "Silly question. I'm me. I don't need titles. I wanted to watch the storm, but you brought her here and she's all wrong. I could hear her from up on the rocks." He removed his skeletal hand from Jemeryl's shoulder and snorted. "She thinks she's a dead magpie."

"Can you help her?" Tevi hardly dared hope.

"I don't help. I watch."

"She'll die if you don't."

"She'll die if I do. We'll all die. If has never been in question, only when."

The man was clearly one of the sorcerers who lived as mad hermits - he was also Jemeryl's best hope. As calmly as she could, Tevi said, "True. But I don't want the when to be now."

"Of course it will be now. All time is now sometime. It makes no difference in the end."

"Maybe it makes no difference to you, but it does to me. Jemeryl is running out of time. She'll die very soon."

"Yes. Before tomorrow sunset... but not soon enough to save my storm." With a scowl of disgust, the hermit clambered to his feet and headed to the doorway.

"You have to help us." Tevi pleaded.

"No I don't." The blanket swung closed behind him.

The abruptness of his departure left Tevi staring in disbelief at the swaying curtain. Her inaction lasted only a few seconds. She leapt to follow, pushing under the hanging blanket into the dark, deserted hallway. The old, deranged sorcerer was Jemeryl's only chance.

The wind blew in fierce gusts, sweeping a stream of leaves down the corridor. Tevi took a moment to check the dark recesses of the building and then she stepped through the entrance, onto the open hillside. Within seconds, she was soaked to the skin. The storm was pounding the mountains. All around, trees whipped and twisted in the gale. Bushes were flattened beneath the blasts. The savage wind had torn holes in the clouds. Faint silver rays from the crescent moon lit the chaos. Of the hermit, there was no sign.

The stark outlines of ruined buildings were stable points amid the surging vegetation. Tevi fought her way to the nearest and began her search, passing from one to another. Eventually, towards the high side of the village, she found the hovel that was his home. A bed of bracken lined one wall. A cold brick hearth was at the centre. Piles of rags were scattered on the floor but the owner was not there.

The storm had washed away any footprints, yet several paths were discernible through the undergrowth. Tevi tried to shield her eyes from driving rain and look around. An outcrop of rock broke the skyline high above. The hermit claimed to have heard Jemeryl from the rocks. If those were the ones he came from, perhaps he had returned. Tevi took the path heading up the hill.

The trail climbed steeply. It swung to the right of the outcrop, then looped back to approach the rocks from above, where they formed a flat, natural platform - like a stage beneath the storm. The full force of the gale stuck Tevi as she emerged from the last of the trees. Her feet slipped on the wet rock and she was forced to grasp a thick branch for balance. The hermit was in the middle of the wide rock shelf with his back towards her. The remnants of the old man's clothes were shed and he danced naked in the rain to an unheard rhythm. His delicate flowing footsteps seemed strangely at one with the violence of the elements.

Tevi stepped forward. As she did so, the hermit spoke, throwing the words over his shoulder.

"Go away. You've spoiled my storm enough already."

"I need to talk to you." Tevi shouted to be heard over the wind.

"If you come onto my rocks, I'll kill you."

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't. But, if you don't help me, Jemeryl will die and I don't think my life is worth living without her."

Tevi let go of the branch and moved out onto the rocky platform. The old sorcerer spun around, his face livid with fury. A change swept over him. There was no visible alteration in his size, yet, somehow, he seemed huge, as large and wild as the storm itself. He advanced towards Tevi. Lightning leapt between his fingers and reached for her heart. Tevi held her ground, unflinching. The crackling bolts were within inches of her chest, when the man hesitated. His strange illusion of personifying the storm faded.

"You're as mad as me." he spat.

Tevi met his eyes. "I love her. Have you never loved someone?"

The hermit turned his face to the sky. For a long while neither of them moved. Even the wind seemed muted. "Yes." The word was no more than the suggestion of a whisper.

"If you won't help Jemeryl, can't you tell me what to do?"

"Call her."

"How?"

"You know her name, don't you?"

"Is that all?"

"If she wants to come back, she will." The hermit's voice broke, as if his words held some private tragedy.

"Is there nothing else I can do?"

"Wait until dawn. The walls between worlds are softer then. There's a bush by the entrance to my house. Crush three of its berries for her; the taste might help. But call her. That is all you or anyone else can do."

The hermit's voice faded away. His last words were almost inaudible. He breathed in and out heavily, then straightened his neck and looked towards Tevi. His mouth worked soundlessly. Tevi was sure that not all the water about his eyes was rain.

"NOW LEAVE ME." His final howl screeched above the wind.

* * * * * *

Throughout the night, Tevi kept watch, not daring to sleep in case she missed daybreak. She fed the fire, rubbed Jemeryl's feet and hands, and paced the hallway. Some time after midnight, the rain moved away and the wind dropped, finally blowing itself out before dawn. It left a raw silence, broken only by the trickle of water and dripping from the eaves of the building.

Tevi stood in the outer doorway. The stars had lost their brilliance. Grey light was spreading from the east. The hill opposite was no longer just a silhouette. The shapes of trees detached themselves from the shadows, coloured with the first hint of green. Tevi glanced at the rocks above the village. It was impossible to tell if the hermit was still at his solitary dance; not that it made any difference; Tevi was sure no more help was to be had from him.

The fire had reduced to a pile of glowing embers. Tevi took down the hanging blanket over the door. The faint new light bleached more colour from the dying fire. Jemeryl was unchanged. Her head lolled back, limp as a rag doll when Tevi cradled her into a sitting position. Jemeryl's jaw dropped open, slack and unresisting. Tevi took the berries from a pocket and crushed them between her fingers. The pulp made a dark stain on the thick white coat on Jemeryl's tongue.

Tevi stared into her lover's face. For a moment, all hope deserted her, but she could not give up - not yet. She lay Jemeryl down and tried to pump some confidence into her heart.

"Jemeryl." Tevi's voice held clear and firm.

There was no response.

"Jemeryl." Tevi repeated, and then "Jem." urgently.

Tevi's hands shook. She sat back on her heels, not knowing what to do. The minutes trickled by and nothing happened. Tevi returned to her calling, trying to vary her tone, volume, emphasis - anything she could think of; all in vain. After a hundred times or more, she broke off and leapt to her feet, ready to chase down the hermit. She stopped. The light in the hallway was strong enough to reveal the paler lines of mortar between the stones. The first true shaft of daylight ghosted the upper wall. Dawn had broken.

Tevi fell back to her knees and stared at Jemeryl's face. She was raked by sickening gut-wrenching pain. In agony, Tevi flung back her head and screamed at the top of her voice, "JEMERYL."

A faint shudder washed over the unconscious woman, then a longer, slower movement as muscles tensed. Jemeryl's eyelids fluttered open. Disbelief held Tevi frozen for a moment before she hauled her lover into her arms.

Jemeryl gasped and made a feeble effort to free herself from the crushing embrace. Her voice was a dry whisper. "Careful. My arm hurts."

* * * * * *

A nearby building yielded a few more timbers that were used to revive the fire. Jemeryl sat shivering in silence while Tevi recounted all that had happened since Levannue bought down the cavern roof. Tevi repeatedly broke off, sending anxious looks in her direction. Jemeryl replied with a few wan smiles but mostly her eyes were fixed on the flames.

"I didn't realise when the hermit said call you, he meant bawl my lungs out - but it worked alright, and you'll be okay now, won't you?" Tevi finished nervously.

There was no answer. Tevi reached over and stroked her hand gently against Jemeryl's face. Jemeryl leaned into the caress and closed her eyes.

"Klara..."

"She's dead." Tevi spoke the words softly.

"I know."

"She can't have suffered. It must have been very quick."

"It was." Jemeryl's face contorted in grief. "When I realised what Levannue was doing, I put a field up to cover myself. I should have cut loose from Klara, but I couldn't bear to let her go. I tried to shield her as well, but I wasn't strong enough. The stone hit her and she... wasn't there anymore - just a big hole. I felt myself falling in and... I'm lost without her. My senses are blown away. I can't tell where I am. It's like being buried. I can't even see you, except with my eyes, and I could always see you so clearly." Jemeryl slumped forward and rested her head on her knees.

"You can't see me? But you're not blind." Tevi said, puzzled. "Do you mean your extra senses?"

Jemeryl nodded.

"All of them?"

"I... it's..." Jemeryl was unable to finish.

"You mean you're not a sorcerer anymore?" Tevi bit her tongue at her tactlessness.

"No." Jemeryl's shoulders shook with quiet sobs.

Tevi held her close for a long time. Eventually, Jemeryl rallied herself, sufficient to push free. Her expression became apologetic at the distress on Tevi's face.

"I'm sorry, my love. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You'll get better." Tevi said confidently. "Won't you?"

"I don't know. I must get back to the Protectorate; perhaps someone there can help, but right now I won't qualify as a third rate witch. I'm almost ungifted." Jemeryl tried to force a brave smile to her face. "It's awful. I don't know how you stand it."

"It's all I'm used to. Come on, you'll feel better after breakfast."

"I don't know if I can face food."

"You didn't eat yesterday."

"I know. I feel as if I've been through a mangle. My head aches and my arm's throbbing... I can tell you did a good job with it, but..." Jemeryl meet Tevi's eyes. "I don't mean to sound pathetic... just hold me for a while longer, please."

Tevi did so; however, they both felt a rising sense of urgency. There was a long walk ahead of them, all the worse with Jemeryl's weakened state, and they dare not let winter catch them in the wildlands. After a few minutes of comfort in each other's arms, they ate and packed quickly, and soon they were ready to leave.

Once outside the building, it was clear that Jemeryl was not exaggerating her frailty. She needed help to cross the small stream and was stumbling by the time they were halfway up the hillside of heather and dead ferns. When she slid to her knees for the second time, Tevi ignored her protests and carried her as far as the dwarf road. Once they had reached it, the two of them stood looking back at the village, while Jemeryl caught her breath. There was no sign of the old hermit.

"I guess it's the remains of the old retreat. He must be the last survivor." Jemeryl said, between gulps of air. "I wish I could remember what it was they were studying. Did he give any clues?"

"Maybe some sort of dancing academy. Or do all sorcerers have innate grace and rhythm?"

"I'm afraid not. As you'll discover from my own abilities if we get back to Lyremouth in time for the midwinter festival."

Tevi's smile became a yawn; she was tired from her sleepless night. She turned to squelch through the string of muddy puddles dotting the path, saying nothing, but she knew there was no hope of reaching Lyremouth by midwinter. They would be doing well just to get over the Barrodens and back into the Protectorate before bad weather made travel impossible.

* * * * * *

The dwarf road climbed over the ridge at the head of the valley and down again, through groves of spindly trees on a boulder covered slope. The sky was clear but the raw wind snapped at the hems of their cloaks. At the bottom of the next valley, the path swung round to the south-east. In her exhaustion, Jemeryl's eyes were fixed on the road beneath her feet. She did not notice when a rough track dropped down the side of the valley to join their path. It only just registered that Tevi had stopped walking.

"We've gone round in a circle."

Jemeryl looked up in confusion. "We've done what?"

Tevi pointed to the track. "When we were chasing Levannue, this is where we joined with the road to the dwarf mines. I've been thinking for the last few minutes that the scenery was starting to look familiar. I didn't say anything, in case it was just wishful thinking. But now, I'm sure that this is the way back to the Old West Road."

Jemeryl nodded wearily. "I think you're right." She started up the track but Tevi remained standing on the dwarf route.

"Is there something else?" Jemeryl asked when she realised Tevi was not following.

"It isn't far to the mine entrance."

"And?"

"Do you think they've really eaten the horses? It would make the journey so much easier if we had them."

"I couldn't say. Dwarfs don't go in much for riding, but horses are valuable. They might be kept to sell. However, we can't take on the entire dwarf clan, certainly not with me in this state."

Tevi scowled in the direction of the mines, but then turned and followed Jemeryl on the steep track. Thick mud clung to their shoes. Before they were a third of the way up, Jemeryl was gasping for breath and deathly pale. Yet, she stubbornly continued putting one shaky foot in front of the other.

"Don't be silly, I'll carry you." Tevi said at last.

Jemeryl was unwilling to accept her own weakness. "You can't carry me all the way to Lyremouth."

"I will if I have to."

"I might be okay if we take it slowly." Jemeryl suggested.

"We don't have the time."

It was an undeniable truth. Jemeryl made no further objections and tried to relax in Tevi's arms, but she knew tears were bubbling under the surface. It was not so much the infirmity - that she could have tolerated, but not to be a sorcerer, to be confined in a world of four basic dimensions was the unbearable thing. Klara's death was the final bitter wound to the heart. Jemeryl closed her eyes and rested her head on Tevi's shoulder, trying to block out her pain with the comfort of Tevi's physical presence.

* * * * * *

It was a source of comfort that often felt like the only thing keeping her going in the days that followed. The rough mountain terrain that had past quickly under the horses' hooves was an arduous slog by foot. The effects of the coma faded and Jemeryl was able to travel further each day unassisted, but there was no sign of her paranormal senses returning. Except sometimes, as she drifted off to sleep, she felt the faintest hint of the world beyond in taunting images that blended into dreams.

On the morning of the fifth day after leaving the ruins, they reached the Old West Road. The two of them stood looking at the bare trees and withered vegetation. The climate had grown milder as they dropped in altitude, yet there was no mistaking the wind's icy bite. The sky was pale blue with wisps of cloud but the sunlight carried no warmth. Winter would soon be sweeping over the forests. With extreme good luck, it might hold off for a month. With bad luck, the next day might see them snowbound.

"Uzhenek is east, the Protectorate is west. Which way do you want to go?" Jemeryl's tone left little doubt that she preferred the second option.

"Which is nearest?"

"Denbury is the shorter distance, but..."

"We have to get over the Barrodens." Tevi finished the sentence for her.

"We won't have to go past Graka."

"You've talked me into it."

They set off west.

* * * * * *

Once again, they were following the Old West Road on its remorseless advance across the landscape but a change had come. The forest was stark; only withered leaves still clung to the branches. Birdsong was rare and few small animals disturbed the leaf litter. The overnight frost turned puddles to ice. Once, a mist of snow blew across the road but did not settle. To the south, the Barrodens dropped in height, although they were still an unbroken string of snow-capped peaks.

They had been back on the Old West Road for fourteen days, when it finally deviating from its ruler-straight line. The road swung to the south and began to climb into the foothills,. The following night, they camped several miles down a wide valley that had lead them into the heart of the Barrodens.

"Another three days and we'll be in Denbury." Jemeryl's voice was the most confident since awaking in the ruins.

"Good job too. We're nearly out of food."

"It's enough for a couple more meals."

"As long as they're not big ones. It's fortunate we're not expecting company."

Jemeryl stared into the darkness. "I don't suppose it's worth trying to gather something from the forest before we tackle the pass?"

"There isn't much out there that's edible. I know; I've been looking. And I don't think we can risk the time to go hunting."

"We've done well."

"We have." Tevi agreed. "We must have topped twenty-five miles a day."

"From the blisters on my feet, I'd have sworn it was twice that."

"And it will be for nothing if winter closes the pass." Tevi said soberly. "We just have to hope our luck holds for a few more days."

"We're going to make it."

"Is that prophecy or wishful thinking?"

Jemeryl smiled ruefully. "Even if my senses were restored, I probably couldn't answer that question."

They set off for the pass just before dawn the next day. The road climbed steadily, although it kept to the bottom of the valley. Snow-capped peaks rose above the forests of pine trees on either side. Eventually, the valley ended in a steep escarpment carved from a wall of rock. Here, the pass began its ascent in earnest, swinging in a long arc around the almost vertical walls. The weather was bitterly cold, pinching at their faces and numbing their toes.

"And it is going to get colder as we get higher." Tevi predicted,

After four hours of hard climbing, they at last stood on the top of the escarpment. The road ahead ran across rolling moorland, surrounded by mountains. Fields of snow crept down from the heights, encroaching on the plain. Some four or five miles distant, they could see where the road dipped and then rose over another, higher ridge slung between two craggy peaks.

"With any luck that's the top of the pass." Jemeryl said.

"It's more likely just a good viewpoint to see the next part of the climb."

Tevi smiled as she spoke and then turned around to look back over the valley they had left. It was a breathtaking panorama. The land panned out below. Jagged mountains stretched off on either side above wooded slopes. The dazzling white of the snow contrasted with the green of the pines in almost heartbreaking beauty; however, what caught Tevi's attention were the heavy black clouds piling up on the horizon.

"How long do you think we have?" Jemeryl asked quietly at her shoulder.

"Not long enough. Do you think you're up to out-running a blizzard?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"We could try and find shelter."

"Unless you can see something I'm missing, there doesn't seem to be much on offer."

"Maybe if we can get over the ridge ahead there might be... something?" Tevi finished uncertainly.

"Such as?"

"Ideally, a comfy inn with roaring fires and well-stocked kitchen - but I'd settle for a cave."

By the time they were two-thirds of the way across the moor, storm clouds were looming over their heads, blocking out the sun and swallowing the mountains. The wind at their backs picked up and buffeted them with heavy gusts. The first of the snow rippled across the ground, blown in rolling, snake-like bands that broke about their knees. A few larger flakes whipped passed their faces, and then, as suddenly as if someone had opened a door, the snow became a hurtling onslaught of white carried vertically on a screaming wind.

Jemeryl's breath was laboured. She staggered under the repeated blasts and eventually slipped to her knees. For the first time in days, Tevi picked her up and carried her, but it would not be long before even Tevi's superhuman strength would be overwhelmed. The road bottomed out of a dip and began to climb. The blizzard gained in force. The raging whiteness blotted out everything. The howling wind seemed to tear the air from Tevi's lungs and her feet sunk past her ankles into banks of snow.

The road climbed higher. As an act of will, Tevi fought to keep moving forward, scarcely able to see the ground beneath her feet. Abruptly, a large dark shape materialised out of the white chaos ahead. In the space of a dozen footsteps, the shadow became solid, acquiring contrast and form, and Tevi found herself standing outside a high wooded stockade. She set Jemeryl on her feet and the two of them edged along the wall until they reached a large gateway, guarded by arrow-slits on either side.

Tevi hammered on the door with the pommel of her sword.

"There's no point." Jemeryl screamed in her ear. "They won't hear us over the wind."

A smaller doorway was set into the larger main gate. Tevi took a few steps back, and then threw all her strength into a running kick. The wood cracked and whole gateway rattled but no shouts came from inside. A second, third and fourth kick followed, by which time the door was hanging off its hinges. Tevi delivered a final blow with her shoulder and the door flew in.

The two women stepped over the splintered wood into an enclosed courtyard. Low timber halls lined all sides. It was far more sheltered than the open hillside, yet the wind still whipped around the corners of the yard and sent streamers of snow flowing over the rooftops. Some of the buildings were clearly stables and sheds. What looked to be the domestic quarters were in a hall to their left. Tevi led the way forward and lifted the latch; to her relief it was unbolted. Billowing snow chased them inside. It cut short when Tevi shut the door. Suddenly, it was very quiet to be out of the wind.

They were in a long room with a cold stone fireplace in the centre of one wall and the opposite wall lined with bunks. An ancient table and two benches stood to one side. The walls were of split logs and the floor of beaten earth. It had clearly been deserted for days but, in the circumstances, it was pure luxury.

"Do you know what this is?" Jemeryl asked

"I'd guess it's a mercenary patrol post." Tevi said thoughtfully. "It probably doubles as a shelter for herdsmen in summer and maybe an inn for travellers. Some of my colleagues in Hortz had served in places like this."

"Where is everyone?"

"In weather like this, there are no animals on the high pastures, no wagon trains, and only very stupid bandits."

"It's run by the mercenaries?"

"If the local guild council is prepared to pay us." Tevi said dryly.

"So it must mean we're at the top of the pass and back in the Protectorate."

Tevi smiled ironically. "Welcome home."

During a lull in the storm, Tevi checked the other buildings. She found a good supply of firewood, neatly cut and stacked, clean straw for bedding, and oil lanterns, but little else. While the blizzard swept over the mountains, the two women sat beside the blazing hearth, listening to the roaring of the wind. The immediate threat was over; they would not freeze to death, but Tevi wondered how long they would be pinned down by the weather - their supply of food would not see out another day.

* * * * * *

The blizzard abated in late afternoon of the following day. The snow ceased falling and the wind dropped, although fitful gusts still made the roof of the hall creak. Tevi went to look out over the winter landscape. The patrol post was situated in a fold in the mountain, a few hundred yards below the low part of the saddle-ridge. Dark clouds hung overhead, bearing down oppressively. A thick coat of snow covered the moor. Its brilliance was softened to grey in the hollows.

The road was hidden under the drifting snow, but it was not hard to guess its line. Beyond the shelter of the stockade, the wind snapped at Tevi with renewed force, cold and biting. The snow was knee deep and the frozen crust broke as she trod on it. Bracken caught at her feet when she strayed from the path. Several times, she fell into windblown drifts reaching almost to her waist.

It took twenty minutes to reach the crest of the pass. The wind ripped over the ridge in unrestrained savagery. It roared in Tevi's ears and flung volleys of ice particles that stung her eyes as she tried to survey the countryside below. Through the shield of her fingers, Tevi saw broken hills rolling away in ever-decreasing waves, scored with valleys. On distant lowlands, she could detect signs of farms and cultivated land.

Jemeryl was waiting by the fire when Tevi returned, stirring a pan. The contents consisted mainly of water. She looked up as Tevi entered. "I'm afraid this is the last of the food. Did you find out anything promising?"

"You were right. We're at the top of the pass." Tevi confirmed.

"Good."

"I think I could see farms. They're at least a day away and it's starting to get dark now, but if it's clear tomorrow, we have to set out. We can't survive long in this weather without food."

"The snow will be back before sunrise." Jemeryl said with confidence. She continued stirring the food but then stopped suddenly and stared wide-eyed at the pan.

"Are you all right?" Tevi asked in concern.

"I'm not guessing."

"What?"

"I can see it. I can feel the storm. I'm starting to..." Jemeryl broke off. Her hands were shaking as she held them in front of her face but then, faintly between her fingers, a blue ball of light shimmered, stuttered and failed - but it was enough. While Tevi held her, Jemeryl sobbed with relief.

"Will you recover completely?" Tevi asked.

"I don't know, but I'm starting to heal. There's a major ordinance of the Coven at Denbury. Perhaps someone there can help."

Hissing from the fire warned them that the contents of the pan were threatening to boil over, reclaiming their attention. Once the food was safely in bowls, they ate the meagre supper and talked of plans while it grew dark outside, and then went to bed, still hungry.

* * * * * *

Jemeryl was awoken from a deep sleep by a draft of freezing air. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw Tevi standing by the partly open door, sword in hand.

"What is it?"

"There's something moving outside." Tevi whispered in reply.

In an instant, Jemeryl joined her at the doorway. On the far side of the courtyard a dark animal shape appeared between two buildings. It was little more than a black shadow on the white snow; as tall as Tevi's waist, lean and powerful. It paused for a moment, one paw raised, sniffing the air.

"Wolves. They've got in through the broken door." Tevi said.

Jemeryl held out a hand. Her face contorted in the effort as she probed with her damaged senses. "They're an ordinary pack. I'm sure of it. Not werewolves." she said at last.

"They're probably on the scent of the animals that were kept here."

"Shut and bar the door. We'll be safe."

Tevi had other ideas. "You stay here. Keep the door closed. I won't be long."

Before Jemeryl could respond, Tevi had slipped into the darkness and pulled the door shut behind her.

Jemeryl opened it again immediately and called, "Tevi. Come back."

"Get inside. I know what I'm doing." Tevi's voice hissed from a dark shadow, a few feet away.

Three more wolves appeared at the broken doorway to the stockade and padded noiselessly into the open. Jemeryl stepped back but refused to completely close the door. Through the finger-wide gap, she watched the pack circle the courtyard.

The silence inflamed Jemeryl's nerves until suddenly the quiet was broken by a frantic burst of snarling mixed with Tevi's shouts and then a high-pitched whine. As abruptly as it had started, the noise stopped. Unable to stay back, Jemeryl tore open the door and stepped out, in time to see the last of the wolves skidding in the snow in its panic to flee the fort. From the other direction, Tevi was returning, dragging a limp form that left a dark trail in the snow.

By the light of a lantern, the wolf seemed smaller and far less intimidating as it lay dead beside the hearth. It was no consolation to Jemeryl, furious at the scare she had received.

"That was stupid. There was no need to take risks." she shouted.

"I was quite safe. I told you I knew what I was doing." Tevi replied, unmoved.

"Why did you do it?"

"I had good reasons."

"Such as?"

"Roast wolf, fried wolf, wolf stew."

The answer stopped Jemeryl in her tracks. It was several seconds before she said, stunned, "We can't eat it."

"Are your objections moral or culinary? Because, with the way my stomach feels, you're going to have quite a job talking me out of it." Tevi grinned, and pulled a long knife from her pack. "One thing about a good barbarian upbringing - it helps you cope with life's little emergencies."

* * * * * *

The blizzard returned before dawn the next day; an invasion of white that engulfed the mountains in bludgeoning chaos. On the fifth night of the storm, Tevi and Jemeryl lay snuggled in bed, listening to the howling of the wind. A blazing fire lit the room with a red glow. Tevi felt safe, warm and comfy.

Jemeryl lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. "We should leave tomorrow." she announced unexpectedly.

Tevi raised herself on an elbow. "Are you sure?"

"I... yes." Jemeryl looked as if she had surprised herself. "It will be our best chance. The weather will stay clear for a few days."

"You're recovering, aren't you?" Tevi said after a pause.

"Slowly. Hopefully, once I get to Denbury I can be cured completely, so I'll..." Jemeryl broke off. "Does that bother..."

"What?" Tevi frowned in confusion.

"Would you prefer that I stay ungifted?" Jemeryl's voice was very quiet.

"No. Of course not. Why should I?"

"It's just... at the moment, we're both the same. And I wondered if that might be easier for you."

Tevi's eyes fixed on the fire, while she tried to organise her thoughts. "I admit, sometimes... how other people react to you gets to me... and then how they react to me for being with you... It's not you being a sorcerer that's the problem - it's the rest of the world." Her eyes returned to meet Jemeryl's. "But, at the moment, we're not the same, because I'm content with being ungifted and you're not, and never could be. If I put my mind to it, I can ignore the rest of the world, but I could never ignore the fact that you're unhappy." Tevi dipped her head and kissed Jemeryl, slowly and very softly. At last, she pulled back again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

There was still uncertainty in Jemeryl's eyes. Tevi sensed it would be easier rely on actions rather than words to pushed away any doubts - both Jemeryl's and her own. Maybe it wasn't quite so easy to ignore the rest of the world as she had implied. Which meant it was all the more reason to make the most of the times when there was just the two of them together.

Tevi stroked her hand over Jemeryl's shoulder and down her side. Jemeryl's body had become very familiar to her but was still a source of wonder. Starting at Jemeryl's hip, Tevi traced a soft line of small circles along the junction between body and leg. Immediately, Jemeryl's breathing began to quicken and her eyes half-closed. Tevi's smile grew. By now, they knew what each other liked and disliked. It had become very easy to get a response, but no less rewarding.

* * * * * *

The next morning, the two women awoke to silence, broken only by the whisper of shifting snow and the occasional creak from the timbers of the roof. Jemeryl packed while Tevi called on all her strength to open the frozen door and dig a passage out. At last, the two of them stood at the entrance to the stockade. The sky was clear blue and only the faintest breeze stirred across the mountains.

Despite the fine weather, it was a slow fight to the top of the pass through deep drifts of snow but, thereafter, the journey was downhill. Pristine fields of white swept between rock precipices in a series of giant steps. It was impossible to guess the line of the road, so they settled for heading in the general direction of 'down'. By midday, they were below the tree line. The temperature was warmer beneath the dark green pines and the snow underfoot was heavier and wetter.

Night was falling when the two women emerged onto an open plateau on the side of the mountain. They paused where the land dropped away steeply at the edge. Farms and hamlets were spread out in the broad valley below, but purple dusk was already swallowing the scene. Lights from fires and lanterns dotted the lowland.

"You're better at judging distance than me - do you think we can make it down tonight?" Jemeryl asked.

"We might. But then we might step off a cliff in the dark and break our necks." Tevi pointed to a small round building that was nearby. "We'd be safer stopping there until morning."

"Is it another of your guard posts?"

Tevi shook her head. "I'd say it was a shepherds' hut."

"I don't see any sheep."

"You won't see any shepherds either. This hillside would be used as summer pasture."

The hut had dry stone walls and a heavy straw thatch. There was a low door and no windows. No one answered their call but a supply of split logs was piled to one side and the door was unlocked. The single room inside held an overpowering smell of sheep and a mildew-covered stuffed straw pallet. The ground was wet where snow had blown in under the loose fitting door. A blackened circle of stones in the centre of the room marked the hearth.

"It'll be better than sleeping outside." Tevi said.

Jemeryl looked as if she might have disputed the statement, but said nothing.

A fire soon warmed the room and dried the pallet, although it did nothing for the smell. Smoke flowed under the rafters before seeping out into the night. The two women sat side by side, watching their supper cooking on skewers. A blanket was draped around their shoulders to ward off the draft from under the door.

Tevi looked at the backpack, where it was propped against the stone wall. In it, she knew, was Lorimal's chalice. The quest was nearly over. She fought the urge to take the chalice out. For the first time in ages, memories of Storenseg came to mind, a sharp longing mixed with a ragbag of other emotions.

"We can probably get to Denbury tomorrow." Jemeryl broke the silence.

"Maybe."

"I guess we won't reach Lyremouth until after the spring thaw."

When Tevi did not reply, Jemeryl turned to look at her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Storenseg."

"You miss it?" Jemeryl asked softly.

"It's hard to explain. This hut... I know it's cold and squalid but it's just like home. It ought to make me want to stay away, but..." Tevi did not finish.

"Do you want to go back?"

"I don't know." Tevi's face showed her confusion.

Jemeryl was silent for a while before launching into awkward, unstructured sentences. "I think I understand how you... want to go home, but... You know I want to go to Tirakhalod. I should have asked you... but, if I clear it with the guild, that you're a bodyguard or something... Though if you don't ..." Jemeryl hesitated. "Would you want to come with me? "

Tevi met Jemeryl's eyes. When it came to it, the decision was really very easy.

* * * * * *

The island hove into view above the bow of the small boat. Tevi ducked under the sail and looked at the familiar outline, silhouetted against the pale spring sky. The rush of homesickness surprised her. It was over two years since she had left. Tevi watched the mountains grow and considered all that had happened since then.

She was not the same woman who had been exiled; she had changed far too much. Her hands bore the visible reminder: two swords crossed in red and gold on the back of each. The more recent part of the tattoos were distinguishable by their darker hue, though in time they would fade to match the rest. A smile crept over Tevi's face. The other changes in her life went much deeper, though they left no visible mark.

Tevi looked over her shoulder. In the stern, Jemeryl was trying to calm the juvenile magpie in her lap as it fidgeted and fluffed its plumage. She glanced up.

"I take it these are your islands?"

"Yes. We're approaching Storenseg."

"I'm not surprised you don't have any sorcerers. The whole area is a giant sink. It's as dead as a doornail, magically speaking. I'm going to have trouble hanging on to Klara II if we stay for long." Jemeryl wiggled her fingers experimentally, leaving a faint trail of glowing green sparks. "I can raise a few visual effects. They'll have surprise value, but no real use if things get nasty."

"Shouldn't be any need. Thanks to Lorimal, my people worship sorcerers. A few pretty lights; give them a herbal cure for a hangover, and they'll be talking about you for generations." Tevi returned to the task of steering. "We're not staying and, once my family realise that, they won't cause trouble. We just give them the chalice and go."

"What if people guess that we're lovers?"

"I'm sure my grandmother will work it out in an instant - and she'll be very keen to make sure that the idea doesn't occur to anyone else. One thing my grandmother can do extremely well is manage rumours, as long as we try not to make the job too difficult for her."

"You mean I can't kiss you in the middle of the village square?"

"No." Tevi laughed. "And asking my mother's blessing for our relationship would also be a bad move."

Jemeryl matched Tevi's grin and settled back in the boat. "You know, I'll be sorry to hand the chalice over - after all we went through to get it."

"I'll be pleased to see the end of it." Tevi paused while she tacked the boat into the wind. "You're sure it's safe now?"

"Absolutely. The Guardian herself scrubbed its memory clean. I think she wanted to keep it as a trophy but your guild-master was very insistent that you complete your quest."

"Mercenaries always keep their word - rule number one of the guild. Our livelihoods depend on it." Tevi shrugged diffidently. "I did point out that I hadn't actually sworn to return the chalice, merely not to go back without it, but they told me I was quibbling and we're not supposed to do that either."

The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs became a roar. In a plume of spray, the small boat rounded the Stormfast Cliffs. The calmer waters of the bay glittered in the sunlight as the boat skimmed over the waves. Straight ahead was the beach, with fishing boats hauled onto the sands. Not far inland, the long halls of Holric were clustered beside the river. Tevi frowned at the village; it seemed so much smaller and shabbier than she remembered.

"Is everything all right?" Jemeryl asked, anxiously.

"I just feel a bit strange, to be back here."

"You could stay if you wanted." Jemeryl spoke softly. "I can go to Bykoda on my own. The guild wouldn't chase you out here, not if you weren't causing trouble. Now that your eyes are okay, you might be able to be accepted here."

"I can't fit in and I don't want to." Tevi turned to meet the worry in Jemeryl's eyes. "While you were in the coma, back in the ruined village, I was forced to consider what life would be like without you - and I'm not interested in it. As long as you want me, I'm staying with you."

"That might be quite some time." Jemeryl's smile made her relief clear. She lent her head back against the stern of the boat. "What do you think they'll make of you, bringing back the chalice and then going again?"

"If my grandmother has anything to do with it, it will become a heroic tale with very little resemblance to the truth."

The keel scraped on sand. Tevi jumped out and hauled the boat further onto the beach. She reached in to grab the bag containing the chalice and then swung it over her shoulder. "Come on, let's get this over with and be off."

With a laugh, Jemeryl joined her on the sand and the pair walked up the beach, towards the small group of armed women assembling on the dunes above them.

THE END

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