A Northern Child

Prologue

The woman had snow in her hair and frost on her fingertips.

She heaved herself up the wretched slope, nearly falling on her face as her knees trembled beneath her. A thin and lithe creature padded along at her feet. It let out a keening noise and nudged the back of her leg. Its body was scaly and a light, sandy brown. It was no larger than a dog and it held a pair of translucent wings folded close to its back.

The woman was dressed in what had been a cloak, several weeks before. Now the thick cloth hung in shreds and tatters. As she stepped forward a sliver of her ankle was revealed, the flesh blue and swollen.

"Be still, Coni," the woman whispered, pausing in her ascent to reach down and trail her fingertips along the creature's back. It nipped gently at her leg, and she let out a sigh of relief.

She had haphazardly wrapped a scarf about her head, in an effort to shield her pink and chapped cheeks from the elements. A fierce wind swept over the two and her scarf went flapping down the slope.

The creature at her feet let out a yelp and made as if to topple down the mountainside after it, but the woman shouted and it stopped.

"Leave it," she panted. A tear leaked from her eyes, coaxed out by the blustering wind. She stooped her head and continued on.

Beneath the snow and frost, the woman had flaming red hair. She reached a shaking hand up to brush a frozen strand from her gaze, and blinked her grey eyes slowly. Every time she closed her lids, she found it more difficult to pry them open again.

The creature opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of small and sharp teeth. It let out a squawk and bounded forward, momentarily forgetting the woman it had been walking beside. Seconds later it disappeared behind a large grey boulder.

"Coni!" the woman cried, her voice cracking. She coughed violently but continued on, picking up her pace as much as her swollen legs would allow. "Come back!"

She reached the boulder the creature had disappeared behind and fell against it. Her numb fingers scrabbled against its smooth and cold surface as she dragged herself around it.

The ground dipped before her, creating a shallow hollow in the earth. The woman fell forward on her knees, wincing as her skin touched the cold ground but needing a moment to breathe.

The creature was standing ten feet before her. It extended its snout forward, sniffing cautiously, before taking another step. The hollow was lined in intricate stonework, creating a maze of patterns. The creature placed one clawed foot onto the stone, and the ground shook beneath them.

"Coni," the woman breathed. She tried to crawl forward but collapsed, reaching out a feeble hand. "Coni, you've found it."

The creature padded forward at a steady pace now, sniffing about. The design in the stone looked to be some sort of intricate rune language, and with every step portions of the inscriptions lit up in vibrant colors. The creature hardly noticed, instead making straight for the center of the hollow.

The stonework rose up in the center, creating a small pedestal. Sitting atop it was a circular object, looking suspiciously like a chicken's egg.

The creature stopped before the pedestal, turning its head back to look at the woman for the first time. It let out a crooning noise deep in its throat and thrashed its thick tail about.

"Bring it to me, sweet girl," the woman said, raising her voice as loud as she could manage. She reached out a hand and grasped at the thin air. "Bring it here."

The creature hopped onto its back legs, balancing skillfully. It extended its neck forward and carefully took the object in its mouth, cradling it atop its tongue before closing its jaws in protection. It then turned and bounded back towards the woman, yellow eyes alight.