A Shield of Faith (BOOK 4)

Chapter 44

MARIA

It took days to fashion a halfway acceptable Infirmary for the growing Outpost with the runic generators underneath the city working at full capacity, but not nearly as efficient as she needed them to be for anything more than a basic alchemy station. We'll also need to get some woodworkers to fix some of these cabinets... and I need some sort of ledger on their agriculture and how they kept plants alive... Maria slipped phials into the few drawers in good condition to keep dried, packed herbs while the others prepared the beds, not the most comfortable, but the Outpost would have to make do until they could send more supplies.

Others swept the grounds clean of any haphazard, frozen bodies to set them to a burning pyre in the cold nights, with Neven subdued as they saw off the old deceased of Irimount's fall. Shadows flickered across his wheat-spun feathers when he turned his back on the dying pyre with nothing but ashes left and some scattered bones which they buried around the center statue.

Sheets spread out and tucked while the heat from the runic generators filled the lamps and the thermal vents in the corners, she savored the warmth it provided and Neven's kindness in concentrating on the Infirmary to get most of the heat for anyone who got hurt at the Outpost. There was a lot of work left to do, but she left for their temporary lodgings in the barracks with a sense of accomplishment of what they got down around the courtyard. Lights shone along the tall fence and through the windows of several of the buildings. Wardens cleared out the snow from the pathways to reveal slippery white stones.

Her steps faltered at the sight of a certain pale-haired Naveeran squeezing himself between the metal gates. Maria checked on the Wardens who turned in for the night in the barracks before sliding to follow him out into the streets of the ruined city of firmament piercing towers, with the largest sending its grand height far past the clouds and its own mountain cradle which provided natural shelter from the consuming blizzard. The shadowy figure continued on, their head wrapped around in a scarf and an ear hat to go along with it as their fingers hooked against the fabric to keep it over their nose as their pace quickened.

Now, what do you think you're doing? Maria trailed through the labyrinth of stone to catch up to the wrapped figure when they entered a massive gatehouse beside a pearlescent portcullis. Maria hung back underneath the shadows of a trellis as he pushed out a sailed raft with a slicing undercarriage underneath each of the planks. He tugged on the ropes to set up the sails, and it dawned on her what the Naveeran intended. Out of her hiding spot, she called, "I thought I told you that you aren't going alone out there."

Sapphire irides met her when the sails rustled, packed tight against the small mast. His fingers pulled the scarf down to reveal Neven's angular features. "Ah... Maria." He let go of the ropes as they slinked into a small heap beside the mast, but he took the end to wrap them around hooks which dotted around the raft itself. "You should be more bundled up out here." He opened up a small compartment, hauling out a strap of glowing orange tinctures, running his thumb down them before taking a swift drink of one before placing the others inside.

"Fire tinctures?"

Neven nodded and finished the rest. "I like to have the extra protection in the Frozen Wastes," he said, and she reached the side of the raft to look up at him. "I know you do not approve, but I need to confirm the map's accuracy. It must be done, and better that it is me."

"You're the one who said that the Frozen Wastes changed constantly, day by day. Mother told me much the same thing when I sent her a letter." Maria hauled herself up onto the raft. "You can say you know Irimount, but you can't trust your memory of the area surrounding it."

Neven hummed and unfurled a contraption on the mast to reveal a white compass with a spinning needle. "While that is true... it makes no difference." He pushed his thumb into its center, and the needle stopped spinning, concentrated on Irimount's center. "As we do not have any surviving Gryphlings to pull frost carriages, I'm afraid our only means of fast transportation are Snowshears." He patted the mast then readied the sails. "I'll simply have to trust the compass to take me home." His fingers trailed down the pale iceberg, blending in with the environment. As he went to sidle past her, she grabbed his shoulder. "Aiya, what?"