Game of Thrones: King of Magic

Chapter 23

Jon Snow. Wolfwood.

The snow pressed beneath my feet, and a chill wind blew across my face. I and Ghost followed Mara, who insisted on speeding up, limiting herself to one halt for the night. Her footsteps were hurried, but at the same time light and much quieter than mine. Mara slowed down only when she chose a path to avoid a particular place.

As we walked, I wondered why she was in such a hurry. And how did she know Lord Solomon's appearance when I had said nothing about it? Asking them to Mara, I didn't get any answers, to which I had to resign myself to and just follow her. But it's safe to say that she definitely doesn't want to kill me, at least not now.

Maybe it's the magic? According to Lord Solomon, the North has the densest concentration of it, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own sorcerers and mages there. Besides, my main goal is to explore the lands beyond the Wall, and the dead with glowing blue eyes. If Mara can take me to someone knowledgeable, I might be able to shorten my travel time and get back to Winterfell sooner.

Judging by the map, we've recently passed the Long Lake, and the Last Hearth should be relatively nearby. And that's impressive.

Mara said they only travel in groups, and yet they manage to stay undetected by the Lords of the North if they don't get too cocky. The only living creatures we've seen are animals, which means I've never seen a human.

This is very different from my perceptions of the Wildlings, or rather the Free Folk. Even deserters sooner or later get caught by someone and are quickly dealt with. At the same time, the Free People are fierce and wild as beasts, but they know how to act quietly and stealthily. As I recall, Lord Stark only received reports of the effects of their attacks, not their whereabouts.

While I was deep in thought, Mara's hand suddenly stopped me, causing my eyes to look around and then back at her. The ghost, on the other hand, began to survey the surroundings looking for something as he stood next to me.

- What's the matter? - I decided to ask Mara, standing with her back to me, her arm still outstretched.

She didn't answer, but looked cautiously at one tree and another, occasionally switching to the ground.

Is that an enemy? Quite possibly.

I slowly and discreetly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, then activated my magic circuits and engaged Origin.

Ahead of us were footprints that someone had covered with snow to hide them. The thickness of the snow cover was definitely different, which indicated that. My nose picked up a very faint, almost dispelled odor of ash and roasting meat. And some of the trees were missing branches, as if they had been used to start a fire.

Is this friend or foe?

After a few seconds of scrutinizing her surroundings, Mara gave a sigh of relief and lowered her hand, to which I raised an eyebrow.

- Come out, Sid! He's not the enemy! - she shouted softly into the space ahead of us.

At first, nothing happened. But then, a moment later, a man with a stern expression on his face and a bow and arrow in his hands came out from behind one of the trees. I would give him about thirty to forty years old, as wrinkles were just beginning to cover his face. He had blue eyes, overgrown stubble and short length black curly hair, and his hands were almost completely covered in calluses.

His clothing matched that of a typical wildling, except for the leather cuff on his right hand, in which he held a bow. The quiver was fastened to his belt on his left side for easy access to arrows.

His bow was different from Mara's. Besides being larger, almost a third of the shoulders were covered with steel plates, which I found odd. The wristband he wore could also be put into this category. It was brown in color with an emblem embroidered on it: an Arrow splitting a crescent moon, making it look like a bow. How interesting.