Divine Intervention

unfinished chapter and a goodbye for now

   Morrigeth had assumed solid ice would have the same insulating properties as snow. But assumptions rarely brought one closer to the truth. It was clear the ice sorcerers had no need for heating systems, and paid no heed to how this may affect other creatures.

   "The less obedient ones are kept deeper in the building," Jasper said. "Harder to escape, you know?" His voice had a strange rigidity to it, coated in a translucent shell of casualness. Morrigeth wanted to say something, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

   "So, you think the werewolves are there?" she asked.

   "Yes. The cold doesn't hinder their kind. So newer ones tend to fight back."

   Morrigeth swallowed her comment on how one would be expected to fight their kidnappers. "Lead the way, then."

   The two walked in awkward silence though the dim corridors. Morrigeth sneezed. To her surprise, the lanterns didn't flicker, as electric lights tended to do when she sneezed. Her head twisted around as she passed one. Her focus shifted to the next. And the one after that. They seemed to come in a variety of colors - blue, purple, yellow, pink - though there was no particular color scheme. She squinted her eyes at one of them. In the lantern was neither a bulb nor even a candle. The light source actually looked almost humanoid in shape...

   "Are these fairy lights?" she asked.

   Jasper chuckled. "You noticed. I bet that brightens your mood, huh?"

   "Why would it?"

   Jasper shrugged. "I don't know. Just thought you'd hate fairies after what they did to you."

   Morrigeth laughed. "Yeah, right, like every fairy in the world came together to make me their slave."

   Jasper furrowed his brow in confusion. "Well, obviously not," he said. "I just meant... you know... oh, never mind."

   Morrigeth was glad to let the subject go and instead tried to focus on what would happen when she found the wolves. They were likely guarded. And if the guys at the entrance were any indication, she and Jasper weren't fully trusted. Which was a bit odd, now that she thought of it. Didn't his family own this place? She replayed the scene in her head. What had that man called him?

   "What's a Dry Veins?" she asked.

   Jasper tensed at the utterance. 

   "Oh. Yeah, I figured it was bad," Morrigeth said, ears set back. "Y-you don't have to tell me-"

   "It's fine," Jasper said. "I suppose I should share, since you did." His eyes darted to the wall. "A Dry Veins is someone born into a magical species yet can't use magic."

   "Yeesh, that must suck," said Morrigeth. Jasper turned to her, clearly offended. "Uh, not that you suck. Just... uh..." Oh crap. "I-I've never heard about that one," she said, scratching her head in embarrassment. 

   "Yes, well, it's pretty rare."

   "Yeah, I'm used to dealing with the opposite problem."

   "You call your powers a 'problem'?" Jasper said. "At least you can make a difference in this world."

   "Hey, who said you couldn't? You know, almost no humans are born with magic, and they managed to take over an entire continent."

   "Well, great for them, but up here things work a little differently." Jasper stared at his shoes as they continued walking. The two listened to the sound of their own feet shuffle against the snow-crusted floor.