Within the Bone

XVI. A Pair of Strays

Mara awoke with a start to quivering limbs and visions of Sjaligr fading from her mind. Any memory of the place of her birth seemed a cursed omen, not that she was worthy of the gods speaking to her. She took a quiet, deep breath to center herself, trying not to wake Aallotar. The wilding had been up all day, training and splitting enough firewood to last the rest of the winter. She didn't need to be roused at some ungodly hour of the morning.

Fortunately, Aallotar currently slept with a depth worthy of the dead. Her breathing was deep and even, face not quite completely buried in her threadbare pillow. She was sprawled out instead of her favorite position, being curled around Mara, which meant the sorcerer could at least attempt to sneak out of bed.

Seeing Aallotar so peaceful, untroubled by nightmares, always warmed Mara's heart. It was a rare night for either of them if they slept without hints of their pasts tormenting them. Mara stayed a minute just to watch her friend's calm comfort. Apparently exhausting herself beyond normal had done the trick for Aallotar.

Mara wished she was so fortunate. She was still thoroughly tired, but wide awake.

She slipped out of bed and grabbed her bundle of clean winter clothes, scurrying back to the baths to dress so the rustle of fabric wouldn't rouse Aallotar. Quickly dressed in warm wool and tough leather, Mara grabbed a thick cloak and made her way out of her master's hidden sanctuary. There was no sign of Sammael anywhere around, but that meant nothing. For his size and metallic weight, the demon could be exceptionally stealthy. She still remembered the night he had stolen them from Sjaligr's dungeons, particularly his unnervingly human-like disguise. Then again, Sammael sometimes was gone for days at a time.

The chill outside was brutal, but Mara had lived in the Red Mountains her entire life and braced for it. Her breath clouded in front of her face and almost instantly she felt her hair freeze along with the inside of her nose. For all the punishment that was the cold, however, it felt cleansing. She made her way to the only sign of human activity in the area near the cave besides the tracks in the snow: a single, large brazier stacked with wood.

She brushed away all the snow and added the pint of oil that hung in a flask from a small hook set into the stone dais. The wood was dry despite the snow just because of the sheer cold, as long as you didn't leave the snow on to melt. In a few minutes, she had a fire going to warm her hands before they could go numb. She had enough wrappings under her fur-lined boots to keep her toes warm for a while, but the void-touched metal replacing the bones of her right arm ached in the bitter chill if she was out in it for too long. Mara still knew almost nothing of the sorcery Sammael had used on her, but channeling was less painful now.

His explanation certainly left something to be desired. The less mortal you are, the less it will hurt. I have given you a piece of myself to ease your progress. Perhaps you will require more as you grow in power.

The wind shifted directions, carrying a familiar copper tang. It smelled like a dead or dying animal, and not a small one, yet she'd heard no hunting cries. The snow cats didn't come this far down the mountains and the bears were all asleep this early in the year. In her experience, when wolves were in the area, they made themselves known and kept a distance from Sammael's territory. The demon's presence unnerved animals.

If it was a threat, it was probably wiser not to deal with it alone, but she didn't have the heart to wake Aallotar. Besides, she had learned much in the way of sorcery, more than enough to handle a beast.

She followed the breeze through the darkness, allowing her eyes to readjust as she moved away from the firelight. Fortunately, a brilliant full moon burned above, casting light onto the snow. Without that illumination, she would not have dared to venture any distance from the mouth of the cave. She followed the footpath mostly lost under drifts of snow, carefully crossing the small river that was frozen over at its thickest parts of the ice.