Within the Bone

XIX. A Demon's Task

The blast of cold air that hit Mara as she stepped out was punishing. There had been no sign of Aallotar in the cave, which did nothing to ease her concern. They still didn't know how far the wildling could venture from Sammael's hideout alone before reverting to her beast form.

"Aallotar!"

The woods gave the sorcerer no answer. Mara sighed. She'd barely taken the time to pull on warm clothes, assuming that Aallotar would be close enough and on speaking terms, so she could soothe Caliban's snipe and be done with it. She already felt the chill in her right arm. Not for the first time, she cursed her metal bones and stepped out into the snow. A proper blizzard was here, snow coming down in flurries. Any tracks in the woods filled almost instantly, no matter how large.

"Aallotar!"

A hand caught Mara by her shoulder, turning her. Aallotar's eyes seemed more bestial than human, though they quickly returned to normal now that she was near Mara. The snow had already coated the wildling's fair hair and shoulders. "You are going to freeze to death."

Mara pulled her back inside the mouth of the cave. "I could say the same to you. You're not dressed for the cold, Aallotar."

Gold eyes flashed in the dark for a moment before turning away. "Does it matter?"

"It does to me." Mara reached out, brushing some of the melting snow off the wildling's hair. "Just because I tell you not to let Caliban get to you does not mean I don't care."

Aallotar pulled in a hiss of breath, almost flinching away from the comforting touch. She kept her eyes fixed on the stone beneath their feet. "He drives words like thorns into me."

"I know," Mara said softly. She sighed when Aallotar's gaze didn't move from the floor of the cave. "Look at me." When the wildling did as she asked, Mara offered a smile. "We have each other. Nothing's going to change that."

For all her straightforward nature, Aallotar seemed conflicted as they moved back into the cave proper, further from the chill of the snow. Mara could almost see the words poised on the tip of Aallotar's tongue, but the wildling kept them locked away behind pressed lips. It was a display of guardedness that Mara wasn't used to seeing. It sent a pang of worry through the sorcerer.

"Aallotar, you can talk to me." Mara assumed it was about Caliban.

The wildling nodded slightly in acknowledgement, but said nothing until they made it to the door. "I do not want to go back in. Not to see him sneer at me."

Mara's shivering quickly grew worse, until she felt like she was going to rattle apart. "If we don't go in, we'll freeze to death. We can just go to our spot. He won't bother us there."

Aallotar nodded quickly and then wrapped her arms around Mara as she opened the sorcerous door. The sudden warmth and faint smell of wet fur was immensely comforting for the sorcerer. Aallotar released her once the door was open, but with reluctance in every movement.

Caliban was there when they stepped back in, but this time without much in the way of mockery. Instead, there was that familiar envy in his expression. "The Master wishes that you attend to him, Mara."

Theudhar frowned. "Isn't she hurt badly enough already?"

Mara appreciated the concern, but she knew she needed Sammael and all the pain he inflicted. "It'll be fine."

"You are to bring the beast with you."

Aallotar bared her teeth at Caliban, but moved past him without a word. Mara followed and almost sighed in relief that there hadn't been more of a confrontation. Eventually things would come to a real head, but in her heart of hearts, Mara was hoping that it would be when she was done with her studies. The sorcerer knew better than to keep Sammael waiting and hurried ahead.