Northhorn was far out of sight by the time sunset came. Seth glanced back at Gloria who was beginning to lag behind him. She looked up at him and gave him a weary smile. She was trying to be in good spirits, but Seth could tell she was exhausted.

  Seth looked behind her towards Northhorn and grimaced. He wanted to put as much distance between him and Northhorn as possible. News of his and Gloria’s departure was sure to spread quickly, leading to easy information for anyone trying to find him.

  A sigh from Gloria broke Seth out of his thoughts and he shifted his gaze back to her. Remember, you’re not travelling alone, Seth. You need to think about her needs too. Seth screwed up his face, then kicked at the dirt. Damn it…why do I have to be right?

  He sighed and called out to Gloria. “Hey, I think we should make camp for the night; you look tired.”

  Gloria’s face paled and she shook her head, panting. “No, no, it’s alright!” she straightened and tried to take a few more steps. “I can keep going. No need to stop for me.”

  Seth watched her shoulders begin to sag again. She looked like she was ready to drop. Is she afraid to be honest with me? Maybe this will help. Seth let out a fake yawn and stretched his arms up high. “I’m getting tired too. I think this is the best I can do today,” he lied, hoping she’d relax. Gloria’s steps slowed and he could see her peeking at him hopefully.

  "We need to get off the road though,” he said looking around him. He screwed up his face. It wasn't the ideal place to camp. It was flat for miles and nothing but tall grass for cover. They'd have to be quiet and on the lookout for any indication of someone coming their way. There'll be no fire tonight, that's for sure.

  Seth stepped to the edge of the road and carefully parted the grass. "Let’s camp in the grass,” he looked back at her and noticed her smile a little. “Careful though, we don't want to bend any stalks and give any clues that we're here."

  "I can take care of that," Gloria said, reaching her hand out and closing her eyes.

  Seth frowned. “There’s no need, I can handle it just-” Behind him, the grass rustled. Seth looked back and watched as the grass parted, leaving a clear path for them to follow. His mouth dropped open, and he spun back to Gloria, his eyes wide in amazement. “You…you practice magic too?” Gloria nodded wearily and trudged onto the clear path, letting her bag slowly slip from her shoulders.

  Seth followed her in, and the grass closed behind him without a single trace of footsteps. “Wow,” he breathed, reaching out to touch a blade of grass. “This is incredible!” He fingered a blade between his fingers. Feels like normal grass, he thought studying the blade intensely. He looked up and was stunned. – The grass was quietly moving aside to form a small clearing just for them.

  Gloria tossed her bag to the ground and collapsed with a sigh. “I don’t think I can walk anymore,” she said, laying her head on her bag and draping an arm over her face.

  Seth stepped into the clearing, gaping in awe. He looked down at Gloria. Did she learn this on her own? “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

  Gloria didn’t move her arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you practice magic?” she countered.

  Seth shifted uncomfortably. It would be easier to find him if everyone knew. “It never came up,” he lied.

  Gloria shifted her arm a little and gave him a skeptical look. Seth tore his eyes away and looked around him. “What kind of magic is this?” he asked. “I don’t recognize it.”

  “Remember my deal,” Gloria answered blearily.

  Right…her ‘deal’. Seth paced the clearing, grumbling. If he wanted to know, he’d have to tell her something about himself. He looked from the grass to Gloria, stewing. I don’t need to know, he told himself. I’m content not knowing…

  Curiosity nagged at him. Seth groaned and clawed his face. He had to know! “Alright!” he said, sitting beside Gloria; she perked up.

  “I’m not much of a hunter,” he said. “I never had the knack for it, but I love to fish. Give me a rod and I’ll pull in fish all day.”

  Gloria sat up and made a face at Seth. “Really?”

  “What?” he exclaimed. “That’s from my past!”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “That hardly counts!”

  “It does so!” he retorted. “It gives a clue to where I grew up.”

  Gloria snorted. She rolled her eyes and lay back, closing her eyes. “You’ve got to give me a little more than that.”

  Seth folded his arms and sulked again. He peeked at Gloria’s peaceful face with her hands folded across her stomach. He sighed. “Okay, okay…I’ll say this, but then that’s all I’m saying.” Gloria peeked one eye open at him.

  Seth draped his arms on his knees and stared off into the distance, his heart aching at the memory. “My…my dad taught me to fish,” he heard Gloria sit up and listen. “It was one of my favorite things to do with him,” he chuckled and blinked back a few tears. “He’d never admit it, but I’m the better fisherman.”

  Seth paused and cast his eyes downward. “I miss him…” he folded his hands together and clenched them tight before turning to look at Gloria.

  She gave him a faint smile. “That sounds lovely.”

  She looked down for a moment, then nodded to herself as if deciding something. “I can do more than just manipulate plants,” then she raised her hand and began tracing golden sigils in the air.

  Seth narrowed his eyes and tried to read the sigils; during his studies, Seth had learned about different scripts, but this…this was different. He let out a small gasp of awe as the sigils drifted towards Gloria’s swollen cheek and melted into her face bathing it in a warm light. The swelling went down, and the purple bruise faded away. When the last sigil melted into her face, the golden glow faded away and Gloria sank back exhausted.

  “Incredible…” Seth murmured. Curiosity burned at him to learn more, to understand, but Gloria’s deal held him back. Knowledge has a price.

  Gloria sighed and started to rummage through her bag. “I’m starving, how about you?”

  At the mention of food, Seth’s stomach growled. He laughed sheepishly. “I won’t turn down food. What do we have?”

  “I’ve got cheese, a little bit of dried fruit…” Gloria’s face fell. “That’s all I have.”

  Seth looked in his bag – he hadn’t grabbed much either. We’ll have to stretch it as far as we can. “Cheese will be fine.”

  Gloria pulled out a hunk of cheese and tried to rip it apart with her hands, but Seth reached out. “I’ve got it,” he pulled out his dagger and laid it on his knee. Gloria handed Seth the cheese and leaned her head in her hands, her eyes dropping.

  Seth sliced off some cheese and turned to give Gloria a slice when he saw she was falling asleep. Her head drooped in her hands and threatened to drop. Seth hesitantly reached out and tapped her. Gloria started awake and blinked weary eyes at him.

  “You should lie down,” Seth said. “You look exhausted.”

  Gloria shook her head slowly. “No…I’m…” Then her voice dropped to intelligible mumbling.

  “I’ll save some cheese for you,” Seth said, pulling his blanket out from his bag and handing it to her. “Get some rest.”

  Gloria slowly took the blanket and laid her head on her bag again. She was asleep before she could unwrap the blanket.

  Seth gingerly took the blanket from her hands and draped it over her. As he did, Seth peered at her cheek where her bruise had been, and guilt stirred in him. What have I done? he thought, watching Gloria sleep. I took things too far…drawing a knife on her father? She can’t go home after that! He’d kill her! Seth’s stomach sank. What do I do? I can’t just leave her...but I also can’t take her with me.

  A soft soothing voice interrupted his thoughts. Such heavy thoughts for someone so young…

  Seth frowned at her. “Who are you and what did you do to me?”

  The woman sighed and rolled her eyes. Humans…straight to the point and always ungrateful.

  “It’s hard to be grateful when you’re being used like a puppet,” Seth snapped.

  There was a tinkling laugh. Darling, you had just died. That’s not exactly something you can just walk off. Besides, dear sweet Gloria needed help, so I intervened and saved her. The woman looked up at him through her frosted lashes. You should be thanking me.

  Seth narrowed his eyes. “Gloria doesn’t see it that way and neither do I.”

  So you would’ve rather I let her die?

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “What?” Seth sputtered. “No! Of course not! I-”

  The icy woman placed a finger on his lips and shushed him. Seth’s mouth shut and his words died away. My dear child, she crooned, caressing a finger along his cheek. He shuddered at her touch. You don’t understand what has happened – but don’t worry, you will soon. She chuckled. Now enough with your hurtful accusations and rest. I will keep you safe.

  Seth mentally wrenched himself away. “No! I will stand guard.”

  And when will you rest? The woman asked, then she glanced at Gloria. Do you think she will help you carry the burden of the night? Using her magic has exhausted her, she won’t wake up until morning.

  Seth set his face. “That’s fine. It’s the least I can do after stealing her home,” he looked at Gloria’s peaceful face for a moment for tearing his eyes away in shame.

  The woman chuckled. That’s admirable – but you cannot stay awake forever. You are not immortal like me.

  “I don’t need forever,” Seth retorted glaring at the mysterious woman. “I just need tonight.”

  The woman chuckled. So be it. Good night, my child, then she kissed Seth’s forehead and vanished.

  Seth shuddered – he was no closer to learning who this woman was. The sooner they got to Westfjord the better. Seth sheathed his dagger and glanced briefly at Gloria once more before gripping the handle tight – it was going to be a long night.

  Gloria shivered when she awoke. The ground was cold beneath her. Makes me think of… she opened her eyes and saw a grey sky and the tall grass wilting. …Fall.

  Something didn’t feel right. It was spring! Why was it so cold? Worried, Gloria gripped the blanket tight around her and sat up. “Seth?” she hissed glancing around her.

  “Hush,” a soft voice answered her. “You’ll wake him.”

  Gloria yelped and turned to see Seth’s body sitting not too far from her. Black eyes glinted at her and his head cocked as an eerie smile stretched across his face. “Oh, don’t mind me, darling,” a woman’s voice said through Seth’s mouth. “I’m just helping keep watch. He lost his strength not too long ago and nodded off,” Seth’s head shook in mock pity. “Poor thing, he tried to stay awake all night to keep watch.”

  Gloria shook as she tried to process the unnatural sight. She was back… Gloria gulped and tried to speak, but her voice was frozen.

  Seth’s face looked back up at her condescendingly. “Darling, how could you be so selfish? Making Seth keep watch all night long? And on top of everything else he’s carrying? And for what? So you could work your magic to look prettier?” The woman tsked.

  Gloria felt her face redden and she put a hand to her cheek as she stammered. “That wasn’t…I didn’t mean-”

  The woman rolled Seth’s eyes and waved his hand at her. “Oh save it…” Seth’s body sighed and the mysterious woman focused black eyes east. “You should’ve heard him last night, grumbling that he had to do it all on his own – rather unattractive if you ask me – but he did do it, that is, up until a few minutes ago.” Seth’s face smiled again.

  Gloria trembled and inched away, pulling the blanket tighter around her. She gathered up her courage and spoke. “W-who are you?” There was a small chuckle, then the black vanished from Seth’s eyes.

  After a moment, Seth groaned and rubbed his head. “Oh no…” he muttered to himself. “I fell asleep.”

  The mysterious woman’s taunt echoed in Gloria’s mind. She didn’t want Seth to think she couldn’t help pull her weight! “Don’t worry,” she said. “I-I’ve been keeping watch for a while,” Gloria laughed nervously and tried to avoid his eyes.

  Seth frowned groggily. “You didn’t have to do that. I’m sorry; normally, I’m much better at staying awake.”

  “No, no, don’t apologize!” she tried to smile and rambled on. “I-I was being selfish. I was too busy thinking about my face to think about how you would-”

  Seth put up a hand. “Gloria! Gloria! It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

  Gloria fidgeted anxiously; his calm demeanor was making her nervous. “But she said that-”

  Seth’s eyes snapped up to the grass. “What happened? What’s going on with the grass?”

  Gloria gratefully latched onto the subject change. She whipped back to look at the grass. “I don’t know, I noticed it when I woke up. The cold air is strange too.”

  “It’s cold?”

  Gloria frowned and looked back at Seth. “Yes, quite cold. Can’t you feel it?”

  Seth stared into her eyes with a worried frown and slowly shook his head. “No…feels just fine to me.”

  Gloria looked down at herself. She was wrapped up in Seth’s blanket, shivering. Then she looked up Seth who looked as though he was enjoying a balmy day. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You can’t feel the cold!” she cried, her hand flying to her mouth.

  “What?” he cried. “No! That’s…” Seth trailed off when Gloria’s teeth chattered. “Oh Crim…” he muttered and began to rise. “I…I remember feeling uncomfortable when I was next to the campfire the night before and I couldn’t stand being under the blanket.”

  “That must explain why your scars are made of ice!” Gloria cried, pointing to his arm. “She must be some kind of Ice demon.”

  Seth ran his hand through his hair and began to pace. “Oh Crim! Oh Crim! I’ve made a deal with an ice demon!” He dropped his head into his hands. “What have I done?”

  Gloria’s heart sank at his despair. She gingerly reached out to touch his shoulder. “It was just a guess; we won’t know until-”

  Seth’s head shot up and he looked behind them. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Quiet!” Gloria followed his gaze and listened. She couldn’t see anything, but she could barely hear two sets of hooves thundering in the distance.

  Seth’s face went pale. In a flash, he grabbed Gloria and yanked her close to him before pulling her to the ground. Gloria let out a brief cry, but it was cut off when his hand clamped over her mouth. “Shh!” he hissed in her ear, shaking. “Someone’s coming!” Gloria’s heart pounded in her ears, beating in time with Seth’s racing heart. She wasn’t sure if it was fear of discovery or being in his arms – Probably both.

  Hoofsteps slowed, then stopped. Chainmail clinked as heavy feet landed on the ground. Gloria began to shake, and she could hear Seth swallow and breathe anxiously in her ear. Grass rustled nearby, and through the blades, Gloria could faintly see a shadow. Blood drained from Gloria’s face and Seth’s hold tightened. Someone was looking for them!

  Another set of hoof steps slowed to a stop and they heard a woman speak. “Find anything, Jay?”

  “Not yet,” a deep voice answered. “But he couldn’t’ve gotten far. I heard he left last night.”

  There was a brief silence then the woman spoke again. “Why are you wasting time looking in the grass? It hasn’t been disturbed.”

  There was an exasperated sigh from Jay. “He's a wizen, Lizzy! How should I know what kind of magic he knows or doesn’t? Maybe he flew over the grass, maybe he made an illusion and he’s hiding right here!”

  Gloria was stunned. A wizen? She peered back at Seth’s pale face; his arms trembled around her. What's that? Is that why he's so interested in my magic?

  Lizzy scoffed. “He’s not that powerful! Come on, he probably kept going.” Lizzy clicked her tongue, and her horse set off In a trot. Jay grumbled but retreated from the grass onto his horse then the assassin duo galloped away.

  Seth held Gloria tight until they could no longer hear the horses. As soon as they were out of earshot, Seth became acutely aware of how close he was to Gloria. His hand over her mouth, her head against his chest, and her red curls brushing his cheek. She smells like cinnamon. The thought drifted through his mind unbidden and Seth felt his face grow warm. He’d never been this close to a woman before. What was he supposed to do? He had no clue!

  Gloria shifted and Seth quickly pulled away. “Sorry!” he said, his throat feeling rather tight.

  Gloria spun around and looked him in the eye. Seth’s chest tightened when he met her green eyes. “I thought you were a locksmith,” she said with a piercing gaze.

  Seth stammered for a moment, his throat refusing to work. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I-I am,” he finally said. “I am also a wizen.” Gloria frowned in confusion. “A wizard’s apprentice,” he clarified. “That’s where I learned my magic.”

  “Is that why you’re being hunted?”

  Seth laughed and shook his head. “No, it’s not,” he sighed and Master Naboth’s twinkling eyes came to mind. “What I can say is that if it weren’t for my master, Naboth, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”

  A gust of wind blew, and Gloria shivered. “It’s spring, it shouldn’t be this cold…”

  Seth looked up at the greying sky. “We should get moving, it looks like it’s going to…” Seth furrowed his brows and analyzed the clouds. “Snow?”

  Gloria whipped back to him. “Snow? But…it’s spring!”

  Seth pointed to the sky. “I know, but look! Those aren’t rain clouds.”

  Gloria looked up and her jaw dropped in disbelief. “But…how?”

  Seth shook his head. “I don’t know, but we should get moving before whatever that is hits.”

  Gloria grimaced, then nodded. “Alright, but before we go, I’m going to put on another layer.” She pulled a rough brown dress out of her bag and began to pull it over her head.

  Seth, meanwhile, rose and peeked over the grass. He couldn’t see anyone coming from the west. For now, at least. He reminded himself.

  Behind him, Gloria grunted. Seth looked back to see Gloria’s hands stuck above her head. “These dresses were not made for layering!”

  Seth started to reach out, then pulled back. “Need any help?” he asked instead.

  “No, I’ve got it,” she grunted again, then her head poked through the dress. “Ha! There we go!” Seth felt a little silly for thinking it, but a small part of him missed the blue dress.

  He shook his head to clear the thought, then looked east. Seth could see two faint specks on the horizon. We can’t take the road now, he thought. It won’t be long before they think they’ve followed the wrong path and decide to turn back.

  Gloria stepped up beside him. “What are you thinking?”

  Seth jumped a little then turned back to Gloria who eyed him curiously. “Sorry, I’m not used to having another person with me,” he cleared his throat then pointed to the road. “It’s not safe, those assassins could turn around and we’d run right into them,” he grimaced. “I don’t like the idea, but I think we need to travel through the grass.”

  “Don’t worry,” Gloria smiled. “I can make a path for us,” Seth looked back at Gloria who turned and raised a hand towards the grass. She closed her eyes and focused again. Her arm trembled and Gloria’s face furrowed in deep concentration.

  The wilted grass straightened as best it could, then sluggishly moved aside, forming a clear path in front of them. Seth glanced at Gloria; she panted before wiping sweaty palms on her dress.

  “You okay?” Seth asked.

  Gloria smiled at him. “Yes…Just requires a bit more effort.” Then she tied Seth’s blanket around her neck, picked up her bag, and stepped onto the path. “Come on now,” she waved. “Before the snow comes.”

  Seth picked up his bag and followed her. After a moment or two, realization came to Seth. He quickly jogged to catch up to Gloria. “So,” he began when he was be her side, “I told you more about me. Are you going to tell me any more about yourself?”

  Gloria moved another patch of grass aside. “Nope.”

  Seth blinked. “But…I told you I’m a wizen!”

  Gloria chuckled and peeked over her shoulder at him. “My exact wording was ‘When you tell me your past, I will tell you mine.’ You didn’t tell me that, that assassin did. You merely confirmed it.”

  Seth halted. “What?” he cried. “That’s not fair!”

  Gloria giggled and gave him a little shrug. “That was the deal, and you agreed to it,” she continued forward, the grass slowly parting before her.

  Seth stared after Gloria feeling cheated. He did agree to her deal, but this was arguing semantics! Information was information!

  Seth grimaced and an uncharitable thought rose in his mind, but as he watched her long red curls bounce as she walked, something stirred in his chest. He tried to shake away the odd feelings. What’s happening to me? He thought, hurrying to catch up to her again before the grass closed behind her. Am I getting sick? Oh Crim, I hope not.

  It was early afternoon when the snow came. It was a flurry or two at first, but then a steady flow of snow drifted down from the dark grey sky, quickly covering the ground in a blanket of snow. Gloria shivered violently and pulled the blanket closer around her. The extra dress and blanket did little to keep her warm.

  She reached out her shivering hand again and focused on the grass. The snow and quickly freezing ground was putting the grass to sleep. No! she begged. Don’t go to sleep! Not yet! We need your help!

  The grass groaned. It was so cold.

  Please grass. Gloria wobbled and her heart pounded in her head. We must remain hidden!

  “Everything alright?” Seth asked behind her.

  “It’s…fine” Gloria raised both hands trying to summon the dregs of her energy. She poured it all into the spell. Please! Just one more time!

  The grass stalks slowly straightened and tried to move, but the frozen ground trapped the grass in place. They tugged and strained, but the earth was too firm. The stalks drooped and the spell snapped back at Gloria. Then she collapsed.