ALL NOVEL 25 - The Pass of the Winds.
They traveled the winding path in silence, shrouded by darkness. Apart from the constant howling of the wind and the muffled sound of hooves on the rough terrain, little else could be heard. The world around them was just dark and gray shapes, although they had little trouble seeing the path, as the sky was clear and the Ladies provided enough light to follow the trail without effort.
Lysandra felt a shadow within her. “We all feel it, really,” she told herself, looking at her traveling companions, who marched with a downcast air. Alaric finally joined them after a long wait, but he had barely opened his mouth since then. He only told them in a bitter voice that the Count's soldiers had captured Crab, promising to give them more details once they crossed the mountain pass. After that, he took the lead, a few yards ahead of the rest, with his brow furrowed and his gaze fixed on the path. He didn't even respond to Wart when he asked for more explanations. She didn't quite know how to react to the news. For a moment, she thought Alaric might want to go back and try to rescue him. But he continued the ascent without looking back. Something had happened down there that he didn't wish to share.
Her mother worried her as well. Since Alaric returned, her demeanor had become serious and distant, as if something was troubling her. She rode at the back of the group, mounted on one of the horses that had been pulling the wagon they arrived in at the "The Hidden Hound". It seemed like she deliberately wanted to distance herself from the others.
Lysandra rode second, and right behind her was her sister, accompanied by the young Wart. On a couple of occasions, she tried riding next to Alaric to talk to him, but all she got were monosyllabic responses and short, sullen sentences. It was clear he wanted to be left alone.
They finally reached the top of the Pass of the Winds, just at dawn. The first light of the East revealed a flat, barren expanse, swept by endless, icy currents blowing down from the southern mountains, making their cloaks flutter like flags. The same dawn light turned the great shadows that had surrounded them throughout their journey into towering rocky elevations, whose peaks were lost in pale clouds, revealing patches of snow here and there. They could also see several stone cabins scattered across the plain, where travelers could rest after the arduous climb. And a small stream of icy water crossed the path, perfect for filling their water skins.
But they didn't stop. Alaric indicated they should continue, at least until they reached halfway down, where the wind was much gentler and Sunno would have warmed the air enough by then. So they continued at a slow pace, crossing the plain and resuming the descending path toward the valley. From that height, they could make out the town of Vallefrío several leagues below, like tiny orange dots crowning a hill surrounded by dark vegetation. But they wouldn’t go all the way there. Halfway down, they would turn north, skirting the Horn Mountains, heading for the coast.
As they began the descent, Zarinia urged Negrito to catch up with Lysandra, leaving Wart and his white mare, "Perla," a few yards behind.
"Do you think he will get over it? " the girl asked sadly, her breath forming small clouds of vapor in the cold air. "I really feel sorry for poor Crab. Is he planning something to rescue him?"
"I don’t know," Lysandra replied with a sigh. "They're very good friends. Besides, from what I’ve seen so far, Alaric doesn’t seem like the kind of man who likes to leave anyone behind."
"And Mother?" Zarinia asked, worry evident in her voice. "She's acting strange, too. It's like she wants to stay behind on purpose, and she hasn't said a word the whole trip. Not even when I took Rendel’s hand to see if she’d react."
"I know, it's very odd. It’s like they're both avoiding each other. But it doesn't make much sense. What happened down there?"
"Have you tried talking to him?"
"Yes, but he stays away from me. It's clear he wants to be alone. And I don’t want to push him."
"Yeah... But someone has to remind him that we need to stop at some point for breakfast. I’m hungry and freezing. And I feel like Negrito is tired, too."
"So is Panecillo. All of us, actually. You’re right, I’ll tell him."
Lysandra nudged her horse's flanks, making it trot reluctantly until she caught up with Alaric and Regino. The poor animal also looked exhausted from so much climbing and descending.
"Alaric. I think we should stop to rest a bit. We're all tired, and it would be good for the horses to take a break too."
“This isn't a good camping spot. About a league further down, there’s enough vegetation to hide us, and the wind is softer there.”
“Come on, we’ve been on this path for hours without crossing a single soul. No one’s following us, and if anyone from the valley were to approach, we’d see them coming up easily from here. Let’s stop now and rest. There’s no point risking one of the horses stumbling and hurting a leg.”
Alaric stopped Regino, turning his head to look at Lysandra. His eyes were darkened by fatigue and a shadow of concern. He looked back, observing the tired faces in the group. After a moment of silence, he nodded resignedly.
“You're right; there's no reason to push on,” his voice was deep and laden with frustration. “My foul mood is clouding my judgment. Fine, let’s rest over there at that bend. Although there isn’t much firewood around here if we want to make a fire.”
“You forget who’s with you, Alaric. Leave the warmth to me and worry about resting,” Lysandra replied with a smile. He returned the smile, though it was a tired one.
To everyone’s relief, they veered off the path to a small clearing between the rocks. At least they could shelter from the wind while sitting down. Some patches of yellowish grass were even growing there, which the horses began to munch on, though without much enthusiasm. Wart took out a metal pot, wine, and spices, while Lysandra placed her hands on a circle of stones they had quickly gathered. The small rocks began to smoke, and soon after, they glowed red, radiating a lot of heat. Breakfast would consist of hot spiced wine and some dried biscuits. Just enough to ward off the cold and trick their stomachs.
“Wow, with this chill, you could’ve heated some stones earlier and put them in the saddlebags,” Wart said, rubbing his hands and looking at Lysandra with curiosity.
“Sure, if you want to scorch everything you’ve got in there,” Zari replied, laughing softly. “When we heat the stones like this, there’s no middle ground. They burn like hell for quite a while. But it’s true that in winter, we sometimes use them to fill braziers.”
“And with a tiny rock? A pebble?” the young man asked, picking one up from the ground and showing it as an example.
“No, it won’t work. It has to weigh at least six pounds,” Zarinia replied, making a hand gesture to show the approximate size the stone needed to be.
“Why is that?” Wart insisted, frowning, slightly annoyed.
“Well... That’s just how it works. It’s related to volume, weight, and density,” Zari replied with a look that suggested it was the most logical and obvious thing in the world.
“And if it’s very big? Like that rock up there.”
“Nooo. There’s a limit. Not even the most powerful sorcerer in all of history could heat that one enough to turn it red,” Zarinia rolled her eyes and leaned back on a nearby stone. “Maybe Thelorios the Great could have managed to get it somewhat warm...”
“Well, I don’t see why not. And can you cook just with your hands? A chicken, for example?” Wart asked, crossing his arms in a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
“No, Rendel, you silly. It also depends on the percentage of water and its composition.”
“So, it only works for stones.”
“No. I mean, yes. But no...” Zarinia sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Bah, never mind. I’ll explain it to you some other day if you like. I’m not in the mood today.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the others couldn’t help but smile at the young ones' conversation. For a while, they remained silent, moving closer to the circle of stones to enjoy the warmth. Lysandra, however, kept watching Alaric and her mother. She noticed how they exchanged furtive glances, as if engaged in an intense silent duel. Alaric made a small, almost imperceptible gesture with his head. To Lysandra’s surprise, her mother discreetly responded with another slight nod.
“I’m going to check the road for a moment,” Alaric said, clearing his throat and looking away, feigning distraction. “Stay here and rest in the meantime.”
Neither Zarinia nor Wart seemed to notice anything. They kept eating, happy and smiling, unaware of what Edel and Alaric were secretly plotting. Lysandra stayed quiet, pretending to be distracted while watching her mother out of the corner of her eye. Soon, Edel stood up and, smoothing her skirt, said:
“I have to go do something over there behind the rocks, you know what I mean. I won't be long.”
Lysandra felt a knot in her stomach. “What are those two plotting?” she asked herself. She wasn’t going to be left wondering. She waited until her mother disappeared around a bend in the path before getting up and cautiously following her.
“Is your stomach acting up too? It must be the hot wine; it loosens the bowels,” Zarinia joked, laughing and winking at Wart.
“Uh… yeah, that’s it. Just keep an eye on the horses for now,” she replied, with a nervous smile.
Lysandra walked a short distance down the path, careful not to make noise. She had lost sight of her mother, though she couldn’t be far. Soon, she heard voices and saw two figures under the shadows of a large rock. Alaric and Edel, without a doubt. But she couldn’t continue on the path without being seen, so she had no choice but to climb the rocks, trying to approach from the other side. She slipped a couple of times, and on the third attempt, she banged her shin against a stone. She had to bite her fist to avoid cursing out loud. Limping silently, she approached the large rock from behind. She couldn’t see them, but she could hear their conversation. Almost. They spoke in low voices, and the boulder was so large that the voices were muffled and unclear.
“So we’re risking everything for a farce,” Alaric’s voice sounded tense.
“You don’t understand. What she told you has some truth to it, but a lot of lies as well. You can’t trust her words. She wanted to manipulate you.”
“So, what’s the truth?” Alaric asked, annoyed.
She heard her mother take a deep breath, preparing to say something difficult to reveal.
“They aren’t mine, that’s true. Although in my heart, it has always felt as if they were. But I didn’t steal them, Alaric. At least, not in the way you seem to imply. What I did, I did for a very specific reason.”
“And what reason is that?”
“It’s a long story,” her mother responded with a somber voice. “I will tell you everything, I promise. But you must trust me, I beg you.”
“I don’t know who to trust anymore, to be honest. All I know is that my friend is in the clutches of that woman…”
Alaric must have hit the rock because it rumbled and made Lysandra step back in surprise.
“At least I have the consolation that they’ll keep him alive as bait,” he continued, his voice heavy with dejection.
“I truly regret what happened to your friend. And I’ll help you rescue him, I give you my word.”
“Your word. Right now, I don’t know if that holds any value. And what about them? Will you tell them?”
Silence fell. Lysandra didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. What was it that wasn’t her mother’s? And with whom had Alaric spoken to cause him to distrust this “she”? She was about to climb a bit higher to try to hear better, but accidentally slipped once more, scraping her leg and making a rather unpleasant noise as she scratched the stone.
She sat down, bringing her hands to her scraped shin, biting her lip to try to keep silent, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Well, I think you’re a better sorceress than a thief,” said a voice above her.
She looked up, and her eyes met Alaric’s, who was observing her with a serious expression, leaning over the rock.
“What have you heard?” he continued, as he climbed to the top and dropped down next to her with an agile leap.
“Enough to make me wonder what kind of secrets you and my mother are sharing that you don’t want to tell us,” Lysandra said, mixing her displeasure with pain as she accepted the hand Alaric offered to help her stand up.
“I won’t tell you anything about it because I think that’s something your mother should tell you when the time is right,” he answered. His voice had become serious, tinged with a sadness that made Lysandra shiver.
They both emerged from the rocks, returning to the path where her mother was waiting with a worried expression.
“My child, are you hurt?” Edel asked, quickly approaching her when she saw her limping.
“It’s nothing, Mom. But tell me, what are you hiding from us? Why all this secrecy?” Lysandra asked, unable to keep her anxiety at bay. The old woman took her hands, giving her a sad and melancholy look, on the verge of tears.
“I’ll tell you everything. To you, and your sister. I think the time has come. But not now. When we reach the cabin. I promise you. I promise both of you.”