The morning meal took a little longer than usual to appear, but when it did, there were three plates. The lack of a fourth was just another reminder that Aisling was still asleep. It was a heavy weight in Ceallach's belly.

After everyone had eaten, Rowan pulled out a map from one of his many pockets and laid it out on the dining table. Ceallach had seen some maps in the various tower storybooks, but they were for imaginary lands and looked nothing like this one. There was a single continent on it, labeled as "Solteura", that looked like the gaping maw of some great beast. The inside of this "mouth" was dubbed the "Inner Sea", which was really just a section of the ocean that surrounded the continent. To the west, some distance from the mainland, were clusters of islands. A great many lines had been drawn on the main continent, which looked like paths that Rowan had traveled before.

"From what you've told me and some geomancy I did this morning, I would place us...right here," he said, marking the center of the map. "Right in the middle of the Inner Sea...interesting."

Ark seemed surprised to hear this. "In the very middle?" he asked, his voice touched with something that Ceallach felt was like concern.

"Yes, it's quite remarkable. Total isolation. You can see for yourself," Rowan straightened to let the angel have a better view. He studied it in silence.

"So where are we going next?" Ceallach asked.

"My proposed route may interfere with your task as celestial envoy," Rowan said, arching an eyebrow.

Ark took a long moment to respond, as absorbed as he was with the map. "I am to check wards at as many settlements as I can. There is no route specifically."

"In that case...we'll want to return the cargo basket, so we'll go back...here," Rowan tapped a dot at the southeastern end of the main continent. "Next, we follow the inside coast to reach Winter's Mouth up in the northwest," he said, dragging his finger around the bend of the continent's maw. "Not only will it be quicker, but the further from the Inner Sea we are, the more likely we are to encounter something malicious. What we learn might take us somewhere else. I can't say for sure."

"And we'll be walking the whole way?" Ceallach asked.

"There are coaches in the cities along the east that may be able to take us further north. But for the most part, yes, it will mean a lot of walking."

Ark was frowning while he stared at the map. Ceallach noticed this and nudged him.

"Hm? I'm fine. Will the two of you be ready to go soon?"

Rowan took the hint and rolled up the map. Ceallach waited for the angel to say something else, then stood. "I'd...better say goodbye, then."

He waited for Rowan to finish gathering his things before sitting beside Aisling's bed. After a moment, he took one of her hands in both of his. "I'll...we'll. We'll find something that works, promise. Soon. Just a little longer. Then you'll be awake again..."

He held on to her hand for a long moment, waiting and hoping for even the slightest kind of acknowledgment, but she stayed asleep. Her fingers flexed slightly, but it seemed more like a slumbering movement rather than a reaction. He sighed, patted her hand, and tucked it back under the sheets. It was better to leave as soon as possible, so he could make good on his promise.

----

Ark was in need of rest after they had reached the shore, but Rowan insisted that they begin their journey as soon as possible to get to Winter's Mouth before winter. So for a while Ceallach had to carry the angel on his back.

Walking for hours in forested or dirt paths quickly became uncomfortable if he let his hair drag along behind him, and it was far from practical to hold it all in his hands, so he wound it around his neck and shoulders like a long scarf. This kept him warm despite the cool breezes. 

Rowan made sure that they stopped at some sort of settlement every night, whether it was a little hamlet or a town. Sometimes this meant stopping sooner or going further than usual, but he claimed they were making good time. This reassured Ceallach, who had no way of knowing how far they had gone or how far they still had to go.

On their third evening travelling, as they were waiting in the lobby of the town inn for Ark to finish arranging their stay for the night, Rowan asked, "How do you feel, Ceallach?"

Ceallach stopped picking burrs off his pants and looked up. "I'm alright. My feet ache a little, but I don't feel that tired."

Rowan stared at Ceallach's bare feet for a while and had a seat on a bench. "Shouldn't the celestial envoy be able to provide shoes for its members?"

"I haven't worn shoes for a long time. The tower ran out of ones that fit me pretty quickly, even though there were some very nice ones."

Rowan pondered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Anyway, do you think you have enough strength to do a bit of working out with me tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anyone can look at you and see that you've got muscle. But I've only been with you a few days and I can tell that you lack stamina. There's a lot of room for improvement. I'm not sure how confident our celestial friend is, but I think it would be prudent to improve your overall fitness in case there are complications on your journey."

Ceallach looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them a few times. Back in Tafal, Oslo had called him a bodyguard and he hadn't denied it. Now Rowan seemed to confirm it. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Something the matter?" Rowan asked.

"Nothing. But I want to start as soon as possible."

"Excellent! I'll be a few minutes," said the doctor. He left the room and went outside.

Ceallach waited by the window, returning to his business of picking burrs off. A few minutes later Ark finished his conversation with the innkeeper and sat by him.

"That was harder than it should have been...and only for a single room. Say, where did Rowan go?" asked the angel.

"Out," Ceallach said. He looked out the window and saw Rowan piling stones into a cloth sack they used for provisions. He stared in confusion for a moment, shook his head and blinked. He wasn't imagining things, the doctor was indeed putting a good-sized piece of rubble into the sack.

Ceallach opened the window and called out, "What is that?"

Rowan looked up and wiped his hands free of dirt, grinning. "Training!"

"How?"

"Well, come on out and pick this up," Rowan said, gesturing. Ceallach put it on his back wordlessly. "Now, you'll be running with me up that hill over there."

There was a single hill in the village and it was steep enough to pose a challenge even without weights. Ceallach looked at it, then back at the doctor. "This is supposed to make me stronger? The way you were going on about it, I thought I was going to fight someone, not haul a bunch of rocks!"

"Have a little faith in this exercise. You'll only hurt yourself if you try fighting now. We'll work up to bigger challenges eventually."

Ceallach was neither convinced or encouraged. He looked back at Ark for support.

"I'll save the two of you something to eat," the angel waved, smiling a little.

----

Ark's inspection duties ensured them a decent place to stay every night, but it also kept many of the local people away from them out of fear or respect. This dampened Ceallach's spirits - he was eager to keep working on getting used to being around people, especially around groups of strangers, but they would disperse whenever he walked by. This, coupled with the constant traveling, made him feel even more like an outsider. He gradually, reluctantly accepted that not everyone seemed comfortable with celestial envoys and kept his distance as well.

It took a few weeks for the group to find another celestial portal - they were only set along points of interest, according to Ark. Despite having no business there, Ceallach spent an afternoon in the portal, watching the celestials there. They all wore some kind of Seeing Blind, and even if someone came to make an inquiry (most of them seemed to have to do with disputed property or land, Ceallach noted), they were bored, if their detached responses and constant playing with their hair was any indication. It seemed odd to him that anyone would work at a job focused on helping others when they clearly did not seem invested in giving aid.

"Are all celestials blind?" Ceallach asked Ark.

Ark lifted his head from the book he was studying. "What makes you think that?"

"Every celestial I've seen wears a Seeing Blind. Well, almost. There was one who wore glasses."

"What? That's not possible," Ark frowned. "Any celestial working on the mortal plane would wear a Seeing Blind."

Ceallach crossed his arms and sighed. "Well, I met one who wore glasses, and she could clearly see even if she was missing an eye. What about the others, though?"

"Seeing Blinds do different things for different celestials. Did you notice the different colors on each one?" Ark asked. Ceallach admitted having noticed it, but not having thought it was significant. "Well, there you have it." And Ark would not speak on it any further.

Ceallach usually sought out the tallest part of each town or village so he could sit and watch the milling of people from afar. In this particular town, however, the tallest building was the celestial portal, which didn't seem like an ideal watching post - and he didn't want to provoke the ire of the celestials within, should he mar the immaculate marble. Instead, he sat in the the town square near the well, where people passed by with parcels or carts. He spent some time wondering what could be in each one before finding a new person to contemplate.

The scuffling of feet made him turn his head. A small boy, a beastman if his raccoon face was any indication, was chasing a ball that was rolling toward Ceallach. The ball rolled to a stop some distance away. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the boy asked, "Are you from down south?"

Ceallach blinked in surprise, then shook his head. "No...I'm actually from somewhere a little bit to the north," he said, though he honestly had no idea where the tower was in relation to where he was right then.

"Oh," the boy said, looking down briefly. His eyes were wide when he looked back up. "So is that hair around your neck? Or is it a tail?"

"No, it's hair," Ceallach said, standing so he could unwind it. After about a minute the full length stretched around in long circles around the two of them.

The boy took some of it in his hands and stared at it. "Wow," he said, gazing out at the loops in front of him.

Ceallach grinned. "Yup."

The boy looked at the hair for a little bit longer, then handed the hair back. "Would you play with me?" he asked, holding out the ball. "My friends can't come out today."

The request nearly stunned Ceallach. His days were so full of traveling and training lately he had nearly forgotten what it was like to play with someone else. His grin faltered a little bit, but then he nodded and caught the ball as it was passed to him. The two of them chased and kicked the ball quite some distance before Ceallach realized he hadn't gathered up all his hair again, so they had to pause for a few minutes as they picked out pebbles and twigs that had nestled in it. Then it was back to their game.

It was sunset when the boy's mother, another raccoon beastman, came to fetch him. "There you are! I'll have you know that your little sister had to do your chores for you! Now come inside and apologize to her before a shadow-snapper gobbles you up!"

The boy shrunk a little, picked up his ball, and dashed off. Ceallach suddenly felt guilty and exposed. The boy's mother crossed her arms, sighed, and turned to him with an apologetic expression. "Thank you, sir, for watching my boy today. I know the celestial envoys have precious little time to spare."

Ceallach opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it. The woman bowed and left. He returned to the inn quietly. Ark was already asleep and Rowan was reading by the window. Ceallach sat on his bed and drummed his fingers on his knees for a moment. "What's a 'shadow-snapper'?" he asked.

"Hm?" Rowan looked up from his book. "A shadow-snapper is a kind of demon. A carnivorous one, specifically."

"A demon, huh..." Ceallach leaned against the wall and gazed up at the ceiling. "I thought wards kept them out? Why did I hear about them today?"

"Wards weaken and fail at times. That's why they need to be inspected, but I'm sure you know that," the doctor said. "They're still a very present threat, especially around the outer coast. Haven't your parents used the notion of them to get you to behave?"

Ceallach frowned. "...I've never met my parents."

He expected Rowan to be dismissive or disbelieving, but he only paused for a bit and put his book down beside him. "How did you live then?" the doctor asked.

"Just with Aisling. Nobody else."

Rowan pondered this with a hand on his mouth, then sighed silently. "I see...please forgive that assumption."

Ceallach lay down on his bed and turned away. "It's alright."

----

Some time into their sixth week, clouds started to thicken over their heads, so they traveled more carefully. The three of them waited at a cliff while Rowan pondered his map.

"I guess we're going to have to go through that forest?" Ceallach asked, staring out into the woods below.

"Going around may take more time than it's worth...either way, there won't be a village for a day or two. I suppose a camp in the forest would be easier to ward than out in the open..."

"Are you worried about a storm?" Ark tilted his head.

"Well -- yes. And unscrupulous folk. If neither of you have any objections, we'll cut right through, following the river."

There were none, so they resumed their journey. That night they slept in a light tent.

The next morning Ceallach was aware of some kind of wetness, colder than what he knew rain to be. When he peered out of the tent, the land about him was covered in white. He looked up into the lightly falling snow, blinking rapidly against the white-bright sky and reaching towards the flakes. They disappeared into his skin and left tiny touches of moisture there. After trying to catch some without any success, he withdrew his hands and observed from inside the tent.

He watched the snow for a few minutes, decided to experience it more fully, and stepped out. It was chill despite its soft appearance, but loose enough to pick up and mold. After packing a few clusters trying to find the best way to keep it together without it becoming impossible to manipulate, he realized that his hands were cold, so he brought heat into his fingers. When he did that, though, the snow disappeared.

Ceallach spent about an hour alone in the snow learning what he could do with it before Ark woke up and, after expressing how silly it was to be playing in the snow so early in the morning, joined him. Once the sun was visible in the sky the two of them went to rouse Rowan, who had not stirred despite the noise they made while out and about.

"Both of you look rather pleased with yourselves," Rowan said as he stretched. "If I may say so."

"We managed to find dry wood in the snow," Ceallach said. "But we need your flint to light it..."

Rowan paused mid-stretch, frowned, then asked carefully, "Snow?"

"Yes, it's everywhere. It's quite a sight, you should see it..."

Rowan scrambled out of the tent to look outside, then clapped a hand on his mouth.

"It's not that bad, is it? It's already starting to melt..."

"It is indeed very bad," the doctor said quickly, gathering the tent together. "This cannot be ordinary snow, not in this region. Tell me, are either of you tired?"

Ceallach and Ark looked at each other.

"I'm...a bit sleepy, now that you mention it," Ark said weakly.

"We have to hurry and get away from here. Hell! It must be nearly noon..."

"Aren't we going to eat first?" Ceallach started to roll his sleeping mat up.

"No time! Go! Quickly!" Rowan swept the other two to their feet. "Before the snow-sleep consumes us!"

As they ran the snow started to fall harder. Soon enough it became a full-on blizzard.

"Shouldn't we wait this out? It's getting too hard to see!" Ark shouted over the wind.

"Absolutely not!" Rowan barked. "Keep moving!"

Ceallach was too busy trying to warm himself with his hands to pay much attention. He dusted his eyes free of powder and squinted ahead.

"There's something over there!" he yelled after the others. "I see a light!"

He found the other two by grabbing after their shapes and dragged them along. He was surprised at how easy it was to put them on his shoulders. He admired his own strength for a moment, glowing with pride, before running again. Neither of them were speaking anymore, and it felt like they were getting heavier...

As he followed the light he suddenly broke into a place where no snow blew in his face. At first he could only pant in surprise. Then he realized was in some kind of long arch that blocked out the blizzard. Towards the other end of the arch was a girl, wearing surprisingly light clothing for the weather, holding a lamp.

"Have you been running long?" the girl asked after Ceallach came closer.

He stopped a few feet in front of her, unshouldering Ark and Rowan carefully. They appeared to be dozing. "Yes, that's right...trying to get out of the snow..."

The girl leaned slightly to look at them. "Ah...they seem to be in the clutches of the slumber."

"The snow-sleep, right? What can I do about it?"

She straightened and turned towards the land beyond the arch, where a shape loomed through the flurry of snow. "If they are not warmed soon, they will be lost. Just ahead is my master's castle...please follow me..."

Ceallach watched her walk away for a few seconds before realizing she was giving them shelter, then picked up his companions again and followed her. After bolting the entrance shut, the girl led him to a room with a fire burning in a large fireplace. He seated himself and the two he was carrying in front of it.

"...Is that all?" he asked, but when he looked up from the fire the girl had disappeared. He stood, checked that Rowan and Ark were comfortable, and went to look for her.

The castle was vast and empty enough for his steps to echo resoundingly as he walked. The floors and walls were made of dark marble or stone and chilled him if he brushed by. Some intricate rugs stretched out across several rooms, but none of them were new - though they were in good condition, they showed signs of coarse repair. The ceilings were high, with few lamps, so the entire place had a pondersome, blue feel. Though it seemed mostly uninhabited, he couldn't find any dust - something that had always been a problem in the tower.

He turned from a wooden armoire he had been studying and nearly ran into the girl, who was carrying a tureen on a dish. Her sudden appearance made him yelp.

"Were you looking for the kitchens, perhaps?" she asked, keeping her gaze down. "If you are hungry, I warmed some soup for you. It isn't much, but I hadn't anything else..."

The steam rising from the tureen reminded Ceallach that he hadn't eaten. "Soup's good."

"Very well then."

Both of them returned to the room with the fireplace. In the firelight he was able to see her clearly for the first time - she was wearing a simple dark uniform with white lace accents, and had short brown hair that cupped around her face. She moved so quietly and subtly that she had to clear her throat for him to notice she was holding out a bowl for him.

"If you worry for your friends, there is nothing to do but wait. The fire will wake them."

Ceallach held on to his bowl to warm his hands. "That's alright. I'm used to waiting."

The girl paused in what he assumed to be a smile, then got up, smoothing out her apron. "May I have your name, please?"

He swallowed just enough to be able to speak. "Ceallach. 'n you?"

She had picked up the dish by the time he asked, so she curtsied with one hand. "Claire Gelens, at your service."

He then tried to gulp down the rest of his soup so he could introduce the other two, but choked halfway. Claire made a noise a little like a chuckle, then turned towards the fire. "I will come back later tonight...we'll see then if I should know the others' names."

Ceallach paused to ponder what she had just said, looking at the others to make sure they were still breathing at least, and in that time she had vanished again.

When Ark woke up, he did so quietly and said little. Rowan was much more vocal upon waking.

"Here, of all places! I thought snow demons didn't come this far inland...I hadn't heard of any taking hold of people in this region, in any case. No matter, we'll just have to stay low until it passes. Where are we now, anyway?"

"It's somebody's castle," Ceallach said as he handed the others some soup. "The maid let us in."

Rowan looked about and nodded. "A castle? I think I know where we are, then. A little off-course, but not terribly so."

They ate in silence, and some time later the maid returned.

"You are all awake, then? That is good. Can you stand?"

They could.

"The storm is still going...you are welcome to stay here as long as it lasts. There is a room for you this way..."

"Will the master of the house mind us being here?" Rowan asked.

"It will be no problem. I am sure of it."

She led them down some corridors to a room with several cots. After an exchange of names, she handed them a bell. "If you are in need of anything, call my name or ring this bell, and I will help you as soon as I can."

Ark, who had said nothing until this point, asked, "Where is your master at, at this moment...?"

"The master is...out hunting," Claire said as she caught the doors' handles, "and will be back shortly. Tomorrow morning, I believe. Good night, sirs." She closed the doors softly.

Rowan sat down on one of the cots. "Out and about in this weather? That is a dead man."

"Not everyone gets the snow-sleep, right?" Ceallach felt he needed to say. "I didn't."

"Well...true. He is still a fool to be outside now. Would you listen to that racket the wind is making! It would be a wonder if we sleep tonight."

Or perhaps it was not a wonder, because the lot of them were overcome with exhaustion some time later and slept.

----

The next morning Claire placed a plate with bread and milk for the three of them before telling them that she would be looking for her master and would not be able to attend to them in the meantime. Then she left.

Ark walked to the window, rubbing out the mist with his arm. "It's still snowing...very hard, unfortunately."

Ceallach and Rowan joined him in watching the flurry. The doctor sighed. "Well, we might as well get comfortable."

Waiting around with nothing to do felt a little like being in the tower, only the castle was more open and the air felt stiller, colder, a different color even. The window nearly reached the ceiling, but was covered in glass and snow and offered little in terms of view. There was a door, but that and the prospect of something beyond it wasn't exciting enough for Ceallach to go out and explore. So he waited with the other two.

After a while he realized he was hungry again, so he began to pace. After a while more he asked the other two and found that they also were hungry.

"Claire said she wouldn't be able to attend to us though --"

There was a knock at the doors, then silence. Ark, who was closest, looked back at the other two, then got up slowly and opened the doors.

On the other side was the maid. She bowed at the surprised people inside. "The master has returned, and would like to see you. Will you come with me, please?"