The other passengers would change every so often, but otherwise, the atmosphere in the carriage remained the same. The celestial envoy remained in their corner and kept a long silence. Finally, the scenery began to make way for straight, finely needled forests, which excited Claire a great deal. She scrambled next to Ceallach so they could both look out the window. "The pines," she breathed, her hands in front of her mouth. "Oh, they're even more beautiful than I remember..."

The final stop was greatly surrounded by these trees. The earth was hard and cold and the air very crisp. Some piles of snow still lingered under rocks and ledges, but for the most part the land was dry. Claire's joy was almost tangible as she fluttered about, nearly prancing. "Even the air...the pines are everywhere!"

The scent of the trees was strong and somehow reassuring. Ceallach decided he liked it and made his inhalations deep and long.

"Sonja! Here," Claire said, placing a little sprig of pine needles in the other girl's hair, behind her ear. "Now you'll smell like the pines, too!"

"Ah, thanks," Sonja said, her smile hesitant as she patted the needles so they would stay in place. Claire beamed and busied herself looking for more sprigs to give to the others. Ceallach followed her into the forest to make sure she wouldn't get lost.

"See that?" Claire stopped suddenly, pointing at a cluster of pale mushrooms growing under a fallen log. Ceallach caught up to her as she knelt to have a closer look at her find. After a moment, she got up with a little bounce and dusted off her dress. "Never mind. Those aren't good to eat."

"Don't wander off too far!" Rowan called out from the edge of the wood. "Let's get settled here for the night, first. There will be plenty of time to explore the forest afterwards."

"Claire, please," Ceallach did not want to grab her hand or clothes to force her back, but she seemed not to have heard the suggestion, or was perhaps ignoring it for the time being.

"Come to think of it, I have never tried to charm an animal before," she said in a little voice, as if to herself, as she scanned the trees. After a moment of consideration, she turned around, tucking a little pine branch in her pack. "Apologies. My mind's fit to bursting with everything I want to do; I can't even decide!"

"Whatever you do, don't decide and do something by yourself, alright? I can accompany you, or Sonja - she would surely like to join you."

Claire cast one last look at the forest, then walked very close to Ceallach's side. "Yes, certainly."

Ark's ward inspection was much shorter than usual, and he was able to join the others in organizing their stay and make dinner arrangements. Despite this break in his duties, he was silent and frowning, with his wings tucked so close to his body that it seemed like he was straining them. Ceallach caught the angel's brow furrowing under his Seeing Blind more than once, though those moments were brief.

Rowan was distracted all throughout dinner, always rubbing his chin and looking out of windows. Ceallach wanted to ask him what was wrong, but the doctor shut himself in his room after clearing his plate, and the gravity of the closed door was much greater than his concern or curiosity.

Ceallach felt a touch on his shoulder and turned. Ark had one hand clutched tightly against his chest, and his lips were drawn thin. "May we share a room tonight, Ceallach?"

"That's...is something the matter? Are you ill?"

"Celestials do not get ill," Ark said, his words choppy with the sound of chattering teeth. "But I'm certain I will be having trouble sleeping tonight, and I believe your presence will help."

"You're cold?" Ceallach placed his hands on Ark's stiff shoulders. "You're wearing your winter clothes, right?"

"Yes, it's making me sweat and generally worsening things, actually. Please answer my question."

"Of course you can, Ark, you don't even need to ask - take those things off if they're damp, alright? Change into something clean and stay under a blanket," Ceallach said, running through his mind to remember what he and Aisling did when either of them were sick.

"I'm not ill, I'm just troubled," Ark fidgeted under Ceallach's grasp. "The atmosphere here is...thin. Chill. I'm..."

"Rest if you need to, Ark; you don't need to explain yourself. I can sleep on the floor as long as I have a spare blanket."

The angel's shoulders relaxed under Ceallach's hands. "Thank you."

----

The next morning, Rowan came out of his room with his duster ironed, his hair elegantly combed, and his face completely shaved.

"Is that our good doctor? Or a visiting gentleman?" Sonja asked, putting a hand over her chest. "Claire, who is this man?"

Claire put a finger to her lips. "He seems familiar, certainly. I am sure he is very charming."

Rowan's fingers roamed on the rim of his hat for a moment, and he stood straight-backed. "We're going to meet someone who will help Aisling get better today, if our luck holds. I simply wanted to look nice for the occasion."

Ceallach looked at his hands, and would have looked at the state of his hair if he hadn't already known how messy it was. "Should I clean up as well?"

"Well, if you like - it's not necessary! Actually, perhaps it's best we leave soon, so that we can arrive sometime during the afternoon," Rowan's hands fluttered about as he walked past the group to go outside.

Ceallach's belly felt tight, though he wasn't sure if it was because he was so close to finally getting help for Aisling, or because of Rowan's apparent nervousness. "Well, I suppose I'm ready. As ready as I'll ever be."

Rowan guided the group through a little road that faded into a trail, then into a path that looked like it was used more by animals than humans. The light grasses and shrubs dotting the ground made way for rocks piled up on each other to make steep hills.

"This is a bit more of a hike than I remember," Rowan said, taking off his hat to scratch the top of his head. "We can break for a light lunch. We have more climbing to do."

The day was overcast, though it did not seem as if it would rain or snow, so their meal was short and quick. As the doctor led them further upwards, he said, "Some words of warning...if my associate attempts to feed you anything, you must refuse it. Especially you, Ark."

"You're not leading us to someone who poisons their guests on a regular basis, are you?" Ark said as he passed, the clothes on his back twitching from the movement of the wings beneath.

"No, but it's...I would feel more at ease if you did not accept anything. This goes for the rest of you as well," the doctor said, looking over his shoulder.

This did not sound very reassuring. "So who is this contact of yours?" Ceallach asked.

"Well...an old friend, someone I studied with," Rowan said, gesturing unhelpfully. "We have some history, but nothing worth knowing. We should be close by..."

The rocks made way for flatter terrain lightly dotted with patches of snow and birch trees. The trees seemed to clump together as they continued, making a thick forest that blocked out the sky and most of the fading light. Still, it seemed a peaceful, though very quiet place. After some time, a particular scent became stronger and stronger. At first Ceallach thought he was just imagining things, but after a few minutes it was undeniable, even over the scent of the soil and trees. "Does anyone else smell something sweet?" he asked.

"Burning sugar, you mean?" Sonja said. She had adjusted her scarf to cover her mouth and nose a while ago. "Yes. It's very strong."

"That means we're on the right track," Rowan said.

Ark made a very faint gagging sound within his throat and made his way closer to Ceallach. "So that means it's going to get stronger?" he asked under his breath.

"I suppose," Claire whispered.

"Heavens," the angel grumbled, coughing into his hand. Ceallach placed a hand on his back and looked towards Rowan to see if he was going to offer an explanation or say anything, which he did not. He did not even turn around.

They cleared a slope and came upon a clearing with a little creek. Near the creek was a small house, brightly colored and constructed with round shapes. The sugar smell was coming from there, and as they approached different kinds of sweet scents mixed in the air: syrup, caramel, preserved fruit, and chocolate. "There it is," Rowan said. "I'll tell her we've arrived. Wait here a moment." And with that, Rowan walked on ahead, leaving them some distance from the house.

For a moment the remaining four said or did nothing. Then Ark brought a hand to his mouth, partially hiding a grin. "A female contact, hmm!"

"He said she was an old friend," Claire said, idly playing with her apron. "I wonder what kind of company he used to keep?"

Sonja crossed her arms and didn't say anything for a long while. After another moment of silence, she leaned forward, squinted, said, "Is that what I think it is?" and started to make her way towards the side of the house.

Claire looked at Ark and Ceallach as if hoping one of them would object. Then Ceallach shrugged and said, "Well, we're not getting anything done here, and it'll be dark soon," and followed Sonja. The other two joined him soon afterwards.

Upon closer inspection, the walls of the house looked distinctly like biscuits, and what had looked like decorative pieces of glass from afar turned out to be candied bits of fruit. The wall had signs of damage that were, without a doubt, teeth marks. "My word..." Sonja said under her breath.

The sound of footsteps announced Rowan's presence. "There you are. Remember: take nothing, but be as polite as you can," he said, guiding them to the front of the house.

"You didn't tell us that last part before," Ceallach said.

"Well...it's better to be safe than sorry."

The inside of the house, thankfully, did not have any of the sweet sticky smells that were so strong outside. It was an open, sparsely furnished space, full of warmth and light. Despite the lack of furniture, there were plenty of things scattered about: books, bottles, crafted human-shaped objects made of stone, wood, and rubber, amongst other tiny artifacts. Scrubbing at a round table was a woman in a red outfit that seemed light for the climate: a tightly-laced bodice, silk gloves that stretched into her long, flowing sleeves, and an embroidered dress with saffron flowers embroidered on it. She also wore a pointed, wide-brimmed crimson hat that currently held some herbs in the cup of the brim. Underneath the hat, her hair was long enough for a loose ponytail and honey-brown, save for a particular section of her bangs which were stark white and swept up to one side, like a bird's wing.

The woman looked up from her work and rolled her eyes. "Four? Four of them? 'Small party', my foot! You don't just...do this, you inconsiderate fop," she seethed as she rushed to tidy up the area.

"Everyone, this is Iris," Rowan said, extending a hand.

"Are you even listening to me?" the woman said over her shoulder, pausing to glare at him. Then she sighed and flicked her head. "Yes, that's right; Iris Vandik, witch extraordinaire and knowledgeable in all sorts of magical ills, ails, and curses. Let's throw it all out there," she said, shoving some objects on a little desk around to make room for the various doodads she had picked up off the table. She turned around and looked at the table with her hands on her hips. "Well, that's as neat as I'm going to bother making things. Sit down."

Ceallach and the others took a seat timidly, except for Rowan, who remained standing for a little bit longer.

"So which one of you is the one with the curse?" asked the witch.

"I already told you," Rowan said, which she ignored.

"Actually..." Ceallach began, "it's for someone I know, a friend of mine named Aisling. She can't be here right now, though. The trip wasn't safe for her."

"Just my luck," Iris groaned. "Well then, what is the matter with her?"

That was a very open-ended command. "She was fine until -- some months ago, sometime in the summer, I think? She just fell asleep, and nothing would wake her up..."

Rowan leaned forward and began to speak after Ceallach trailed off. "All of her life signs are totally stable. Her pulse and breathing were exactly as a sleeping person should, and her temperature was completely normal."

The doctor's addition encouraged Ceallach to keep going. "Literally nothing would wake her up. She used to be able to get up before the sun rose. But now it's as if there could be the world's biggest storm outside and she wouldn't even budge..."

"No movement at all, save for breathing of course. An extremely deep, impenetrable slumber..."

Sonja and Claire looked back and forth at the two of them in a slightly overwhelmed silence, while Ark respectfully kept quiet, flapping his wings occasionally.

Iris' growing frown betrayed clearly betrayed her growing frustration. "None of this tells me anything!" she threw her hands up, silencing them. After a few seconds of quiet, she cleared her throat and placed her hands on the table, clicking her long nails together as she did so. "...Sure, she's asleep and she won't wake up. That's something. But those are just symptoms, and they could mean anything. This is a curse, I assume? You can't simply describe the curse and expect me to know, actually know something about it. If I can't examine the person herself, then give me something that belongs to her. Something precious, at best. That will let me determine something concrete."

This was like a blow to Ceallach's chest. He had nothing to show her. "I...ah..."

Rowan was rooting in his pockets, but from his expression it was clear he wasn't expecting to find anything. "Come on now, Ceallach, you must have something..." Ceallach lowered his head and clenched his hands together.

Ark looked at both of them for a moment before summoning his book with a soft plop on top of the table. He flipped it over, opened the back cover and produced a small metal object. Ceallach took one look at it and immediately sprung from his seat, his whole body shaking as he slammed his palms on the tabletop. "How did you --!!"

The sudden outburst had made both Sonja and Claire jump in their seats. "What is it?" the maid asked in a squeak. At the head of the table, Iris' eyes twinkled with a catlike interest, but her face remained otherwise impassive.

"That's one of Aisling's birds," Ceallach said, almost roaring out the words despite the shaking in his bones. "How...where did you find it? When did you take it?"

"You mean to say that Ark stole it?" Rowan asked, leaning forward to have a look at it. "My, I never knew celestials were capable of that kind of villainy."

Iris crossed her arms. "If it's taken or stolen, it's not hers anymore. It won't be of any use to me."

Ark had only watched the other's reactions and had said nothing until this point. "I am borrowing it," he said deliberately, "and I have every intention of returning it."

A smile played on the edge of Iris' lip for a moment. "Is that so? It would be a real shame if a celestial were to lie. But, I don't think they are allowed to, are they?" she said, twirling a finger in her hair as she studied Ark and the metal bird he was slowly twirling in his fingers. Ceallach had the sudden urge to swipe the bird out of Ark's hand and Iris' gaze, which he contained by pushing his fists together. "Well, if it's all we have, then I'll have to work with it," Iris said, sitting forward to take the metal bird from the angel. The witch cupped the bird in her palms and spoke softly to it for a moment. It began to float and shimmer in the space around her cupped hands.

"Why didn't you tell me you had that?" Ceallach whispered after sitting down.

"You never asked," Ark answered simply.

Iris tapped the sides of the floating bird to spin it a few times, regarding it with a look that either suggested great concentration or boredom. Her eyes flashed bright, and she blinked hard, shaking her head. Her eyes flashed again, and she made a small noise. "What -"

There was a loud bang, which upset the table and the chair Iris was sitting on. She quickly overbalanced and fell, chair and all, to the floor, and Aisling's bird dropped to the table, rocking slightly on its underside until it plopped on its side. Everyone else was out of their chairs in an instant, except for Ark, who seemed nonplussed.

"Are you alright?" Sonja yelled, leaping over the table to the other side and offering her hand.

Iris had her hands over her eyes and groaned, making no effort to get up. "Well. Your friend has a very interesting curse," she said after a long moment.

Ceallach glanced at the bird - it looked fine, even though the banging noise had seemed to imply something dangerous. "What do you mean?"

"For one, it's written in a language I can't read and I've never seen. Which is a feat, considering I know several dead languages and demonic script."

"Perhaps some new script was invented that you're not aware of?" Rowan offered.

"Are you seriously proposing that? You? Get over here so I can eat your hat."

"Would you care to write it down?" Ark said. "One of us may have some idea as to what it is."

"Doubtful," Iris said, feeling her way back up to the table with Sonja's help, blinking rapidly. "Though it couldn't hurt. One of you get something for me to..." Claire was rifling through the clutter on the desk in an instant, and fished out a loose piece of paper and a stick of charcoal. "Oh. You're useful. Anyway, it was sort of...like this..."

Everyone had a seat around Iris as she scribbled. Ceallach thought the characters Iris were drawing were familiar somehow, though he was a little unsure about where he had seen them before. He felt as if he could read them if he didn't overthink it, but the words he was spelling out in his head when he read them didn't make any sense.

"Your penmanship is atrocious," Ark said after a few minutes.

"Excuse you, that investigation nearly blinded me. This is the best I could do with what I saw," Iris snapped. "But you are reading this?"

"Yes, it's...it's a celestial script."

"I saw this at the celestial portal," Ceallach said quietly.

"Celestial script, then! Interesting," Iris grinned. "So we have a celestial curse on our hands. You there, what did your friend do to incur the wrath of a celestial?"

Ceallach felt as if someone had given him a blow to the chest at that suggestion. "Nothing," he said with conviction. "Neither of us knew of anyone else when we were in the tower, especially any celestials!"

"Celestials are...ever-watching," Ark said. "And can pass judgment, and therefore curse someone, without the knowledge of those below."

"What!" Sonja recoiled. "But isn't it...don't they have to say something? The curse is supposed to be a punishment and a chance to reflect, isn't it; that's what happened with my father -"

"That is custom but not mandatory," Ark said, lowering his head.

The wood underneath Ceallach's fingers crumbled under the heat of his hands. "But why wouldn't we be told how to break the curse? Is that part of the sentence? To suffer? What did Aisling do wrong that I didn't do!?"

"I can't say," Ark's voice wavered slightly. "You would have to ask the court who handled the trial, or the celestial who gave the curse..."

Rowan raised a finger, his mouth open to say something, but Sonja spoke first. "Well, we'll just have to get some answers from some celestials, then! They keep records on everything!"

"That's...not information they would freely give to anyone who asks..."

"Everyone?" Claire said in a voice that somehow managed to cut through everyone else's despite its gentleness. "We have someone who can help us get answers right here."

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm enjoying the row," Iris tossed her hair dramatically. "You could go through the celestial bureaucracy and save me a lot of trouble."

"And we'd end up empty-handed," Rowan said flatly.

"Who knows? You haven't yet tried," Iris smirked. Then she shook her head. "In all seriousness...if you want to help your friend, don't go to the celestials. If someone is trying to keep a secret from you, then they will do anything to keep that secret, and going to them will give them power over you."

Ceallach swallowed hard. "I understand."

"Now, this is a genre of curse I'm not familiar with. One that resists me," Iris said, holding up the metal bird. It crackled and popped at her touch. "As you can see. So I have two recommendations."

Ceallach sat back down, the shaking of his limbs making it slightly difficult. "Tell me."

"One, you comb the minds of your friends to see if there's some other knowledgeable person who can divine through objects and can read celestial script, and you talk to them. But, seeing as I highly doubt such a person exists, you give me time to transcribe this curse, and then it's up to you to find someone who can translate it for you."

"Ark can read it," Ceallach said. Ark nodded weakly.

"Excellent! As for payment, I would like two bags of golden templars, and...that thing over there," Iris jabbed a finger across the table. It took a moment for the envoy to realize what she meant, and they turned towards Rowan. "Don't worry, I'll return him in one piece."

Rowan managed a short laugh.

"One bag of golden templars will be sent to you when the curse is translated, and the other when curse is broken," Ark said. "The other part you can have immediately."

"Ahem."

"Oh, I won't want him around just yet. In the near future," Iris played with a lock of hair. "Are we decided? Good! Wonderful, fantastic. Let's seal our deal with some food, shall we?" she said, getting up and made her way to a nearby room, which appeared to function as a kitchen.

"We've already eaten," Rowan said, standing.

"Liar," said the witch without turning around. "I heard grumbling stomachs ever since you came in. I'm inviting you to dinner."

"We have someplace to be," Claire said, standing and raising her voice slightly. Ceallach and Sonja stood as well, but Ark remained seated. "Please let us go."

"I don't think you understand," Iris snapped her fingers. The crafted figures that were slumped near the walls lurched into motion, taking the standing guests' hands and pushing them down so they were in their seats once more. She regarded them coolly. "And considering you yourself are a witch, young lady, frankly I'm disappointed. You do not refuse an invitation from a witch. Especially not," she said, her glare heating for a moment, "one from the likes of myself."

Sonja lowered her head and avoided the other's gaze. "Welp," she said softly.

Iris dusted her hands together, prompting the crafted figures to release their captives and stand behind their chairs like sentinels. "There are five of you...but I won't be long in preparing. Have a seat, rest a while. I insist." She then disappeared into the other room.

"What do we do now?" Claire asked, fiddling her fingers together near her mouth.

Rowan leaned back, crossed his arms, and sighed darkly, which sounded more like a grumble. "We stay," he said faintly, as if he was admitting defeat.

"And we are to eat nothing?" Ark asked, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Correct."

Ceallach leaned forward, crossing his arms over the table so he could rest his head on them. They had finally reached the place they had made the entire journey for, and now that they had gotten what they wanted, they were rooted to the spot. He could not satisfy his immediate desire to run to Aisling's side and tell her they had found help. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Starting to smell good..." Sonja said weakly, causing Ceallach to look up at her. She had put her scarf over her nose again. He sat up, but it took him a few minutes to catch the scents of cooking: boiling fat and oil, meat frying, and something he couldn't identify but smelled like something he'd want to taste. He licked his lips without thinking.

A short, wobbling clay figure came out of the kitchen balancing a tray with tea things on its small arms. It attempted to tilt the tray up onto the table, but the teapot threatened to spill, so it straightened itself with a jolt, then slumped in apparent dejection. If it could make sound, it probably would have sighed or moaned. Claire carefully took the tray and placed it in front of the others. Its mission satisfied, the figure trundled away.

"Tea is safe, right?" Sonja asked, tilting her head at it. "It's just water and leaves..."

Rowan regarded it dourly, his expression and the fact he had his arms crossed making him look as if he was pouting like a child. "Let me try it first," he said after a long moment, reaching for a cup. After tasting it and waiting for a minute, he poured some for the rest. "I'm still not sure. But having some in front of you should leave a good impression."

"Why are we not allowed to have anything?" Ark felt around for his cup, placing his hand on top of it to cover the steam.

"Health."

Ceallach lifted the cup so that it was near his face. The heat from it crept into his fingers, which was a faint kind of pleasure, but not enough to lift his spirits. He stared into the surface of the liquid, watching his breath make ripples in it.

"While we wait," the doctor said, turning a spoon in his cup, "Ark, I do wonder what possessed you to bring that little bird with you..."

Ceallach felt his jaw clench. The angel ran a finger along the edge of his cup, gazing straight ahead. "I had a feeling that it would be a good candidate for a magical analysis...which, as it turns out, was exactly what we needed. Besides, there were quite a few little birds...so I thought that one would not be missed."

Ceallach nearly grunted, but remained quiet. He was too wounded by the possibility of someone thinking that one of Aisling's birds, an object she had made herself, "would not be missed" to reprimand Ark. What silenced him completely, though, was the fact that he himself had not noticed that one of them had disappeared. When was it taken? On their last visit, or even before? The angel was right, he had not missed it. This realization and not being able to see Aisling wake up made his stomach heavy. He felt distant from her for the first time since he had left.

Several figures bearing plates glided out of the kitchen. They were taller and slimmer than the one with the tea and were able to set the plates in front of each guest. The main course was some kind of well-done, unidentified meat with pale slices of something-or-other laid on top. The smell was powerful, delicious, and made Ceallach's mouth flood with saliva despite the warnings against it. Iris stood in the kitchen doorway, waiting for them to pick up their silverware, then clicked her tongue. "What is this?" she said, staring at Rowan.

"I've only told them what they needed to know to stay safe," said the doctor, his arms crossed again. "Since I know what you're capable of -"

"One time! One time! And the world was better off without those two anyway!" Iris threw her hands up exasperatedly, pacing behind the sentinel constructs. "You're the one who imposes, without sending any word, and I'm kind enough to make you ungrateful lot something to eat with my own hands and you're refusing it. Since I'm handing out food and information today, I might as well hand out curses as well!" Ceallach and Sonja cringed at that.

Rowan steeled his expression. "I sent you a letter. Besides, I thought that bringing you that case would have pleased you."

Iris stopped pacing abruptly and glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Is that what all this is about," she said in a low growl.

There was a bit of silence. Ceallach felt his earlier unease solidify into genuine discomfort. The atmosphere was painfully charged, almost electric, and he needed to do something. He put his teacup down with enough force to make a sharp noise and make the liquid inside it leap. The sound startled Sonja and Claire into nearly dropping their own cups.

Iris whirled, her lips lifting in a feral snarl for a brief second, and the sentinels took a hold of the chairs the guests were sitting on. "Enough!" she growled. "I've had enough, you've had enough, let's just admit it. Get out of my house. Especially the rat bastard in the hat!" The sentinels pulled the chairs away from the table with enough force to rattle the plates on top of it. Ark and Rowan were already out of their seat before the sentinels could do anything else. Ceallach hopped off after them. Sonja had to pull Claire, who was frozen in her seat, away before the sentinels dumped her outside. The front door closed with a bang after them.

Rowan dusted his coat, his body trembling slightly. "Well! Ah, that was. That was Iris."

The others stared at him levelly for a long moment. Ceallach coughed at last and asked, "And you shaved off your beard because we were meeting her?"

"Yes. I wanted to leave a good impression?" Rowan took off his hat, his fingers making creases in the rim. "Which I clearly failed to do, I realize."

"A sacrifice she unfortunately did not recognize," Sonja said with dramatic gravity. This managed to elicit some feeble laughter.

"It...will grow back. Now that we're out of there, though, we can have a real meal. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm quite looking forward to that."

Any immediate questions or concerns about what they had just seen faded away with the thought of actually being able to eat, and the envoy left the clearing and the witch's house behind them.

"By the way, Ark," Rowan asked as they prepared to make camp - the nearest town too far to reach at a reasonable hour. "Did you notice anything about Iris' house?"

"It stank," Ark said.

Rowan stared after the angel as if waiting for something else, then laughed and resumed drawing his wards around the camp. Ceallach wondered at this, though he could not figure out what was so funny about it. Perhaps Ark was not fond of sweets.