It is not easy to find something when one is blind.

  It is not easy to sleep. It is not easy to search. It is not easy to follow the guiding voice of a cynical night-fox across endless miles of tundra and topographically challenging terrain. It is not easy to dress yourself. It is not easy to eat. Many things that were easy with the lights off are not easy when one cannot see at all.

  It is not easy to use a weapon when one only has one arm.

  It is not easy to button a dress, or trousers, or don a tunic. It is not easy to eat or prepare food. It is not easy to carry things. It is not easy to fight. It is not easy to receive three gifts from the Fates, and hail one’s godparents the Winds.

  Many things in my life had, quite suddenly, become far more difficult. Still- I did not regret an injury. I did not regret my losses. I would never see Cervis; but seeing him had not been a factor in falling in love with him. I still had legs to walk, ears to listen, a hand to eat and write and hold a walking stick with, and a heart to love. I had not expected to wake; I would grieve my losses later, and, for the time being, consider it a privilege I had lived at all. The journey continued on to save Cervis.

  Nyx would not come with me to the castle east of the sun and west of the moon.

  We went as far through the Palewood as possible, till it ended at broken ice and an ocean. It was cold, and the waves against the ice lapped loud, and it smelled of salt and frozen skies. Oto had not been able to help me. Nava and Ira would not even consider it; they knew the task impossible. It fell to Inu- and my coldest and strongest godfather now met me at the northern peak of traversable land, to go further north, into realms unknown to man.

  “Nyx?”

  “Journey well, Aster. Bring him back.”

  “Thank you- for everything. And for not giving up.”

  “It is I who should do the thanking, Aster, and you who should be congratulated for perservering.”

  Whether he stayed or left then, I did not know. His steps were silent; during the journey here, he had intentionally stepped heavily where he could, crunching leaves and twigs. Since we had left the Palewood and reached the snow, I had been entirely unable to hear where he walked.

  Inu’s hand touched my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly. He was colder even than the tundra.

  “Are you afraid?”

  For Cervis.

  “No.”

  The journey was cold. The wind blasted my skin, and the pressure against my still-healing amputation did nothing to lessen pain. How far or how long we journeyed, I did not know; the entire time seemed to stretch endlessly. The motion made it impossible to sleep, carried on frosty and powerful wind. Ever on and on, Inu blew. He had protested at first even his ability to get me to the island, but I had begged and pleaded. If ever he did a thing for me as my godfather, this would be the thing I needed most of him.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Cervis was out there somewhere. I hadn’t been able to sleep, hadn’t been able to dream, hadn’t felt him try to prod into my head since the first time. It was possible, I’d considered, that the dream had held more than he had intended, and his feelings for me did not even near what I felt for him. I had considered he might regret the actions taken in the dream. Still, I did not care- I loved him, and he knew that, and I would free him of his curse, somehow.

  During the journey, I considered my options. I had three gifts from the Fates, each seemingly useless- a golden apple, a golden comb, and a golden goblet. I supposed their uses would be revealed eventually. Perhaps the last attempt was reason enough to leave what happened in the hands of fate, and not try to come up with some grand scheme. I tried to rest as Inu carried me closer still to the island.

  I tried to sleep, tried to open my mind to Cervis, tried to follow the methods outlined in that spellbook. I couldn’t reach him, either.

  “The island has closed off magic from crossing its barriers,” Inu said as we neared, his voice strained from exhaustion. Everything made sense then. “I cannot take you all the way there.”

  I considered. “Swimming will be difficult.”

  “You can’t really be considering-”

  “I have to get to him, Inu. I trust my fate to carry me to him.”

  “I will wait nearby until you reach the shore. If you feel exhaustion coming on, call for me, and then follow my voice.”

  “You’re already exhausted; it will be easier for you to return without carrying me.”

  “But I will not abandon you to your death if I can prevent it.”

  “You won’t have to.”

  “Are you ready?”

  Now? It’s time already?

  “Yes.”

  “Are you afraid?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll drop you facing the island. Go directly forward. Aster- good luck.”

  The wind holding me vanished from under me. I plunged downward, into warm, rushing waters, which quickly capped my head. I surged upward, using my legs, and then leveled with the water and started forward. It felt like slower going, and I had to stop to breathe more often. I was quickly exhausted, and knew I couldn’t be anywhere near the shore. I pushed on, and pushed on, one arm pushing through the water, legs kicking out behind me. Cervis was so close- I had come too far now to give up.

  His people had, in fact, given me one thing that might be of use: they had told me much about him, who he was before he left, his kingdom’s culture and customs, his quirks and childhood history and his family tree. I now knew him as no one else did.

  I kept going, pushing on, thinking of him. I remembered his laugh. I remembered his touch. I remembered his protective nature, his crypticness, everything about him. I swam on.

  My fingertips brushed sand. I pulled my knees forward and found I could crawl. I moved forward through the water, tired beyond anything I had ever felt, bouncing on one arm and shuffling my knees. I escaped the touch of the waves and crept only a little further before allowing myself to collapse in the sand.

  “...Aster?”

  The voice came down on the wind from a distance, disbelieving in tone. I lifted myself from the sand, propped up one arm, and glanced around habitually before pulling myself to my feet. I had no idea where I was. I hadn’t even a stick to guide my movements. But I knew that voice.

  Cervis was here, somewhere. I had only to reach him, and, somehow, all would be okay.