The wolverine led them along a narrow, quiet path, looping back toward the spot they’d spawned in at. It opened up on to a small ledge. They stood overlooking a small, snow-covered valley with a quant farmhouse at its center. Ayn recognized the location by the two paths exiting the valley. She’d seen the other side of those near the silo and barn. Ayn grimaced. Was that why the curse had taken hold so fast? Had they completely overlooked the cure from the start?

  With a snuffle, the wolverine picked a spot along the ledge and slid down the cliff face on its belly. It landed in the snow with a grunt and continued on toward the farmhouse.

  Sheyric slid after it before Ayn could say anything. Not that it mattered. They were all committed now to whatever the animal and farmhouse had in store for them. Kayara hadn’t said a word the entire trek, and her movements had grown slower.

  Ayn looked over the edge. The angle wasn’t straight down, and it only stretched a few body lengths. Although the path Sheyric and the wolverine had taken was smooth, sharp rocks dotted the rest of it. Kayara had grown so stiff and near catatonic that she wasn’t sure how to get the ranger down the slope without hurting one or both of them.

  Bren walked up and waved a hand in front of Kayara’s face. She stared blankly ahead.

  “Perhaps you should put her in front of you,” Bren said.

  “Huh?” Ayn asked.

  “You know, like when you’re sledding with a little kid.” Bren stared at Kayara a moment longer, likely seeing if she’d snap at him for his analogy. When she didn’t, he sighed. “Better be quick about it, too. I fear this curse is nearing completion.”

  “Sledding?”

  The image of sitting on a sled with Kayara in front, her arms wrapped around the ranger’s waist, popped into Ayn’s head. Ayn let go of Kayara’s hand and looked away. “You do it.”

  “What?” Bren’s voice shot up an octave. “I can’t. No. That would be quite indecent of me, wouldn’t it? Besides, she’ll kill me, and she’ll kill me, and…. No. You two are plenty friendly. You have to do it.”

  Ayn turned to stare at Bren. Just what did he mean by “friendly”? The mage was staring at the ground, a heavy blush darkening his ruddy skin as he wrung his hands. Whatever he meant, he didn’t look willing to share.

  Kayara shivered harder. The staccato rhythm of her chattering teeth echoed off the surrounding rock.

  They were running out of time.

  Ayn clenched her jaw and pulled Kayara to the slope, then grabbed her shoulders and pushed down. Kayara hesitated long enough for Ayn to panic on whether she could sit anymore, only for the ranger to ease down in a sloth-like fashion.

  As Ayn waited, she kept reminding herself of how Kayara had clung to her on the underwater floor. Sure, the ranger had been terrified out of her mind, but she’d still trusted her to help. That’s all she was doing now. Helping.

  Despite the reruns scrolling through her head, Ayn’s hands still shook as she took her place behind Kayara and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Sorry.”

  Ayn closed her eyes, jaw feeling like it would never open again, and scooted forward. The ride was quick and smooth. Ayn scrambled away from Kayara as they hit the ground, then realizing the ranger wasn’t moving without her, pulled Kayara up by the hand and led her on, doing her best to ignore the pounding of her heart.

  She hit the door hard. It banged against the limit of its joints as she charged in. Sheyric and the wolverine were already inside. The fluff ball with teeth rested in front of a red brick fireplace. A roaring fire burned within, adding a great deal of heat and light to the one-room farmhouse. Sheyric lounged in one of five rocking chairs placed in a semicircle facing the fireplace. Three other chairs stood empty, one for each party member, no doubt, while the fourth held a small, humanoid figure no larger than a five-year-old.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  As the front door clicked shut behind Bren, the little person raised a chubby, wrinkly arm and motioned them over. Ayn did so without hesitation. She plopped Kayara down in one chair and took the one farthest from the ranger. The entire place screamed “quest giver”, and everything in Ayn was banking on it being about one thing.

  Ayn pointed at Kayara. “How do we cure this curse?”

  The little person frowned, disappointment clear on his grandfatherly face. Despite his small size and chubbiness, the man looked ancient. Deep wrinkles showed on every exposed piece of gray skin. Tattered overalls covered most of him, with a simple white shirt underneath, and a white cloth tied around his eyes. He swung bare feet back and forth, his legs too short to touch the floor.

  “What she means, good sir,” Bren said with a bow of his head, “is that we are truly grateful for you allowing us into your home.”

  Ayn glared at him. They didn’t have the time to waste on pleasantries. What the hell was he thinking?

  To Ayn’s surprise, the little man chuckled at Bren’s words. “Ah. So there is a young’un who still has manners. I’d nearly lost hope.”

  His voice came out high-pitched and warbling, further cementing the odd combination of child and elder.

  Manners. Anger bubbled up in Ayn. What was the point of manners if one of their own was dying while they were playing nice? “Listen—”

  “We’re merely worried about one of our party members,” Bren said. “As grateful as we are that you’ve shared your shelter and warmth with us, we were hoping to find a way to help her as well, Mister…”

  “Kalduk,” the little man said.

  “Mister Kalduk. Do you, by chance, know how to cure a freezing curse?”

  Ayn swallowed her anger and returned to clenching her jaw. As much as she wanted to strangle the info out of the old man, it was obvious Bren was making headway, but they needed to hurry. Kayara had gone still.

  Kalduk slipped from his rocking chair with a grunt and shuffled over to Kayara. Ayn’s hands dropped to her sabers’ hilts. One wrong move, and she’d take her fear and anger out on the little man’s hide.

  After a moment of facing the ranger, Kalduk nodded. “Mmmhmm.”

  “Yes?” Ayn blurted. “You can cure her?”

  “Sure do. Sure can.”

  “Then do it!”

  Bren cleared his throat as the look on Kalduk’s face soured.

  “Uh….” Ayn sighed. “Please, Mister Kalduk.”

  “Hmm.” Kalduk tilted his head. “All right. But there is one condition.”

  “What is it?”

  “No one is allowed to watch.”

  Ayn’s stomach dropped.

  “Ayn,” Bren said.

  She whirled on him. “What? Are you really okay with letting some random NRC do whatever he wants? How do you know he’s not going to just kill her? Hell, if we’re not watching, he could kill us all.”

  “I think you’re being unreasonable.”

  Ayn’s hands clenched into fists. She’d said something similar to the leader of her first party. She’d been sure the quest giver wouldn’t turn on them. It was a mistake she’d never forget. “No. I’m not.”

  Bren paused at the conviction in her tone. “Well…be that as it may, look at her. She’s barely alive already.”

  He was right. Annoyingly so. Kayara looked more like a statue than a person. Her skin had grown waxy. She no longer blinked, and Ayn couldn’t tell if she was even breathing. If she let the old man do what he wanted, all of them might die. If she didn’t, Kayara was sure to. “Fine.” Ayn growled the word out.

  “Hmmm?” Kalduk asked.

  “Fine! But if you don’t save her, nothing will save you.”

  “Ayn!” Bren called again. “Be polite.”

  Kalduk raised both eyebrows, which promptly disappeared underneath wrinkles, then chuckled. “As rude as you are, it is nice to see such comaraderie. Very well. I accept your terms if you accept mine. When I succeed, you will apologize. Now turn around and close your eyes.”

  All three of them did so, Ayn caught between the anger and frustration still roiling inside her, and the ridiculous feeling she was about to play hide and seek.

  Kalduk chanted. The words were unintelligible. If not for the steady beat, they could have been the simple mutterings of a confused elder. The whole situation set Ayn’s teeth on edge, and the remaining jitteriness from the energy drinks didn’t help. As the chant increased in tempo, Ayn’s patience ended.

  She opened her eyes. All was black. She could feel the floor of the farmhouse under her boots, hear Kalduk’s chanting and the crackling of the fireplace, even smell the wood smoke, yet she could see nothing.

  Electricity traveled up her spine. The old man had cast some sort of blindness spell, and now they were easy targets. Her hands dropped to her weapons. As far as she could tell, Kalduk still stood in front of Kayara. Even without sight, she was sure she could stab him.

  A deep growl came from next to her. Damn. The wolverine. She’d forgotten about the beast. It must have noticed her move. That was fine. A few extra calculations, and she’d take them both out.