Fantasy Cold Nights (Exalted 2.5e) - Astrid Mustonen

[Teal]

There was an insistent knocking on the workshop's door. "Doctor Mustonen?" Astrid didn't recognize the voice. The door was pushed open without awaiting a reply, revealing a female guard who looked frazzled. "Could -"


"He’s a fairy you idiots!” That was Hilda. The open door admitted her raised voice.


"Uh," the guardswoman winced. "Could you…come out here? Hilda…sliced Master Ulfrson open and, uh," There was a short beat, before the guard added, "...also set him on fire."


Relief washed over Astrid as the guard came in. She barely had time to process what was said. 'Hilda did it!' she realized. She had to go out there to make sure Todr - Freyda's husband - was really dead though.


"Yes!" she replied quickly. "You stay here with Madame Ulfrson," she ordered the guard as she brushed past her and exited the workshop, "there are others still about."


The guardswoman looked utterly perplexed that those parting words.


* * *


Todr Ulfrson lay not even ten-paces past the door of Astrid’s workshop, curled into a whimpering and twitching ball on clover-covered ground. Smoke rose from his form, and blue fire still licked at parts of his orange parka. A pool of bright red blood was still spreading about the ground around him, with stings of viscera scattered about it. Two guards knelt near him - one anxiously glancing from him to the door, the other trying to comfort Todr. The anxious one was visibly relieved when he saw Astrid.


Hilda was not far off. Disarmed, the woman was pinned by two of her fellow guardswomen. Her sword lay some distance off - the iron blade stained with blood, tangled in intestine, and burning with blue fire.


"Alright, alright." That was Hilda. "I'm cool, let me up."


The guards holding her were having none of it.


Behind all of this, the reindeer Todr rode in on was casually grazing itself - oblivious to the severity of its rider's condition.

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid marched stiffly but quickly towards Todr's fallen form. The two guards seemed to be assuring him he'd be alright, and even seemed glad to see Astrid. Hilda was being restrained; the guards weren't going to let her go. Astrid's face was locked in a grimace as she realized what she was going to have to do. As she walked, her hand reached down to her waist and to the handle of the amputation blade. She slowly drew it from her apron as she approached.


Her sight shifted. She could see death surrounding Todr; Hilda had nearly destroyed him. She winced as she heard what might've been whimpering. 'Can I do this?'


"Move aside! Let me see him!" Astrid called to the two soldiers. She could smell the smoke that rose from his form, and even as a seasoned surgeon she couldn't help but gag at the sight of his innards.


'The other is still around,' she told herself. 'You need to make him afraid.' Astrid began to kneel down to Todr's level.


The blade was raised now. Justifications ran through her mind. 'For your patients.' She shoved it down to his neck, wincing as it went.

 

[Teal]

"Move aside!" Astrid called, striding swiftly across the clover-strewn ground. "Let me see him!"


The guards did as she bayed. Neither noticed her hand resting on the vicious-looking curved long-dagger at her waist.


At her approach, Todr raised his head. His face was wet; one side dirtied with blood and dirt, the other with tears. His blue eyes were wide and frightened as they met Astrid's - but he found no sympathy in there. Panic, then rage flashed across his face - which spasmed into a cry of pain, as he fell in on himself amid a flesh gout of blood.


As Astrid knelt, she realized he'd fallen unconscious. A thundering sound filled her ears, as she reached out with the amputation blade and laid it against Todr's throat. The flesh parted without resistance. Blood poured out, covering her hand.


Todr spasmed again, eyes rolling wide as he gasped for breath. Then, he sagged bonelessly.


Everyone was staring at her.

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid rose to her feet once again, her legs wobbling as she turned her head away from Todr's corpse. She was no stranger to death, but she'd never cut someone with the intent to kill before. It was an awful feeling.


Suddenly she realized all eyes were on her. 'Take control of the situation.'


She immediately turned to the guardswomen who were pinning her bodyguard to the ground. "You two, get off of her!" Astrid shouted, waving the knife about as she approached. Her tone became terse as she continued to give orders, "that man was a fae! Didn't you see the fires?! Her sword is iron - it burned him! Hilda was doing as I ordered!"


As she moved to help Hilda get back to her feet she continued to speak. "He, Todr, brought another one with him - another Raksha. He was in the workshop, hiding in the annex, but I don't know where he is now. We need to figure out where he is, and make sure Freyda stays safe." She spoke with urgency, but she began to lower her volume. "I'm going to go back in to the workshop, I'm going to need some of you with us, and some of you to move Todr and then look for the other Fae. Do you all understand?"

 

[Teal]

"You two, get off her!" Astrid shouted, turning her full attention toward the two guardswomen holding Hilda - albeit limply - now. She advanced on them, waving her bloodied knife menacingly. One jumped back to avoid the spray of blood, the other calmly stood, allowing Hilda the freedom to move. "That man was a fae!" Astrid snapped, "Didn't you see the fires!? Her sword is iron - it burned him!" Hilda pushed herself to her feet, a scowl of satisfaction appearing on her strong features as the doctor concluded, "Hilda was doing as I ordered!"


"Yes," the guard who hadn't flinched at being sprayed with blood didn't seem impressed, "and we were ordered to detain him, not kill him." She shot a dirty look at Hilda, "By the person who actually pays us."


Hilda's smug look didn't budge.


Astrid chose not to respond to that. "He, Todr, brought another one with him - another Raksha." She sounded a little scattered, perhaps even afraid. "He was in the workshop, hiding in the annex, but I don't know where he is now." Around her, the guards grew uneasy, though Hilda and the young woman in front of her concealed it well. "We need to figure out where he is, and make sure Freyda stays safe."


"Yes ma'am." The young guard in front of her was a tad more respectful now. She gestured to her more skittish colleague, before moving toward the two guarding Todr's corpse.


Astrid turned her head to address Hilda, her face taking an expression of gratitude. "You did wonderfully - I don't know what would've happened if you didn't act when you did. If needed, I'll assume any responsibility for Todr."


Having collected her broadsword from where it had fallen, Hilda paused in her cleaning of the blade to regard Astrid. Eventually, she shrugged. "I don't like fairies." She said - as if that statement explained everything.


She gestured towards the workshop as she walked back in to check on Freda and Madame Elverson. "Follow me in - I don't know if you ran him off for good or not."


Hilda nodded, standing. She whipped her sword through the air; a last effort to clean it. Wordless as ever, she followed Astrid back into the workshop - still filled with the cries of a woman giving birth.


The fairy in black was nowhere to be found.


* * *


A few hours later...


At first, Freyda grew very still. A frown appeared on her sweat-covered face. Madame Ulfrson, who had drawn up a chair that had been delivered a few hours ago, noticed the sudden change in her daughter's demeanor first.


"Freyda, is the baby -"


Freyda shrieked.


Her body spasmed, the pain apparent as she began to writhe on the operating table. From between her legs, smoke was suddenly visible - soon, pale tongues of fire could be seen, eminating from inside her. Madame Ulfrson shouted something, but her daughter's cries drowned her words out. The old woman made to grab her - but Freyda, who's body suddenly seemed to pulse with a spurt of impossible growth as blood blossomed from under her clothes - threw her mother away. Long dagger-like claws had appeared at the tips of Freyda's fingers - now grazed with blood.


Hilda was suddenly there, pinning Freyda's arm beneath her as she grabbed the nearest strap and made to tie her down. Behind her, Madame Ulfrson lay stunned upon the floor.


"Astrid!"


'Shit shit shit shit shit.' Flew through Astrid's mind as she moved to the other side of the workshop. 'What in Creation is happening?!'


"Help Hilda hold her down!" Astrid shouted, at the other guardswomens. She didn't have time to sanitize - she went straight for the surgical tools she laid out earlier. "I'm going to cut the child free!" This was going to be tricky, but Astrid wasn't ready to kill a man only to lose her patient.


The other guard raced over. The screams seemed to be getting louder, as pregnant woman's muscles bulged and her body seemed intent on growing further. Already, the straps that bound her arm were groaning disconcertingly.


Blades ready, Astrid turned back to the screaming woman. "Freyda, stay calm! I'm -"


"W-wait!" Madame Ulfrson called. Clutching her chest - decorated starkly with lines of scarlet blood now - the old woman had risen to her knees. "If the child is -"


"It's...it's on fire!?" The nameless guardswoman cried. A rounded orb of pale flames - underneath which the pale skin and oval head of a newborn just faintly be seen - had emerged into the light. The child was silent - either unconscious or dead.


Its earthfire, she realized suddenly, it burns chaos.


This is what you're here for - you can do this. Thinking quickly, Astrid rammed twin fists of her memorial essence into Freyda and her child, suffusing the two with life-sustaining energy. She allowed her surgical knife to drop from her hand as an afterthought. Past time for that...


Beneath her clothing, she felt the talisman of iron she wore grow warm.


Astrid suddenly spun away from the birthing table. "Freyda, keep pushing! Guards, keep holding her!" She broke into a run toward one of the cabinets. Inside was a tray of blood samples in glass vials - she pulled out a and began to down from the contents as quickly as she could. 'More magic - need more motes.' An invisible pulse of ghostly radiance left her, as she released her final commitment.


A sudden flare of agony in her arm interrupted her blood-binge. She cried out, as glass vials tumbled to the dirt floor and bounced softly - only the open one she'd been about to drink spilled onto the soil.


"Astrid!" Hilda called, "The baby's -" Her words ended in an audible growl of frustration. There was a sudden, and loud, snapping sound, followed by sharp gasps and cries of shock.


When Astrid turned about, she saw that Hilda had left her post. The blond woman now stood at the foot of the operating table, cradling a small ball of white fire against her leather-clad bosom. Hilda was backing away, though, as the fire from Freyda and her son began to spread into the air - an impossible gravity-defying mass of glittering white incandescence. Freyda's had awoken again, and her face was a mask of pain as she, futilely, attempted to stifle her cries of pain. She had grown yet again - now twice as tall and wide as she was when all this started - and her legs were a mass of the white flames.


"The afterbirth is how its spreadi -" Astrid's warning ended in a cry of pain.


With a final glance between Freyda, her colleague, and Madame Ulfrson - who was pushing herself to her feet - Hilda cursed and raced toward the basin of water they'd left warming on the furnace. The white fire from the infant was spreading onto the spots of Todr's blood that dotted her jacket, but she didn't seem to notice.


Astrid met her there, gritting her teeth against the pain. She pulled a clean cloth off the table and dunked it into the water, quickly pulling it out to clean the baby. "I have one thing I can try!"


Please let this work.


White magic washed over the child along with the water, smothering the flames that covered it. Astrid forced herself to work through yet another spasm of pain, surrounded now by a halo of ephemeral white radiance. The baby's bleeding stopped with only slight applications of pressure.


It has to work – it’s all I can do.


Carefully, Hilda lay the child in the basin of water. Glittering white tongues of fire seemed to burst to life under the water's surface - only to vanish an instant later. Its small chest – charred, cooked and bleeding – rose and fell regularly, if haltingly.


Behind them, the earthfire filled the air around the operating table, shrouding it behind a veil of fluctuating light. Having thrown her leather armor - still smoldering - away, Hilda hastened to Freyda, who was half-walking half-dragged by the other guard – also divested of her armor – and her mother, away from the unnatural conflagration. Bad burns covered the pale-haired woman's legs and her breathing was ragged, though there was no sign of the white flames left on her body’s surface.


Inside though, Astrid knew the fire still raged.


((Astrid: 1/3m; 30 committed; 2/6wp; -1 Wound Penalty.))

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid realized all of sudden that she was crying. It had been along time since she could remember doing that. She lifted the baby out of the basin and wrapped it up in a blanket to dry. The fires were stopped and she managed to staunch the bleeding; all that was left now was to hope her magic could do something for it. As she carried the child out of the chaos of the workshop, she could hear a voice in her head. It was a man's voice, coarse and dry but filled with remorse.


'I'm sorry Astrid, she's not going to make it.'


"I killed a man over this; I'm not going to fail," Astrid whispered to herself. The most important thing was to get the baby away from the fires that raged about the workshop. Pushing past the gargantuan Freyda and the guards. Once she was out in the open air, she met several guards and a very confused and concerned looking Erik. Astrid grimaced. "Erik, I am very sorry, but I need you to hold the baby for now," she said as she handed him the baby, and turned back around to recollect her tools.


This was the weirdest operation Astrid ever took part in.

 

[Teal]

The guardswomen hauled Freyda from the shop, and laid her down on the the clover-grass near it. "Get the wagon!" Madame Ulfrson shouted, as Astrid brushed past her into the workshop. Erik was staring at Freyda - pained, flushed, massive, and naked - and holding the baby loosely, with a lost expression on his face. Freyda, her breathing laboured, turned her blue eyes to him.


"Erik," he flinched, "bring...my baby here."


The boy blinked, looking down at the child he held as if he only just realized he held it. His expression crumpled with pain when he saw its face. He gulped, then did as he was bid.


Arms trembling, Freyda took the small cloth bundle.


"I'm sorry..." She whispered.


* * *


The crackling of earthfire hit Astrid's ears when she stepped through the open door into her workshop again. Afternoon light still filled the space, pouring through the open windows, though the glow of the white flames made that seem wane. Most of her tools still rested on one of the cabinets where she'd left them - on a clean white cloth. The small - embarrassingly so - shelf of her medicines was also, fortunately, a safe distance from the blaze. Likewise were the buckets of purified water, placed as was normal on one of the windows to warm.


Only one of her knives was inside the earthfire - where she'd dropped it only a few minutes ago.


"Do..."


There was a faint discoloration in the white pyre. As she studied it, a vague took shape. Human in outline, whoever - or whatever - it was, the shape sat inside the flames - perhaps on the operating table, judging by the height.


"Do you..." A gentle voice spoke in her mind. "...need help?"

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid ran back into the shed with her tools in mind. Most of them were already set out and ready, she'd just have to take them outside. One of her knives had been dropped earlier, but she would have to make do without it. It wasn't worth the risk of getting near the fire. She could send one of the guards or Ulfrson to get the water and medicines once they were needed.


Her thoughts were cut short once she entered, as a voice interrupted them.


"Do..."


Astrid froze as she gazed at the shape forming amid the fire. 'What is even happening anymore.'


"Do you...need help?" The voice was soft and kind. Astrid stared for a moment before answering.


"Yes. Please. Anything."

 

[Teal]

There was a brief pause, as though the being was processing her words and intentions. For a moment, the shape faded from view - reappearing a few steps away at floor height. It twisted about gracefully, and through the flames, Astrid saw brief glimpses of white fabric and ethereal skin. The figure lofted something into the air - a small and gleaming silver shape. It landed past the center of the workshop with the soft thud.


"I am..." The surgical knife that Astrid had decided to leave behind - pristine as ever - now lay on the swept dirt floor. "...not strong." The voice seemed sorrowed. "But call..." In a half-seen swirl of white silk, the silhouette faded once more, "...I shall answer."


It reappeared on the operating table, as if it had never left.


"Hurry."


(Astrid: 3/3m (30c); 2/6wp; 9/10l; -1hl)

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid grabbed the knife, confused as to what just happened. 'Did it... do anything?' The knife wasn't hot, and seemed clean as it was before.


She was a bit lost.


"Hurry."


She suddenly snapped back to attention, running to gather the rest of her surgical tools. She ran back outside to the now enlarged Freyda, who was holding her burnt child now. "I'm going to perform a surgery," Astrid announced, although the size of the patient would complicate things... "The fire is still inside her body. We need to douse it from the inside!"


As she prepared her tools she kept giving orders. "There are medicines and water inside the shack, retrieve them for me, we'll need them. Someone else take the baby while I operate."


She thought back to the spirit, that spoke like it was in her mind. 'The knife wasn't hot...' she realized. 'Spirit, if you can do anything about the fire, please do so. I will do whatever you want, just aid this woman.' She hoped the mental communication was two ways...

 

[Teal]

"I am sorry," the voice in her mind was fainter now, as though the mortar and stone of the cottage was in the way. "That is...beyond me." Astrid could sense deep regret flowing through the connection. "But, please, my body," there was a sudden incandescence from within the cottage, as blinding white light poured from the windows and doors for an instant. "Use it..."


From the direction the words originated, Astrid sensed a pressure in her mind give way. On her forehead, a glowing spot of white light appeared. Suddenly, she felt power that was not her own not her own – welcoming and unspent – within her reach.


"What the hell is that!?" From the shadows cast by the wagon, a dark mass seemed to be oozing upward. Soon, it had assumed a slender humanoid shape, tinged purple.


“Another fairy!?”


“Ready weapons!”


“Hold!” Madame Ulfrson called, standing somewhat gingerly in the wagon – one hand pressed to her stomach again – “Its just Jahrl!”


“tHaNk-YoU, mY gOoD lAdY.” The shape bowed with boneless grace to the old woman. Its voice seemed a distorted form of Jahrl’s – and might have been something only heard in the minds of those assembled, as the being had no mouth. “i SeNsEd S – oH dEaR!” The shadow Jahrl appeared to have just now noticed the giant Freyda and Astrid’s surgical tools, before…gliding to Madame Ulfrson. “pErHaPs YoU sHoUlD cAtCh Me Up.”


“Wait...” The spirit’s voice appeared in Astrid’s mind once again. “The knife I gave you – do not use it.” She sensed…sheepishness? “It…it needs to be washed first.”


“aStRiD, iF yOu ReQuIrE aNyThInG, i Am HeRe!” The shadow Jahrl’s voice called.


She had way too many voices in her head today.

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid was almost ready to scream at Jarhl for daring to throw in another interruption, but held her tongue. Rather, she shot him a quick glare that he was likely accustomed to and went back to her work on Freyda.


'Okay, the knife is still dirty,' she wasn't sure WHY the spirit would have given it to her... 'whatever, I have others.' Her faith in anyone's ability to help her was dwindling rapidly.


She supposed she could try to let Jarhl prove himself


“If you can do ANYTHING to put out an internal fire,” Astrid shouted, gesturing to Freyda, “then you are welcome to intervene.”


She didn't expect an affirmative answer, and grabbed a more freshened knife to get to work. She felt as though her career had been building to this moment. “Otherwise, shut your mouth and stay out of the way!”

 

[Teal]

Moments after Astrid's hand closed upon the handle of her spare surgical blade, she felt a weight settle onto her shoulder. The shadow man had floated up behind her, steps silent, and now regarded Freyda with its unreadably smooth face.


It's voice vibrated through her bones - and into her mind.


"i ThInK I mAy bE aBlE tO hElP..."

 

[Maxiom]

Several hours later, Astrid collapsed into a chair placed in a hallway of Ulfrson manor. She let out an exhausted sigh, running a hand through frazzled hair. I don't understand any of what just happened. "That was a mess," she spoke aloud, "a horrible mess." The baby was in the adjacent room, somewhat situated, but only kept alive by Astrid's power. She realized she'd have to be by its side for quite a while, and let out a frustrated grunt. "I can't believe this..."


She pulled her head back down as she tried to get herself together. Its... over? Its kind of over. Just breathe. She scanned the hall until she finally saw Hilda walking down the corridor, and her eyes lit up. She quickly got up from her seat, trying to recompose herself as she went to meet her bodyguard.


"Hilda!" She called as the blonde woman approached. "I want you to know I can't... I can't thank you enough. I have no idea how that would've gone if you weren't there, but I can say for certain it would've been worse. You did everything right today." She was trying her best to keep her cool about it, but she wasn't doing a great job. "I don't know if there's much I can do, but, if you ever need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask; I owe you a great deal right now."

 

[Teal]

If Hilda was surprised to see Astrid rise from her seat, her face didn't show it. The blond woman seemed uncharacteristically at ease, crossing her arms loosely and with a smile on her tanned face, as Astrid began to speak, "I want you to know I can't..." The doctor failed miserably to keep her cool, drawing a raised eyebrow from Hilda. "...if you ever need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask; I owe you a great deal right now."


"Well," Hilda glanced toward the nursery's door, past Astrid's shoulder, "it'd make my life easier if you stay close to the brat." The swordswoman shrugged, "The boss reassigned me to him." A grin, "With a pay raise."


That explained her good mood.

 

[Maxiom]

"Well, it'd make my life easier if you stay close to the brat," Astrid's bodyguard told her.


"Why's that?" she asked, a bit perplexed at the suggestion. Hilda never seemed the type to care for children, or people.


"The boss reassigned me to him. With a pay raise," Hilda replied with a grin.


"Oh," Astrid responded, a little bit saddened. She tried to go back a smile before continuing, "well, you deserve it. And I won't be able to get away from that child for a while regardless." She was scowling again, "I doubt it'll have any chance of living without magic. Barely hanging on by a thread."


She thought about the road ahead from here for Freyda and the child. It would be quite a while before they recovered, she realized. After all this, the reality of life in the Hearth was getting to be too much; killing Todr was most likely the nail in the coffin. "If its okay with you, however, I need to go speak with Ulfrson as well. Its rather important."


---


*knock knock knock*


"Madame Ulfrson, it's Astrid. I need to speak with you," Astrid called out from the other side of Madame Ulfrson's door. Astrid was exhausted from everything, and still felt the remaining pain from the burns, but she felt it necessary to be decisive and speak with Ulfrson now. The longer she put this off, the worse she feared her position could become. She could hardly tolerate this city anymore; the time had come to leave. She would stay only as long as it took to see Freyda and the child to safety.

 

[Teal]

A moment passed, before the stone door swung open in front of her. A woman in Ulfrson browns stood before her, the faintest of smiles on her stern face. She stepped aside without a word, gesturing for Astrid to enter.


Soft white light filled the private sitting room of the Ulfrson family - supplied by one of Jahrl's mage-lights. Madame Ulfrson occupied a plush armchair, facing the door. She looked tired, as she nodded in welcome to the dark-haired doctor - motioning for her to take a seat. A pot of tea and plate of biscuits rested on a small table in front of the old woman - whether by luck or foresight, there were spare cups waiting.


Through the spacious window at the room's back, the moon shone starkly in the night sky.

 

[Maxiom]

Unnerved by the room's dim lighting, Astrid nodded to Madame Ulfrson and took a seat at the couch. "I know this is a more stressful time for you than it is for me," Astrid told her, as she poured herself a cup of tea. She felt it was best to break it slowly.


She took a drink before continuing, "but I feel like you should be the first I share this with. I will stay at the Hearth as long as it takes to make sure both your daughter and grandson recover from what happened today, but no longer." She paused to let it sink in, looking over Ulfrson's face for a reaction.


"I intend to finish the job that you have hired me for, but I will not risk my life here any more than I have." She took one more drink from her tea and then put the cup down, "I will share my intentions with Rolund tomorrow, so he will have suitable time to prepare, but I felt you deserved to know first."

 

[Teal]

Astrid poured tea.


"...I feel like you should be the first I share this with," the doctor spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness. "I will stay at the Hearth for as long as it takes to make sure both your daughter and grandson recover from what happened today, but no longer." Astrid paused to regard her hostess - who looked only mildly surprised. The old woman breathed a soft chuckle, before nodding.


"I intend to finish the job that you have hired me for, but I will not risk my life here any more than I have." Astrid sipped her tea, before setting down the cup. "I will share my intentions with Rolund tomorrow, so he will have suitable time to prepare, but I felt you deserved to know first."


The old woman's smile was tired and she chuckled again, shaking her head. "Why?"


Her tea-cup, half empty, rested on a saucer in her lap.

 

[Maxiom]

"Why?" Ulfrson asked with a soft chuckle. Astrid turned her head to the window and stared at the moon, trying to find some inspiration for such a vague question.


"I'm not going to die here," she responded, pulling back her sleeves to show the burn marks she earned from earlier. "That's why. I won't let Freyda or the baby die either, but I will not die here." Her eyes shifted around, and she shut them closed. She began again, her voice becoming less soft, "this city is hell. It's a screaming pit of barbarians. I've done what I can here and it's both too much and not enough."


She was silent for a moment and opened her eyes, making contact once again with Ulfrson. "Hilda informed me that she was reassigned. No one ever found that fae from before. I hope you have another guard for me."

 

[Teal]

As Astrid spoke, Madame Ulfrson's gaze strayed. She was obviously tired. It was only when Astrid's voice hardened that the old woman's eyes returned to her, though her expression did not change.


Perhaps sensing this, Astrid moved onto business. "Hilda informed me that she was reassigned."


"Oh," Madame Ulfrson seemed surprised. "I hadn't heard."


"No one ever found that fae from before,"the doctor went on, "I hope you have another guard for me."


"You should ask my son about that." Was the reply, after a moment. The old woman motioned to the guard at the door, "Though you can use her until then, if you think you need her."


The guardswoman looked surprised, but did not object.


Madame Ulfrson returned her gaze to Astrid. "Is there anything else? It's been a long day."

 

[Maxiom]

Astrid shook her head, "no, that's all. I'll go see Rolund in the morning and let him know the same. I appreciate you making the time for this conversation."


She rose to her feet, dusting her skirt as she did, and walked into the hall, gesturing towards the guard to follow.


Before leaving, she turned to Ulfrson and spoke once more, "rest well; it's not over yet. So long as they're still breathing, I'll do everything I can."

 

[Teal]

Calibration

Within a crib, the infant's chest rose and fell ever so slightly. Wrapped in a cushion of soft blankets , the - still nameless - baby was able to sleep, in-spite of the ghastly burns that still covered his body. A thick green salve had been spread over his wounds once more - a cooling solution, which seemed to offer some relief to his pain. In the dimness of the windowless stone cell, a curious pale radiance could seen bleeding from the boy's skin - as it had since Calibration had begun.

Hilda, her brown leathers long-since cleaned, reclined against one of the walls. Her eyes blue watched Astrid without expression, as the doctor concluded her most recent examination of the baby. The only piece of furniture - a small table with a covered magelight that offered only dim light - stood beside her.

The child appeared no less healthy than last time, fortunately.

 

[Maxiom]

"Well, he doesn't seem any more dead than usual," Astrid said with a somewhat relieved sigh as she unrolled her sleeves. "The glow is most likely because of my magic. It's all deathly essence - it acts strangely during calibration. He'll probably be alright, whatever that means." She gave a weak smile and a shrug as she continued, "I suppose you and his caretakers get a new lantern out of the deal as well?"


She turned towards the doorway, picking up an eerie crystal she had left on the floor. "Send someone to find me if there are any further developments," she said to Hilda. "I can't exactly go that far from the little leech, so it should be easy. I'll be heading to check on his mother in just a moment."


Leaving the room, Astrid walked down the corridors of the manor silently. They were lit by Jahrl's odd lights just as the infant's room. It was eerie to have night without the moon or stars, but the people of Creation were accustomed to this time of year. Astrid was usually 'graced' by her father's company during Calibration, so she supposed that it was one perk of working away from home. Shame it had to be in the Hearth, though. 'Almost feel like I'd be better off with him right now.' She knew that the mines were a deadly place though, the camps outside the manor were probably flooded with ghosts of the many dead slaves the Ulfrsons and other mine owners had burned through across the years. If it weren't for the wards about the mansion, Astrid was willing to bet the whole family would've been killed by wraiths and hungry ghosts years ago.


She could scarcely see anything out the windows other than the occasional blinking of a bonfire off in the distance - probably lit up by some guards or slaves to stave off the shadows. She could occasionally hear echoes of noise - she wasn't sure if they were laughs, screams, or some combination of the two. Calibration was as much a time of revelry as it was of death and danger after all. 'Need to find a moment to go check on the outside,' she noted to herself. She wouldn't be able to go far from the manor so long as that infant needed her magic to survive, and she wasn't keen on bringing the damn thing with her, but she was sure she'd manage with the weak anchor Jahrl had given her. For now, she decided to focus her attentions on Freyda, walking to the woman's room to see how her condition was at the moment.

 

[Teal]

Dark windows met Astrid's gaze, and her steps rang hollow on the white-washed stone of the hallway. The majority of the staff with families had departed before Calibration began - it was a holiday after all - leaving the manor quieter than usual. An abundance of Jahrl's white glowstones lit her path, though she wasn't sure if the pallor of the stones or the nigh impenetrable darkness of the windows could be chalked up to that.

She passed only a small gaggle of foundling children - the sounds of their play appearing as if from nowhere and disappearing far too quickly - before she arrived at Freyda's chambers. Navigating the mansion during Calibration, she had learned, took far longer than it should. The door was unguarded, though she noted - not for the first time - that it lay drapped in shadow.

Still, it opened as easily as it had before.

Cold washed over her the instant she stepped into Freyda's chambers. The room was dim - lit only by a covered lightstone. Objectively, Astrid knew it was spacious, though it seemed cramped now - as though the walls were drawing inward. Trophies from Freyda's excursions to the Great Ice comprised most of the ornamentation - mainly small artifacts, both beautiful and strange, though a few larger pieces were arranged about. The air around each seemed to warp and shimmer, defying the pervasive sense of claustrophobia in the rest of the chamber. Equally conspicuous were the few spaces of the room where it was obvious that, until very recently, something had been.

Freyda herself lay at an angle on the double-bed that dominated the far corner of the chamber. Judging by the even rise and fall of her body, the giantess slept.