Chapter 286: Crosswinds - Part 1
The gusting snow was blinding as the three women set out from the grey walls of Isegart.
"Any bits of advice?" Brigit asked, her tone only slightly hostile toward Halie.
"Don’t kill the joermagr. The population in the lake gets pretty low during long winters; especially winters of the Eye," was all Halie said before opening a portal to the frozen lakeside dock.
As soon as they were through, it was Amarena’s turn. She shared only a nod with her teacher before following the mages, a pair of shortswords strapped to her waist.
"So. Since we’re working together, how about you tell us about yourself?" Brigit wasted no time asking as they trudged through the knee-high snow toward the lake. Well, the two wives trudged. Amarena was tall enough to stalk through the snow with large steps.
"I’m a demon. That’s all you care about, right?" Rena grunted as she caught her shin on a hidden post.
"Don’t talk to my wife that way," Darlae warned.
"Or what?"
"Girls!" Brigit brought her hands together loudly for a single clap. "I understand being a demon amongst the myriad can be a bit... straining. My hope is that we can at least be polite to each other until we go our separate ways." She let out a small sigh. "You do not have to answer the question if it makes you uncomfortable, Amarena. But I hope you’ll feel comfortable enough to ask any questions you have of us."
Amarena grunted an acknowledgment but then stubbed a toe claw on another post. She was swearing vociferously at the snow when a warm gust of wind suddenly cleared away the worst of the patches.
"It might be a bit tiring to keep this up, but if we’re walking along the lake it might help quite a bit," Brigit said. Darlae was already at her side shaking the lingering snow from her boots.