“Finally clothes again,” Ryza said looking herself over. A black shirt with long sleeves. A skirt that went down to her knees and boots. They were comfortable to wear and more importantly the skirt hid her tail comfortably which she could work with. And a new bandana, red now that she could hide her ears as well.
“I don’t like this,” Snow mumbled shifting back and forth. She had a green shirt that she tore the sleeves off almost immediately and loose shorts. After many harsh looks and mild arguing from Ryza they still hadn’t been able to decide on the best way to hide her ears or her tail. At the moment she was forced to keep her ears down and her tail in the back of her shirt.
“Tough it out Snow,” she said glaring at her. “While we’re in town I can’t do much to help you with those things.”
“I don’t like itttt,” she whined. “My tail feels so restricted. And I can’t hear as well either. This sucks.”
Ryza gave her a flat look. “Come on. We still need to figure out where Luthagen is.”
Snow nodded still pouting as they walked down the street together. Early morning shopping with drowsy people was the best way to shop in Radiant. They even got to run into Neil again. A quick lie about their uncle, leaving the horse behind, and a recommendation for a change of clothes brought them where they were now. “We need a map of the desert. I wish I had one of Vincent’s maps here.”
“Vincent?”
“A. I guess a friend from the Free City. He helped with the thing with my mother. Him and his friends.”
“He sounds like a nice guy then.”
Ryza smirked, “He’s a grumpy one. Never liked magic even though his girlfriend is a powerful mage.”
“A grumpy one? I wonder where I’ve heard that before,” she covered her mouth to hide her giggle.
Ryza gave her a glare and felt her ears twitching behind the bandana. Snow noticed it and reached over, petting them lightly. She gasped moaning softly and then blushed, glaring even harder. “Do not.”
“I never thought I’d want to see you this way before and now I can’t imagine life without it,” Snow said happily.
Ignoring her fully at this point Ryza led the way back toward the inn that they stayed at previously. She walked in and it looked exactly the same, down to the lack of people around. However, she could feel much more. She could see the stains of the spilled ale from the night, hear the creaking of the boards above their head, and could smell the cleaning solution that was being used right now in the kitchen.
Again, she had to make a point to concentrate and dial back the deluge of information her senses were giving her now. Waking up in the forest nearly gave her a migraine. Here with less people, it was manageable. She felt Snow’s hand in hers though and that gave her something better to focus on.
As they managed their way toward the bar, both heard the creek of stairs and both looked up. They saw the little boy on his way down carrying towels higher than his head at this point. He stumbled slightly and almost fell over. Snow however was faster to react and got to him in time. She caught him and laughed as they caught the piles of towels.
She sniffed as she helped alleviate some of the towels and saw that the one carrying the towels was the boy they rescued from the forest. And he seemed to remember her too because his face broke into a smile, “Snow! What are you doing back here?”
“Hi Luke. And we’re passing back through town. Actually, we shouldn’t be staying here too long. We just need to find a map. The best map maker you all have. We have some more traveling to do.”
“Where’re you headed?”
They both looked toward the kitchen and watched Leah come out, wiping her hands with a cloth. Something about her seemed a little bit happier than she had been before. A light to her eyes that had been missing.
“Out west this time,” Ryza said offering a smile and it was much easier to do.
She looked at the pair of women and raised her eyebrow. “Something’s different about you two. I can’t really place it.”
Snow looked back at Ryza and grinned at her. She focused at her and felt her cheeks flush and her own smile return so easily. Leah didn’t miss that and winked at the pair of them. “Ah. I can see it now. Happy for you both.” That just made Ryza’s face heat up even further and averted her eyes. Snow just beamed. “So heading out west. What’s bringing you our way then?”
“A map,” Ryza said. “We don’t have any that are quite good enough. So if you can direct us toward one that would be very beneficial.”
“A map? We don’t have many map makers out here. A small village like this. Actually. Luke what’s that one boy’s name? The one that daydreams a lot.”
“Liam?”
She snapped her fingers, “Yes. His father dabbles in cartography. Talks to every traveler he can and if they let him, copy their maps. Neil actually gets his updated maps from him. If you were to talk. I’m sure he can help you out.”
“Thank you,” Ryza said bowing her head and then looked at Luke. “Have you been more careful with things? No getting into a dangerous level of trouble?”
He shook his head, “I’ve been super careful. I even made friends.”
That made Snow grin and put her hands on her hips, “Good job kid.”
Luke grinned very proud of himself. Ryza glanced over at Snow and felt her tail swish underneath her skirt. Snow stood up straighter, her ears perking up for a second and looked back at Ryza raising her eyebrow, “Did you say something?” She set them down quickly on reaction and glanced her way.
“What? No. I just looked at you?” she said confused.
Ryza tilted her head confused but shook her head glancing at Leah. “Where does Liam and his father live?”
“Just past the well in town. Only place with a proper roof,” she said. “You can’t miss it.”
“Alright. Come on Snow.”
“Yes Ryry. See you Luke,” she said waving at the kid and then smiled at Leah as well.
They both waved as she exited and the pair of wulves stepped back onto the street. Working their way toward the center of town they found the well and even before they came up to it, they saw the home. It was tall like Leah said and there were rods on top of it sticking out. Something like an altar maybe. She wasn’t sure. It would be strange to see an altar in Sanctum territory.
As they walked the town, they were greeted by the people who were awake. Though Snow was as friendly as she usually was, Ryza noticed the stranger looks they got this time. They were pleasant of course because at face value they had to be but she saw some hesitance. Some sidelong glances. And she smelled an odor on the air. Pungent and wet. She didn’t like it one bit.
When the two women arrived, Ryza took the lead knocking on the door. At first, they didn’t hear anything and Ryza moved to knock again. That time she heard something, heard the rustling of someone moving around. Muted grumbling that still echoed in their ears but no real coherency to it.
When he opened the door there was a short man, shorter than Ryza who answered. He had tanned skin, and a thick crop of blonde hair on his head. His eyes were half open and he was confused with why he looking at these two strange women this early in the morning. “Can I help you?”
Ryza nodded, “Leah told us you were the one to help with things like maps. We need one going west. Specifically, toward the Free City if you’ve gone that far.”
“The Free City? What business do you have all the way out there?” he asked drowsily.
“Our business is our own in that regard,” Ryza said. “Can you help us? We can pay.”
He fought a yawn and nodded slowly, “I believe so. There was a man who came through here not long ago from the west. His maps were some of the best I’d ever seen. He talked of places I’d never seen or heard of before. Come in.”
The room of this house was a cluttered mess. Writing tools, papers, and that ilk spread about. They had to walk carefully to not step on and break things. He walked quickly to a desk and reached to the containers pulling out a thin roll of parchment. He unrolled it slowly and held it out to her.
Ryza looked at it, Snow looking over her shoulder and saw a map so detailed that she was sure that it had been done up by Vincent. There were details in there she wouldn’t think to look for like landmarks, obstacles in the way, and even paths to avoid because of potential things like roving bandits. It only went as far as a rough approximation of the Free City but it was very detailed.
She widened her eyes and even Snow looked over it. Snow looked perplexed and glanced at Ryza whispering, “Is it good?”
“It’s very good Snow. Is this for sale?” she asked.
“Yes. I am working on an updated one now and everything that one has to show is going to go away. But for what you’re asking for this should do the trick.”
“How much for it?”
“Take it. I don’t have a use for it anymore,” he yawned again covering his mouth. “And I wouldn’t feel right charging for it.”
“Are you serious?” Ryza asked cautiously.
“Yes. I can tell you appreciate the work on it anyway. You’re either cartographer yourself or you know one.”
Ryza stared at the man and something told her he wasn’t lying or messing with her. “Yes I do. He’s actually from the Free City.”
“That so? I’d love to visit and talk to him. I’d learn a lot from him I can imagine.”
Rolling up the map slowly and put it into the bag at her hip. She turned to leave but Snow looked back at the man, “I have one question actually. Have you heard of a place called Luthagen?”
Ryza looked at Snow surprised but she was curious to this and turned back around. That caused something different in the man. She could sense it as he turned to face them, a change in his scent that she couldn’t place, “I have. Though it’s a fairy tale more than anything else.”
“A fairy tale?” Snow repeated.
“Yeah. A hidden village south of the Free City. They say incredible creatures live there. People that are one shape one moment and then change into animals and beasts. It’s a legend though. Dehydrated and delirious travelers crossing the desert.”
“Can you point out where it would be on the map you gave us?” Snow asked.
“Your friend has an active imagination huh?” the man chuckled. “But sure.”
Giving the map back he reached around for a pen and then traced where the rough idea of the Free City would be. He then lowered it toward the very edge and then went a little further south. He circled a large swath and nodded. “Somewhere in this area. There are so many accounts here and there there’s no precise location.”
“Thank you. I know my friend in the Free City would enjoy knowing where that is even if it’s not real. He’s very anal about these types of things.”
Satisfied the pair left the man’s home and left the village proper this time. They left the way they came and didn’t run into Neil this time. As they put Radiant to their back Ryza was already thinking deeply. Snow on the other hand slid her tail out of her shirt and perked her ears up immediately. Letting out an incredibly happy sigh she shivered. “So much better.”
Ryza shook her head but did take off her bandana and perked her ears up. She let out a sigh and scratched just behind one making sure to keep still and let her hands do their work. Sighing content she unrolled the map and started looking things over. Finding Radiant wasn’t hard. It was how far away they were from even the edge of the desert that would get them to the Free City.
“It would take us almost five days of hard riding to get there. Assuming we get another horse,” Ryza mumbled to herself but of course, Snow heard her.
“Or! You can ride me again,” she suggested eyes almost shining in excitement. She crouched getting ready when Ryza glared at her.
“No. We just bought clothes. I don’t need you tearing out of them again,” she said pointedly.
Snow shrugged, “I can take them off first then.” She said already pulling at the bottom of her shirt.
Again, Ryza held her hand out glancing away from her, “Hold on. For just a moment Snow. I have another idea. Several in fact and many of them don’t involve you changing shape.”
“We could just run there together though,” Snow suggested.
Ryza shook her head and looked at her hand. She concentrated, trying to focus on that feeling. The pain of her bones breaking and knitting back together. The feeling of fur, of claws and teeth, of instinct and she couldn’t hold it. It faded just as she felt the heat rise in her body and her own teeth begin to bare.
“Changing shape hasn’t come easy to me. It’s something I need to experiment with,” she said thrashing her tail in mild annoyance. Turning her gaze onto Snow she shook her head, “No I have another way to reach the Free City.”
“I thought we were going to Luthagen. And the Free City is a good pace away from it.”
“It is. Normally. But the Free City is a special place. Unlike any other in this land. If we go there first, I guarantee our journey to Luthagen will not only be smoother but faster.”
Snow folded her arms nodding quickly, “But that takes us back to your first comment. Getting to the Free City isn’t going to be fast. Unless you got a shortcut. Some kinda necromancer short cut right?”
That made her smile, “Not necromancy no. And I’m going to need your help to do it.”
“How do I help?”
“You may not be a mage but the thing that makes you a shapeshifter, that makes us both a shapeshifter, is magical in nature. You may not manipulate magic to cast spells but I can use you to boost my own magical power. Like an accelerant. It’ll let me cast a powerful spell that I normally cannot cast on my own. One that’ll take us straight to the Free City.”
Ryza led her forward avoiding the forest because she was going to need some space for this one. Once they found a somewhat empty field devoid of the main road. She cleared some space using her shovel like a miniature sickle. Creating a circle about twelve feet wide for them she nodded quickly and then glanced over at Snow.
“In the middle.”
Snow did as she was told going to the center of their make shift circle. Ryza stood behind her, putting her hands on her shoulders. Her hands were warm to touch and Ryza’s eyes began to glow. She felt Snow stiffen beside her and didn’t blame her. With another mage it would be much easier, simply manifesting their magic and melding them to a spell.
But with Snow, she had to pull her magic out and it was an intimate process. Thankfully intimacy wasn’t that much of a problem for them anymore. But even then, she was careful with the manipulations. Taking a deep breath, she felt her magic. It flooded her nose with the scent of leaves, trees, and just home. As she opened her eyes, she could see the wolf inside of Snow, a white wolf sitting on its haunches. Its tail wagged quickly, panting happily. And right beside it was Ryza’s own black wolf sitting quietly and eyes focused on her.
Raising her hands Ryza spread them and chanted the spell. She thrust her hand forward the magic creating a circle directly in front of them. Snow almost jumped as it happened but kept herself steady. Instead, she looked up at Ryza and then the portal that manifested in front of her.
“What is that?” she asked.
“A portal. We walk through that and we’ll end up in the Free City.”
Snow blinked quickly looking at it and back to Ryza, “I guess this magic.”
“Indeed. Not all magic that I perform has to be necromancy,” she gave her a wry smile and helped her to stand up. “And no shapeshifting required. So, come on. And brace yourself. It’s warm on the other side.”
Snow pouted at that comment but kissed her on the forehead. Ryza made a face then tilted her head upward and kissed her properly. Taking a step back she took her hand and led her through the portal.
Stepping out on the other side the heat hit them but it wasn’t heavy. The sun was bright but a natural breeze rolled in keeping them cool. The noise was loud, children playing, aggressive bartering, and stories. A fight even broke out down the street and it was just greeted by laughs and jeers. The smell of sand and dust was overpowered by that of grilling food, sweets, and seasonings floating around from vendors and a nearby inn.
Snow shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and lowered her ears flat against her head. She was taking it all in at once and it was overwhelming. She started to hiss, retreating backward when Ryza’s arm went around her. She started to hide her tail as well but Ryza grabbed it gently. “Here you don’t have to worry about that. Everyone here is as the name says. Free.”
To show her she took off her bandana and let her ears perk up free. Snow blinked slowly and let her tail slide down and swish back and forth. She perked up both her ears and twitched them back and forth. There were no freakouts and no overly strange looks. The idea that a woman could have a tail and ears wasn’t exactly normal but the few brave enough to approach just asked about her condition.
Snow started to tell them she was cursed but remembered that wasn’t the case anymore. So she just said she was born this way with a smile on her face. Ryza watched her laugh and talk with people and felt a warmth in her chest.
“Well well. Is that Ryza? And is she smiling? We never thought we’d see the day.”
Ryza turned raising her eyebrow and saw Alison approaching. She hadn’t changed much since last she met. Her hair was braided into twists, beads interlocked through her hair. Though what she wasn’t expecting was her eye. It was black now with thin black veins spreading from it. But it didn’t change her smile and easy-going demeanor. Looking at her with her other eyes she could just barely see Penny hovering in the shadow behind her.
“Haha Alison. I smiled when we last met if I recall correctly.”
“You did but not like that,” she said catching another one. “That’s a very special smile.”
“My smiles notwithstanding, I have a question for you and your boyfriend.”
“Vince too?” she asked raising her eyebrows.
“What can you tell me and my friend about a place called Luthagen?”
The Harlequin Library 