Slipping between the open doors, Max was greeted by a large natural hall lined with fur. Lit torches guided his eyes toward a distant table around which sat two people.
"I'm telling you, we don't have enough…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she noticed something moving near the doors.
Sev spun around slowly, staring at the young boy approaching them. As soon as Max was close enough, he bowed his head slightly and spoke in a formal tone, "Miss Astrid." Raising his head, he smiled at Sev, "Severin."
The corners of Sev's lips twitched.
"Sorry to intrude, but the honorary feast is about to start."
Astrid tilted her head and answered with a warm smile, "We'll be right there."
Bowing once more, Max looked them both in the eyes before turning and leaving, his steps echoing in the otherwise silent chamber.
As Max's footsteps faded, Astrid's posture loosened. The weight of command slipped from her shoulders as naturally as taking off a cloak.
"That boy is just so cute, I can't get enough of him," Astrid said, her dominating presence vanishing as if it was never there.
Sev shook his head, "We'll have to wrap this up later." He stood up from his chair, swiftly turning to leave before Astrid could react. He was already halfway down the hall when she yelled, "Where are you going?"
Raising his hand as if waving, Sev disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving Astrid alone.
"I can't believe him, we didn't get to finish our conversation…" Astrid pouted, staring at the large doors.
Stepping outside, Sev was greeted by the cold light of glowing vines and bowls filled with luminescent water. He took a deep breath, taking in the sight for a moment before his attention moved toward a large gathering of people around a lit campfire.
He watched as a small group, including a child and an old man, walked onto an empty platform with handmade instruments. The old man held a carved wooden flute. The young girl wore a wooden cowbell around her neck that looked a bit too heavy for her. Two men sat in front of large drums.
As soon as they started playing, the air was filled with a sense of peace.
Sev stared at them with a warm expression, tapping his foot to the rhythm of their song.
Astrid silently appeared beside him, watching the band perform. "You missed this, didn't you?"
Sev's foot stopped tapping the ground. He stood in silence for a moment. "I did."
Astrid grabbed Sev's cold hand and softly said, "You always do."
Together they watched people dance and sing in a different language. For a brief moment, they didn't feel like they had to fight for their lives.
"Let's go enjoy this," Astrid tugged at Sev's hand, pointing at the gathering with her head.
Noticing the two important figures, the band stopped playing and greeted them with a deep bow. Astrid walked toward the stage, glancing back at Sev, who didn't seem eager to join her. She shrugged and stepped onto the low stone platform.
Her presence was intense, but it didn't feel dominating. Instead, it felt assuring.
She spoke just loud enough to be heard, "Tonight we honor the death of a friend, teacher, mentor and protector. Julian was a great man, and his death is a painful reminder of the cruel world we live in. We will remember his name and the names of those who've fallen before him and carry them with us back to our homes outside in the real world."
She raised her hand as the crowd erupted into cheers and loud clapping.
Sev stood just outside the crowd, his eyes glued on the large ravine across the frozen lake. The hair on his neck stood up before settling again, unnoticed.
As Astrid walked off the stage, the small band returned and resumed their playing.
Slowly, piles of cooked meat began forming near the campfire as people ate to their hearts' desire. The new arrivals nervously waited in line, not yet used to such a warm atmosphere.
Astrid approached a group of five people standing in front of dozens of large wooden barrels. "Make sure everyone has enough," she said, grabbing a mug and filling it with a deep red liquid from one of the barrels.
With a drink in hand, she walked toward a nearby table filled with strong-looking men.
"Ah, there she is. Lady Astrid in the flesh," a young man with a large scar on his cheek said.
"Since when do we have drinks?" another, much bulkier man with a long beard asked, pointing at Astrid's mug. "Would you mind getting me one?" he added, laughing loudly.
Astrid looked at him with an unamused expression, pointing behind her to where she had just come from. "Get it yourself, Yusuv."
He looked behind her, seeing a line quickly forming as drinks were being distributed. "Damn it," he muttered, quickly getting up from the table and rushing to get in line.
"Bring a whole barrel while you're at it," another man said from across the table. He looked young, but the top half of his face was covered in scars. Leaned against the table next to him was a wooden walking cane.
"Like Vero said, bring a whole barrel or don't come back!" Phix, the man with a scar on his cheek, shouted.
Astrid stared at the empty seats around the table. "So where's Terry? I haven't talked to him in weeks."
Phix looked around, trying to spot him in the crowd. "Not sure, he was here a moment ago, but said something came up and rushed out of here." He turned back to Astrid, "I think I saw him run toward that hellhole, but I'm not sure." He pointed at the dark gorge with his head before turning his attention back toward the line where Yusuv stood.
"And the others?"
This time Vero answered. He spoke in a quiet, calm tone, "Hina said she wasn't feeling well and Nathan went to relieve himself, and Julian… he's the reason we're sitting here in the first place."
"…You haven't seen Sev?"
"Wasn't he with you?" Phix asked.
Astrid shrugged. "He'll probably come sooner or later."
After a moment of silence, Phix asked, laughing slightly, "Do you remember when we first came here and Sev got lost in the gorge?"
Astrid shook her head. "I remember looking for him for a week only to realize he was hiding only a few minutes from the entrance."
The group laughed, reminiscing about old times, as Yusuv returned with a girl who looked to be in her twenties.
"Look who I found," Yusuv said, putting down a barrel of wine next to the table as the girl with long straight black hair sat down.
"How are you, Nina?" Vero asked, looking directly at her even through his blindness.
"What did I miss?" she asked.
Yusuv sat down next to her with a thump, placing a mug full of wine in front of everyone. "Yeah, what did we miss?"
"We were just remembering that time when Sev got lost in the gorge."
Yusuv laughed so loud the entire sanctuary could probably hear it. With a tear in his eye, he said, "I remember when he cried like a little bitch." He stopped laughing, his eyes nervously darting around. "He's not here, is he?"
"No, you're safe," Phix laughed, sipping his wine.
*
Standing in front of the giant crack in the mountain, Sev looked like an ant. The air near the gorge was much colder, the strong wind tossing his hair as his clothes flailed against his body.
With some effort he closed his jacket and buttoned it up. Moving his hand, he fixed his tie and walked inside the cavern.
Darkness surrounded him, leaving him completely blind. With his right hand he reached for something on his wrist. He opened the watch-like object, revealing a small shining stone inside.
From afar a faint glow appeared in the opening of the gorge, but as Sev walked further in, even that light was swallowed by the deep darkness.