Snow crunched beneath their boots as Elias and Jamie moved deeper into the forest, the city's noise thinning behind them until only the hush of winter remained. The trees here stood bare and skeletal, branches etched black against a pale sky, their shadows stretching long across the white ground. Breath fogged the air with every step, lingering for a moment before fading.
The path they followed wasn't marked, but it was familiar enough. Jamie walked ahead with easy confidence, weaving between roots and low brush without slowing, playfully kicking mounds of snow, while Elias kept pace beside her, careful not to slip on patches of ice hidden beneath the fresh white.
Jamie was no longer grounded.
Roric had said it plainly, almost amused: he was aware she'd been sneaking out for months, and pretending otherwise had become pointless. Rules that only existed on paper weren't rules at all. Still, he'd warned her—sternly this time—to be careful.
As for Elias, Roric had expressed interest in resuming their lessons, but stated that he was currently involved in a certain operation that required his full attention.
'How curious…'
Whatever it was, it carried the weight of secrecy and urgency, and Roric had left with only one instruction for the children.
Stay away from the Iron Forest.
That had been the end of it.
With training paused and supervision relaxed, Elias and Jamie found themselves spending more time elsewhere—most notably at Beth's shop. The warmth, the scents of herbs and dried roots, the steady rhythm of work made it an easy place to linger. Beth had little patience for idleness, and before long the two of them had been put to work learning names, properties, and preparation methods for various ingredients.
Beth, Elias had learned, bore the Trait 'Temperance', which held authority over equilibrium, harmony, and balance. She was at the Votary stage, just like her husband. The ways people applied their Traits generally fell into three categories—Combat, Utility, and Healing. Beth used hers in healer-type applications. Not flashy or combative, but precise and deeply practical. She specialized in medicine—ointments, salves, powders, and tinctures that could mean the difference between recovery and death.
That morning, she had sent them out with a task.
Find the Winterlace.
A rare mushroom that surfaced only during the coldest months, clinging stubbornly to life near bodies of frozen—or partially frozen—water. Pale and threadlike, almost translucent, it was used to slow bleeding and promote clotting when applied to open wounds. Difficult to harvest, easy to ruin if mishandled. It only appeared in winter, which meant the season had to be taken advantage of while it lasted.
That, and the fact that Beth would nag him relentlessly if they failed.
Which was why Elias now felt a persistent sense of urgency tugging at him as the sound of running water grew louder ahead.
The stream.
It cut through the forest in a narrow, winding line, its banks crusted with ice. Yet the water itself remained dark and moving, faint steam rising where the current resisted the cold. That was because it passed through the Iron Forest, which for some reason caused it to behave abnormally. Still, Winterlace thrived near it.
Jamie slowed as they approached, boots sinking slightly into softer snow near the bank.
"It's still not cool," she said suddenly, breaking the quiet. "We can't have classes anymore."
Elias glanced at her. "Huh—we…?"
"Yes, we," Jamie replied, hands shoved into her pockets as she kicked at a patch of snow. "All of us."
"All?" Elias asked, frowning.
She shot him a look. "Aina."
"Oh." He hesitated. "You two don't exactly get along… for some reason."
"I don't hate her," Jamie corrected. "And I know she doesn't exactly like me either. Or… whatever. But still." She shrugged. "It'd be nice. You know. If we were all together again."
Elias didn't respond right away.
Aina had been less distant lately. Not cold—just careful. She'd taken on more responsibility around his mother's care, had spoken to him more than before, even sparred with him once or twice. But there was still space there. A deliberate one.
Still, things were better than they'd been.
For the first time in months, Elias felt like life was… stabilizing.
He glanced at Jamie trudging along beside him, humming quietly under her breath.
'It's nice,' he thought.
'Being here. With her.'
The thought lingered—
Then another followed, unwelcome.
'Liv…'
His steps faltered for half a heartbeat.
Jamie noticed immediately. "Hey. You okay?"
Elias blinked and shook his head. "Yeah. I'm fine."
She squinted at him, unconvinced, but didn't push. "If you say so."
He cleared his throat and gestured ahead. "We should hurry. Beth said Winterlace bruises easily. And she… doesn't exactly have a calm temper."
Jamie laughed. "You're scared of Beth?"
"I respect her," Elias corrected quickly.
"Sure, sure." She grinned. "Relax. It's not like we're going to run into some predator out here."
As if summoned by her words, the bushes near the stream rustled.
Both of them froze.
Slowly, they parted the branches—
—and came face to face with an old man rising from the water.
Bare.
Water streamed down a wiry body hardened by age, steam curling off his skin as he straightened. For one long, impossible moment, the three of them stared at one another in silence.
Elias's eyes dropped instinctively.
So did Jamie's.
Then the old man followed their gaze.
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL—?!" he shrieked, clapping his hands over his groin with shocking speed.
He scrambled backward, slipping on wet stones as he reached for his clothes piled along the riverbank. Fabric flew everywhere as he fumbled, swearing under his breath while dragging on garments in no particular order.
"Turn the fuck around! Both of you!" he barked, face red as a beet.
Jamie did not turn around.
Elias did—eventually. Mostly.
The man dropped half his clothes into the water before giving up entirely. With another curse, he threw on a cloak, grabbed a satchel, and bolted—leaving the rest behind.
By the time Elias looked back, the old man was already sprinting into the trees, muttering curses and clutching his cloak shut as he ran. He slipped once, badly, and the duo was left staring at his naked backside as he disappeared into the forest.
Silence reclaimed the stream.
Elias stood there, mind blank.
He knew what he had seen. Obviously. He had one himself.
Still…
"…Is it supposed to bend like that?" he asked weakly.
Jamie snorted.
He turned to her—and stopped.
She was smiling.
Casually. Almost fondly.
Elias stared. She was way too okay with what had just happened.
"What?" she said. "It's just a body."
"That was an old man," Elias hissed.
"And?" She tilted her head. "I bathed with my dad all the time since forever. You get used to it."
Elias opened his mouth.
"I wish I could take a bath with you though. Papa says it's normal for loved ones to bathe together."
She noticed his expression immediately.
She waved him off. "Don't make it weird."
He closed his mouth and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're impossible."
Her smile widened. "Anyway."
She snapped her fingers. "Lyle was looking for an old man, right?"
Elias froze.
Jamie leaned closer, eyes bright. "Do you think that was him?"
"I don't know," Elias said slowly.
She grabbed his collar. "Then let's go find out!"
"Jamie—!" Elias protested as she yanked him forward, boots sliding across the snow. "We're not chasing a naked man through the forest!"
"Come on!"
"Beth will nag us if we don't come back with those mushrooms!"
"But the mushrooms can wait!"
"Beth will kill us!"
"Don't be such a killjoy," she said, sliding forward on a sheet of ice that formed beneath her feet.
Their voices faded into the trees, laughter and protests echoing through the winter air as the stream continued to flow—quiet, patient, and entirely unconcerned.