A new Day Dawns

Lon paused at the girl's question, and shook his head. "No, they are forged from blue magic. It will begin to take its toll on me in a few hours, but until then, they'll stay as hot as the air around a blacksmith's forge." He said, and eyes the door. If the snow by the windows was any indication, the door may need a bit of...coaxing.

Lon simply walked up to the door, and opened it just enough for the side to release the catch. He then forcefully kicked the door, and it opened enough to get his hand out. He smiled, and quickly held out the arrow around the snow. It melted quickly with little effort, and soon the door was able to open completely, and there was a patch of bare road for the two to stand on. "Well? Shall we be off then?"

"Perhaps four hours. The arrows should hold out for three, and after that we'll be subjected to the cold. The faster we move, the faster we get there. " He said, and started off to the East in a straight line, knowing exactly where he was headed. The snow melted quickly enough as the arrows approached it, and they were kept fairly warm, though the wind still blew the heat away when it picked up too fiercely.

The man listened intently, and heard something attempting to move in the snow. Whther it was human or animal, however, was beyond him. It could be anything from a deer to a member of the Crimson Talons. Fortunately, he had a way of telling. He whistled, a tune that the Crimson Talons would recognize and respond to, thrown, of course, somewhere in the trees so they could not pinpoint him. A return whistle would alert him to the enemy, and then he could prepare.

Lon cursed, but moved quickly enough To dash down the ice and force his arrow into the water. It hissed, and he felt the drain on his energy instantly as the frigid water stole both the heat and his life away, But he still managed to keep the water heated enough to where he would not instantly freeze to death. He quickly spotted the girl, his eyes expertly trained to see in everything but absolute darkness, and grabbed her nearest appendage, quickly shoving the arrow through the ice to make a path toward the shore. He quickly melted away a patch for them to rest at, but the arrows were slowly beginning to lose their heat. "That's a hell of a way to start out..." He managed to get out between shivers. The arrows were now lukewarm at best, and Lon himself was nearly stumbling over, until he finally collapsed to his knees.

The blue magic had taken its toll on Lon, and he could barely stand, let alone walk. He stumbled to his feet, and managed to stay there for a moment, before collapsing back to his knees. Normally, he could have done a quick spell to reheat the arrows and dry their clothes, but not now. Now he could not risk doing another bit of magic, blue or otherwise, not that had he had ever been good with any of the others anyway. Once again, he forced himself to his feet, and reached into his pouch for the loaf of bread that was now soaked with water. He held his hand over it, and quickly whispered in some foreign language. The bread quickly turned into a dry husk, and Lon was able to keep his balance now, but not much else. "We need to move...it'll be the only thing keeping us warm. How good are you with magic?"

"Did your parents not teach you anything? No simple spells to warm the air? Nothing to make a spark or flame? Nothing?" He asked, dumbfounded. Most people across the world learned very basic spells, ones useful for everyday tasks, Even if they were absolutely horrible working with magics. "Nevermind. I can walk, but we'll need another way to clear the snow. We need...a cart...a carriage...something."

Lon collapsed once again, trying to keep what little energy he had left. The girl had much to learn, that much was certain.

Lon could see where this was going, but he really didn't have the energy to object. He allowed the girl to roll him onto the blanket, and then he quickly fell into a deep sleep. The arrows laid on the ground beside him, the one completely cold, the other still warm and retaining its heat, though for how long was anyone's guess. "Keep...heading east...avoid river." Lon managed to stammer out before going completely unconscious.

Lon was unconscious, and didn't even notice that he was moving. Nor did he realize that he and Keladry had fallen down the slope. What he did slowly begin to recognize were the shouts of his men in Agasarian, able to recognize their commander and the strange girl that drug him there. In a matter of minutes, the soldiers had loaded both individuals onto makeshift stretchers, and taken them to a central cabin made of food, the warmest and most secure building in the camp. A priest quickly worked each one over, slowly warming them back to a normal temperature, while also drying their clothing. "God be praised, you two are in awful shape...it's a good thing you made it back." He said in accent Tarvannan.

The priest shook his head, and went about healing the girl's hands, slowly mending them back together. "Ack, this girl...and you! You, general, made a very stupid decision, spending so much blue energy!" the priest said plainly.Lon groaned, and sat up, swinging his legs down to hit the floor. "The girl fell through some ice, I wasn't going to let her die. How long until she can be roused?" He asked with a groggy sound to his voice.

"Already you speak of moving on! You are both injured and need time to rest and heal!" the priest said, finishing up with Keladry's hands. Lon got up, and rolled his left shoulder, sighing. "The Crimson Talons know we're here. If we stay, we'll be dealing with a battle at nightfall. I'd rather take my chances on the road than fighting a night battle against a division of Tarvanna's old military." Lon said, able to stand, but knowing he would not be very useful if they were attacked. The priest sighed, and brushed his robes off, and thought a moment. "We can move now, if you wish. She can be roused with a bit of Retchweed...If we must." the priest conceded, but he certainly did not sound happy about it.

"Do it. We can sleep in a safer location and heal there. I am not going against the Talons." Lon said, eying the priest. The priest sighed, and went to a small chest in the corner of the cabin. He took out a foul smelling green plant, and quickly crushed in in a pestle with a bit of snow to create a paste. He then waved the pestle under the nose of the girl, as a wretched smell entered into her nostrils and roused her to the world.

"I am father Arinton. I kept you from freezing to death, and then proceeded to wake you up before Tarvannan ruins my efforts." He said, and then proceeded to walk toward a shelf, grumbling in a foreign language to himself. Lon got up from the table, and walked over to Keladry, frowning. "Unfortunately, we were not able to get here as undetected as I would have liked. We're in unfriendly territory now, and we're likely to be attacked once the sun sets. We have to leave, and we have to leave now."